Living - May 2007 | The Global Intelligencer

We are what we eat

by Cate Montana

ANYWHERE, North America - An enormous, pale cabbage nestles in the produce section at your local grocery store. Bloated with water soluable nitrogen fertilizer, it looks picture perfect. The fertilizer responsible for its size, ammonium nitrate, is used as the oxydizing agent to make explosives. In fact, terrorist groups often build cheap “fertilizer bombs.” Ammonium nitrate is the only “food” the cabbage ever gets.

The typical Western child is forced to digest vegetables, grains, and fruits raised on this mono-chemical diet. Along with all the highly processed derivatives, this is the only “food” the kid ever gets. Fast forward to the college years. Drug and alcohol use are high. Suicides are up, and campuses across America report a dramatic increase in students seeking one-on-one counseling. And then there is Virginia Tech. Think there might be a connection?

Gathering Together: Communities That Serve People and Planet

Eco-friendly communities across the U.S. are bringing green-minded people together to help them share and maintain a sutainable lifestyle

by: Vicky Uhland courtesy Natural Home Magazine

Alternative housing communities have existed for years, but as interest in healthy, green living grows, community living is being transformed from a fringe notion to a practical way of living together and reducing environmental impact. Here are three common types of communities popping up in North America .

1. New Urbanism

Reminiscent of compact, walkable European towns, New Urbanist developments typically have central business and shopping areas surrounded by housing––from apartments to single-family homes. Devoted to sustainability through reduced auto traffic, these communities have access to public transportation, and ideally everyone lives within a 10-minute walk from the town center. Neighborhood open spaces are designed to encourage community and discourage car culture. In the United States, 648 New Urbanist projects exist, are under construction or in the planning stages, according to New Urban News