Laura McDonald

Laura is a past A\J managing editor. She has an MA in Communication Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University, is an organizing aficionado, lackadaisical gardener, and former musical theatre producer. @inhabitings

Articles

Science and Sensibilities

Dec 2015 | IN Out of the Box 41.5 | BY Laura McDonald

Poet-philosopher Karen Houle articulates why we need to see both the forest and the trees.

North American Black Bears in captivity at Marineland, Ontario

Animal Use and Abuse in Fashion and Entertainment

Apr 2014 | IN Sharing 40.2 | BY Laura McDonald

Web Exclusive

A photo gallery and interview with animal rights activist and photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur.

$A\J's guide to the sharing economy$

Share Now: Your How-to Guide to Getting More and Wasting Less

Apr 2014 | IN Sharing 40.2 | BY Laura McDonald

Full article available online

A sampling of the many ways Canadians are sharing meals, mortgages and everything in between.

A scene from the Beehive Collective's Mesoamerica Resiste poster.

The Art of Organizing

Feb 2014 | IN Resource Wars 40.1 | BY Laura McDonald

Lessons on effective, long-term organizing from the Beehive Design Collective.

Beehive Design Collective - stories of bees and alternatives economies

Pollinating Resilience

Feb 2014 | IN Resource Wars 40.1 | BY Laura McDonald

Interactive

The Beehive Collective draws out the big picture of resistance to exploitive development in Mesoamerica. Take an interactive tour of a scene from their Mesoamérica Resiste poster.

$Stephen Harper on trial, in Alternatives Journal A\J. By Ted Heeley.$

Crimes Against Ecology

Nov 2013 | IN Heroes 39.6 | BY Laura McDonald

Full article available online

Is the Harper government guilty? You be the judge.

Zine Scene

May 2013 | IN Art & Media 39.3 | BY Laura McDonald

Web Exclusive

From dumpster diving to bike trailer design, we present some of A\J's favourite DIY guides and treatises.

Over 100 people were arrested at an anti-tar sands action in Ottawa Sept 26

Rethinking Resistance

May 2013 | IN Art & Media 39.3 | BY Laura McDonald

Extended version online

Leading environmentalists share their thoughts on civil disobedience.

Slammin' Poetry

May 2013 | IN Art & Media 39.3 | BY Laura McDonald

Web Exclusive

Canadian spoken word artists sound off about climate change and the country's environmental (in)action.

$Photo © SerrNovik \ Fotolia.com$

The Great Green Web

May 2013 | IN Art & Media 39.3 | BY Laura McDonald

Web Exclusive

Activate your environmentalism with these great online resources.

$Allan Chochinov A\J AlternativesJournal.ca$

Making Better Designers

Nov 2012 | IN Education 38.6 | BY Laura McDonald

Full article available online

Q&A with Allan Chochinov, chair and co-founder of the Master of Fine Arts in Products of Design program at New York's School of Visual Arts.

$Photo by Tobin Fricke \ web.pas.rochester.edu/~tobin$

Web Extra: Stop Saskatchewan's Nuclear Reactor

Sep 2012 | IN In Defence of Science 38.5 | BY Laura McDonald

Full article available online

The plan for a nuclear reactor that will help generate power for tar sands extraction is facing serious public opposition.

In Defence of Science Panel

Sep 2012 | IN In Defence of Science 38.5 | BY Laura McDonald

Web Exclusive

Top science educators and communicators on why policies and laws need to be informed by independent, untainted science - and why WE need to demand it!

Melissa Stieber of More Than Half clothing in Kitchener, Canada

Why Sustainable Clothing Costs More

Jun 09 2015 | IN Fashion | BY Laura McDonald

What’s behind that fair trade, organic cotton dress.

$frippes vintage à motifs | © Laurent Hamels \ Fotolia.com$

Swap Before You Shop

Jun 08 2015 | IN Fashion | BY Laura McDonald

Our top tips for a successful clothing swap.

Our Top 24 Stories from 2014

Dec 18 2014 | IN A\J | BY Alex Roberts, Laura McDonald

Our most popular pieces of the year, as chosen by you (and a few chosen by us).

$Image © olgash_i \ Fotolia.com$

9 Guidelines for Green Giving

Dec 03 2014 | IN Culture | BY Laura McDonald

How to avoid filling the world with more plastic, toxic, resource-sucking or unwanted crap this holiday season.

A\J's Winter Holiday Survival Guide

Dec 02 2014 | IN Culture | BY Laura McDonald

Let us help you through the December chaos.

Unicycling for the Climate

Sep 12 2014 | IN Climate Change | BY Laura McDonald

Why Joseph Boutilier spent the last five months riding his unicycle from Victoria, BC to Ottawa.

Competing Interests? Environmentalism and the Live Local KW Challenge

Sep 04 2014 | IN Culture | BY Laura McDonald

A\J joins Live Local KW, a one week challenge to support local businesses and organizations by eating, shopping and playing local.

Line 9 construction blockade in Innerkip, Ontario

Another Enbridge Line 9 Blockade

Aug 05 2014 | IN Pipelines | BY Laura McDonald

Protestors have shut down a pipeline construction site in Innerkip, Ontario, and plan to stay "indefinitely."

Blockade of Enbridge Work Site on Line 9 Route

Jul 17 2014 | IN Pipelines | BY Laura McDonald

This is the second "integrity dig" along the Line 9 route interrupted this week.

DIY homemade deodorants with baking soda and cornstarch

Stop Buying Deodorant

Apr 17 2014 | IN Health | BY Laura McDonald

Mix up a DIY version in just five minutes that will keep you dry and stink-free using ingredients you already have in your kitchen.

Scientists gathered on Parliament Hill for the Stand Up for Science! rally

Why You Need to Talk More About Science

Nov 27 2013 | IN Theory | BY Laura McDonald

To save the environment, we need to save evidence-based decision making.

$NIGHT\SHIFT, November 2, 9pm to 3am. Presented by A\J.$

A\J Presents NIGHT\SHIFT, Kitchener's Own Overnight Arts Festival

Oct 23 2013 | IN Artists | BY Laura McDonald

Kitchener’s inaugural nuit blanche-style festival of art, culture, bright ideas and nocturnal adventure!

$Girl in green recycle logo shirt A\J AlternativesJournal.ca$

Activism 101: From Personal to Large-Scale Action

Oct 09 2013 | IN Environmental Justice | BY Emily Slofstra, Laura McDonald

What you can do to address environmental issues in a meaningful way.

$The path to renewable energy. A\J History. Alternatives Journal.$

A\J History

Oct 07 2013 | IN Renewables | BY Laura McDonald

Exploring some of A\J's past and present partnerships, including a special two-part report on the provincial soft energy path studies of the late 1970s.

Earth First! co-founder Dave Foreman vs social ecologist Murray Bookchin.

Social Ecologists and Deep Ecologists Face Off

Sep 30 2013 | IN Theory | BY Laura McDonald

A look at a 1980s battle between social ecologists and deep ecologists.

Enbridge Line 9 crosses the Grand River in North Dumfries, Ontario.

Climate Change Containment Unit on Site at Enbridge Oil Spill Drill

Sep 25 2013 | IN Pipelines | BY Laura McDonald

The CCCU joins emergency response exercise to draw attention to local impacts of the Line 9 pipeline and tar sands.

$A\J History. We're old like trees.$

The Evolution of Ecosystems Thinking in A\J

Sep 23 2013 | IN Resilience | BY Laura McDonald

We trace the growth of ecosystems thinking in A\J issues over the years, and name our best-selling issues.

$Climate change will mean more snow in Canada. Alternatives Journal. A\J$

3 Mistakes the Media are Making about the New Climate Change Report

Sep 19 2013 | IN Regulation | BY Laura McDonald

The IPCC’s 5th report shows increased warming and more certainty than ever about human causation, despite what you might read elsewhere.

$A\J Covers Progression A\J AlternativesJournal.ca$

A brief history of A\J since 1971

Sep 16 2013 | IN NGOs | BY Laura McDonald

The history of A\J and the environmental movement over the past 40 years.

$Knowing the Land is Resistance, Towards an Anarchist Ecology on A\J.$

Towards an Anarchist Ecology

May 09 2013 | IN Citizen Science | BY Laura McDonald

The Hamilton-based collective Knowing the Land is Resistance introduces an anarchist ecology based on relationships, re-enchanting and “unexpertness.”

Best of the Green Living Show

Apr 22 2013 | IN Innovators | BY Laura McDonald

From the Victories Celebration to raw olive oil, here are A\J's favourite moments and discoveries at the 2013 Green Living Show.

Be an Eco-Hero this Earth Month

Apr 02 2013 | IN Workplaces | BY Laura McDonald

April is Earth Month, the perfect time to up the eco-ante! Here's what A\J is up to – and what you can do.

New Poll: Opposition to Northern Gateway Pipeline Increasing

Dec 12 2012 | IN Wildlife | BY Laura McDonald

Opposition to the project is up to 60% in BC, thanks in part to Enbridge's own ads.

Power Shift: A call for transformative change

Oct 27 2012 | IN Students | BY Laura McDonald

Lessons from Day Two of the youth climate justice conference Power Shift 2012

Power Shift: Climate justice is about more than the environment

Oct 26 2012 | IN Students | BY Laura McDonald

The youth climate justice conference Power Shift 2012 kicks off with energizing speakers at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, QC.

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Laura McDonald

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