Livin’ Veg

My Heart Hurts For The Pigs In Egypt April 30, 2009

300,000 pigs are now being slaughtered in Egypt because of the swine flu. I know that happens every day in this country. In fact in the USA, we slaughter  100 million pigs per year. But reading the headline that the swine flu is causing such panic that they are beginning to cull pigs, made some of my fears about this health crisis come true. Obviously I care about the human element too. But the bottom line is, 300,000 people aren’t dying right now.

Here is the truly sad part. The culling does nothing to prevent spreading. Read the following:

“It is unfortunate,” the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech said of Egypt’s decision. “The crisis today is in transmission from human to human. It has nothing to do with pigs,” he told The Associated Press.

Read the full article here. Sorry to start your day on such sad news. I usually try to focus on the positive. But man. It reminds me of the mass cow slaughter in England after foot in mouth.

1 in 3 Children Fear Environmental Doom April 29, 2009

Last week I saw an article on Treehugger talking about a recent study that was done by Habitat Heroes. One out of three kids (ages 6 - 11) are afraid that the human race is doomed and environmental destruction will happen in their life times.

What does this mean? Well, the message of the severity of our situation is getting out there, but in the education, we’re neglecting to inject hope and activism into the information provided.

Treehugger noted some stats from the survey including these:

• 50 percent say that hurricanes and tornadoes are the natural disasters that scare them the most.
• 28 percent say that they fear animals, such as polar bears and penguins, will become extinct and disappear from the planet more than any other environmental concern.

I’m a humane educator for an organization called HEART. We teach kids daily about issues affecting people, animals and the environment. As an educator I would just like to say that providing children with hope for the future while teaching them about the problems we face is vital.

My advice to Moms and Dads, educators and childcare professionals: when speaking with kids about serious issues like the environment, it’s important to make the child feel empowered. They can make a difference.  It’s easy to portray doom and gloom scenarios (even when we don’t know we’re doing it), but if we really want this generation to grow up to change the world, they need to believe it can be done. And thinking the world is doomed is both bad for the child and bad for the planet. Hope is what we should be promoting - and tangible ways in which we can all make a difference. An example: if your kid is learning about global warming - talk about ways in which they can personally help. Action is key. In fact, action is key for children and adults…

Food Inc. April 28, 2009

I saw a trailer yesterday for a new film on the food industry: Food Inc. It looks awesome. Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) are both a part of the film - and although those two men are omnis, they are def not pro factory farms. This film looks like it’s going to talk about a lot of issues concerning our food system. Like why our food is so cheap and terrible, the lack of regulations protecting consumers and our health.

It’s coming out in June. Send this trailer around to your friends. I know I’ll be seeing it opening weekend. Gotta love all the information available to people now.

Yoox Offers Eco And Vintage Designer Clothes! April 27, 2009

I’ve loved the website yoox.com for years. It’s one of the places I get uber discounts on Stella McCartney shoes. And now, there is so much more to love. Yoox now has a vintage section and an eco section.

The eco clothes offered are by by top designers and some lesser known names. They have TONS of Stella including the shoes to your right. They have lots of sandals and heels for the spring so you’ll have oodles of choices. Click here for the eco merch…

The vintage clothes are one of a kind and by top designers. They have selections from: Ungaro, YSL, Christian Dior, Mochino, Armani and so many more. Click here for the vintage options…

Eco clothes are a relatively new phenomenon I like to support. It’s only really gotten big in the last few years. Vintage has always been big but people haven’t even realized that it’s also very earth friendly. It’s recycling at its best. Enjoy!

Cali Rocks For Animals April 23, 2009

Cali Senate Committee has taken another step to make life better for farm animals…cows to be precise. According to HSUS, they have taken the first step to ban the tail docking of cows.

Here is a quote from the press release:

Senator Florez said, “Californians’ broad concern for farm animal welfare inspired the formation of the new Committee on Food and Agriculture, so it’s especially fitting that one of the first bills we passed will stop needless animal cruelty inflicted on animals raised for food.” 

“There’s just no reason to mutilate dairy cattle for this purpose, and we are pleased that the industry is recognizing tail docking as an archaic practice,” added Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. “California voters insist on humane treatment of all animals, including those raised for food.”

Working in AR, and living the veg life means you are more keenly aware of animal torture than others. And my dears, that takes its toll. So whenever I can spread good news about advances in the welfare of animals, be darn sure that I will. Good news just keeps us going stronger. The tides are changing and we’re riding that wave.

An Earth Day Scavenger Hunt April 22, 2009

A list of things to do today to help you be more green:)

1. Bring a reusable bottle of water with you today so you don’t have to buy any. (It takes 1.5 gallons of water to make one bottled water)

2. Eat vegan foods today. (Animal agriculture accounts for more greenhouse gasses than all transportation combined)

3. See how fast you can shower and cut your normal time down as much as possible.

4. Ride your bike to work/school.

5. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

6. Use as few lights today as possible.

7. Donate old clothes to the homeless. (With that one you get points for helping people as well as recycling)

8. If you buy anything today, tell the cashier you do not want a bag - better yet, bring your own.

9. If you see a piece of trash on the ground, take a moment and pick it up. The local wildlife will thank you.

10. Start a conversation on earth day and ask other what they are doing to help.

Leave a comment and let others know what you did today to help the planet! And remember, today is just one day to promote awareness on environmental issues. But everyday should be earth day…

Be Sexy/Casual/Vegan/Eco April 21, 2009

Personally I love the look of fitted jeans, cute shoes and a stylish tee. It not only looks good, but ensures that you’re comfortable through out the day. So I put together an eco/vegan outfit - something I would definitely wear and feel great in.

The jeans are organic cotton, as is the tee and the shoes are made from recycled plastic.

Some of you might want to spice it up with some color - change the shoe or tee to something brighter, especially for spring. Mabye this purple tee since purple is so in right now…

Click on the images to see where you can buy them and for how much. The jeans are on sale btw. And if I wasn’t saving my pennies right now, they would already be mine. Because I really need another pair of jeans, right? Alas.

What’s Your Plan For Earth Day? April 20, 2009

Every year in April a little thing called Earth Day takes place. One day a year the earth is given it’s due and we human inhabitants take some time out of our day and help protect it from…well, from ourselves.

I’m blogging today to urge everyone to pick one thing that’s good for the earth and do it this Wednesday. Maybe pick up some trash on the side of the road or plant a tree. If you aren’t vegan, consider going vegan for the day. Ride your bike to work. Start a compost pile. Freecyle some of your old items instead of chucking them. There are a MILLION things you can do. Have some more suggestions for people? Leave a comment:)

What will I be doing? I’ll be teaching 5th graders about water issues and how they can help save water in their daily lives. In fact, that’s what I’ll be doing every Wednesday for the next seven weeks. We’ll be talking about how water issues affect people, animals and the environment. Curious about the topic? Rent the movie Flow. Your world will be rocked…

Rush Limbaugh Cares About Animals?! April 17, 2009

I have never in my life liked a thing that Rush Limbaugh has spouted from his right wing conservative lips. That was until yesterday when I heard from Ecorazzi that Limbaugh is a supporter of HSUS. But you’ve got to hear it to believe it.

And you’ve got to read this little story from Rush on his cat Punkin (super cute cat). Rush obviously loves his cat and has a big old soft spot in his heart for companion animals. He talks about animal cruelty and violence as well as dog fighting in his PSA’s for HSUS.

Rush - I’m still not a fan, but perhaps I don’t hate you as vehemently as I did before. That’s something I guess.

Watch this PSA:

The Animal Activist’s Handbook April 16, 2009

Matt Ball from Vegan Outreach and Bruce Friedrich from PETA wrote what looks like a fantastic handbook for animal activists. If any of you have seen these two men speak, then you know they are at the top of their field and are experts at helping animals from the ground up.

This handbook contains personal anectdotes, tools for advocacy, and arguments for vegetarianism. They have some of the biggest names in AR endorcing them including the grand daddy of animal rights, Peter Singer:

The Animal Activist’s Handbook punches way above its weight. Rarely have so few pages contained so much intelligence and good advice. Get it, read it, and act on it. Now.
—Peter Singer

The book is not without a little bit of controversy and will probably peeve a few purists. The message this book conveys is about doing the most good for animals, not about being a holier than thou vegan.  (I myself have met a few purists who have trouble seeing the big picture) In my opinion, Matt and Bruce are big picture people - the most beneficial kind for any cause. Here are two examples on the small controversy’s from the Huffington Post.

they caution that if “we’re at a restaurant and there’s a veggie burger on the menu but we give the server the third degree about the ingredients or about how it was cooked, we’re most likely doing more harm than good.” They even go so far as to insist that it can be a good thing for vegetarians to date meat-eaters!

I would recommend buying the book and upping your level of activism. We all need a punch in the rear sometimes to get us out there and active. And you couldn’t ask for a more thoughtful kick in the rear than a book from these men.