Livin’ Veg

Veggie New Years Resolutions? December 31, 2008

Want to be kinder to the environment, be healthier and help decrease suffering in the world? For your New Years resolution this year, try a vegetarian or vegan diet. You’ll help limit your carbon footprint, save the lives of animals and likely lose weight and reduce your risk of health problems like heart disease. And all that from eating a plant based diet instead of meat.

Don’t think you can do it? Well, you don’t have to change your entire diet over night. Try being veg 2 days a week for a month, then 3 days for another month and increase your veg days by 1 each month until you find that you really don’t eat mean anymore.

Lots of people are becoming vegetarians and vegans. The options in supermarkets and restaurants are better than ever, and the baking…yes the baking is absolutely delicious…

Click here to get COK’s fabulous veg starter guide…

Be safe and happy tonight….and remember, think veg for your resolution:)

Stella for LeSportsac on Sale December 30, 2008

More bags on sale. Of course. The economy isn’t doing so well, which means retail didn’t do so well over the holiday season. Now, the sales are going nuts. Now is the time to buy something if you’re in the buying mood.

LeSportsac has all vegan products - and without being a vegan company. It just so happens that the materials they use are veg. Pretty cool, huh? No wonder Stella wanted to design for them…

Click here to see all of Stella’s designs.

Stink Bombs for Japanese Whalers December 29, 2008

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is, as always, out in full force trying to disrupt the Japanese whalers from taking in whales. This time they, “pursued and delivered 10 bottles of rotten butter and 15 bottles of a methyl cellulose and indelible dye mixture.” What does that mean? They bombed them with stink bombs.

Japan is one of the biggest whaling countries and does so in the name of science. However, although they claim science when hunting these animals, the whales end up on plates. Although The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society targets Japan, and due to press, you might think Japan is alone in it’s whaling ways. Please note that many countries whale: Click here for a list and how many whales are killed by each country…

Click here to read the full article on the back and forth that happens between the Sea Shepherds and the Whalers…

Matt and Nat Sale December 26, 2008

For Christmas yesterday I got a kick a$$ Matt and Nat clutch from my cousin - as well as some other great stuff. But that was my vegan triumph yesterday.

As I was opening it I thought, “Oh no. It’s going to be leather. How do I politely say I can’t wear it.” Then I saw the label, “Matt and Nat” and thought, “Holy crap!” Hooray! Usually I get second hand sewing bags from antique stores. This is my very first Matt and Nat bag and it’s beautiful! My cousin rocks.

Now, the good news for all of you - Matt and Nat has a ton of items on sale. The bag to your right is usually $247. It’s now on sale for $147. That’s a damn good deal. And there are plenty of other great deals like it. Check it out here.

Happy Happy Merry Merry December 25, 2008

For those celebrating Christmas today…Happy Christmas. For those celebrating Hannukah…Happy Hannukah.

Eat a whole lot of good veg foods, and enjoy the day with family, friends, partners, and pups/kittens. Now I’m off to shower, before going to my parent’s house and then my husbands parent’s house. And fabulously, because my British family is here, we get another holiday tomorrow - Boxing Day! And on Boxing Day we get to eat another celebration roast. YUM!

Beyond Skin December 24, 2008

I’m pretty much in love with these shoes from Beyond Skin. Greenloop (which if I’m not mistaken, has never carried Beyond Skin before) has them now. Beautiful chunky pairs that are great for the winter. They have a great vintage feel and come in multiple colors. The only real down side is the price tag…

But stars like Natalie Portman sport Beyond Skin. They have tons of designs. If you’re getting married and want vegan shoes, they are probably your best bet.

I know in this economy, the last thing people are probably thinking about is shoes. But…we can dream, can’t we?

If you do want some items on sale, go to Kaightshop.com and see lots of great vegan designers on sale.

Fox Goes Way Too Far December 23, 2008

Thank you ecorazzi for showing me one of the most offensive clips I have ever seen.

Well, offensive to animal rights peeps and environmentalists. In this video the jerk (Greg Gutfeld) on the left calls PETA members ugly, lonely, and makes fun of kids who are trying to help the environment. Yes, he really makes fun of children. He also makes fun of the death of chickens. The picture on the left is an image of one of them eating KFC chicken in order to be funny.

You have to see it, and then use your rage to write an angry (while still polite) email to fox about just how obnoxious you think these people are. And how little understanding they have of the issues. I would think people in the “news” would know something about a topic before they talk out of their bums about it. Okay. Enough of me being angry.

Click on the pic above for the video.

Biden To Adopt December 22, 2008

You may remember my post last week that involved some finger wagging at the next Vice President, Biden. He chose to purchase a pup from a breeder instead of adopting a pound puppy. (FYI: It was later revealed that the breeder he got the pup from had been cited for violations…Yeah)

Well, now he’s changing his tune and will soon be adopting a pound pup in need of a home. Probably a golden retriever. So, lets just say better late than never and be happy for Biden and his family. 1 out of 2 aint bad…

Here is a pic of a Golden Gal I found on Petfinder. Find any breed you’d like - all ages and make a dog or cat happy this holiday season with forever home…

Tom Vislack - Secretary of Agriculture December 19, 2008

So, who is Tom Vislack and where does he stand on animals? There are goods and bads here.

Wayne Pacelle is happy with the choice. As is Markarian from the Humane Legislative fund wrote this in his blog:

As governor of Iowa, Vilsack advocated for bills to toughen the state’s penalties for animal fighting, and now he will lead the agency charged with enforcing the federal law to break up dogfighting and cockfighting rings. He stood up to the puppy mill industry and vetoed a bill in 2006 that would have weakened protections for pets by reclassifying dogs as “farm products.” He also exhibited tremendous fortitude and adherence to principle when he vetoed legislation in 2001 that would have allowed the sport hunting of mourning doves for the first time in decades.

Click here to read Pacelle and Markarian’s thoughts…

Farm Sanctuary’s Gene Baur is a little less certain about Vislack. HSUS is an animal protection org while Farm Sanctuary (while they care about other animals) is specifically an org devoted to farm animals. Read Gene’s blog here to see what he thinks… Here is a small snippet…

Take Action Right Now December 18, 2008

110,000 miles of wilderness in Utah is under threat from President Bush. He wants to auction it off to oil and gas companies.

Take action right now and tell the Pres. that his actions are not in the best interest of this country.

Here is a bit of text from Robert Redford’s opinion on it from the Huffington Post:

This morning I stood with my friends at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) to announce an emergency lawsuit aimed at stopping this wanton destruction of Utah wilderness. Sharon Buccino, the head of NRDC’s lands program, has been fighting the Bush administration for eight years, holding the line against an industrial juggernaut. She says it’s illegal under federal law for the Bureau of Land Management to just snap its fingers and sell off national treasures. In its rush, BLM just ignored the rules.

Let’s all do what we can to stop Bush from screwing the environment (and the wildlife who lives there) even more in his last few weeks in office. Soon…a brand new day will be here. One in which we can hopefully stop thinking of the goverment as an institution out to screw everyone.