AlternativesMagazine

Source: Breast Cancer Fund Modern food-production methods have opened major avenues of exposure to environmental carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting compounds. Pesticides sprayed on crops, antibiotics used on poultry, and hormones given to cattle expose consumers involuntarily to contaminants that become part of our bodies. Some of these exposures may increase breast cancer risk. In some ways, our ancestors had it easy. Because they didn't have chemically treated food and chemically enhanced kitchenware, their diets and cooking practices exposed them to fewer toxic hazards. Following are some of the harmful chemicals commonly found in our food and food containers, along with descriptions of what they are, where they're found and why they're bad. And check out our Tips for Prevention section to learn how to avoid them. Food Packaging Today, it's not just the food itself that you have to watch, but the containers they're stored in, which can leach toxic chem

The best that money can buy By Ben Adler: Grist The Democrats got wrecked on Tuesday, and now Republicans are taking over the Senate. Some of the new Republican senators are outright climate deniers. Those who admit that climate change is happening often hide from the issue with nonsensical yammering about how global warming might be due to natural causes.  Regardless of their views on the science, they are unanimous in their opposition to actually doing anything about it, and in their enthusiasm for exploiting America’s land and water for the benefit of the fossil fuel industries. Check 'em out .

If you have been exposed to any form of radiation, either for medical diagnostic purposes (fluoroscopy / mammography / other medical x-ray exams) or in the course of radiotherapy treatment, or if you are otherwise concerned by excessive radiation exposure, overload or poisoning (such as living near a nuclear reactor facility, working with diagnostic radiological equipment / in the nuclear processing industries / uranium mining / uranium or plutonium processing),  or if you have been exposed to radioactive particles or higher ionizing radiation doses stemming from other sources such as depleted uranium (DU), testing of atomic weapons, frequent flights in higher altitudes, a nuclear disaster (radiation fallout from the Japan nuclear power plants) etc.,  here are a number of tips and suggested remedies how to naturally help your body excrete damaging radioactive elements (e.g. strontium and radioactive iodine) or detoxify their noxious byproducts such as free radicals as well as deal w

On Oct. 14, FRONTLINE’s " The Trouble With Antibiotics " examines the widespread use of antibiotics in food animals and whether it’s fueling the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance in humans. Sharp Increase Seen in Sales of Antibiotics for Use in Farm Animals Think organic this Thanksgiving. Or go meatless New data from the Food and Drug Administration shows that the sale of antibiotics for farm animals is on the rise, amid concerns that their use is contributing to increasing drug-resistant infections in humans. The FDA reported that sales of antibiotics for agriculture climbed 16 percent in the United States between 2009 and 2012. More than 32 million pounds of antibiotics intended for use on American farms were sold in 2012 alone — a nearly 8 percent rise over the previous year. The new data comes at a time when the FDA is trying to reduce antibiotic use in food animals. In December 2013, the agency began a voluntary three-year phase out of the practice of us

Here’s some good news for your tar-sands blues: Grassroots activism makes a difference! $17.1 billion of difference, in fact. According to a new report produced by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis and Oil Change International, oil companies and investors looking to gain from Alberta’s tar sands lost a whopping $30.9 billion between 2010 and 2013. WHY? People are becoming aware what's been happening out there and a lot more aware of these issues now than in the past. There has been more pressure on the government to address the environmental concerns, the health issues and indigenous rights violations. Just three years ago most people had never heard of the Alberta Tar Sands, and those that did, didn't really know what it was, what type of oil it produced, or how it was refined. Here are 10 top facts about the Alberta Oil Sands .  You decide if this is in your best interest, or another buck or two for big oil and the Koch-Sucker Brothers. O

Global Green Economy Index Rankings Just Released     "Sweden continues to assert itself as one of the “greenest” countries in the world through its innovative use of household garbage as a source of electricity and heat for its 9.5 million citizens and aims to break its oil dependency by 2020."    It’s true that Sweden came out on top in the recently released ranking of 60 countries according to sustainability by consulting firm Dual Citizen Inc. in its fourth annual Global Green Economy Index (GGEI). Norway, Costa Rica, Germany and Denmark rounded out the top five. The rankings take into account a wide range of economic indicators and datasets regarding leadership on climate change, encouragement of efficiency sectors, market facilitation and investing in green technology and sustainability, and management of ecosystems and natural capital. Sweden’s first place finish reflects the Swedes’ ongoing commitment to climate change mitigation and sustainability policie

by Justine Alford   Humans produce an astonishing amount of trash and we all know it’s not good for the environment. We can shove it away in landfills, but there are numerous environmental problems associated with these ugly rubbish dumps. Greenhouse gases such as methane seep out of them and toxic chemicals, for example from household cleaning products, can pollute both the soil and groundwater. They’re also smelly, noisy, can damage wildlife and are breeding grounds for disease-transmitting vermin. While recycling has helped cut down on the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, a considerable amount still gets dumped in them all over the world each year. But one country is showing us that it doesn’t have to be that way—Sweden. Swedish people produce about the same amount of waste per year as other Europeans but, remarkably, less than 1% of household trash ends up in landfills. This is in part due to the 32 waste-to-energy (WTE) plants that have been set up across the country