POLITICS & POLICIES

Smoke rising from an oil refinery. Alternatives Journal. A\J.

Fighting Pipelines is not Enough

For the first time in three million years our planet has approached 400 parts per million(ppm) of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. CO2, as many people know, is the most important greenhouse gas (GHG) emission particle contributing to the dangerous environmental crisis we know as climate change. For reference, […]

grass briefcase corporate sustainability A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

Is Big Business the Solution to Environmental Problems?

As a graduate of the University of Waterloo’s Environment and Business program, I was taught that by going green businesses can create value for themselves while benefiting society and the planet. While there are certainly many publications on this subject, it is interesting to look at how far corporate citizenship […]

nuclear hot spots map great lakes A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

Nuclear Hot Spots Map Shows Cumulative Effects

Ontarians may have no idea of the volume of nuclear-related facilities in the Great Lakes basin, but a new map offers a clear picture. The Great Lakes Nuclear Hot Spots Map recently created by Great Lakes United and the International Institute of Concern for Public Health is a comprehensive depiction […]

art_archives_winnipeg © Lance - Fotolia

Beautiful Cities

WINNIPEG STARTED as a city that had a huge sense of the possibilities. The first people that arrived there were trying to attract the railroad, so they built grand railroad stations. They built beautiful Carnegie libraries and splendid boulevards with elegant tress. There was a sense that beauty had to […]

Beautiful Corn book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

Beautiful Corn: America’s Original Grain from Seed to Plate

This historical exploration and how-to growing guide will scratch the itch of market and backyard gardeners alike. Beautiful Corn covers everything from harvesting to meal preparation, and offers useful advice that applies to household kitchens, backyard garden plots and larger acreage projects. Those interested in seed production will benefit from […]

Carbon Rush film review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

Carbon Rush

There are more than 5,000 carbon-offset projects registered by the United Nations and funded by multinational companies that try to compensate for their environmental impacts. Director Amy Miller details how eucalyptus plantations, hydroelectric dams and other projects in developing countries can violate basic human rights, cause further ecological damage and […]

Over 100 people were arrested at an anti-tar sands action in Ottawa Sept 26

Rethinking Resistance

AS THE PUSH FOR TAR SANDS PIPELINES ESCALATES and the legal channels for fighting them become exhausted, some environmentalists are reconsidering the value of civil disobedience, which Sierra Club Canada (SCC) executive director John Bennett describes as “breaking an unjust law or breaking a law to draw attention to an […]

An abandoned playground in Detroit. A\J – Alternatives Journal

Looking South to Canada: Detroit, Politics and Environmental Consequences

Urban form is crucial to environmental outcomes including habitat, climate change and air quality. In compact cities with commerce and residential neighborhoods in close proximity, travel is reduced and people are more likely to walk, cycle or use transit when they do travel within the city. In sprawling cities automobiles […]