“Sustainability” is a monstrous concept. Perhaps no other term exposes such a vast gulf between frequency of use and level of understanding. With its newest issue, Your Town: Sustainable by Design, Alternatives jumps in to fill that gap. Deborah Curran uncovers sustainability’s wicked nature, while Ray Tomalty and Mark Redwood […]

We’re gambling that several of the smart, candid and passionate articles in this thought-provoking issue will give you at least a few “aha, I never thought about it that way” moments. To see for yourself, push up your sleeves, grab a cuppa holiday cheer and read one of the articles you […]

Get out of the way Al Gore. Move over George Monbiot. Take a time out Tim Flannery. The new crop of environmental books on bookstore shelves is enough to keep you entertained all summer long and more. So this issue of Alternatives is dedicated to helping you decide what to […]

Editorial: Reversing the Flow This issue of Alternatives focuses on water soft paths. For most people this statement invites the question: What are water soft paths? Though noun and adjective have been reversed, water soft paths share a common heritage with the soft energy paths developed in the 1970s by […]

Buy this issue in print or digital format to read the rest: Editorial:Take It Down to Zero Hope in Wasteland – Helen SpiegelmanA radical but reachable departure from current practice will put product waste back in the hands of producers, and allow cities to follow their zero-waste dreams.

Informed participation in open, accountable and effective governance: that’s a pretty good working definition of development. Governments have been using foreign aid for many purposes over the decades, and their first purpose is not always development or alleviation of poverty, as Ian Smillie points out in this issue of Alternatives. […]

Dragon boat racers, soccer teams and choirs have it. The People’s Food Commission and its report, The Land of Milk and Money, had it too. Team members often display a go-for-it passion that is rooted in a powerful tradition: to believe in tomorrow, we must appreciate yesterday. To become a […]

Buy this issue in print or digital format to read the rest: Editorial: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Launching street festivals. Planting watermelon. Doling out fake traffic tickets. If you’re wondering what these have in common, read on. They’re ingenious ways of handling issues, prying open the box.

Editorial: Fixing the Economy Raising Funds – Shannon StaplesSalt Spring Island gives national currency a run for its money.Other Canadian Alternative Currencies Revolving Funds – Gabriella Kalapos and Philip JessupMunicipalities can turn their energy costs into gold.

Editorial: Strategies for Success The Ragged Edge of Success – Stephen BockingEnvironmental progress must be measured vigilantly and handled with care. Wired for Action – Laura D’AmelioCyberactivists are furiously typing their message and showing that the mouse can be a mighty weapon.