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 […]

Bill Rees says it best, “If you want sustainable cities, folks, they depend on sustainable countryside.” Yet the agricultural and natural lands that surround our urban centres are being systematically paved over and dug up to make way for housing, highways and industrial development.

It’s not that we don’t know how to determine if a project is sustainable. More often it’s that we fail to apply the tests that exist. This issue of Alternatives describes the many ways that we can test the sustainability of a project, a product or a service. It features […]

Number 5 – Education for the Planet (Special pullout!) This year’s environmental education directory is bigger and better than ever — 50 universities, 150 programs and lots more inspiring student-driven initiatives and ideas worth stealing. Check out what universities fit your educational goals and what creative student initiatives are worth […]

This issue of Alternatives takes readers into a realm where the actions of government, corporations, citizens and middle institutions such as schools converge to transform society as we know it. It’s a place where the environment receives its due respect. Where, as peace activist Ursula Franklin suggested in a 1994 […]

Please note, the print copy you receive of this issue may be a black and white reprint. Counting money is easy – but how do we place a value on a healthy body, a vibrant neighbourhood or a flourishing environment? Measuring Progress goes beyond the GDP to explore ways of […]

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 […]

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.