Alternatives Journal articles from April 1996

Alternatives Journal archives from April 1996

Building a better world, one neighborhood at a time. (cohousing)
April 1, 1996... Six neighbours in North Toronto got more than they bargained for when S they tore down their backyard fences a few years ago. Their long, narrow lots suddenly became a wonderful urban oasis, with backyard patios looking out over winding paths,...

Street theatre and certificate programmes. (the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation's Urban Issues Program)
April 1, 1996... "Active creators of history in their communities" is how Gisele Rucker describes the first group of participants in the Urban Issues Program of The Samuel and Saidye Bronftman Family Foundation. Rucker has a bias. As the Bronfman Foundation's...

Successful green initiatives at risk in Ontario. (nineteen environmental programs known as 'Green Communities' are threatened by Ontario's budget cuts)
April 1, 1996... Nineteen urban areas across Ontario are taking practical steps toward sustainability through local initiatives known collectively as "Green Communities". These communities are drawing on local expertise to conserve resources, cut waste generation...

Greening the city: the ecological and human dimensions of the city can be part of town planning.(includes related article on conference about high-density communities)(Cover Story)
April 1, 1996... Our problems with cities today stem only squeeze the ecological out of town planning but also frustrate human creativity and expression. Making our cities more liveable entails making them both greener and more human. Fortunately, we can reassert...

Healthy, sustainable communities. (focusing on sustainability and human development will require changes to local governmental structures)(includes related articles on case studies and proposals)
April 1, 1996... The well-being of the planet in the coming century will be decided to a significant degree by cities and their citizens. THE 21ST CENTURY will be the dawn of the urban millennium -- for the first time more than half the human species will be...

Ecology and community design: lessons from Northern European ecological communities. (ten strategies for incorporating ecological concepts into urban design)
April 1, 1996... In many ways, ecology and community design are in contradiction. Most designs for development inevitably require the destruction of natural ecologies. Consequently, designers often face the paradox that sometimes the most ecologically desirable...

In the Tiger's Mouth: An Empowerment Guide for Social Action.
April 1, 1996... Katrina Shields, Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 1994, $17.95, soft cover. Discussions about human suffering and ecological disasters abound in environmental circles. Words like corruption, exploitation and greed weave their way...

Working Group Guide.
April 1, 1996... Daryl Novak, ed., Waterloo, Ontario: Waterloo Public Interest Research Group, 1994, $4.00, soft cover. Discussions about human suffering and ecological disasters abound in environmental circles. Words like corruption, exploitation and greed...

Discovering Your Community: A Cooperative Process for Planning Sustainability.
April 1, 1996... Louise Ward-Whate and Joanne Mills, Victoria, BC: Harmony Foundation of Canada, 1994, $16.05, soft cover. Discussions about human suffering and ecological disasters abound in environmental circles. Words like corruption, exploitation and greed...

Keepers of Life.
April 1, 1996... Joseph Bruchac and Michael Caduto, Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers, 1994. In the fall of 1994, when a group of parents at the Surrey BC Traditional School were unpacking school books sent by the Ministry of Education, they found several...

Sustainable Communities Resource Package.
April 1, 1996... Toronto: Ontario Round Table on Environment and Economy, April 1995. Since the 1987 publication of the Brundtland Commission's Our Common Future, there has been much debate over what sustainable development really is. Finally, here is a guide...

Bike choir recycles music for transport revolution. (a Toronto, Ontario, cyclist choir)
April 1, 1996... The anti-auto movement is reputedly a militant and radical group of ecoterrorists -- blockading traffic, critical massing, and ticketing motorists for "environmental violations". Song Cycles: Choir on Bikes, a group of Toronto-area cyclists, is...