Consumerism

Mercy by Jo-Anne McArthur.

Editorial: Lessons Earned

I won’t sugarcoat it: sharing isn’t always easy. Some of the toughest moments of my life have been failed attempts to share things. I’m not talking about books or my bike or a pot of borscht. I mean the big stuff: living spaces, investments of time and money, collective ambitions […]

All is Lost film review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

All is Lost

In the aftermath of the 2014 Oscars, this review focuses on one film that was overlooked by the Academy and, to an extent, by popular culture at large. All is Lost tells the story of an aged man (Robert Redford) who finds himself shipwrecked on a solo voyage in the vast […]

Tulips growing in the Fraser Valley in BC, Canada.

Love Hurts: In Search of Eco-Friendly Flowers

VALENTINE’S DAY means that thousands of Canadians will be heading to the florist to purchase the classic symbol of undying love – a bouquet of roses. Flowers are also a popular gift for birthdays, Mother’s Day and get-well-soon wishes. So popular, in fact, that global cut-flower sales approached $14-billion last […]

TINY small house documentary review A\J Alternativesjournal.ca

TINY

The postwar consumer boom caused a swell in both the number and size of houses, leading to mass-produced homes and the advent of suburbia. The average size of Canadian homes immediately post-war was less than 1,000 square feet; by the mid-2000s it had grown to a peak of 2,300 feet […]