Livin Veg On Twolia Will Be Taken Down Tomorrow May 6, 2010
So, if you haven’t done it yet, bookmark my new site www.livinveg.com.
Lots of new posts on the new site. Can’t wait to see you there!
Livin Veg Moving to WWW.LIVINVEG.COM! April 27, 2010
For the past year and half I’ve been blogging for the company Twolia. It is now time to part ways and for Livin Veg to take on an independent life.
Please join me and reset your bookmarks/google readers/etc to the new url: http://www.livinveg.com
I hope to see you there!
Please note: This site will only be up for another week and a half. After that, you will only be able to find me on http://www.livinveg.com.
How Do You Stay Positive In An Unjust World?
Lately, I’ve found myself scowling at people buying bottled water in bulk, women in fur coats and those carrying their groceries in plastic bags instead of reusable ones. Yes, lately, I’ve been feeling downright angry that the problems of the world aren’t taking a greater priority in people’s lives. I look around and see amazing activists and compassionate entrepreneurs working their butts off for this planet and all its inhabitants, while the average joe sips his latte in his disposable cup and chews on his veal parmesan. It’s making me grumpy.
It started on Earth Day. I was at Staples and saw a man with a 24 pack of Poland Spring water in his cart. I wanted to say, “Sir, it’s Earth Day. And those water bottles are kicking our ocean’s butts. Today of all days, can you make the ethical choice?” But I stayed silent, because it would have been rude to say such a thing.
I think most activists feel this way once in a while. I’d like to say we’re always positive and always confidant in the human species. But I believe that would be a lie. Speaking for myself, I have these moments when I doubt our future. I fear for the planet and its inhabitants that the human species isn’t going to shape up in time. We’ll do more damage than we can undo. I don’t mean to be pessimistic, but I want to be honest.
So, today, I’m asking you beautiful blog readers, activists and entrepreneurs…How do you stay positive in this world? Do you focus on the people doing their part? How do you cope with the knowledge that more people are doing the wrong thing than the right thing? I think it’s a matter of just pushing forward and doing the best we can. But the frustration can sometimes be consuming. I’d love your thoughts.
Take Action Friday and Livin’ Veg Moving! April 23, 2010
Okay. First the business part. Twolia (the company I blog for) is shutting down for a few months to reorganize. They will be shutting down their blogging section. So it’s a very good thing that I recently bought the domain, Livinveg.com. It’s not live yet, but it will be some time next week. That’s right. I’m going independent! I’m oddly excited. I’ll provide more details soon.
Now for Take Action Friday: Since yesterday was earth day, I think it makes sense that today the take action should be for this big blue beauty we all live on.
Tell General Mills that their cereals are not worth the destruction of the rain forest. And if you buy General Mills products, consider stopping so you aren’t supporting deforestation in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.
Here is the scoop:
In the last five years, demand for palm oil by U.S. companies like General Mills has tripled, resulting in the clearing and burning of rainforests for palm oil plantations. This has put Indigenous and forest-dependent people in jeopardy, as well as endangered species like orangutans, Sumatran tigers and elephants.
Click here to contact General Mills (an easy form to fill out) and tell them to stop today!
Happy Earth Day! April 22, 2010
Earth day is here and there is work to be done. If you have nothing specific planned today, here are some ideas of things you can do to make a difference.
1. Go vegan, even if it’s just for today. If you’re an omni or a vegetarian, make an effort to say no to any animal products today. You might just like it:)
2. Pick up garbage. Normally people look past the garbage on the ground. They walk right by and let it sit there. Today, instead of walking by, pick it up and help clean up the planet.
3. Treat this day like new years and make a resolution. It could be that you’ll avoid plastic, eat more vegan foods, or volunteer. But today, say to yourself, here is something I can do differently to help make a change.
So…what are you doing for Earth Day?
Vegans Avoiding Plastic April 20, 2010
Plastic is one of those materials that we use for absolutely everything. From water bottles to beach balls to cereal containers. Plastic utensils, plates, cups. A plastic world.
For the past few years my husband and I have been trying to minimize our impact. And that means, avoiding plastic as much as possible. Forget bottled water. And in fact, forget any beverage that comes in a plastic container. It also means buying items like lentils, nuts, beans, and seeds from the bulk section. We bring our own containers. We buy compostable garbage bags.
The title of this post is vegans avoiding plastic. To be vegan/vegetarian means that we see the world in a different way. A more compassionate way. Most of us at one time or another enjoyed eating meat. But we adapted, gave it up for the sake of a larger cause. Using plastic, in my opinion does as much damage to animals as killing and eating them. To be veg means to minimize harm.
This article on plastic in the ocean says:
The debris is harmful for fish, sea mammals - and at the top of the food chain, potentially humans - even though much of the plastic has broken into such tiny pieces they are nearly invisible.
Since there is no realistic way of cleaning the oceans, advocates say the key is to keep more plastic out by raising awareness and, wherever possible, challenging a throwaway culture that uses non-biodegradable materials for disposable products.
“Our job now is to let people know that plastic ocean pollution is a global problem - it unfortunately is not confined to a single patch,” Cummins said.
So, with earth day as a catalyst, say no to plastic, and to companies who shamelessly give it out. Tell companies like CVS and Subway that you don’t need a plastic bag for every single purchase. Bring your own bags to go shopping. Carry a reusable coffee container or water bottle. Buy in bulk with your own containers.
Any other thoughts on how to avoid plastic?
Take Action Friday: Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale April 16, 2010
Vegan Bake Sale in Vancouver
I love to bake and I love to raise money. Throw the two together, and you’ve got a fantastic idea called the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale. Some might ask, how much can bake sales raise? Last year the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale raised over $25,000. Not too shabby!
I plan on holding multiple through the summer. Not sure exactly when yet, but most likely in May when the weather is fantastic. I have my favorite cookie and brownie recipes at the ready so I can make it awesome. The official dates for the WWVBS are between April 24 and May 2. But if you can’t do it then, do it a bit later. The point is to make that money for your favorite organization.
Make it fun. Make it yours. Grab a friend, spend the morning baking and then bring your treats out into the world. Preferably in a high traffic area. I’ll be raising money for humane education by donating the proceeds to HEART. Where will you donate yours to?
Beet, Garlic and Walnut Salad! April 15, 2010
I bought some beautiful beets the other day at Whole Foods and I was dying to use them tonight. I looked through my old recipes and came across a delightful sounding/easy recipe from Mark Bittman at the NY Times. And, it only requires a few ingredients. Happily I had them all.
You can watch Bittman make the salad in the video here, but if you just want the simple description, here goes.
1. Roast two beets (rinsed and wrapped individually in foil) in the oven at 375 for an hour. When they are done, take them out and let them cool until they reach a temperature you can touch. The skin will slide off nicely. (If the skin doesn’t slide off easily, put them back in the oven for a few more minutes.) Then cut into small cubes.
2. While your beets are cooking take 6 to 8 cloves of garlic and put them in some olive oil in a pan. Let them brown on a medium low heat for a while, turning them over as they brown. When they are about 75% done, add a half cup of walnuts to the mix and let them cook for a few minutes. Be careful not to let them burn.
3. Once cooked, let them cool, then add them to your food processor/blender. Add in 1/4 cup of orange juice and blend away. Leave it a little chunky so you still have some walnut texture. (Bittman doesn’t actually say how much orange juice to use. I just guessed based on seeing him pour some in. Watch the video if you want to do the same.)
4. Add your walnut dressing to your chopped up beets and enjoy! DELICIOUS! Seriously. And it’s super healthy. Perfect for spring/summer.
Take Action: 5 Colleges Adopt Meatless Mondays! April 13, 2010
I’ve written about Baltimore adopting Meatless Mondays in the public schools. Happily, other institutions are taking notice. Five colleges now have some sort of program to promote meatless Mondays. They all implement the program in different ways.
The University of California, Santa Barbara is removing all meat from one cafeteria and beef from all three cafeterias.
The University of Central Florida is offering monetary incentives for students who choose vegetarian options on Mondays.
Click here to see how the other schools (Oxford University, University of Maryland, University of California, Davis) are doing it.
Now, if you are a college student, please please please consider asking your school to adopt the program. Go to the Meatless Mondays page, learn about the movement and set up a meeting with the head of dining at your school. See if you can work together to help implement some sort of Meatless Mondays program.
It’s not as hard as you might think. When I was in grad school I got my college to switch to cage free eggs. Just be prepared, be polite and do what you can to help.
Infidelity Is Worse Than Killing Dogs…Or Your Wife? April 10, 2010
My friend Trent linked me to a Time Magazine article listing the top ten athletes that have disgraced themselves and tainted their careers.
1. Tiger Woods
2. Mark McGwire
3. O.J. Simpson
4. Jack Molinas
5. Mike Tyson
6. Pete Rose
7. Ben Johnson
8. Michael Vick
9. Tonya Harding
10. Marion Jones
My first reaction to this was: Tiger Woods? Number 1? Ahead of O.J. Simpson, Michael Vick, Tonya Harding, etc. Tiger Woods was (to be blunt) a skank. But how can throwing your married genitalia all over town (to willing participants) compare with killing your wife, operating a massive dog fighting operation, or hiring a guy with a bat to beat up your figure skating competition? How can it compare with throwing a game or taking drugs to enhance performance? Maybe if it was viagra to enhance his cheating performance we could make fun of him…but still? Really? Tiger is the number 1 bad guy?
Maybe they weren’t ordering them from worst to not as bad. Maybe they are random. But then why number them at all? Most likely because Tiger Woods and his infidelity are still a topic of conversation and tabloid humor. Vick, OJ, Tonya, Mike are currently less trendy to talk about. So, they chose Tiger. To me, this says something bleak about our priorities.
