Welcome to our guest contributor, Brian Reich, marketing guru and author of SHIFT & RESET: STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING SERIOUS ISSUES IN A CONNECTED SOCIETY, who has provided the following exclusive for The Alternative Consumer:

We live in a time of incredible excitement and opportunity. Our world is globalized, smaller, tightly connected and more deeply intertwined world than ever before. Still, many of the most pressing issues that challenge our society today aren’t being properly addressed. We are standing on the sidelines, waiting for real change to occur–missing out on our opportunity to have a meaningful impact.

Let me be clear: You don’t need to wait around for an organization to be formed for you to take actions that help address today’s issues. You can begin thinking differently now. Individuals must go beyond simply expressing their desire for change or complaining about the lack of progress. We all must take responsibility for the need to shift our thinking and reset our approach.

What can you do? Stop buying crap.

We have control over what we buy, what we read, who we connect with in ways that couldn’t have been imagined just a few years ago. We have the ability to make purchases and invest in organizations that align with our values and advance an agenda we agree will improve how society operates. There is no excuse for buying crap. We know better options are available. The message you send with a purchase – to a business that cares about its customers, and to your connections who want guidance on how to act themselves – is powerful.

We all fall short. For marketers, it’s easier to think of new, far-reaching awareness campaigns–-a successful concert leads to a tour, a successful telethon leads to a telethon industry—than to develop a sustained effort to address a cause. As individuals it’s far easier to buy into hype created by marketing, believing our limited participation will lead to long-term impact. The short-term benefits can be great for all involved. But there are limits to the value and effectiveness of awareness campaigns. Awareness alone doesn’t solve anything.  (more…)

According to Portland, Oregon based artist Dave Sage, “I love to carve yard debris wood. There is so much of it here in Portland. The homeowners and arborists are happy to give it to me and avoid a trip to the landfill.”

It’s a sustainable win-win … Trees receive a renewed life in a new form – as a planter, chair, table, bench or work of art; and virgin wood isn’t cut down to create each piece. Sage decides exactly what to carve, based on the unique qualities of each piece of found timber or salvaged wood. All items featured above and below are made from reclaimed Redwood.

find more one-of-a-kinds and contact info @ davesagedesign.com.

Here’s a toy that can serve as a child’s first introduction to the wonders of renewable energy.

Swiss toy-makers, Betrand and Masha Metrailler, create these nifty solar airplanes out of solid chestnut. When exposed to sunlight, or another strong light source, the propeller spins – the stronger the light, the faster it spins.

No batteries or switches to interfere with the toy’s performance. The Metraillers also make a solar helicopter. (more…)

• Bad weather pummels the region again…More Than 2.4 Million Without Power as Northeast Recovers From Storm – cnn
• This story is laden with so much irony that we’re posting it again…Skeptic Now Agrees Global Warming is Real – yahoo! news
• Rare Bangladesh Dolphins Get Sundarbans Sanctuaries – bbc
• They propose shocking your privates. Any volunteers? ‘Shock’ Therapy May Improve Erectile Dysfunction – livescience
• Big gulp…Huge, 16 Foot Everglade’s Python Eats Adult Deer – msnbc