|
Archives: eNewsletters - 2003 |
return to Archives index
Home Site
Map | Resources |
Free resources |
Catalog
eStore |
Information |
Services |
Join Us! |
Order
Want to receive our brief periodical email newsletters? If so, send us your email address. (It's simple to unsubscribe if you change your mind. Send the message "personal email only.")
current eNews | eNews 2004 | eNews 2003 | eNews 2002 | eNews 2001 | eNews 2000 | eNews 1999
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under a minute.
NEW TITLES
NATIONAL GREEN PAGES
A directory of products and services for people and the planet
2004 Edition, 21st anniversary
Discover! Thousands of products and services, including * natural body care
* organic food * travel resources * recycled and tree-free paper *
sustainably produced furniture * natural fiber clothing and linens * fairly
traded gifts from around the world. Plus * strategies for buying green *
socially responsible investing tips * simple actions for changing the
worldŠ and much, much more. 250 pp. $6. NGP04
Visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Environment.html
[Oops. Our web site still lists the 2003 edition, which you can have free
with a $10 purchase. The 2004 edition is in stock.]
GET ORGANIZED IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Use Technology to Save Time, Simplify Tasks, and Stay Sane in a High-Speed
World
Lucy H. Hedrick
Back Up Your Brain. Technology is supposed to make our lives easier. But all those beeps and buttons can make you crazyŠor at the very least, confused. With sound, simple tips on how to choose the best in technology and use it to make the best of your life, this book helps you get control-and shows you how to turn technology into a source of sanity instead of a source of stress. 170 pp. $12. GODA
Scroll down a bit while visiting http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/SimpleLiving.html
** To order, just call, reply to this email or visit our web site. **
SUBMISSIONS WELCOME FOR "Whose Birthday" 2005
If you would like to contribute to the 2004 edition of our most
widely-read, family-oriented Advent/Christmas booklet, "Whose Birthday
Is
It, Anyway?" please send ideas by January 15th. An item may be new or
not,
original or not. If it's by someone else, include a complete description of
the source.
We can use...
** Art (line drawing, photo) that depicts the tension between faith
and culture.
** Personal experiences (especially intergenerational ones) related
to simplifying Christmas or finding meaning in relationships instead of
stuff.
** Ideas for worshipful ceremonies or family rituals.
We print over 100,000 copies and reach many more through our web
site. We intend to translate much of it into Spanish.
To read past issues, visit http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XBindex.html
While you're considering your YEAR END GIVING, please consider including
Alternatives. Donations are tax deductible. Send a check, call with your
credit card number or visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/main/Donations.html
Peace at Christmas,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Yes, you still have time to order for Christmas!
Call, e-mail or fax us today. Most orders placed before Friday, Dec. 19th will arrive before Christmas.
Alternatives' outreach expands. We're taking our service to a new level.
Please stand with us against the forces of overconsumption. Help spread the word of joyful living, unburdened by so much stuff. Help us show others why we must care for God's creation and how to do it.
BE A PART OF THE EARTH DOME!
Thanks to the gift of a geodesic dome and an interest free challenge loan,
we will have our own headquarters building next spring!
WoW! Are we excited about the prospects!
This small, energy efficient dome not only saves us money in the immediate future, it provides a long term asset for the organization.
WoW! Do we need your help!
You or your organization will receive recognition on site and elsewhere.
Since Alternatives is a 30-year-old non-profit (501-c-3) educational organization, donations of any size are welcome and are TAX DEDUCTIBLE. If you share $100 or more, we will gladly send you a free copy of our newestresources for yourself and to share with others.
Alternatives is operated by a small, committed staff. Our operation is lean and frugal. We embrace the message we espouse every day. We strive to teach Simpler Living by example, as well as through tools.
Please let us hear from you before the end of the year.
The project was outlined in our fall appeal letter, which you should have received recently. If not, call for details or visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/main/Donations.html
A blessed Advent to you,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under a minute.
Yes, you still have time to order for Christmas!
We will send RESOURCES or GIFT CERTIFICATES (for any amount) or GIFT MEMBERSHIPS
(and a current Resource Guide) to the recipients of your choice. Please indicate "This is a gift." Gift Memberships and Gift
Certificates have no shipping charges. Call toll free or scroll down a bit when visiting
http://SimpleLiving.org/catalog/BuildingComm2.html
NEW TITLES
LET THE SERVANT CHURCH ARISE!
How Christian servanthood can have a profound effect on both church and civil communities. 100 pp. $10. LSCA
Scroll down a bit while visitingŠ
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
THE PLUG-IN DRUG
Television, Computers, and Family Life: 25th Anniversary Edition -
Completely Revised and Updated
Marie Winn's landmark book about how children get hooked on TV
Are Your Kids Watching Instead of Living? This classic study of television's
impact on children and family life, now includes computers in the classroom, video games, and the VCR. It provides powerful evidence of
television's negative effects on children's play, imagination, family relations,
and school achievement. By shifting the focus from the TV programs kids watch
to how much they watch, and why, and what they are missing as a result, it details
how parents lose control of this powerful medium and then shows how some regain
it, even after many years.
Based on interviews with hundreds of families, teachers, and child specialists.
New research, with additional sections on electronic toys, TV for babies, and control devices. Its message is more vital now than ever.
350 pp. $14. PID
Visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Media.html
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES
RECYCLE EVERY DAY!
Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
(Ages 4-8 ) Minna's on a quest to find the perfect entry for the recycle
contest. $17 $14 (cloth). RED
Visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Children.html
EARTH & YOU: A Closer View: Nature's Features
J. Patrick Lewis; Christopher Canyon, illus.
(Ages 4 to 10) Vivid imagery and gentle cadences bond the reader to each
element of our world and underscore the unity in nature by moving
rhythmically from Earth to sky, to sea, to land, and, ultimately, returning
to our roles - not just as observers, but as participants in the
communities of towns and schools. Vibrantly colored paintings that capture
the immediacy of the natural world will open young readers' hearts to the
lessons the Earth. $8. EY
Scroll down a bit while visitingŠ
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Children2.html
Or see both titles at
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Environment.html
2004 WALL CALENDARS at new low price
Some of the most meaningful calendars we've ever seen!
To view the covers visit
www.SimpleLiving.org/catalog/Calendars.html
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE 2004 CALENDAR
Helping the needy help themselves. Full color. Was $15. Now $12. CWSCAL
ADBUSTERS EnvironMENTAL CALENDAR 2004
Culture Jamming. Subvertising. Irreverant media literacy. Full color. Was
$15. Now $12. ADCAL
2004 INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR
Extraordinary photos by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Each month
contains a country profile; each day, holidays from around the world - the
most complete list we've ever seen. Full color. Was $15. Now $12. PCCAL
APPALACHIAN SIMPLE LIFESTYLE CALENDAR 2004: Waters of Appalachia
Constructive daily lifestyle reflections and suggestions; special days,
celebrations, moon phases and seasonal lore. Black & white. Was $7. Now
$5.
ASPICAL
These lower prices are not listed on our web site yet. Let us know that you
are taking advantage of this special offer when you order.
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES
TABLE PRAYER BOOK
Beth Thompson & Robert W. Piercy
This beautiful, practical book includes 30 short prayer services to be used
by Christian families before the meal is served or anytime the family is
gathered together. Each service includes ideas for setting the table,
Scripture, questions for discussion at mealtime, a table blessing, and
specially chosen song. Covers the entire liturgical year. A CD recording
contains all of the songs used during the services-a great way to learn the
song before mealtime, or perfect for singing along! 100 pp. with CD. $20.
TPB
For more information and to order, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Faith.html
OR
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/BuildingComm.html
CAPITATE YOUR KIDS
Give Your Kids a Financial Head Start
Dr. John E. Whitcomb
* Hand your teens control of their money
* Create a realistic monthly budget together
* Let them make their own decisions
* Help them learn to anticipate, plan, and be responsible with money
* Enjoy a new level of trust and shared experiences. 230 pp. $13 $10.
CYK
For more information and to order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Economics.html
Looking for MEANINGFUL gifts?
For CHILDREN'S BOOKS, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Children.html
AND
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Children2.html
AND
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas3.html
For our BEST SELLERS, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/main/BestSellers.html
("The Joy of Not Working" is now available.)
For NEW TITLES, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
For CARDS, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Cards.html
For CELEBRATING, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Celebrate.html
"
WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS IT, ANYWAY?" 2003 BOOKLETS NOW HALF PRICE in quantities
of five or more!
Also available on the WEB and CD-ROM.
You can read and use as much or as little of the booklet as you like
anytime, when you order a reprint license. Visit
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XB2003index.html
Or get it on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best: 30 Years of Alternatives" ($15,
code theBest)
To order, just call, reply to this email or visit our web site.
We're closed Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 27-30. So, if you need something
immediately, please contact us by Wednesday noon.
Peace.
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
BEFORE THANKSGIVING - Call a family meeting to talk about Christmas
expectations. What do each of us really want? Who is going to do what? What
is really most meaningful? Are we willing to spend less on ourselves and
give more to the needy? Write down and post decisions and changes to
consider. (from "Yes! to Jesus & Joy. No! to Stress & Stuff: Calendar
for
Advent and Christmas 2003")
IT'S NOT TOO LATE to get materials for the first Sunday in Advent, November
30th (US addresses). Order before noon, Friday, November 21st -- call toll
free 800/821-6153.
We will send RESOURCES or GIFT CERTIFICATES (for any amount) or GIFT
MEMBERSHIPS (and a current Resource Guide) to the recipients of your
choice. Please indicate "This is a gift." Gift Memberships and Gift
Certificates have no shipping charges.
Call toll free or scroll down a bit when visiting
http://SimpleLiving.org/catalog/BuildingComm2.html
To learn more about memberships, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/main/Membership.html
For FREE, helpful information on ADVENT, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/TreasCeleb/TOCAdvent.html
For FREE, helpful information on CHRISTMAS, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/TreasCeleb/TOCxmas.html
AND http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/index.html
Want help selecting a STUDY GUIDE for yourself or a group? Visit our Study
Guide page at
http://SimpleLiving.org/main/StudyGuides.html
Want help selecting titles to "Send a Simple Message" to others?
Visit our
BEST SELLERS page at
http://SimpleLiving.org/main/BestSellers.html
("The Joy of Not Working" is available again.)
SUBMISSIONS WELCOME FOR 2004
If you would like to contribute to the 2004 edition of our most
widely-read, family-oriented Advent/Christmas booklet, "Whose Birthday
Is
It, Anyway?" please send ideas by January 15th. An item may be new or
not,
original or not. If it's by someone else, include a complete description of
the source.
We can use...
** Art (line drawing, photo) that depicts the tension between faith
and culture.
** Personal experiences (especially intergenerational ones) related
to simplifying Christmas or finding meaning in relationships instead of
stuff.
** Ideas for worshipful ceremonies or family rituals.
We print over 100,000 copies and reach many more through our web
site. We intend to translate much of it into Spanish.
To read past issues, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XBindex.html
While you're considering your YEAR END GIVING, please consider including
Alternatives. Donations are tax deductible. Send a check, call with your
credit card number or scroll down a bit when visiting
http://SimpleLiving.org/catalog/BuildingComm2.html
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
CLASSIC "UNPLUG THE CHRISTMAS MACHINE" NOW A WORKSHOP-ON-A-CD
"Unplug the Christmas Machine" and its Leader's Guide have been
used to
lead thousands of workshops on simplifying Christmas.
Now this classic is available from Alternatives for Simple Living as a
Workshop-on-a-CD, and now the Leader's Guide comes on a CD-ROM.
"Unplug" is a true phenomenon! Started in 1978, it still helps keep
the
movement for a simpler Christmas strong and healthy. It touches so many
lives at such an important time.
Now you, your family, your group can benefit from the Unplug phenomenon
anytime. "Unplug the Christmas Machine" Workshop-on-a-CD, including
Participant's Manual, is $12. This resource is so new it's not yet on our
web site. [Code: UnplugCD-A]
"Unplug the Christmas Machine: A complete guide to putting love & joy
back
into the season" by Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli contains
thoughtful suggestions, creative exercises and answers to often-asked
questions to help people create celebrations that give them joy and
satisfaction. The book is $13 from Alternatives. Unplug Kit (book, manual
and audio CD, a $25 value) is only $20. [Code:UnplugKIT-A]
The "Leader's Guide to 'Unplug the Christmas Machine' Workshop" helps
leaders create a four hour workshop that helps participants clarify their
beliefs and make realistic plans for more joyful, meaningful celebrations.
It comes in a convenient packet format ready for a three-hole binder for
$10.
For more information, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas.html
"Leader's Guide" is one of over 100 resources on the interactive
CD-ROM,
"
Simply the Best: Over 30 Years of Alternatives, Version 2.1." It contains
over 1500 pages of educational materials and dozens of graphics.
For more information, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Alternatives.html
"We were inspired by Alternatives to write 'Unplug the Christmas Machine,'"
said Jo Robinson, "so we are delighted that Alternatives is re-issuing
the
Leader's Guide in various formats, all at budget prices."
Alternatives helps bring Simpler Living to groups through its SLOw Down
Network of volunteer speakers, workshop leaders, event organizers and
discussion-makers. The volunteer bible, "Simple Living 101: Toolbook for
activists shy or bold!" comes in a packet for $10 or on CD-ROM for $15.
Another Workshop-on-a-CD (audio) is "Living Simply and Loving It!" ($10).
This CD also comes with its companion, "Simple Living 101," in a
binder for
$20.
There's no reason to delay having a Simple Living event in your church,
your home, your car!
TO ORDER, JUST CALL, REPLY TO THIS EMAIL OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE.
Alternatives also provides displays, titles for consignment sales and free
Resource Guides to hand out at events, meetings or conferences.
Alternatives' other seasonal resources includeŠ
* "Christmas Campaign Kit" (20 resources like "The Christmas
Game")
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
* "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" video (now available on
DVD or
tape for $15)
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Videos.html
* "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" family-oriented annual Advent booklet
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XB2003index.html
IF YOU WANT A LIVE SPEAKER, Alternatives will send you several prospects
from your area.
IF YOU WANT the convenience of A RECORDED SPEAKER OR WORKSHOP, order
Alternative's Workshop-on-a-CD.
IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A PRESENTATION, Alternatives has materials you can use
in "Simple Living 101."
IF YOU WANT TO STAND READY TO MAKE PRESENTATIONS upon request within 50
miles of your home, join the SLOw Down Network. No cost or obligation.
Receive a free newsletter. For more information, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/main/SLOwDown.html
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
2004 WALL CALENDARS
Some of the most meaningful calendars we have ever seen!
To view the covers visit www.SimpleLiving.org/catalog/Calendars.html
2004 INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR
Extraordinary photos by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Each month
contains a country profile; each day, holidays from around the world - the
most complete list we've ever seen. Profits are donated to development and
educational projects here and abroad. Full color. $13 (not $15.) PCCAL
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE 2004 CALENDAR
Helping the needy help themselves - with farming techniques, blankets and
beans, lessons in self-government, sheets of corrugated tin. These are the
tools of hope shared month by month, life by life, in this calendar. An
ideal git for anyone wishing to support the struggle against global
suffering and injustice. Full color. $15. CWSCAL
APPALACHIAN SIMPLE LIFESTYLE CALENDAR 2004: Waters of Appalachia
Constructive daily lifestyle reflections and suggestions; special days,
celebrations, moon phases and seasonal lore. Proceeds go to non-profit,
Earth-healing programs. Black & white. $7. ASPICAL
ADBUSTERS EnvironMENTAL CALENDAR 2004
Culture Jamming. Subvertising. Irreverant media literacy. Each page 11-1/2
x 11-1/2, full color. $15. ADCAL
"
WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS IT, ANYWAY?" 2003 now available on the WEB, by EMAIL,
on
CD-ROM, even on PAPER!
Now you can download the text of "Whose Birthday" 2003, when you
order a
reprint license for only $25 (up to 500 copies, code XB02R) or $50 (over
500 copies, code XB02R+). Use as much or as little of the booklet as you
like, whenever you like.
Read and/or download it at
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XB2003index.html
Or get it on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best: 30 Years of Alternatives" ($15,
code theBest)
Until January 8, 2003, the reprint license applies to all sources - web
site, email, paper, CD.
To order, just call, reply to this email or visit our web site.
To see the entire 20 item Christmas Campaign Kit ($19), visit
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
To read the popular "Ten Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Christmas" visit
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/main/MR/10tips.html
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES
FAITH, HOPE & LOVE
A Coupon Gift to Restore Your Spirit
Refresh your spirit with 44 heart-warming coupons. Unique tear-out coupon
gifts for yourself or a loved one. $6. FHL
Scroll down a bit while visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Celebrate.html
MOOSEWOOD COOKBOOK CLASSICS
Mollie Katzen
This sampling of Moosewood recipes offers more than 25 of Mollie's
personal favorites, including luscious desserts. With original
illustrations. A taste of the best of vegetarian cooking. 130
2-3/4"x3-1/4" pp. $5 $4 (cloth). MWCB
Visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Food.html
WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS IT, ANYWAY? 2003 booklet now available on the WEB, on
CD-ROM, even on PAPER!
Download the text of "Whose Birthday" 2003, when you order a reprint
license for only $25 (up to 500 copies, code XB03R) or $50 (over 500
copies, code XB03R+). Use as much or as little of the booklet as you like,
whenever you like. Until January 8, 2004, the reprint license applies to
all sources - web site, paper, CD.
Download it at
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XB2003index.html
Or get it on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best, v.2.1: Over 30 Years of
Alternatives" for only $15.
To see the entire 20 item Christmas Campaign Kit ($19), including "Whose
Birthday," visit
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
To order, just call, reply to this email or visit our web site.
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Tip! How to deal with appeals that come by mail on virgin paper. We take 15
seconds to write on the reply card, "To encourage care of the Earth, we
only consider appeals that we receive on recycled paper. We wish you well."
You can include your name or not. If the reply is postpaid, we use it. If
not, we pay the postage for the satisfaction of sending a vital message.
** CD-ROM now includes "Leader's Guide to 'Unplug the Christmas Machine'
Workshop"
SIMPLY THE BEST, v.2.1: Over 30 Years of Alternatives on One CD-ROM!
Upgraded! New features: 2003 resources, easier search.
Alternatives has been promoting social justice for 30 years. Now the bulk
of its educational work is available on one CD.
This collection encourages and equips individuals to live more simply for
their own happiness and for the health of Earth and all its creatures.
Editors of paper-based and electronic publications can "cut and paste" our
images and text electronically.
Both Interactive (html) and Word Processing formats. A website on a CD.
Over 1500 pages and dozens of graphics (300 dpi resolution).
Easy-to-use, accommodates both Mac & PC. Version 2.1. $15. theBestCD2-A.
If you bought an earlier version, request v.2.1 at half price! Still FREE
with $100+ donation.
For details, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/FullText/30YearsCD.html
To order, call toll free, reply to this message, use our on-line catalog
order form or eStore.
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
October 14, 2003
[no e-mail letter this week?]
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Halloween Idea -- If you give treats, also give a "Whose Birthday Is It,
Anyway?" flyer to help your neighbors prepare for a simpler Chriustmas.
Order your free copies right away.
NEW TITLES
The Conscious Consumer
Promoting Economic Justice Through Fair Trade, Third Edition
Rose Benz Ericson
The average U.S. household spends nearly $8300 each year on food, clothing
and home furnishings. You have a choice about how you spend your dollars.
This year challenge yourself to shift 5% of that budget (just $415!) to
products from Fair Trade businesses. This will make a big difference in the
lives of artisans and small farmers at home and overseas. 24 pp. $3. CONCOM
For more information and to order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Economics.html
The Christmas Thingamajig
Lynn Manuel; Carol Benioff, illus.
In this heartfelt and beautifully told story of the holidays, a young girl
finds comfort in traditions when her beloved grandmother is no longer there
to share them. $16 (cloth). CT
For more information and to order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas.html
Christmas Heart CD
Joyce "Earth Mama" Rouse
Ten songs in pleasing styles to celebrate the season more gently on this
amazing planet, closer to the heart and Close to the Earth. $15. CH
For more information and to order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Music.html
For more new titles, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
"
Whose Birthday Is it, Anyway?" 2003 booklet now available on the WEB,
on
CD-ROM, even on PAPER!
Download the text of "Whose Birthday" 2003, when you order a reprint
license for only $25 (up to 500 copies, code XB03R) or $50 (over 500
copies, code XB03R+). Use as much or as little of the booklet as you like,
whenever you like. Until January 8, 2004, the reprint license applies to
all sources - web site, paper, CD.
Read and download it at
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XB2003index.html
Or get it on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best, v.2.1: Over 30 Years of
Alternatives" for only $15.
To see the entire 20 item Christmas Campaign Kit ($19), including "Whose
Birthday," visit
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
To order, just call, reply to this email or visit our web site.
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES, especially for children and their adults
PRETEND SOUP and Other Real Recipes:
A Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up
From the author of Moosehead Cookbook
Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson
Children 3-8 become head chef while an adult serves as guide and helper.
Extensively classroom- and home-tested, these recipes are designed to
inspire an early appreciation for creative, wholesome food. Whimsical
watercolor critters and pictorial versions of each recipe will help the
young cook understand and delight in the process. Just consider all that
can be explored in the kitchen: counting, reading readiness, science
awareness, self-confidence, patience, and, importantly, food literacy. 95
pp. $17 (cloth). PRETEND
To see and read more, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Food.html
TEN AMAZING PEOPLE
And How They Changed the World
Maura D. Shaw; Stephen Marchesi, illus.
(Ages 6-10) Spiritual people can have an exciting impact on the world
around them! Fascinating information, intriguing details, and stories of
some of the past century's greatest leaders and how they used words and
actions to change the world in important ways.
An empowering, instructional book for children - and their adults - who
care about peace among nations, protecting the environment, helping the
poor and disadvantages, racial equality, and making the world a better
place. Black Elk, Dorothy Day, Malcolm X, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther
King Jr., Janusz Korczak; Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Albert Schweitzer;
Thich Nhat Hanh; Desmond Tutu. 50 pp. $18 (cloth). TAP
To see and read more, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Children.html
Alternatives' UPGRADED "CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN KIT" -- ideas and tools
for a
more meaningful, less commercial celebration in your home or church.
20 items, $40 value, only $19!
For more details and quantity prices for the kit and all of the items in it
visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
For a detailed, free kit PLANNER, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/CCKplanner.html
To order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas4.html
Or click on "return to catalog entry" at the upper left corner of
the
details/full text page.
To order any resource in our catalog, click on the item code at the end of
an item description. That will take you to an order form.
To order any resource in our eStore, key the quantity and click "add" at
the end of an item description.
Most of these resources also come on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best: 30
Years
of Alternatives," $15. (Version 2.0 now available.)
Pledge not to go on auto-pilot this year. Order your Christmas Campaign Kit
today!
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE AREN'T THINGS
Celebrating What Matters Most
Joann Davis
Rich with quotes, beatitudes, and poetic prose that nourish the soul and
offer up alternatives to things. Reads like a daily devotional. 125 pp. $12
(cloth). BTL
To see more, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/SimpleLiving.html
WORLD HOLIDAYS
A Watts Guide for Children
Heather Moehn
100 holidays celebrated around the world and throughout the year that show
the great diversity of the world's religions, cultural and national
celebrations. 125 pp. $20. WH
To see more, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Celebrate.html
Alternatives' UPGRADED "CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN KIT" -- ideas and tools
for a
more meaningful, less commercial celebration in your home or church.
20 items, $40 value, only $19!
For more details and quantity prices for the kit and all of the items in
it, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
For a detailed, free kit PLANNER, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/CCKplanner.html
To order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas4.html
Or click on "return to catalog entry" at the upper left corner of
the
details/full text page.
To order any resource in our catalog or eStore, click on the item code at
the end of an item description. That will take you to an order form.
Most of these resources also come on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best: 30
Years
of Alternatives," $15. (Version 2.0 available today!)
Pledge not to go on auto-pilot this year. Order your Christmas Campaign Kit
now.
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Journaling is an important activity for ourselves and for building
relationships with others. Daily journaling helps us sort out our problems
and grow our inspirations. It also helps us create wisdom to pass along to
others, especially children and grandchildren.
Guided journals contain a thought for the day to inspire us and help us to
start writing.
Alternatives offers new journaling options on recycled paper. Each contains
separate sections for personal and shared thoughts.
Alternative Guided Journals
** Advent-Christmas - 52 pages -- $6 (also part of Christmas Campaign Kit
below)
** Spirit of Simplicity - 100 pages -- $8 (Scroll down a bit while visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Alternatives.html
Want copies of these journals for others? Buy them in quantity at a
discount from Alternatives.
Alternatives' UPGRADED "CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN KIT" -- ideas and tools
for a
more meaningful, less commercial celebration in your home or church.
20 items, $40 value, only $19!
For more details and quantity prices for the kit and all of the items in it
visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
For a detailed, free kit PLANNER, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/CCKplanner.html
To order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas4.html
Or click on "return to catalog entry" at the upper left corner of
the
details/full text page.
To order any resource in our catalog or eStore, click on the item code at
the end of an item description. That will take you to an order form.
Most of these resources also come on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best: 30
Years
of Alternatives," $15. (Version 2.0 available this month.)
Pledge not to go on auto-pilot this year. Order your Christmas Campaign Kit
today!
Peace,
Gerald
P.S. TAKE BACK YOUR TIME DAY -- October 24th -- confronts North America's
addiction to work and constant busyness. For more information, visit
www.TimeDay.org
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Must see! -- The Sacred Balance with David Suzuki, this month on PBS
(Wednesdays, 7 p.m. here). Check your local listings. And don't forget the
best public affairs program on TV -- NOW with Bill Moyers, Friday nights,
PBS.
SEND A MESSAGE about Simpler Living!
Alternatives' "Simpler Living" Fall Resource Guide Has Help for You.
Sending a message to others about North America's need to live more simply
can be tricky. Folks who do not understand the global impact of North
American overconsumption may be unaware, be in denial or may just not know
their options.
Alternatives three-fold mission is to equip people 1) to challenge
consumerism, 2) to live justly and 3) to celebrate responsibly. We do that
through resources and services.
Two of our services are an extensive website and a nation-wide volunteer
bureau of speakers and workshop leaders. Our website includes hundreds of
articles for personal inspiration and for use by editors in paper and
electronic publications. To access that information, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/index.html
Our Fall Resource Guide includes many ways to Send a Message -- greeting
cards, bumper stickers and posters, as well as books, videos and CDs.
If you find a title you would like to give to several people, we offer a
10% discount (by request) when you buy five or more copies of the same
title.
Share Alternatives' free Resource Guide or "Whose Birthday" flyer
with
others at meetings, conferences, etc. The guide contains many new
resources, as well as established works on simpler living for children and
adults. Call 800-821-6153 anytime for free copies.
To browse the catalog on line, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/cover.html
If you have any problems with our web site please call or email us.
. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Your help is needed and much appreciated.
Please post the following brief message on any internet bulletin boards,
with any internet news groups, etc. as soon as possible. Simply copy the
message, insert your organization's name where indicated (if appropriate),
and paste the message into your posting. Last year we received numerous
orders through such postings.
Please send a note to your web master urging her/him to link our site to
yours if s/he hasn't already done so. A Link or Button will make it
possible for someone viewing your web site easily to pull up a description
of the "Whose Birthday" booklet on our website.
[The specific address from the Whose Birthday cover page is
http://SimpleLiving.org/xb/xbcover.html]
If you have questions or concerns, please contact me. We'd appreciate
knowing where you do your postings.
Thanks for your help!
Gerald
MESSAGE:
Life Too Stressed? Christmas Losing Its Meaning?
Want to Simplify Your Celebration?
Here's HelpŠ the 2003 Edition of "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?"
Preparing for Christmas tends to be a time of stressŠ scurrying, shopping,
fretting. Try some peace this season with the year 2003 edition of "Whose
Birthday Is It, Anyway?" from Alternatives, a partner of [your
organization].
Designed for individuals, families and small groups, this booklet includes
Biblical reflections by award-winning columnist Louis Lotz, articles,
worshipful ceremonies, activities, an Advent calendar and suggestions for
remembering those in need. "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" is available
in
quantity pricing as low as 70¢ per copy.
For over 30 years, Alternatives has provided people with ideas to celebrate
responsibly. For a current free catalog of resources for responsible living
and celebrating, call anytime 800-821-6153, fax 712/274-1402, or e-mail
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org, or visit www.SimpleLiving.org
[End of message]
To read "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" 2003 and past issues, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XBindex.html
To see the entire booklet, order a copy on paper or the Christmas Campaign Kit.
Alternatives' UPGRADED "CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN KIT" -- ideas and tools
for a
more meaningful, less commercial celebration in your home or church.
$40 value, only $19!
For more details and quantity prices for the kit and all of the items in
it, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
For a detailed, free kit PLANNER, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/CCKplanner.html
To order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas4.html
Or click on "return to catalog entry" at the upper left corner of
the
details/full text page.
To order any resource in our catalog or eStore, click on the item code at
the end of an item description. That will take you to an order form.
Most of these resources also come on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best: 30
Years
of Alternatives," $15. (Version 2.0 available this month.)
Pledge not to go on auto-pilot this year. Order your Christmas Campaign Kit
today!
Peace,
Gerald
P.S. If you have any problems with our web site please call or email us.
Peace.
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES
BROTHER EAGLE, SISTER SKY
A Message from Chief Seattle
Susan Jeffers, illus.
The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the Earth.
The great American Indian Chief Seattle spoke these words over a hundred
years ago. His remarkably relevant message of respect for the Earth and
every creature on it has endured the test of time and is imbued with a
passion born of love for the land and all living things. Stirring
pen-and-color drawings bring to life a wide array of Native Americans while
capturing the importance and splendor of nature and the land. Children and
parents alive will enjoy the timeless, poignant message presented in this
beautifully illustrated picture book.
$8. BESS
To see and read more, scroll down a bit when you visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Children.html
HOPE'S EDGE
The Next Diet for a Small Planet
Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé
"Absolutely one of the most important books as we move further into the
twenty-first century." --Jane Goodall
The 30th-anniversary sequel to the best-selling Diet for a Small Planet.
Here is the narrative of an intimate mother-and-daughter journey and a
far-reaching vision for social and environmental transformation, which
includes recipes from the country's leading vegetarian and whole-foods
chefs and restaurateurs.
450 pp. $15. HE
To see and read more, scroll down a bit when you visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Food.html
To see these and other New Titles, scroll down a bit when you visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
TIP: If the web addresses do not appear here as hot links, simply highlight
your choice, copy and paste it in your browser.
TAKE BACK YOUR TIME DAY -- October 24th -- confronts North America's
addiction to work and constant busyness. For more information, visit
www.TimeDay.org
Alternatives' UPGRADED "CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN KIT"
Here are the ideas and tools for a more meaningful, less commercial
celebration in your home or church.
$40 value, only $19!
For more details and quantity prices for the kit and all of the items in it
visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
For a detailed, free kit PLANNER, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/CCKplanner.html
To order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas4.html
Or click on "return to catalog entry" at the upper left corner of
the
details/full text page.
To order any resource in our catalog or eStore, click on the item code at
the end of an item description. That will take you to an order form.
Most of these resources also come on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best: 30
Years
of Alternatives," $15. (Version 2.0 available Sept. 1)
Pledge not to go on auto-pilot this year. Order your Christmas Campaign Kit
today!
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
MEDIA RELEASE
Louis Lotz Headlines "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" for 2003
Award-winning writer and columnist Louis Lotz has written seven new
biblical reflections for the 2003 edition of "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?"
Designed for individuals, families and small groups, the booklet also
includes worshipful ceremonies, activities, a daily Advent calendar and
suggestions for remembering the needy. For over fifteen years, Alternatives
has provided people with ideas to celebrate responsibly in this
Advent-Christmas Resource. "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" is available
now
in quantity pricing as low as 70¢ per copy. A single copy is $3 postpaid.
Louis Lotz serves as senior pastor of Central Reformed Church, Grand
Rapids, Michigan.
The booklet's calendar - "Yes! to Jesus and Joy / No! to Stress and Stuff"
- offers thoughts and actions for each day in Advent and the twelve days of
Christmas. The calendar is also available as bulletin inserts and as a
guided journal.
The popular "Ten Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Christmas" is
available on-line at http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/10tipCeleb.html
"Whose Birthday" is Alternatives' most widely read resource. Over
two
million copies have been distributed. It is now available on audio CD and
on CD-ROM.
Alternatives produces customized versions of the booklet for some 20
denominations and dioceses. Any group can have a customized version.
Contact Alternatives for details before September 1st. "Adviento," a
Spanish version of the booklet, is also available.
Alternatives provides other resources appropriate for reevaluation of
Christmas and for simpler living all year. "Christmas Campaign Kit"
contains 20 items for $19. For a current free catalog, call anytime
712/274-8875 or 800-821-6153, fax 712/274-1402 or e-mail
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org. Visit www.SimpleLiving.org.
###
Editors: For more information and interviews, contact Gerald Iversen. *
REVIEW COPIES and art are available upon request. * If you would like to
REPRINT parts or all of "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" contact us.
Please use recycled paper.
NOTE: For a wealth of free Alternatives' material, visit
www.SimpleLiving.org. Click on Information: Media Releases and Feature
Articles.
Alternatives' UPGRADED "CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN KIT"
Here are the ideas and tools for a more meaningful, less commercial
celebration in your home or church.
$40 value, only $19!
For more details and quantity prices for the kit and all of the items in it
visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
For a detailed, free kit PLANNER, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/CCKplanner.html
To order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas4.html
Or click on "return to catalog entry" at the upper left corner of
the
details/full text page.
To order any resource in our catalog or eStore, click on the item code at
the end of an item description. That will take you to an order form.
Most of these resources also come on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best: 30
Years
of Alternatives," $15. (Version 2.0 available Sept. 1)
Pledge not to go on auto-pilot this year. Order your Christmas Campaign Kit
today!
Peace.
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Alternatives' "CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN KIT" UPGRADED
Here are the ideas and tools for a more meaningful, less commercial
celebration in your home or church.
$40 value, only $19!
NEW in the kit for 2003 (one of each)
* Advent-Christmas Guided Journal (52 pp.) $6.
* Gratitude Card: Please, No Presents (10 cards/envelops) $5.
* What Does Jesus Want for Christmas? Pageant of scenes & carols. (includes
permission to copy) $5.
* Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway? 2003 booklet. $3.
* Whose Birthday daily calendar: Yes! To Jesus & Joy - No! to Stress &
Stuff. $5 for 50.
* Whose Birthday 2003 audio CD. $12.
CLASSIC ITEMS
* Alternative Giving cards/envelops: We Honor Christ's Birth by Continuing
His Work
Bearing Gifts Does Not Make Us Wise.
* flyer/poster/stationery
* greeting cards, envelops
* bulletin insert
Buy Me Nothing. I'll Still Love You.
* flyer/poster/stationery
* post card
* bulletin insert
Carols with Justice booklet
Christmas Campaign Planner: Free
The Christmas Game
Let's Talk About Christmas planner
Ten Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Christmas. flyer; copy at will at
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/10tips.html
What Is a Gift? Bulletin insert
Whose Birthday full color flyer/poster/stationery
COMPLETE KIT, a $40 value, only $19!
If you have the basic kit from last year, you probably only need the
upgrade, $15 ($25 value). If you prefer only the basic original kit, $10
($15 value).
For more details and quantity prices for the kit and all of the items in
it, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
To order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas4.html
(or click on "return to catalog entry" at top of details/full text
page)
For a detailed, free kit PLANNER, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/CCKplanner.html
Most of these resources also come on the CD-ROM "Simply the Best: 30
Years
of Alternatives," $15. (Version 2.0 available Sept. 1)
Pledge not to go on auto-pilot this year. Order your Christmas Campaign Kit
today!
Peace. Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES
RABBLE ROUSERS
20 Women Who Made a Difference
Cheryl Harness
(Ages 7-11) 20 women who dared to change the world! Spurred by misery and
unfairness, they wanted to rouse the people, to wake them up to what they
didn't see. They wanted to remake, re-educate, redeem, and reform. Each
of these women spoke out loud her personal vision of a nation in which the
powerless would have an equal chance at "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit
of
Happiness."
Their methods landed them in trouble, sometimes even in jail. People
called them unladylike, dangerous, and crazy. But all of them persevered,
and each on made a difference in the freedoms men and women enjoy today.
Starting with Ann Lee, founder of the Shaker community, who fought for
religious choice, and ending with Doris "Granny D" Haddock, a 92-year-old
champion of campaign reform, Rabble Rousers spans over 200 years of
American history and covers such important social movements as abolition,
woman suffrage, labor and civil rights. The spirited profiles of these
fascinating, fiery women will inspire readers to stand up for their own
beliefs.
65 pp. $18 (cloth). RR
To see and read more, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/PeaceJustice.html
OR http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Children.html
THE SPIRITUAL ACTIVIST
Practices to Transform Your Life, Your Work, and Your World
Claudia Horwitz
A simple, down-to-earth guide to doing good and giving back. Social change
takes commitment and effort. Community activists, teachers, volunteers,
religious leaders, social workers, artists, and anyone who is trying to
make a difference in their world needs strategies to both guide and sustain
their work. Faith and spiritual practice play vital roles in the ongoing
struggle for change. Each chapter contains easy activities, questions for
reflection, resources, stories.
270 pp. $16. SPIRITACT
To see and read more, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Environment.html
To see these and other New Titles, scroll down a bit when you visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
To order from our web site, click on the code at the end of the item's
description (like "RR" above) when you get to the site.
TIP: If the web addresses do not appear here as hot links, simply highlight
your choice, copy and paste it in your browser.
TAKE BACK YOUR TIME DAY -- October 24th -- confronts North America's
addiction to work and constant busyness. We are working to make it as well
known as Buy Nothing Day or even Earthday. For more information, visit
www.TimeDay.org
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES
GANDHI POSTER
Special Price
"
7 Deadly Social Sins: Politics without Principle; Wealth without Work;
Commerce without Morality; Pleasure without Conscience; Education without
Character; Science without Humanity; Worship without Sacrifice." Full
color, 11"x17" Originally $12. Now $10. GANDHIPOS
GRACEFUL LIVING
Your Faith, Values, and Money in Changing Times
Laura Dunham, Certified Financial Planner
Graceful living helps readers reflect on their attitudes toward money,
clarify their values, and develop a comprehensive financial plan with
strategies for implementation.
175 pp. $15 $12. GRACE
To see the art and read more about these and additional New Titles, scroll
down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
LAST CALL! Answer a few questions. Get a $5 GIFT CERTIFICATE.
Take Alternatives' STAKEHOLDER SURVEY 2003 at
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/News/2003Survey.html
DEADLINE August 1st!
To show our appreciation, we will send responders a $5 gift certificate.
One response per person please.
TIP: If the web addresses do not appear here as hot links, simply highlight
your choice, copy and paste it in your browser.
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
FREE, helpful information on September-December holidays!
Visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/TreasCeleb/TOCSepDec.html
The "Autumn" section of "Treasury of Celebrations" includes:
* Halloween
* Hanukkah
* Remembrance Day
* Rosh Hashana
* September-December (minus Advent and Christmas)
* Sukkot
* Thanksgiving
* United Nations Day
* World Food Day
* Yom Kippur
Treasury of Celebrations also includes sections on Making Choices, Gifts,
January-April holidays, May-August, Advent, Christmas and Rites of Passage.
A copy of the whole 288 page book on paper is now only $12 (originally
$20). For a description in our catalog and more resources on celebrating,
visitŠ
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Celebrate.html
For more resources on Building Community, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/BuildingComm.html
If you would distribute copies of our Resource Guide at conferences,
meetings, etc., we will provide free copies. Call or email.
BRIEFS
TIP: If the web addresses do not appear here as hot links, simply highlight
and copy your choice and paste it into your browser.
1. In the 7/8/03 e-newsletter, I saidŠ
P.S. Whenever we pray privately or publicly "for our troops," let's
pray
for those who work for peace using nonviolent means, including
conscientious objectors.
Here are some of your responses.
I'd also suggest we include prayers for: the death of peace with the start
of the war, the death of the thousands of Iraqi (mostly civilians), and the
unnecessary deaths of our own troops. --William R. "Bill" Peterson,
Sioux
City, IA
I really liked your comments about praying for concientious objectors and
not just "for our troops." My husband says, lets also pray for "our
enemies" instead of just for our troops! Blessings, Vickie B. Wangberg
Your PS was wonderful reminder. Thank you! Best and blessings in all you
do. Joyce Johnson Rouse, Rouse House Music, Earth Mama Music
<
www.earthmama.org>
2. The most visible plan of the international Simplicity Forum -- of which
Alternatives is a founding member -- is TAKE BACK YOUR TIME DAY, scheduled
for October, 2003. We are working to make it as well known as Buy Nothing
Day or even Earthday. It confronts North America's addiction to work and
constant busyness. For more information, visit www.TimeDay.org
3. DEADLINE August 1st! Answer a few questions. Get a $5 GIFT CERTIFICATE.
Take Alternatives' STAKEHOLDER SURVEY 2003 at
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/News/2003Survey.html
To show our appreciation, we will send responders a $5 gift certificate.
One response per person please.
4. Now available: Alternatives' UPDATE Newsletter, summer issue. Visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/InsiderInfo.html
5. Now available: new edition of Alternatives' READER-- free e-zine #3
Contents
"
My Year Without Macys" by Catherine Campbell, co-author of "Simple
Living
Investments"
"
Christian Simplicity: A Virtue Come of Age" by Gene Sager, Palomar
College, San Marcos, CA
Visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Review/Review.html
6. Must read! "The Coming Exile," an article by David Hilfiker.
VisitŠ
http://www.theotherside.org/archive/jul-aug03/hilfiker.html
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
HOW TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY THIS FALL!
* Help Build Community with an Alternative Christmas Event
* Alternatives Offers Speakers & Support for Simpler Living
* Feature Article: "Network Empowers Volunteers"
* "Unplug the Christmas Machine" Still Sparks the Movement for a
Simpler,
More Meaningful Celebration
*********************************************
Help Build Community with an Alternative Christmas Event
An Alternative Christmas Community Festival is a concrete, exciting way to
offer ideas and support for those who want to have more meaningful
Christmas celebrations. It is also a positive way to introduce the need for
change to people unaware of the problems connected with the way we
celebrate Christmas.
For more information, visit...
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/altXmas.html
Alternatives offers helpful guidelines in the Alternative Event Organizer's
Kit for planning fall events. To read more visit...
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas4.html
Then click on "Alternative Event Organizer's Kit."
To read about "Simple Living 101," Alternatives' toolbook for activists
shy
or bold, which includes Alternative Event Organizer's Kit, visit...
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/SimpleLiving2.html
Then click on "SimpleLiving101."
*********************************************
Alternatives Offers Speakers & Support for Simpler Living
The SLOw Down Network -- short for Speakers, Leaders, Organizers and
Discussion makers -- consists of over 800 volunteers who stand ready to
speak or lead workshops at churches, service clubs, schools and other
gatherings about Simple Living. They consult on organizing events, like
Third World Craft Fairs, and help people start Simplicity Circles and
study/action/accountability groups.
Alternatives provides free materials -- catalogs, flyers, resources -- upon
request for displays at conferences, meetings, conventions and other
events.
Editor: For the names of speakers in your area, contact us.
For more information, visit...
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/Speakers.html
For more on the SLOw Down Network, visit...
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/SLOwDown.html
*********************************************
FEATURE ARTICLE
Alternatives' "SLOw Down" Network Empowers Volunteers for Simpler
Living
People throughout North America seem really hungry for information about
living more simply. Our hope is that people can learn ways to simplify
their lives so that they are not overtaken by stress, debt and guilt. Our
SLOw Down Network offers help.
We provide tools for simplifying, such as books and videos. But the best
motivation to change comes through face-to-face sharing, education, support
and accountability. That's how volunteer empowerment happens.
For more information, visit...
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/SLOpower.html
To read more Success Stories, visit...
http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/News/SLO6.html
************************************************
"Unplug the Christmas Machine" Still Sparks the Movement for a Simpler,
More Meaningful Celebration
"We were inspired by Alternatives to write 'Unplug the Christmas Machine,'"
says author Jo Robinson. Since 1978, this classic and its Leader's Guide
have been used to lead thousands of workshops on simplifying Christmas.
"
Unplug" is a phenomenon!
For more information, visitŠ
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/UnplugXmasSparks.html
To read more, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Christmas.html
Then click on "Unplug the Christmas Machine."
Alternatives' "Christmas Campaign Kit" contains 15 items for $10
($15+
value). For details, see your summer Resource Guide or visit...
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/FullText/CCKit.html
For ideas on how to use this kit, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/CCKplanner.html
BRIEFS
TIP: If the web addresses do not appear here as hot links, simply highlight
and copy one and paste it in your browser.
1. Must read! "The Coming Exile," an article by David Hilfiker.
Visit...
http://www.theotherside.org/archive/jul-aug03/hilfiker.html
2. Curious about Alternatives' 30 years? Read a brief time line at
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/History.html
3. Answer a few questions. Get a $5 GIFT CERTIFICATE.
Take Alternatives' STAKEHOLDER SURVEY 2003 at
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/News/2003Survey.html
DEADLINE August 1st!
To show our appreciation, we will send responders a $5 gift certificate.
One response per person please.
4. Now available: Alternatives' UPDATE Newsletter, summer issue. Visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/InsiderInfo.html
5. Now available: new edition of Alternatives' READER-- free e-zine #3
Contents
"
My Year Without Macys" by Catherine Campbell, co-author of "Simple
Living
Investments"
"
Christian Simplicity: A Virtue Come of Age" by Gene Sager, Palomar
College, San Marcos, CA
Visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Review/Review.html
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Without realizing it, people you serve began preparing for another
commercialized Christmas last December 26th. Now's the time to begin
planning a simpler, alternative celebration.
We will help you. Contact us today.
Your group can benefit from customized copies of "Whose Birthday Is It,
Anyway?"
Place your order now in any quantity for the 16th edition of "Whose
Birthday Is It, Anyway?" for Advent 2003. This booklet is Alternatives'
most widely read resource. Over two million copies have been distributed.
The featured writer for 2003 is Louis Lotz, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a
widely published, award-winning author and columnist.
Designed for families and small groups, "Whose Birthday...?" can
be used in
many settings -- at home, school, church. The content is new each year but
the message is the same -- to equip people of faith to resist the pressures
of a commercialized Christmas and to help them celebrate this season with
greater integrity. As in the past, it contains Biblical reflections,
articles, a daily calendar, activities and ideas for alternative giving.
This resource is so well received, contains such valuable material and yet
costs so little. We normally produce some 20 customized versions of "Whose
Birthday...?" for various denominations and dioceses. We can also produce
one for a group, a single congregation or others.
Partners have three pages inside and their name on the front and back
covers. Alternatives provides free editorial help and promotion materials.
We offer color on your pages and mail expediting. We'll be glad to give you
details on the phone.
Reservations are requested by August 15th for November 1st delivery.
Minimum order for customization is 1000 copies at $.70 each.
Ecumenical, national catholic and most denominational versions are in stock
now so that they can be distributed during summer events.
To read "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" 2003 and past issues, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XBindex.html
BRIEFS
TIP: If the web addresses do not appear here as hot links, simply highlight
and copy one and paste it in your browser.
1. Curious about Alternatives' 30 years? Read a brief time line at
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/History.html
2. Answer a few questions. Get a $5 GIFT CERTIFICATE.
Take Alternatives' STAKEHOLDER SURVEY 2003 at
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/News/2003Survey.html
DEADLINE August 1st!
To show our appreciation, we will send responders a $5 gift certificate.
One response per person please.
3. Now available: Alternatives' UPDATE Newsletter, summer issue. Visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/InsiderInfo.html
4. Now available: new edition of Alternatives' READER-- free e-zine #3
Contents
"
My Year Without Macys" by Catherine Campbell, co-author of "Simple
Living
Investments"
"
Christian Simplicity: A Virtue Come of Age" by Gene Sager, Palomar
College, San Marcos, CA
Visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Review/Review.html
Peace,
Gerald
P.S. Every time we pray privately or publicly "for our troops," let's
pray
for those who work for peace using nonviolent means, including
conscientious objectors.
Thanks.
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES - Free shipping only this week on these two titlesŠ
CELEBRATE SIMPLY
Your Guide to Simpler, More Meaningful Holidays and Special Occasions
Nancy Twigg
Here are simple, practical ideas for taking the stress and expense out of
the holidays - Christmas, holidays and special occasions. Personal examples
and creative suggestions guide you on a journey to simpler celebrations
expressive of your own values and unique personality. Emphasizing low cost
but high value, Celebrate Simply illustrates how to:
* Give thoughtful gifts without going into debt
* Add spiritual significance to family celebrations
* Undo a history of overspending
* Extend warm hospitality without the stress of trying to impress guests
* Give one of the most precious gifts ever the gift of time.
210 pp. $13. CS
To see the cover, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Celebrate.html
FACES OF THE CHILDREN
"
How can we turn away from the faces of the children? Faces bearing hunger.
Faces bearing pain. Who will plant the dreams in the minds of the children?
Who will be the love in the hearts of the children? Who will make a
difference in the future of the Earth? Tell me is it you? Is it I? And when
will we?" - Kathy Sherman, CSJ
Full color greeting card. 8 cards and envelops, $8.
To see the cover, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Cards.html
To see these and other New Titles, scroll down a bit when you visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
BRIEFS
1. Answer a few questions. Get a $5 GIFT CERTIFICATE.
Take Alternatives' STAKEHOLDER SURVEY 2003 at
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/News/2003Survey.html
DEADLINE August 1st!
To show our appreciation, we will send responders a $5 gift certificate.
One response per person please.
2. Now available: Alternatives' UPDATE Newsletter, summer issue. Visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/InsiderInfo.html
3. Now available: new edition of Alternatives' READER: free e-zine #3
Contents
"
My Year Without Macys" by Catherine Campbell, co-author of "Simple
Living
Investments"
"
Christian Simplicity: A Virtue Come of Age" by Gene Sager, Palomar
College, San Marcos, CA
Visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Review/Review.html
4. Know the title you want? Visit our catalog index at
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Index.html
TIP: To return to the Index quickly, click on Index at the top of most
pages, not the back button.
Want to browse? Visit our eStore at
http://simpleliving.org/ushop1/index.cgi
TIP: The eStore search function will search by each word you enter into
"
keywords." If you want several words searched as a group, put them in
quotations, such as "Living Simply with Children." (Without quotes,
those
words pull up over 400 choices.)
Peace,
Gerald
P.S. Celebrate the Fourth by welcoming strangers.
See "Independence Day: Immigrants" in "Spirit of Simplicity:
Quotes & Art,
p. 3C-7 or "Simply the Best: 30 Years of Alternatives" CD-ROM (3-A547.TIF
in Other Graphics: Bulletin Inserts; text in Other Text file).
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Media Release
Life Too Stressed? Christmas Losing Its Meaning? Want to Simplify Celebrations?
HERE'S HELP... THE 2003 EDITION OF "WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS IT, ANYWAY?"
Preparing for Christmas tends to be a time of stress. Try some peace this
season with the 2003 edition of "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" from
Alternatives for Simple Living.
For over fifteen years, Alternatives has provided people with ideas to
celebrate responsibly in this Advent-Christmas resource booklet. This is
Alternatives' most widely read resource. Over two million copies have been
circulated. It is available on audio CD and CD-ROM.
The all new year 2003 edition features award-winning writer and columnist
Louis Lotz. Designed for individuals, families and small groups, the
booklet includes biblical reflections, worshipful ceremonies, activities,
an Advent calendar and suggestions for remembering the needy. "Whose
Birthday Is It, Anyway?" is available now in quantity pricing as low as
70¢
per copy. Also available is a version of the booklet in Spanish
entitled "Adviento."
The seven reflections by Louis Lotz, senior pastor of Central Reformed
Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, can be read quietly or aloud for private or
group meditation.
Articles present meaningful Christmas alternatives and worship aids. The
booklet's calendar - "Yes! To Jesus and Joy / No! to Stress and Stuff" -
offers thoughts and actions for each day in Advent and the twelve days of
Christmas. The calendar is also available as bulletin inserts and as a
guided journal.
Single copies of the booklet are $3 each postpaid; 5-19 copies, $2 each;
20-49 copies, $1.50 each; 50-299 copies, $1 each; 300-999 copies, 85¢ each;
1000+ copies, 70¢ each. Shipping charges are added above four copies.
Alternatives produces customized versions for some 20 denominations,
dioceses and congregations. Orders of 1000+ copies placed by September 1st
can be customized.
The popular "Ten Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Christmas" is
available on-line at http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/10tipCeleb.html
Alternatives provides other resources appropriate for reevaluation of
Christmas and for simpler living all year. "Christmas Campaign Kit"
contains 15 items for $10. The 2003 kit upgrade contains five new items for
$12.
For a current free catalog, contact 800-821-6153, fax 712/274-1402 or
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org. Visit www.SimpleLiving.org #####
Editors: For more information and interviews, contact Gerald Iversen. *
REVIEW COPIES and art are available upon request. * If you would like to
REPRINT parts or all of "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" contact us.
NOTE:
For a wealth of Alternatives' material, visit www.SimpleLiving.org. Click
on Information: Media Releases and Feature Articles.
BRIEFS
1. Answer a few questions. Get a $5 GIFT CERTIFICATE.
Take Alternatives' STAKEHOLDER SURVEY 2003 at
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/News/2003Survey.html
DEADLINE August 1st!
To show our appreciation, we will send responders a $5 gift certificate.
One response per person please.
2. Now available: Alternatives' UPDATE Newsletter, summer issue. Visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/InsiderInfo.html
3. Now available: New Edition of Alternatives' READER -- free e-zine #3
Contents
"
My Year Without Macys" by Catherine Campbell, co-author of "Simple
Living
Investments"
"
Christian Simplicity: A Virtue Come of Age" by Gene Sager, Palomar
College, San Marcos, CA
Visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Review/Review.html
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
STAKEHOLDER SURVEY 2003
Dear Friend of Alternatives,
Thank you for sharing our dream of helping people live justly and celebrate
responsibly. We need your opinions and comments, as we seek to continue
providing quality resources and services.
Answer as much of this questionnaire as you choose. Return by August 1st.
How about now? Including your name is optional.
To show our appreciation, we will send each responder a $5 gift certificate
(by request - see end of survey). One response per person.
If your household has more than one person interested in Alternatives (a
stakeholder), please copy the survey and respond separately.
Peace,
Gerald Iversen
National Coordinator
INSTRUCTIONS: Simply highlight this message, click "reply,"
respond to the questions in the new reply message, click "send."
NOTE: Most of these questions invite MULTIPLE RESPONSES. Mark as many
options as you choose.
1. If you'd say, "I think that this category in your Resource Guide and
web
site catalog is already strong," then mark a "y" for yes.
If you'd say, "I think this category needs strengthening," then mark "n"
for no.
If you're undecided, leave the category blank.
__ Advent-Christmas
__ Alternatives' Resources
__ Building Community
__ Bumper stickers
__ Celebrating
__ Earth Care
__ Economics & Money
__ Faith & Spirituality
__ Food & Hunger
__ Freebies
__ Games, Storytelling
__ Cards, Posters & Book Marks
__ Kids' Stories
__ Kids' & Their Adults' Activities
__ Magazines
__ Media Literacy
__ Membership
__ Music
__ New Titles
__ Ordering
__ Parenting
__ Peace & Justice
__ Simpler Living
__ Spanish
__ Specials
__ Videos
__ Web site
__ Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?
__ Sidelines, like canvas & string bags; Fair Trade coffee, tea, cocoa
2. I think, by-and-large, you are offering in the Resource Guide...
__ Too many titles. I suggest that you remove...
__ Just the right number.
__ Too few titles. I suggest that you add...
3. In selecting resources to offer, we take a broad view of voluntary
simplicity -- incorporating 1) personal choices and spirituality, 2)
interpersonal relationships (including sharing resources with the needy and
inspiration with the privileged needy), and 3) advocacy to corporations and
governments to build more just systems.
* I find this title in your catalog personally offensive:
* This title has changed my life:
* You've overlooked the topic of:
* For that topic I'd suggest the title (and author):
4-a. We plan to issue some of the following sayings in five formats (flyer,
bumper sticker, bulletin insert, stuffer and label) on ready-to-copy paper
masters and on our web site so that you can easily spread the word about
issues that concern you.
__ I would be inclined to use inexpensive paper masters to make copies for
my own use.
__ I would rather download free PDFs to make copies.
__ This project does not interest me.
4-b. The slogans I have marked "y" (for yes) are worth using. Those
marked
"
n" (for no), definitely not.
__ Prevent WW III - Conserve water
__ Think Outside the Box[icon of TV]
__ Demand Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods
__ Genetically Modified FOODS Need LABELS
__ Boycott all violent media
__ Nurture People, Not Stuff
__ Tax Waste - Support Renewables!
__ The EARTH TAX Is a GOOD Idea!
__ We must pay for our right to destroy the Earth.
__ Big Business must pay for the right to use up the Earth.
__ NEVER FORGET! Enron-WorldCom-Anderson
__ It's always me and you and all people and God, never just me and God.
(Caesar Chavez)
__ More $$$ for Peace, Not for War!
__ $$$ for Peace Education, Not ROTC.
__ The Air Waves Belong to the People! Stop Media Consolidation!
__ We drive 55 for YOUR Grandkids.
__ Lewis & Clark Would Never Have Made It Without Sacagawea!
__ Lewis & Clark Wouldn't Have Made It Without Sacagawea. Honor Native
Americans.
__ A Proud Steward of the Earth.
__ Citizen [not equal] Consumer
__ Purchasing [not equal] Patriotic.
__ A Patriotic Earthling
__ I Love America, not Big Business
__ I Love the Earth, not Big Business
5. Bumper Sticker Contest
Win a $50 Alternatives' gift certificate if your new slogan is selected!
Here are my original ideas/slogans:
6. Alternatives plans to issue resources from the past, such as "Whose
Birthday Is It, Anyway?" in AUDIO format. I'd prefer...
__ a set of 15 CDs for $50.
__ two DVDs for $30.
__ two MP3 CDs (playable on MP3 players and most computer CD drives) for $15.
7. Alternatives is considering offering an INTERNET RADIO service
(prerecorded), such as
A. Streaming audio (software is free)
B. Downloadable files (software is one-time $20)
__ I'm familiar with the concept
__ I've used type(s): __A; __ B
__ I've never used it but it's a great idea. I may try it.
__ I think it's a fad that will pass.
8. Alternatives should offer its NEW audio releases on
__ internet radio
__ CD
__ DVD
__ MP3 CD
9. Alternatives should offer selected PAST audio releases on
__ internet radio
__ CD
__ DVD
__ MP3 CD
10. I've found Alternatives' new web site home page
__ helpful
__ my word would be : _______
11. Comments on Alternatives resources (quality, price, presentation),
service, etc.
12-a. Alternatives plans to issue an inexpensive "Simple Living Guided
Journal" based upon our collection of quotes and art "Spirit of
Simplicity." The pages on recycled paper would not be dated, so it could
be
used anytime.
__ I prefer a journal for private thoughts.
__ I prefer a journal for ideas and memories that I could give my
children/grandchildren as a legacy.
__ I prefer a journal designed for both private thoughts & ideas to share.
__ You should promote computer journaling and not waste more paper.
__ I think journaling is a fad that's past its peak.
12-b. Alternatives should issue the journal in the following format:
__ 8.5 x 11 sheets, three-hole punched for a binder (more sheets could be
added; personal pages could be removed)
__ 8.5 x 5.5 bound booklet
__ Other:
12-c. I prefer...
__ 48 pages
__ 96 pages
__ 365 pages
12-d. I would be willing to pay...
__ More for 100% recycled paper
__ A lot more for 100% pcw (post consumer waste)
__ No more. Use 30% recycled paper.
12-e. I prefer...
__ White paper with black illustrations (least expensive)
__ Various colors of paper with black illustrations (more expensive)
__ White paper with illustrations in various colors (yet more expensive)
__ Various colors of paper with illustrations in various colors (really
expensive)
12-f. Alternatives plans to issue seasonal, 48 page "Guided Journals" for
1) Advent-Christmas, 2) Lent-Easter. I am...
__ definitely interested in __#1, __#2
__ a little interested in __#1, __#2
__ not interested in __#1, __#2
12-g. I would be willing to pay
__ $5, __ $7, __ $10 each.
I'm in my: __ teens, __20's, __30's, __ 40's, __50's, __60's, __70's,
__80's, __90's
I'm including my name. Send me information about...
__ remembering Alternatives in my will.
__ gifting Alternatives appreciated securities.
__ Yes, send the $5 gift certificate. (Include name.)
__ No thanks. Use your funds on new resources and services.
Name:
Mailing Address:
Daytime Phone:
Email Address:
Thanks again!
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
LAST CALL for 30TH ANNIVERSARY SALE!
30% off ALL Resources Produced by Alternatives.
(items whose code ends "-A")
Till June 15, 2003
For Alternatives' titles, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Alternatives.html
Save on 60 Resources!
Note: Although discounted prices on Alternatives' resources do not show on
the web site, they will be applied to your order.
DISCOUNTS ON MANY OTHER TITLES
Visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Specials.html
(Discounts apply only to copies in stock.)
ALTERNATIVES OFFERS SUMMER "SIMPLER LIVING" CATALOG
Our hope is that people can learn ways to simplify their lives so that they
are not overtaken by stress, debt and guilt. Our new summer catalog offers
help. Call 800-821-6153 anytime for free copies to share with your friends,
relatives and colleagues.
The summer catalog contains many new resources, as well as established
works on simpler living for children and adults. It introduces the 2003
edition of Alternatives' most widely read Christmas resource, "Whose
Birthday Is it, Anyway?"
On p. 29 it introduces new titles, including "The Quiltmaker's Gift," a
charming fable for our times that celebrates the JOY of giving. Also, "Food
and Faith: Justice, Joy and Daily Bread," "The Book of New Family
Traditions: How to Create Great Family Rituals" by Meg Cox, "Building
Materials for Life" by Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat
for
Humanity International, and "The Tree," which celebrate the age-old
cycle
of life in the Pacific Rain Forest (ages 4-adult). To view these new
titles, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
On the cover is an article about "Take Back Your Time Day," Oct.
24th - a
challenge to the epidemic of overwork, overscheduling and time famine that
threatens our health, our families, our communities and our environment.
For more, visit www.TimeDay.org
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES from Alternatives
This week only - 30% Discount and Free Shipping on these two new titles!
LIVING SIMPLY & LOVING IT! Audio CD
People of faith seeking, choosing and growing on the journey of integrity
Adapted from Alternatives' classic talk on Living More with Less and
Celebrating Responsibly, written and recorded by Alternatives' National
Coordinator, Gerald Iversen.
In five 14-minute segments, this CD is perfect for personal inspiration at
home or in the car, small groups or Sunday adult forum, "shut-ins" or
the
visually-impaired.
Text adapted from "Simple Living 101: Toolbook for activists shy or bold."
70+ minute audio CD with discussion questions in brief study guide. $10.
(Free by request with $100 donation!) LSLICD-A
To read more or to order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Alternatives.html
Or
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
"
SPIRIT OF SIMPLICITY" Greeting Cards
Send a simple message. Share values with style and tact. Blank inside. Four
designs. Card & envelope recycled paper - 100% pcw (post consumer waste)
with soy-based ink.
$1.50 each; 8 for $8 (same or two of each)
To see the artwork or to order, scroll down a bit when visiting
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Cards.html
Or
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
30TH ANNIVERSARY SALE!
30% off ALL Resources Produced by Alternatives.
(items whose code ends "-A")
Till June 15, 2003
For Alternatives' titles, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Alternatives.html
Save on 60 Resources!
Note: Although discounted prices on Alternatives' resources do not show on
the web site, they will be applied to your order.
DISCOUNTS ON MANY OTHER TITLES
Visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Specials.html
(Discounts apply only to copies in stock.)
If the web addresses above do not appear as hot links, simply highlight and
copy one and paste it in your browser.
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES
HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?
Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture
Arthur Simon, founder and president emeritus of Bread for the World and
author of The Politics of World Hunger, Bread for the World and Grace at
the Table: Ending Hunger in God's World.
Why, in the face of unprecedented affluence, do so many of us feel
discontented? Because possessions may capture the heart, but they fail to
nourish the soul.
Simon challenges readers to realize that our passion for material things
far exceeds our compassion for others. This materialism leads to a
spiritual emptiness that can't be filled by the addiction of consumerism.
None of us is immune to the seduction of trying to slake what is really a
spiritual thirst with things that money can buy, though doing so is like
drinking saltwater from the sea.
190 pp. $12. HMIE
For more information, visit
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/catalog/SimpleLiving.html
Special Price!
FAITH WORKS
Lessons from the Life of an Activist Preacher
Jim Wallis
Today more than ever, many people are hungry for spirituality and
community. But the most powerful and meaningful spirituality shows itself
through action. Jim Wallis is the charismatic preacher, activist, and
leader of Call to Renewal, a dynamic new movement that is uniting politics
and spirituality to ignite social change and overcome poverty. In his
timely, exciting new book, he shows us how we can enrich our own lives by
serving our communities. Wallis believes that the making of the modern
Christian, Muslim, or Jew is through action. A preacher who spends his time
working for justice rather than just speaking from a pulpit, Wallis
compellingly demonstrates how going out and putting your belief to work is
what really counts. Faith shows itself in works - faith works.
375 pp. Only $12 , not $15, $19 or $24. FW
For more information, visit
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/catalog/Faith.html
30TH ANNIVERSARY SALE!
30% off ALL Resources Produced by Alternatives.
(items whose code ends "-A")
Only till June 15, 2003
For Alternatives' titles, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Alternatives.html
Save on 60 Resources!
Note: Although discounted prices on Alternatives' resources do not show on
the web site, they will be applied to your order.
DISCOUNTS ON MANY OTHER TITLES
Visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Specials.html
(Discounts apply only to copies in stock.)
(If the links above are not "hot," simply higlight and copy one,
then paste
it into your browser.)
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Next month we will release the 2003 EDITION OF "WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS IT,
ANYWAY?" our most widely-read resource for families during Advent and
Christmas.
PLEASE HELP TO PROMOTE THE BOOKLET BY DISTRIBUTING COLOR FLYERS or other
material to your constituents and colleagues. Or share them at a
conference or convention.
The flyer comes flat or folded. It fits in a #10 envelope as a "stuffer."
It could easily "piggy-back" on a mailing you're already sending.
TO ORDER FREE MATERIALS, please call, fax, or reply to this e-mail as soon
as you can.
"Whose Birthday" Promotional Material Order Form
Yes, send me by (date) ______________ the following at no charge.
_____ copies of the flyer: __ flat; __ tri-folded
_____ copies of past editions of the booklet
_____ copies of the Promotion Kit: news release; flyer/poster; worship
bulletin, newsletter, fax, e-mail blurbs; pulpit announcements; newsletter
"
ads."
_____ copies of Alternatives' Resource Guide (catalog)
Name:
Denomination / Diocese / Organization:
Address:
Telephone/Fax: ( )
E-mail:
Instead of me, this request should go to:
Comments, questions, method of distribution (We'd like to share your ideas
with others.):
TO REPLY, simply highlight the message, click "reply," add your
information
to the new reply email, click "send."
You'll be able to read this year's "Whose Birthday" soon at
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XBindex.html
30TH ANNIVERSARY SALE!
30% off ALL Resources Produced by Alternatives.
(items whose code ends "-A")
Till June 15, 2003
For Alternatives' titles, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Alternatives.html
Save on 60 Resources!
Note: Although discounted prices on Alternatives' resources do not show on
the web site, they will be applied to your order.
DISCOUNTS ON MANY OTHER TITLES
Visit http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Specials.html
(Discounts apply only to copies in stock.)
(If these links aren't "hot," simply copy and paste them into your browser.)
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
ALTERNATIVES CELEBRATES 30 YEARS! JOIN IN.
In the face of mammoth media telling the same story every day - that we
find meaning and happiness in life through STUFF - we have the audacity to
say NO! Instead, we find happiness and meaning in life through
relationships - within ourselves, with other people, with the Earth and its
creatures and with God.
What exciting, essential work for 30 years!
We can continue only with YOUR help. Please become a member or renew your
membership today. Your membership brings you the numerous benefits listed
on the back. And your membership makes our services available to many
others who need them.
In addition to our four major services...
* Resources like "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" (Join now to receive
a
free copy.)
* Network of over 800 volunteer speakers and workshop leaders
* Quarterly Resource Guide
* Extensive web site with hundreds of free articles
...we have plans for our 30th....
* We will be launching the Alternatives Endowment. To be a charter
contributor, send a check for $1000 or more. Or contact us for details.
* We have a new, distinguished Honorary Board of Directors.
* We are producing several new resources with young adults in mind. We need
Project Partners. Recognition is negotiable.
Alternatives is operated by a small, committed staff. Our whole operation
is lean and frugal. We practice as fully as possible the message we espouse
every day.
Please become a member. We depend on memberships for a significant part of
our budget. Thank you.
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
P.S. DONATIONS OF ANY SIZE ARE WELCOME AND ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. IF YOU SHARE
$100 OR MORE, WE WILL GLADLY SEND YOU (upon request) A FREE COPY OF OUR NEW
AUDIO CD "LIVING SIMPLY AND LOVING IT!" - for personal inspiration
and to
share with others.
Joining or renewing is simple.
* Phone: 712/274-8875 or 800-821-6153
* Fax: 712/274-1402
* Email: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
* Mail: Alternatives, P.O. Box 2787, Sioux City, IA 51106
* On-line at www.SimpleLiving.org - click on Join Us!
TO REPLY TO THIS EMAIL, SIMPLY HIGHLIGHT THE FORM BELOW, CLICK THE "REPLY"
BUTTON ON YOUR BROWSER, FILL IN YOUR INFORMATION IN THE NEW EMAIL, CLICK
"
SEND."
All members receive:
* "Update" newsletter
* samples of selected new resources, such as "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?"
* voting privileges for at-large board members
* purchase discounts (at your request; excluding quantity pricing)
* copying privileges
* and, of course, our quarterly catalog
ALTERNATIVES' MEMBERSHIP COMMITMENT
YES! I want to help guarantee that Alternatives' message of simpler living
will continue for future generations.
Extended Membership (one time):
__ $2500, Perpetual
__ $1500, Dual Life
__ $1000, Life
Annual Membership:
__ $500-"The Downscaler"
__ $250-"The Responsible Celebrator"
__ $100-"The Co-operator"
__ $75-"The Community" (Institutional)
__ $50-"The Non-conformer"
__ $25-"The Simple Liver"
(See a current issue of the Resource Guide or web site for details about
benefits of each level.)
Comments:
My Name:
Address:
City/State/ZIP:
Phones/Fax:
Email (for free, helpful e-newsletter):
I prefer to pay byŠ
__ check - We'll send you an invoice.
__ MasterCard
__ VISA
Credit card number:
Expiration date:
__ I select Autorenewal. Charge my credit card each year for the same
membership. Send me no more membership reminders.
__ I am enclosing an extra donation in addition to my membership. ($______)
__ Yes, I want to be a Charter Member of the Alternatives Endowment.
__ Send me information about including Alternatives in my will and planned
giving.
__ Yes, I want to be a Project Partner. Contact me about which resource I
would like to help fund with $500 or more.
__ Yes, send me a free copy of the audio CD "Living Simply & Loving
It!"
with my donation of $100 or more.
__ I'm upgrading my membership. I have already invested this year and I'm
applying that amount as I move to a higher level.
__ I prefer to receive only the fall issue of the Resource Guide by mail.
__ Do not share my name and address with anyone.
__ Do not publish my name. (If not marked, we may include your name when
recognizing donors.)
__ I may want to join the nationwide group of volunteer speakers, leaders
and organizers (SLOw Down Network). Send information.
__ I need a speaker or workshop leader.
__ I want to give a gift membership in the amount of $ ________ to: Enclose
Name(s), Address, City, State, ZIP, Phones, Email
__ Yes, I want to help promote "Whose Birthday." Send me ____ copies
of the
free color flyer. I will include it in mail I'm sending out before Nov. 1
-- personal letters, mass mailing, meeting announcements, etc.
__ I'd like a copy of the Annual Report.
__ I'll read it at http://SimpleLiving.org/main/AnnualReport.html
__ I'll read the member/volunteer newsletter Update on the web site. You
needn't send it by mail but send me an email when its available.
THANK YOU!
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES
FOOD AND FAITH
Justice, Joy & Daily Bread
Michael Schut of Earth Ministry, ed.
Food is itself a joyful gift - recall how the gift of food so often
mediatesthe sanctity and preciousness of life. This new collection of
reflections by Wendell Berry, Elizabeth Johnson and others helps you start
thiking about the moral, spiritual and economic implications of eating.
Readings focus on the enjoyment and spirituality of good food, ways in
which eating connects us to the land and to each other, and on the
economic, environmental and cultural impacts of daily food choices.
Includes an eight-week study guide for groups or individuals, which leads
to action: setting a table that is healthy, joyful and just. 164 pp. $15.
FAF
For more information, visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Food.html
THE CONSUMER BIBLE
1001 Ways to Shop Smart
Mark Green with Nancy Youman
This is the essential guide for every wary consumer. In 65 lively chapters,
consumer authority Mark Green explains how to see through the hype and
become an intelligent, informed shopper. From saving on essential goods and
service to avoiding scams and schemes, here is everything you need to know.
Used for every purchase, The Consumer Bible, now completely revised and
updated, is like giving your family a 20% pay raise - effective now. 750
pp. $16 $14. TCB
For more information, visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/SimpleLiving2.html
SHOWDOWN AT THE FCC JUNE 2nd!
"Media Literacy" is one of Alternatives' 15 issues.
Friday night on PBS' "NOW!" Bill Moyers interviewed Federal Communications
Commissioner Michael J. Copps. He is greatly concerned that changes
scheduled for a vote June 2nd will drastically change who owns OUR public
air waves. These changes will greatly harm our ability to have the
information we need to run our democracy. (To read what he says or to
express your opinion to the commissioners, visit www.fcc.gov) We must not
let these plans go through without more public deabte. THESE CHANGES ARE
PRACTICALLY IRREVERSIBLE. Being properly informed and educated is a peace &
justice issue.
MoveOn Bulletin is a free e-newsletter providing information, resources,
news, and action ideas on important political issues. MoveOn Bulletin is a
project of MoveOn.org.
MoveOn.org is an issue-oriented, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that
gives people a voice in shaping the laws that affect their lives.
MoveOn.org engages people in the civic process, using the Internet to
democratically determine a non-partisan agenda, raising public awareness of
pressing issues, and coordinating grassroots advocacy campaigns to
encourage sound public policies.
SHOWDOWN AT THE FCC
MoveOn Bulletin
Friday, May 2, 2003
CONTENTS:
1. Eli Pariser: Why Worry About Who Owns the Media?
2. Jeff Chester: Showdown at the FCC
3. Neil Hickey: The Gathering Storm Over Media Ownership
4. Bill Moyers: Barry Diller Takes On Media Deregulation
5. Danny Schechter: The Media, the War, and Our Right to Know
6. Eric Boehlert: Clear Channel's Big Stinking Deregulation Mess
7. Paul Schmelzer: The Death of Local News
8. Caryl Rivers: Where Have All the Women Gone?
The full text of the MoveOn Bulletin is online at
http://www.moveon.org/moveonbulletin/
You can subscribe to it there.
30TH ANNIVERSARY SALE!
30% off ALL Resources Produced by Alternatives.
(items whose code ends "-A")
Till June 15, 2003
For Alternatives' titles, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Alternatives.html
Save on 60 Resources!
Note: Although discounted prices on Alternatives' resources do not show on
the web site, they will be applied to your order.
DISCOUNTS ON MANY OTHER TITLES
Visit http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Specials.html
(Discounts apply only to copies in stock.)
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
MEDIA RELEASE
National Figures Help Alternatives Celebrate 30 Years!
Ten well known national figures will serve on the Honorary Board of
Directors to help Alternatives for Simple Living celebrate its 30th
Anniversary.
"We are also issuing several new resources, updating our web site and
establishing an endowment fund," said Gerald Iversen, Alternatives'
National Coordinator.
Alternatives' web site -- www.SimpleLiving.org -- includes hundreds of
resources to read and download at no charge.
New resources include an audio CD version of its best known, most widely
read resource, the family Advent-Christmas booklet, "Whose Birthday Is
It,
Anyway?" for 2003. Now in its second decade, over two million copies of
the annual booklet have been distributed.
Also new is the audio CD "Living Simply and Loving It! -- People of faith
seeking, choosing and growing on the journey of integrity."
A new DVD called "The Vision of Simpler Living: Alternatives' Audio & Video
Collection" brings together two videos, "Have Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas" and "Break Forth into Joy: Beyond a Consumer Lifestyle" (with
Spanish for the first time), plus the new audio "Living Simply and Loving
It!"
A new series of greeting cards on 100% recycled paper called "Spirit
of
Simplicity" is a way to send a message of simplicity year 'round.
Alternatives' Honorary Board of Directors includes: DAVID BECKMAN,
President, Bread for the World; WALTER BRUEGGEMANN, Professor, Columbia
Theological Seminary; TONY CAMPOLO, author, speaker, educator, Eastern
University; MILLARD FULLER, Founder & President, Habitat For Humanity
International; ALISA GRAVITZ, Executive Director, Co-op America (publisher
of The National Green Pages); JOHN MCCONNELL, founder of Earthday; VICKI
ROBIN, author of "Your Money or Your Life" and Convener of The Simplicity
Forum; RONALD J. SIDER, President, Evangelicals for Social Action; BETSY
TAYLOR, Executive Director, Center for a New American Dream; and JIM
WALLIS, Executive Director, Sojourners Magazine, and Convener, Call to
Renewal.
Alternatives for Simple Living - or simply "Alternatives"- is a
nonprofit
organization whose mission is to "equip people of faith to challenge
consumerism, live justly, and celebrate responsibly." Started in 1973
as a
protest against the commercialization of Christmas, it now encourages
year-round conscientious living.
Alternatives published six editions of the Alternate Celebrations Catalog,
held the Best and Worst Christmas Gift Contest for many years, and produced
a quarterly magazine and three videos.
Throughout its 30-year history, Alternatives has helped lead the movement
to live more simply and faithfully. The many staff members and volunteers
of Alternatives have developed a wide variety of resources, organized an
annual Christmas Campaign, led numerous workshops, and reached countless
people with the message of simple, responsible living. Alternatives
emphasizes relationships and traditions over things, hoping to avoid stress
and debt, and promoting alternative giving - helping the truly needy
instead of spending so much on ourselves.
Alternatives' current catalog of resources includes both material produced
by Alternatives, and also books and other resources from other publishers,
all on simple living and related subjects, such as hunger, the environment,
media literacy, etc. Because Alternatives provides resources for Advent and
Christmas, Lent and Easter, weddings and other celebrations (some in
Spanish) for adults and children, Alternatives' motto is 'Resources for
responsibly living and celebrating since 1973.'
Alternatives is funded by grants, donations, memberships and sale of
resources. One needn't be a member to use our service. Memberships begin at
$25 per year and have numerous benefits.
Contact Alternatives anytime at www.SimpleLiving.org, PO Box 2787, Sioux
City, Iowa 51106, 712/274-8875 or 800/821-6153, fax: 712/274-1402, email:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org # # # # #
Editors: For more information, review copies, art, interviews and reprint
permissions, contact Gerald Iversen. * Alternatives' current media
releases and many feature articles are available on our web site for easy
downloading! Visit www.SimpleLiving.org. Click on Information, then Media
Releases or Feature Articles.
30TH ANNIVERSARY SALE!
30% off ALL Resources Produced by Alternatives.
(items whose code ends "-A")
Till June 15, 2003
For Alternatives' titles, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Alternatives.html
Save on 60 Resources!
Note: Although discounted prices on Alternatives' resources do not show on
the web site, they will be applied to your order.
DISCOUNTS ON MANY OTHER TITLES
Visit http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Specials.html
(Discounts apply only to copies in stock.)
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
NEW TITLES
THE BOOK OF NEW FAMILY TRADITIONS
How to Create Great Family Rituals for Holidays and Everyday
Meg Cox
Families will treasure this collection of rituals and traditions for many
occasions, from personal milestones as a child's first day of school to a
teenager's new driver's license to mainstream holidays, birthdays and
anniversaries. Special celebrations in a warm family setting help foster
self-esteem and creativity, and open up communication channels. Real
families share their stories, along with practical instructions to tailor
the ritual to one's own family. All it takes is imagination and a
willingness to resist outside interference for a few precious moments. 128
pp. $13. NFR
Scroll down a bit when visitingŠ
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Celebrate.html
THE QUILTMAKER'S GIFT
Jeff Brumbeau; Gail de Marcken, illus.
This charming fable for our times celebrates the JOY of giving. A generous
quiltmaker, with magic in her fingers, sews the most beautiful quilts in
the world, then gives them away. A greedy king, his storehouse stuffed with
treasures, yearns for something that will make him happy. Will the
quiltmaker sew a quilt for the king? Will the king ever learn to share? Can
the quiltmaker teach the king to be happy? What will the king do with all
his splendid things? $18 (cloth). QMG
Scroll down a bit when visitingŠ
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Children.html
30TH ANNIVERSARY SALE!
30% off ALL Resources Produced by Alternatives.
(items whose code ends "-A") Till June 15, 2003
For Alternatives' titles, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Alternatives.html
Save on 60 Resources!
Note: Although discounted prices on Alternatives' resources do not show on
the web site, they will be applied to your order.
DISCOUNTS ON MANY OTHER TITLES
Visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Specials.html
(Discounts apply only to copies in stock.)
NEW TITLES at a discount!
For a listing of the current "bundle" from ALTERNATIVES' RESOURCE
CLUB, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/Library.html
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
April 15, 2003
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
A blessed Holy Week to you.
Free Copy!
HUNGER NO MORE
Materials for six group sessions on hunger in the U.S.
Packet includes
* Six session Leader's Guide for adult/youth. Use one, two or all six as a
series
* Hunger resource for children (K-6): puzzles, games, activities
* Six fact sheets: study group handouts, bulletin or newsletter inserts.
Can be photocopied. Use in:
* Lenten series
* Christian Communities
* Women's/men's prayer groups
* Social ministry/justice committees
* Adult study group
* Sunday and day school classes
* Interfaith discussions
Hunger No More is a uniquely cooperative effort of Bread for the World Institute and numerous faith-based organizations.48 pages, first packet free, additional packets $5, children's resource $2.
Order from Bread for the World 1-800-82-BREAD or on-line at www.bread.org
Free Copies!
BUILD A BETTER WORLD 2
Activities for Children from Church World Service
A four-session curriculum for Vacation Church school, camp and Sunday
School settings. Features hope-filled stories of children assisted through
the work of CWS along with a related Bible study, a variety of hands-on
activities, and reproducible take-home sheets. Its lively color illustrations
feature our mascot giraffe, Imani (24 pages, with colorful 17" x 22" poster). Up to 10 copies free, bulk rates available, order
#ED
0305.
TO ORDER: call 800-297-1516 or write CWS, PO Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515
30TH ANNIVERSARY SALE!
30% off ALL Resources Produced by Alternatives.
(items whose code ends "-A") Till June 15, 2003
For Alternatives' titles, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Alternatives.html
Save on 60 Resources!
Note: Although discounted prices on Alternatives' resources do not show on the web site, they will be applied to your order.
DISCOUNTS ON MANY OTHER TITLES
Visit http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Specials.html
(Discounts apply only to copies in stock.)
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
April 8, 2003
[no e-Newsletter this week?]
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
800/821-6153
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Getting Ready for EASTER, April 20; EARTH DAY, April 22; and TURN-OFF TV
WEEK, April 21-27
* Read Alternatives' 40 Day Guide for Lent 2003, "TAKING MORE TIME TO
REASSESS" at
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCal2003.html
* Free "Ten Tips for Simpler, More Meaniningful Easter," visitŠ
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/10tipEaster.html
* Environmental resources from Alternatives include:
* The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices
* Greening Congregations Handbook 200 pp. $21. GCH
For more information or to order, visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Environment.html
Or for children. . .
* I Want to Be an Environmentalist (Ages 10-adult) 50 pp. $18 (cloth). IWTBE
* The Tree (ages 4-adult) $17 (cloth). TT
* Earth Day (Young readers) 35 pp. $6. ED
To order, click on the item code, when visiting
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Children.html
* Eco-Fun: by David Suzuki, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/ChActiv.html
* One Less Fish (All ages) One by one the fish are disappearing from
Australia's Great Barrier Reef. 32 pp. $7 $5. OLF
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Children2.html
* For environmental bumper stickers, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/BumperStickers.html
* Earth Day was originally March 21st. For messages from the founder of
Earth Day, John McConnell, who now serves on Alternatives' Honorary Board
of Directors, visit
www.earthsite.org
* TV-Turnoff Week -- For more information or to order an Organizer's Kit
visit TV-Turnoff Network on the Web at www.tvturnoff.org or call them at
202.518.5556.
* For Alternatives resources to help maintain less TV, visitŠ
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/ChActiv.html
And...
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Games.html
For more on Media Literacy and the effects of advertising visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Media.html
For art, articles, cartoons and quotations on Earth Care, see
"
Alternatives' Spirit of Simplicity" book/CD-ROM collection, section 5;
Media Literacy, section 8.
The easy-to-use collection in a packet sells for $15; the CD-ROM, $15; both
paper version and CD-ROM in a binder with tab dividers, $30.
For more information or to order, visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/SimpleLiving2.html
and click on "Alternatives' Spirit of Simplicity."
* 30TH ANNIVERSARY SALE!
30% off ALL Resources Produced by Alternatives (items whose code ends "-A")
Save on 60 Resources till June 15, 2003.
For Alternatives' titles, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Alternatives.html
Note: Although discounted prices on Alternatives' resources do not show on
the web site, they will be applied to your order.
DISCOUNTS ON MANY OTHER TITLES
Visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Specials.html
* For FREE INFORMATION on spring and summer holidays, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/TreasCeleb/TOCMayAug.html
If the web addresses above do not appear as hot links, simply highlight and
copy one and paste it in your browser.
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
ALTERNATIVES' 30TH ANNIVERSARY SALE!
30% off ALL Resources Published by Alternatives.
Till June 15, 2003
For Alternatives' titles, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Alternatives.html
Save on 60 Resources, such asŠ
* Alternatives' Spirit of Simplicity: Quotes & Art (on paper and/or CD-ROM)
* Break Forth into Joy! Beyond a Consumer Lifestyle VIDEO
* Christmas Campaign Kit (15 resources in one)
* Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas VIDEO
* Leader's Guide to "Unplug the Christmas Machine" Workshop
* Lent & Easter Sampler
* Living More with Less Study/Action Guide
* Muestra en Español: Spanish Sampler
* Nuestra Boda (Wedding Alternatives)
* Prayerful Santa cards
* Simple Living 101: Toolbook for activists shy or bold
* Simply the Best: 30 Years of Alternatives CD-ROM
* Stories and Songs of Simple Living (book, CD and/or cassette)
* Wedding Alternatives: Guide to Planning Out-of -the Ordinary Celebrations
* Who's Risen From the Dead, Anyway?
Note: Although discounted prices on Alternatives' resources do not show on
the web site, they will be applied to your order.
DISCOUNTS ON MANY OTHER TITLES
Visit http://SimpleLiving.org/Catalog/Specials.html
(Discounts apply only to copies in stock.)
IncludingŠ
Adventures in Simple Living
A Creation-Centered Spirituality
Rich Heffern
$9. Was $12.
Becoming Native to This Place
Wes Jackson
$10. Was $12.50.
The Biggest House in the World
Leo Lionni
(Ages 4-8) $4. Was $6.
Breaking Bread
The Spiritual Significance of Food
Sara Covin Juengst
$12. Was $15.
Crazy Makers
How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children
Carol Simontacchi
$12. Was $15.
December
Eve Bunting
Sharing at Christmas. $14. Was $16.
Earthscore
Your Personal Environmental Audit & Guide
$4. Was $5.
Elijah's Angel
Story for Chanukah & Christmas
Michael J. Rosen; Aminah Brenda, Lynn Robinson, illus.
$5. Was $6.
Feathers and Fools
Mem Fox; Nicholas Wilton, illus.
The chance for peace seemed lost forever. $4. Was $6. F&F
Grace at the Table
Ending Hunger in God's World
David Beckmann & Arthur Simon
$8. Was $11.
Guide to World Hunger Organizations, 2nd Ed.
$3. Was $7.50.
Hands Around the World
365 Ways to Build Cultural Awareness and Global Respect
Susan Milford
$10. Was $13.
A Little Child Shall Lead Them
Hopeful Parenting in a Confused World
Johann Cristoph Arnold
$7. Was $10.
Mustard Seed Versus McWorld
Reinventing Life and Faith for the Future
Tom Sine; Foreword by Ravi Zacharias
$12. Was $15.
My Ishmael
A Sequel: The Phenomenon Continues
Daniel Quinn
$11. Was $14.
Ishmael
An Adventure of Mind and Spirit
$12.Was $15.
BOTH for $20! Formerly both for $25.
Natural Capitalism
Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins
$15. Was $18.
A Prayer for the Earth
The Story of Naamah, Noah's Wife
Sandy Eisenberg Sasso; Bethanne Anderson, illus.
$14 (cloth). Was $17.
Promise Ahead
A Vision of Hope and Action for Humanity's Future
Duane Elgin; introduction by Vicki "Your Money or Your Life" Robin
$10. Was $13.
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger
Moving from Affluence to Generosity
Ronald J. Sider
$12. Was $16.
Seeking Peace
Notes and Conversations Along the Way
Johann Christoph Arnold
$15. Was $20 (cloth).
Three by Mark Burch
Simplicity Study Circles: Step-by-Step Guide
$12. Was $15.
Simplicity
Notes, Stories & Exercises for Developing Unimaginable Wealth
$10. Was $13.
Stepping Lightly
Simplicity for People and the Planet
$12. Was $16.
Bumper Sticker Specials
All in color. $1.25 each, 10 for $10 (same or mixed). Formerly $2 each.
* My Other Car Is a Bicycle
* The Nation That Destroys Its Soil Destroys Itself
* Plug into Renewable Energy
* Paper from Paper Not from Trees
* Think Globally / Bike Locally
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under
a minute.
Millions Ready to Turn on Life During TV-Turnoff Week 2003
A single event this year has generated the support of over 70 important
national organizations, garnered praise from the Boys and Girls Clubs of
America as "a wonderful opportunity for families to reconnect," and
will
inspire millions of children and adults to lead a more active life.
TV-Turnoff Week 2003, April 21-27, is the only national celebration of the
low-TV lifestyle.
On average, American schoolchildren spend more time each year (over 1,000
hours) in front of the television set than in the classroom. The average
American will watch over nine years of television in his or her lifetime.
America's national television habit has significant negative impacts,
especially on children. We can measure these impacts in academic
underachievement, rising obesity, and splintered families. Indeed, given
these issues, it's small wonder that so many organizations support
TV-Turnoff Week.
Turning off television gives us a chance to think, read, create, and do. To
connect with our families and engage in our communities. To turn off TV and
turn on life. And that's why so many people get on board; TV-Turnoff Week
is spearheaded by the more than 16,000 local organizers who make the event
a celebration of life in their schools, communities, religious bodies, and
more.
Sound like fun? It is! Join millions of Americans and turn off your TV
during TV-Turnoff Week 2003 this April 21-27. Some practical ways to begin
include moving your TV to a less prominent place in your house -
especially, out of children's rooms -- keeping the television off during
dinner, or unsubscribing to cable and using the money for a monthly family
outing.
Or better yet, organize a TV-Turnoff Week. With help from TV-Turnoff
Network's Organizer's Kit, it's easy - and you'll be surprised at how much
fun you can have. As the National Mental Health Association wrote, "The
enthusiasm expressed by parents and children over the principles of
[TV-Turnoff Week] speak volumesŠ"
Or perhaps the words of Ben Loxley, a then-second grader who participated
in TV-Turnoff Week 2000, are even more appropriate: "I had a great time,
and my only questions isŠ why don't we turn off the TV for the other 51
weeks a year?"
For more information or to order an Organizer's Kit visit TV-Turnoff
Network on the Web at www.tvturnoff.org or call them at 202.518.5556.
TV-Turnoff Network encourages children and adults to watch much less
television to promote healthier families and communities. In addition to
TV-Turnoff Week, TV-Turnoff network organizes More Reading, Less TV, a
program that boosts reading enthusiasm among grammar school students.
** Alternatives offers resources to help maintain less TV, such as...
* 365 TV Free Activities You Can Do with Your Child
For more information, visitŠ
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/ChActiv.html
And...
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Games.html
For more on Media Literacy and the effects of advertising...
* Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America (Kalle Lasn)
* Can't Buy My Love (Jean Kilbourne)
* The Age of Missing Inforamtion (Bill McKibben)
visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Media.html
For art, articles, cartoons and quotations on Media Literacy, see
"
Alternatives' Spirit of Simplicity" book/CD-ROM collection, section 8.
For more information or to order, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/SimpleLiving2.html
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Web Site: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under a minute.
NEW TITLES -- Getting Ready for Earth Day (April 22nd)
THE TREE
Dana Lyons; David Danioth, illus.
foreword by Julia Butterfly Hill, author of Legacy of Luna
"The Tree should be on every child's bookshelf. The illustrations are hauntingly beautiful. The message is powerful - we must take peaceful action to save what we love." - Dr. Jane Goodall
(ages 4-adult) This powerful song of an ancient Douglas fir celebrates the age-old cycle of life in the Pacific Rain Forest, revealing the interconnectedness of all things. An urgent call to preserve our fragile environment, reminding each of us that the hope for a brighter future lies in our own hands.
$17 (cloth). TT
To order, click on the item code, when visiting
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Children.html
GREENING CONGREGATIONS HANDBOOK
Stories, Ideas and Resource for Cultivating Creation Awareness and Care in
Your Congregation
Tanya Marcovnia Barnett of Earthy Ministry, ed.
This 'tool box' is for all who want to foster creation awareness and care in the congregations. It helps congregations develop and enduring, creation-honoring focus within all dimensions of congregational life.
200 pp. $21 $18. GCH
For more information or to order, visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Environment.html
** Earth Day was originally March 21st. For messages from the founder of Earth
Day, John McConnell, who now serves on Alternatives' Honorary Board of Directors,
visit
www.earthsite.org
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
On-line: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under a minute.
Without realizing it, people you serve began preparing for another commercialized
Christmas last December 26th. Now's the time to begin planning a simpler,
alternative celebration.
We will help you. Contact us today.
Your Group Can Benefit from Customized Copies of "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?"
Place your order now for the 16th edition of "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" for Advent 2003. This booklet is Alternatives' most widely read resource. Over two million copies have been circulated.
The featured writer for 2003 is Louis Lotz, Minister of Worship at Fair Haven Ministries, Hudsonville, Michigan. He is a widely published, award-winning author and columnist. One of his new reflections appears below.
Designed for families and small groups, "Whose Birthday...?" can be used in many settings -- at home, school, church. The content is new each year but the message is the same -- to equip people of faith to resist the pressures of a commercialized Christmas and to help them celebrate this season with greater integrity. As in the past, it contains Biblical reflections, articles, activities and ideas for alternative giving.
This resource is so well received, contains such valuable material and yet costs so little. We normally produce some 25 customized versions of "Whose Birthday...?" for various denominations and dioceses. We can also produce one for a group, a single congregation or others.
Partners have three pages inside and their name on the front and back covers. Alternatives provides free editorial help and promotion materials. We offer color on your pages and mail expediting. We'll be glad to give you details on the phone.
Copy is requested March 31st for June 1st delivery. Reservations are requested by August 15th for November 1st delivery. Minimum order for customization is 1000 copies at $.70 each.
Ecumenical, national catholic and most denominational versions will be in stock June 1st so that they can be distributed during summer events.
For excerpts from "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" 2002, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/xb/xbcover.html
For past issues, visit
http://SimpleLiving.org/Archives/XB/XBindex.html
For the popular "Ten Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Christmas" visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/10tips.html
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
5312 Morningside Ave. * P.O. Box 2787 * Sioux City, Iowa 51106
712/274-8875 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/274-1402
E-mail: Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Website: http://www.SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway? 2003
Sample Reflection by Louis Lotz
Christmas Eve -- Luke 2: 1-7
It is the greatest story ever told, and Luke tells it in a single sentence: She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
I wonder how Mary felt as she looked down at her newborn son, studying every hair on his little head, every crease in his face, listening to the sound of his breathing. I wonder if she understood the enormity of what had happened, and that she was holding in her arms God's own son, the Messiah for whom her people had waited for centuries.
I wonder what it was like in the stable. We imagine the stable to be soft and warm and bathed in a buttery glow. But all the barns I've been in were smelly, damp, and drafty. Farmers wear rubber barn boots when they go out to the barn, and you know why.
Jesus is born in the barn because there was no room for them in the inn. There was never any room for Jesus. No room in the inn for his birth. No room in the temple for his teachings. No room in the hearts of his countrymen for his gospel. He was always getting crowded out. The only place there was room for him was the cross; he had that all to himself.
In a department store window hereabouts there was a nativity scene: a half-dozen hay bales in a plywood manger, plastic shepherds and sheep, exotic wise men, Mary and Joseph, and a manger that looked like it was a high-school student's shop project.
There was no baby in the manger. Maybe they forgot to put him in. Maybe some practical joker was playing a prank. Maybe someone was making a theological statement. But the only thing in that manger was straw. I wonder what happened to the baby.
It does seem, sometimes, that the one thing that gets removed from our Christmas celebration is Christ himself. There are cards and carols, dinners and decorations, parties and presents, shopping and Santas, but no baby.
Don't let it happen to you this year. Make time for worship, prayer, and Bible reading. Talk with family members about how best to keep Christ in your Christmas. Keep checking the manger to make sure the baby is in there, lest when Christmas has come and gone you have nothing to show for it but tired feet and a pile of presents.
Let's Talk About It: Discuss with your children the plans and preparations
you made for their birth. As a family, talk about the kinds of plans and preparations
you want to make for Christ's coming next year.
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
On-line: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Simply 60 Seconds: The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under a minute.
NEW TITLES
Be prepared for the Sundays after Pentecost!
PRESENT ON EARTH
Worship Resources on the Life of Jesus
from "Wild Goose" (Holy Spirit) Worship Group / Iona Community
Companion to "Cloth for the Cradle" (for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany), and to "Stages on the Way" (for Easter) -- third volume for Ordinary Time. These prayers, dialogues, mediations and worship ideas cover the three years of Christ's Earthly ministry. Innovative and highly participatory style of worship. A unique and wonderful resource for lay and clerical worship planners and enablers! 256 pp. $20. PE
To order, click on the item code when visiting
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Celebrate.html
Powerul devotions for Lent or anytime!
BUILDING MATERIALS FOR LIFE
Radical Common Sense, Power of Right Thinking, Relevant Religion, Plowing New
Ground, Persistence, and 35 other essays on how to enhance your life
by Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International
Member of Alternatives' Honorary Board of Directors
To order, click on the item code when visiting
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Faith.html
For more New Titles, visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/NewTitles.html
** READ Alternatives' Winter 2003 UPDATE newsletter at
http://simpleliving.org/main/InsiderInfo.html
** Lent begins March 5th.
Read Alternatives' 40 Day Guide for 2003, "TAKING MORE TIME TO REASSESS" at
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCal2003.html
You may copy it for a royalty of $.05 per copy or buy it for $.10 each (50
or more).
** Quote of the Week
LIVE SIMPLY THAT OTHERS MAY SIMPLY LIVE. -Gandhi
To see more thought provoking bumper stickers, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/BumperStickers.html
Quote of the Week comes from "Spirit of Simplicity"
More Than 1000 Quotations! Over 475 Illustrations!
For Personal Inspiration... For Electronic and Paper Publications
Royalty-Free for Non-Profits
For an "Art Tour" of selections from the collection's graphics,
visit http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/ArtTour.html
For selected quotations, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCal2001.html
and http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/XB/XB2001AdvCal.shtml
The easy-to-use collection in a packet sells for $15; the CD-ROM, $15; both paper and CD versions in a binder with tab dividers, $30.
For more information or to order, visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/SimpleLiving2.html
and click on "Alternatives' Spirit of Simplicity."
Peace.
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
On-line: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under a minute.
New Title
EATING TO SAVE THE EARTH
Food Choices for a Healthy Planet
Linda Riebel and Ken Jacobsen
Factory farms, where crops are grown in huge plots, use massive amounts of artificial fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. The runoff from these has created a Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico the size of New Jersey.
Our meat-heavy diet means that two thirds of agricultural land grows livestock feed. Conversion of native habitats to agriculture threatens species. One quarter of the world's mammal species and one eighth of bird species are threatened with extinction.
Three quarters of the world's food now comes from seven crops: wheat, rice, corn, potato, barley, cassava, and sorghum. In the United States 1,100 food species are endangered or threatened with extinction.
Commercial fishing has become so efficient that it has been called underwater strip-mining. The oceans are being emptied up to 150 times faster than forests are being cleared.
Food travels an average of 1,300 miles to reach the consumer. Consumption of fossil fuels by the agriculture industry causes one quarter of global warming.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Eating to Save the Earth shows you easy and healthful ways to choose and prepare foods with the Earth in mind. It also explains how to reduce waste, conserve water, and use less energy in preparing meals. The authors discuss composting, cleaning, recycling, and other activities after meals that affect our environment. They show us how to be Earth-friendly when eating away from home, whether at work, at play, or in restaurants. Best of all, they show that choices that are good for our health are also good for the planet. 105 pp. $10. ETSTE
"Eating to Save the Earth should be required reading for everyone. This message could save the world for our children and grandchildren." -Howard Lyman, President of EarthSave International
To order, click on the item code when you visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Food.html
** READ Alternatives' new Winter 2003 UPDATE newsletter at
http://simpleliving.org/main/InsiderInfo.html
** Lent begins March 5th.
Read Alternatives' 40 Day Guide for 2003, "TAKING MORE TIME TO REASSESS" at
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCal2003.html
You may copy it for a royalty of $.05 per copy or buy it for $.10 each (50
or more).
** Quote of the Week
PEACE BEGINS WHEN THE HUNGRY ARE FED.
To see more thought provoking bumper stickers, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/BumperStickers.html
Quote of the Week comes from "Spirit of Simplicity"
More Than 1000 Quotations! Over 475 Illustrations!
For Personal Inspiration... For Electronic and Paper Publications
Royalty-Free for Non-Profits
For an "Art Tour" of selections from the collection's graphics,
visit http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/ArtTour.html
For selected quotations, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCal2001.html and/or
http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/XB/XB2001AdvCal.shtml
The easy-to-use collection in a packet sells for $15; the CD-ROM, $15; both paper and CD versions in a binder with tab dividers, $30.
For more information or to order, visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/SimpleLiving2.html
and click on "Alternatives' Spirit of Simplicity."
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
On-line: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under a minute.
NEW TITLES
LIVING SIMPLY WITH CHILDREN
A Voluntary Simplicity Guide for Moms, Dads, and Kids Who Want to Reclaim the
Bliss of Childhood and the Joy of Parenting
Marie Sherlock
Raising kids can be one of life's most spiritually rewarding adventures. Yet
too often, families find themselves surrounded by commercialized toys and urged
constantly to buy, buy, buy. Maire Sherlock provides parents with practical
advice for replacing unnecessary activities and objects with more meaningful
ones, reclaiming precious time with their children, and zeroing in on the simple
joys of family life.
Organized by such topics as peer pressure, dealing with television, marketing aimed at children and celebrating the holidays, this inspiring guide will show you how to raise your kids according to your own values, and how to slow down and enjoy both quality and quantity time with your family. Get more out of life -- more fun, more meaning, more joy -- with less money and less stress. 290 pp. $13. LSWC
To order, call, or click on the item code in the catalog at
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/ChParent.html
(If this address does not appear as a hot link, no need to rekey it. Copy & paste
it into your browser. It is case sensititve.)
GRASS ROOTS! CD
Joyce Johnson Rouse, "Earth Mama"
Delightful musical styles, captivating words, fun!
Earth Mama music is devoted to "Helping Heal the Planet One Song at a Time." Songs from these projects are heard world-wide on syndicated environmental radio programs, at Earth Mama concerts for empowering audiences to positive action, on recordings, and at www.EarthMama.org.
Grass Roots describes how ordinary citizens participate directly in improving
community -- actions like cleaning up waterways, speaking out for stronger
laws, protecting critical habitat, starting recycling programs, and more.
The beset ideas sprout, take root and spread like, well... Grass Roots. Grass
Roots also hold the earth in place -- important stuff!
Titles include: Grass Roots!, Mystery, This River, Away, My Druthers, Enough Is as Good as a Feast, Tree Polka, Wish for the Wild Ones (Let's Not Say Good-bye), A Small Star, Travel Light, Earth Pledge, Cricket Jam
12 selections on audio CD, case printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks. $15. GR
To order, call, or click on the item code in the catalog at
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Music.html
(If this address does not appear as a hot link, no need to rekey it. Copy & paste
it into your browser. It is case sensititve.)
Lent is approaching - March 5th.
Read Alternatives' 40 Day Guide for 2003, "TAKING MORE TIME TO REASSESS" at
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCal2003.html
You may copy it for a royalty of $.05 per copy or buy it for $.10 each (50
or more).
Read "10 Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Easter" at
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/10tipEaster.html
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
On-line: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
The e-Newsletter on Simpler Living you can read in under a minute.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
In addition to our regular resources -- "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" and "40 Day Guide for Lent and Easter" -- Alternatives produces special projects each year.
We're celebrating our 30th anniversary March, 2003 - March, 2004, and we have exciting plans. You can be a part of them!
Scheduled for 2003 are:
1. "Spirit of Simplicity" greeting card series*
2. Alternatives video collection on DVD
3. "Living Simply and Loving It!" audio CD*
4. The Anytime Game (a year-round version of our popular The Christmas Game)*
5. "Simply the Best: 30 Years of Alternatives" (CD-ROM), version
2.0
6. "Living Simply in Siouxland," a regional video
*If you would like to receive and comment on one of these items before it goes into its final form, contact us.
$5000 is needed for production and some marketing. Recognition of the sponsors is negotiable but normally includes credits in the collections and/or in the extensive national marketing campaign. Sponsorship is a contribution to Alternatives, a nonprofit organization, and is therefore tax deductible. We welcome sponsorships of $1000 or more. Donations of any size are welcome. Please let us hear from you.
In the past we've produced "To Celebrate," "Wedding Alternatives," "Break Forth into Joy" video; more recently "Stories and Songs of Simple Living" (book, cassette and CD), "Simple Living 101," "Living More with Less Study/Action Guide," "Spirit of Simplicity: Quotes & Art" (book & CD-ROM) and "Simply the Best: 30 Years of Alternatives" (CD-ROM).
Lent is approaching - March 5th. Read Alternatives' 40 Day Guide for 2003, "TAKING
MORE TIME TO REASSESS" at
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCal2003.html
You may copy it for a royalty of $.05 per copy or buy it for $.10 each (50
or more).
Read "10 Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Easter" at
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/10tipEaster.html
Peace,
Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
On-line: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
NEW TITLES
ECO-ECONOMY
Building an Economy for the Earth
Lester R. Brown
In 1543, Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the view that the Sun revolved around the Earth, arguing instead that the Earth revolved around the Sun. His paper led to a revolution in thinking - to a new worldview. Eco-Economy discusses the need today for a similar shift in our worldview. The urgent question: Is the environment part of the economy or the economy part of the environment? Lester Brown argues the latter, pointing out that treating the environment as part of the economy has produced an economy that is destroying its natural support systems.
Brown notes that if China were to have a car in every garage, American style, it would need 80 million barrels of oil a day - more than the world currently produces. If paper consumption per person in China were to reach the U.S. level, China would need more paper that the world produces. There go the world's forests. If the fossil fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economic model will not work for China, it will not work for the other 3 billion people in the developing world - and it will not work for the rest of the world.
But Brown is optimistic as he describes how to restructure the global economy to make it compatible with the earth's ecosystem so that economic progress can continue. In the new economy, wind farms replace coal mines, hydrogen-powered fuel cells replace internal combustion engines, and cities are designed for people, not cars. Glimpses of the new economy can be seen in the wind farms of Denmark, the solar rooftops of Japan, the bicycle network of the Netherlands, and the reforested mountains of South Korea.
Eco-Economy is a road map of how to get from here to there.
335 pp. $16. $12 ECO-ECON
Visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Economics.html
NATIONAL GREEN PAGES
A directory of products and services for people and the planet
2003 Edition, 20th anniversary edition
Discover! Thousands of products and services, including * natural body care
* organic food * travel resources * recycled and tree-free paper * sustainably
reduced furniture * natural fiber clothing and linens * fairly traded gifts
from around the world. Plus * strategies for buying green * socially responsible
investing tips * simple actions for changing the worldŠ and much, much
more! Cover artwork by world-famous folkartist Warren Kimble. 250 pp. $6. NGP03
Visit
http://simpleliving.org/catalog/Environment.html
Lent is approaching - March 5th. Read Alternatives' 40 Day Guide for 2003, "TAKING
MORE TIME TO REASSESS" at
http://www.SimpleLiving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCal2003.html
You may copy it for a royalty of $.05 per copy or buy it for $.10 each (50
or more).
Read "10 Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Easter" at
http://www.simpleliving.org/main/MR/10tipEaster.html
For FREE, helpful information WINTER HOLIDAYS, visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/TreasCeleb/TOCJanApr.html
A copy of the whole 288 page book Treasury of Celebrations is now only $12
(originally $20). Visit
http://www.simpleliving.org/catalog/Celebrate.html
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153 * Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
On-line: http://SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
If you prefer to read our catalog on our Website and not receive a paper copy, notify us and we will stop sending one by mail. Or receive only the Fall catalog on paper. If you're not receiving a paper copy and want to, contact us and we'll start sending it.
Free Catalog options:
If you prefer not to receive these occasional messages from Alternatives, just send us an e-mail message that says, "Personal e-mail only."
Please link your Website to us. For help, contact us.
Simply at your service, Gerald
ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living
Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973
109 Gaul Dr. * P.O. Box 340 * Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054
712/943-6153 or 800/821-6153
Fax: 712/943-1402
E-mail:
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org
Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator
Alternatives is a non-profit organization that "equips people of faith to
challenge consumerism, live justly, and celebrate responsibly." Through its
mail-order resource service, Alternatives sells books on simple living and
related topics, both for Christmas and for year-round use. For a current
free catalog, call anytime 712/943-6153 or 800-821-6153, fax 712/943-1402
or e-mail
Alternatives@SimpleLiving.org.
return to Archives index
Home Site Map
| Resources |
Free resources |
Catalog
eStore |
Information |
Services |
Join Us! |
Order
This page last updated 30 November 2004