Community

Accidental Gravity. Bernard Quetchenbach. Oregon State University Press, 249 pp.

‘Accidental Gravity: Residents, Travelers, and the Landscape of Memory’

There’s an ethereal quality to much nature writing that can feel oppressively twee, miscalibrated to life in the Anthropocene. Annie Dillard may have had a year to wander the Blue Ridge Mountains playing King of the Meadow with grasshoppers, but that was 1974. Haven’t you heard? A Delaware-sized iceberg is […]

'Drawdown', edited by Paul Hawken. Penguin Books. 240 pp

‘Drawdown: The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming’

This is a book that addresses the climate crisis at its very roots. Editor Paul Hawken, who made his name with such environmental classics as Natural Capitalism and The Ecology of Commerce, says reducing or even halting new greenhouse gas emissions is not enough. At this moment in history we […]

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It’s Time to Unite!

Day 5 of the 2018 Turtle Island Solidarity Journey was spent back at the Pointe-Aux-Chien Tribal Building. We had connected with the community and shared a meal with its members a few days earlier, but this time we returned to nurture the relationship we all share – our relationship with […]

go to farm final

The GO Train to Farm Country?

Imagine catching a GO train to see, taste, and pick the best the world grows and prepares all in one place. Imagine picking your own berries and then drinking squeezed juice while watching some frisky goats. Then imagine sitting down to enjoy what can be done with the cheese they […]

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Ontario MPP Peter Tabuns (NDP) tables climate damages legislation

The Toronto MPP and former Greenpeace head introduced Bill 21 Monday at Queen’s Park, legislation that would  pave the way for individuals, governments and businesses to sue fossil fuel companies for property damage or loss, the higher cost of insurance or infrastructure expenses to protect against future harm.

Proposed Greenbelt Expansion Study Area - Streams and Water Map

The Greenbelt is Growing

Alternatives Journal and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation are hosting a celebration of the possible expansion of the Greenbelt into Waterloo Region and Wellington County. There’s just one problem: earlier this month, Waterloo Regional council voted for revisions to the greenbelt expansion before agreeing to join. In fact, if […]

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Why We Upcycle

In 2016, the magazine TakePart reported that 26 billion pounds (11,800,000 tonnes) of textile is tossed into US landfills each year. You might donate clothing in hopes that someone will re-love it, but according to the 2015 film The True Cost, only 10 percent of clothes that people donate get sold. […]

Fashion designer Peggy Sue Deaven-Smiltnieks

A Stitch in Time (wastes less)

When my Austrian grandma passed away, I found her 20-year-old Dirndl in her wardrobe. Although it was much too big for me, I was emotionally unable to throw it away. Eventually, I decided this Dirndl deserved to be worn again. So, I opened all the seams, divided it into its […]