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Welcome to the September online edition of
Alternatives Magazine. Please click on the
cover photo for the "flip-page" version, or copy
the link below. (Mozilla-Firefox browser works best).
http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1oy5v/AlternativesMagazine/r
esources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yudu.co
m%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F211366%2FAlternatives-Magazine-S
eptember-2010
If you prefer a PDF format, click HERE.
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Local food trend helps more folks eat fresh fruits, veggies
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The "local" movement — buying and eating food produced locally rather than
shipped from thousands of miles away — has been gaining steam with the
steady growth of farmers markets and a phenomenon called community-
supported agriculture. CSA members purchase shares of a farmer's crop for
the season. The government doesn't track the numbers, but Local Harvest, a
nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets and other local food
sources, estimates that tens of thousands of American families belong to
CSAs, and supply trails demand. The number registered with Local Harvest
alone indicates how quickly CSAs have multiplied over the past decade: The
directory's listing has increased from 374 farms in 2000 to 3,660 today.
READ >>
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The Truth About Fracking
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For anyone still wondering if hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”—a
means of extracting natural gas by injecting water, sand and chemicals
at high pressure underground to break through rock—is safe, a new
video called “Stand Up New York!” offers a quick tutorial. The video,
from subversive ad agency Agit-Pop Communications, begins by
showing the unspoiled beauty of New York State, followed by a vision
of an Exxon sign, a gas explosion and water so toxic that a lighter can
set tap water on fire. The list of chemicals involved in the fracking
process scroll down the left-hand side of the screen in jaw-dropping
numbers. READ >>
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A horizontal drilling, or hydraulic fracturing, test site in Troy, Pennsylvania. It is one of several horizontal Marcellus wells
concentrated in a small area.
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Gas tax: Price holds key to ending nation's addiction to oil?
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Two years ago this month, crude oil prices spiked to more than
$145 a barrel, driving the price of regular gasoline to more than $4 a
gallon and painfully reminding the nation once again how vulnerable
it is to the whims of the international oil market. There have been
energy bills, incentives for oil drilling, tax breaks for solar and wind
and biofuels, billions for energy research, and so on. But here's the
one metric that matters: In 1973, the United States imported about
30% of its oil. Now it imports about 68%. READ USATODAY>>
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2010 Warmest Year on Record
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The world is hotter than ever. March, April, May and June set records,
making 2010 the warmest year worldwide since record-keeping began in
1880, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says.
"It's part of an overall trend," says Jay Lawrimore, climate analysis chief at
NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. "Global temperatures ... have
been rising for the last 100-plus years. Much of the increase is due to
increases in greenhouse gases." READ >>
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Glacier National Park faces a massive meltdown
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"How much of (the glacier loss) is a natural cycle and how much is
human-caused is a complex issue," says ranger Bob Schuster , who
notes recent estimates that the park's last glacier could vanish within 10
to 20 years.
"But the majority of scientific evidence points very strongly to the fact that
humans are involved, because there's been such an unprecedented rise
in temperatures and CO2 levels." READ >>
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Green focus pays off for school district
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Over the past 17 months, the Billings School District 2 has
saved more than $654,000 by reducing its energy consumption
and has recycled more than 70 tons of paper, cardboard,
plastic and aluminum cans, said Rich Whitney, SD2’s facilities
director.
The push to be more green came from the district’s
involvement with the UnCommon Sense Project, a program
with the Yellowstone Business Partnership that encourages
area businesses to become more environmentally friendly. The
$654,000 in saved energy costs is equivalent to 3,000 metric
tons of carbon dioxide or removing 538 cars from the road, he
said. Billings Gazette >>
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The Future of Food -- You NEED to Watch This Video!!!
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This is an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the
unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled
U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. It examines the complex
web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge
multinational corporations seek to control the world‘s food system.
View Video >>
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How To Save on Groceries ... Grow Your Own
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Now that the economic slump of recent years has forced more Americans
to be frugal, coupled with a growing trend toward natural food and
awareness of where our food comes from, the time is ripe for gardening
to really take off -- and, indeed, many Americans are putting their green
thumbs to good use. With just a little bit of elbow grease, you’ll get to reap
the reward of phenomenally healthy, delicious vegetables that cost you
just pennies on the dollar compared to those at the supermarket.
READ >>
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High court hears (Monsanto) Roundup Ready case
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In a case closely watched by Montana farmers, agrichemical giant Monsanto Co.
argued that its herbicide-resistant alfalfa posed no irreparable harm to other crops
or the environment. Three years ago, the hay was growing in popularity before a
lower court, siding with organic farmers and seed exporters, banned the crop until
further environmental study could be done. Study conclusions aren’t expected until
next year. Billings Gazette.
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How the U.S. Government Contributes to the Obesity Epidemic
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A decade ago, an American woman's waist, on average, was close to two
inches smaller. Eighteen year olds are 15 pounds heavier than they were
in the 1970s. One reason is federal subsidies for food production. The
food crops currently subsidized are corn, soy, wheat and rice. What do you
end up with? A fast food diet! MORE >>
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America Has Lost More Than 23 Million Acres of Agricultural Land
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“The findings from the 2007 National Resources Inventory (NRI) serve as
a stark reminder that our nation’s agricultural land base—and the
benefits it supplies—is threatened by poorly planned development,” says
Jon Scholl, President of American Farmland Trust (AFT). More troubling,
the nation has lost 41,324,800 acres of rural land to development
between 1982 and 2007. Rural land includes active agricultural land,
plus forest land and other rural land. Fifty-six percent of the rural land
developed, or 23,163,500 acres, is identified as active agricultural land.
MORE >>
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Natural gas supply, jobs and technique debate booming
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"Energy and water mix hand in hand," says environmental biophysicist
Susan Riha of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. With hydraulic fracturing, she
says, potential risks range from the chance of chemicals such as benzene
leaking into local drinking water to landscape damage to questions about
who benefits from a new energy boom. See USATODAY.
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Judge Rules Coal Bed Methane Wastewater Ponds Unconstitutional
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Montana State District Court Judge Jeffrey Sherlock of Helena this week affirmed
that dumping wastewater from coal bed methane development into evaporation
pits violates the Montana Constitution. He said such “water impoundments” are
not a beneficial use of the billions of gallons of water that are brought to the
surface and dumped into pits or into rivers and streams, calling such practices “a
waste of one of Montana’s natural resources.” READ >>
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Get Lost, In Montana
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Montana Office of Tourism Launches "Get Lost" Campaign and Companion
Website: Initiative Designed to Spur In-State Travel Through Storytelling.
Whether you were born and raised in Montana or moved here just last month,
surely you have a tale or two about "Getting Lost" in what is now your home
state. This realization sparked the inspiration for the Office of Tourism's latest
campaign, GetLostMT.com, intended to encourage locals to more thoroughly
explore their own Big Sky backyard. READ >>
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A Fork in the Road
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The Montana made feature film A Fork in the Road will make its public debut exclusively
at Helena’s own Myrna Loy Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, May 6, 2010.
The public is invited to attend a free screening of A Fork in the Road at 8:15 PM.
Writer/Director Jim Kouf (Rush Hour, National Treasure, Stakeout), Writer/Co-Producer
Alan Di Fiore (Ghost Whisperer, The Bridge, Da Vincis Inquest), Actress Missi Pyle
(Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Galaxy Quest, Big Fish), Co-Producer Lynn Kouf,
and Executive Producer Clark Bartkowski will introduce the film. See Release.
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First Jet Uses 50-50 Camelina-Based, with traditional Jet Fuel Mix
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Sustainable Oils, a producer of renewable, low carbon and domestically
produced camelina-based fuels, supplied the camelina-based biojet fuel
that successfully powered Earth Day test flight of the U.S. Navy's F/A-18
"Green Hornet" aircraft. Taking place at the Naval Air Warfare Center in
Patuxent River, Maryland, the flight was the first to demonstrate the
performance of a 50-50 blend of camelina-based biojet fuel and
traditional petroleum-based jet fuel at supersonic speeds. MORE >>
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A Movie About Water You Need to See
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The next time someone offers you a bottle of water, take a stand and say something clever like, “No thank you, I
don't believe in it.” This simple move will open up a conversation about the massive swindle that is bottled water
… and possibly persuade one more persons to give it up entirely.
Please also make a point to see this fantastic movie, Tapped, which is playing in select theaters in the United
States and is available on DVD. Mercola.com, the World’s #1 Free Natural Health Newsletter
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The most ambitious conservation projects in American history
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America's Great Plains were once a vibrant grassland ecosystem, akin to the
great savannahs of Africa. Here, a mere 200 years ago, Lewis and Clark
stepped onto this fertile landscape and were awestruck by what they saw–
herds of bison, packs of wolves, grizzly bears, prairie dogs and more. Since
Lewis and Clark's time, many of these iconic prairie creatures have all but
disappeared.
Now, one of the most ambitious conservation projects in American history is
underway to create a thriving three million acre wildlife reserve that will restore
"America's Serengeti." Filmed over 2 years in stunning high-definition,
American Serengeti chronicles the massive restoration project and, through
CGI, will fast forward to the future when vast herds of American wildlife will
roam the plains once again. Narrated by Tom Selleck. A portion of the
proceeds benefits the American Prairie Foundation.
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First Digital Edition!
If you haven't seen the first "preview" edition of our new digitally
produced "flip-page" Alternatives Magazine yet, please click HERE, or
on the cover photo.
The feedback we've received so far has been very positive! Even
skeptics, who said they don't like reading news from a computer, now
say they prefer the digital format over print.
Because of the "zero-waste" aspect of digital publishing, the savings
can be passed onto advertisers, which is a fraction of print and other
high overhead medias. Another benefit for advertisers is the ease of
forwarding. It's about 5 to 1!! Print cannot come close.
We are currently working on our June edition!
Click HERE for our current media kit, or call 406-570-3322.
To receive your FREE e-copy, please enter, or re-confirm your email
address HERE
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To access past articles please go to the archives page.
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© 2010 - Alternatives-Magazine/Mountain Publishing
Website developed by M.E.
Questions contact dennisk@nemont.net
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