Livin’ Veg

An Open Letter to President Obama November 30, 2009

An Open Letter to President Obama:

Dear Mr. President,

Last Wednesday, in keeping with the annual Thanksgiving presidential tradition, you performed an act of compassion by pardoning a turkey the day before Thanksgiving. Sure, it’s just symbolic, but for one shining moment, it gives a face to all of the birds who are slaughtered for food, especially for this particular holiday. It forces people to see these birds as thinking feeling beings, instead of what they will see the following day on their plates - food.

However, I was thoroughly disappointed by the speech you gave that made light of the consumption of turkeys.

You said:

Today, I am pleased to announce that thanks to the interventions of Malia and Sasha — because I was planning to eat this sucker — “Courage” will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate. Later today, he’ll head to Disneyland, where he’ll be grand marshal of tomorrow’s parade.

Putting aside the fact that you continued your predecessor’s inhumane decision to send the birds to Disney instead of to a facility like Farm Sanctuary that can actually care for the bird’s needs, your jokes about the fate of so many turkeys who are tortured and killed on factory farms was in poor taste. When performing an act of compassion, is it necessary to make fun of the recipient?

So let me for a moment deconstruct why you might have chosen comedy as opposed to heartfelt gratitude when speaking about the animals you eat as food. After all, you aren’t alone in making jokes about the deaths of farm animals in reference to them being a tasty meal. We’ve all heard them before. But why all the joking? I believe that people use jokes to separate themselves from the act of eating an animal that if they saw in person, they would probably want to pet rather than kill. You have an even tougher job for all the omnivores out there. You are pardoning a turkey and giving a face and name to a creature that the citizens of the USA have to feel good about eating the next day. What better way to shrug off a life than by dismissing it with laughter? What could be a real moment of connection with a farm animal is turned into an absurd PR stunt, all for a few chuckles and to dismiss the responsibility we have towards the animals raised for food.

I’m hoping I’ll be seeing seven more turkey pardons from you. So you’ve got time to get it right. (I’m crossing my fingers next year you’ll both nix the jokes as well as the Disney adventure.) I also beg you to look into the turkey farms in this country and reflect on how we as Americans treat the animals so many people eat. You can start here by reading up on the treatment of birds specifically.

Thank you so much for your time.

Happy Holidays.

Ali Berman

PETA Thanksgiving Ad And Have A Happy Holiday November 25, 2009

PETA’s tactics don’t always sit well with me, but this Thanksgiving ad is, in my humble opinion, pretty darn great. It does something similar to the COK ads that air on MTV. It brings to horrible truth about factory farming to the dinner table. Maybe share it on your facebook or twitter today to get the word out there?

Now, I wouldn’t recommend talking about factory farming at the table tomorrow. But if your uncle Monty can’t stop making fun of you and your beliefs, perhaps see if there is a possible conversation to have once all the eating is complete. I feel like in an omnivorous family, it’s statistically unlikely that no one will make a comment about your veg living ways. Unless they got it all out of their system years ago.

Here is the PETA ad for your viewing pleasure. I will not be blogging tomorrow so please have a Happy and safe Thanksgiving!

The ADA Compares Vegetarian Meats For Thanksgiving November 24, 2009

Ever wonder how Tofurky compares to Field Roast or to that ever odd food Quorn? The American Dietetic Association put together a chart comparing various vegetarian Thanksgiving alternatives. For those of you who may not know, the AMA is the most trusted voice on nutrition and they have repeatedly reported that a vegetarian/vegan diet is totally healthy and even has health benefits like a reduction in the likeliness of heart disease and some cancers.

They reported that the good news is, all but one of the vegetarian alternatives contained no saturated fat. All were a great source of protein. Sadly, all of these products contain at least one of the common food allergens. And all (especially my favorite - Field Roast) had WAY more sodium than one would find in a turkey.

Click here to view the info and the chart so that you may better know your options when it comes to celebrating a compassionate/delicious Thanksgiving.

And while you’re thinking of the holiday, consider sponsoring a turkey at Farm Sanctuary. You can do it for as little as $25. I keep going back and forth between Gideon, Mello and Olive.

Al Gore Takes On Factory Farming On SNL November 23, 2009

It was green week last week on NBC. Shows like 30 Rock, The Office and SNL made a point to incorporate environmental messages into their story arcs. Al Gore made an appearance on SNL and it was actually funny. (Is it bad that Al Gore being funny surprises me?)

Even better than his humor was the message. Politicians just aren’t getting the severity of the situation. What’s Al’s solution? Start acting crazy. It’s funny because that’s how it feels as an activist sometimes. That we need to act a little out there in order to get our message heard. That the scary facts aren’t enough to get the changes we need accomplished in a timely manner. Al Gore was funny because he hit on the frustrations of being an activist: people don’t always listen even when your points are documented by the best and brightest.

We veggies have often criticized the former VP for not advocating vegetarianism as a way to combat climate change. At least here he mentions factory farming as one of the culprits behind climate change. Thanks Mr. VP for your great skit.

Activism Through Social Networking November 20, 2009

In the age of Facebook, Twitter, Digg and countless other services that allow us to connect with our fellow human beings, the exchange of information is becoming a lot more fluid. When I used to see an article that interested me, I would email it to a few friends. Now, I share it via some sort of social media. That way, instead of a couple people seeing it, a few hundred people are invited to see it, or in the case of twitter, nearly a thousand. Those people might share it and so on. One article shared by one person has the potential to reach thousands. All from a few clicks. That’s activism from the comfort of your couch.

People make fun of facebook and twitter because people post messages like, “Fred Fredson is eating a sandwich.” Well, Mr. Fredson, that’s not so interesting to me personally. But many of my friends on FB and people I choose to follow on twitter are writing about something bigger. They are sharing animal rights concerns, human rights violations and environmental take actions (in addition to talking about their personal lives). They are helping me to filter my news in the age of way too much information. In turn, I try to post information that I think is relevant to the world we live in. Whether that’s advocating for people, animals or the environment, it’s all important.

The big AR orgs are doing a great job using social media to bring about change. I mentioned a while back that HSUS is doing a campaign to get IHOP to switch to cage free eggs. So far, they won’t do it. But once HSUS put it’s army of facebook animal rights activists on the tasks, the IHOP fan page on facebook was hit with hundreds (maybe thousands) of comments all ripping into IHOP’s cruelty.

If you’re not doing so already, look into following your favorite non profits and activists online. Repost news that you think is important and do it all through that “frivolous” waste of time known as social networking.

If you’d like, start by sharing this video from HSUS about IHOP.

Saving Earth’s Oceans And Marine Life November 19, 2009

Last night I was fortunate enough to see Carl Safina, cofounder and president of the Blue Ocean Institute, talk about his work to save our planet’s oceans. As veggies, I think we spend a great deal of our time advocating for farm animals and (because they are in our homes) companion animals. I know that’s where I focus most of my efforts. There is so much suffering taking place and we have the video footage of factory farms and puppy mills to inspire us to be active. Sadly, I do feel as if the AR world ignores marine life a little bit. Especially when it comes to the plethora of life beneath the surface.

Sure, we pay a lot of attention to seals, whales, dolphins, and sharks. The biggies. But overfishing is quickly depleting the ocean of all its inhabitants, not just the popular ones. And we don’t have the undercover video footage to shock us into action because most of it is taking place on boats and away from the watchful eyes of activists. Consider the picture of the Loggerhead turtle I took off the Blue Ocean Institute’s website. That turtle is an unintentional catch. Meaning, the fisherman who caught it were actually looking to catch shrimp off the coast of South Carolina. But the fact is, we pull out millions of creatures from the oceans every day and because of that fact, the earth’s oceans are in mortal peril. They need us to speak for them, to act for them, and to change their fate.

I’m going to be posting about more take actions having to do with ocean life. Safina gave some wonderful advice to activists last night. He said that we should all channel our activism into areas we are good at. If you like the law, become an environmental lawyer. If you like to write, then write. If you’re a teacher, then teach the topics. Personally, I will be writing about the topic and teaching kids about the issues.

Want some ideas on what you can do now? Check out the take action section of the Blue Ocean Institute’s website and make a difference.

Vegan Boots On Sale November 18, 2009

Winter is fast approaching. If you haven’t found a fab vegan boot yet, you might want to check out the Cri de Coeur boots on Endless. Last seasons look are on sale and boots from this season offer free overnight shipping. Not that anyone really needs overnight shipping for winter boots. But when you’re spending a couple hundred dollars, it is nice to know that they are spotting you the shipping costs. I’d settle for free ground shipping myself. Seems more environmentally friendly.

Anyway, they have everything from tall boots to mid calf to ankle boots. Whatever you’re looking for - sexy or practical - Cri de Coeur makes it, and Endless sells it. Personally, I have no problem wearing an item from last season. It’s the only way I could ever afford the brands that I love. My Matt and Nat and Stella McCartney, both purchased at a ridiculous discount because they were a few seasons old. And yet, I still look good when I wear them.

India Frees Elephants. We Should Do The Same. November 17, 2009

Photo from the LA Times

The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in India has declared that all elephants in zoos and circuses should be taken off display and sent to national parks, sanctuaries and tiger reserves ASAP.

Why did they reach this fabulous conclusion? They say the following in the India Times:

“CZA’s order is binding on all zoos. Elephants are large animals and require a large area to move about freely. The environment of a zoo can be very restrictive. The animals have great use for departmental work, eco-tourism, patrolling etc and a decision has been taken to send them to national parks and tiger reserves where they can be under the supervision of mahauts,” said A N Prasad, director, Project Elephant.

Obviously the CZA gets what so many zoos and circuses in the USA do not. Elephants need more space than these facilities can provide. So why keep elephants especially if many zoos (as they claim) have the animal’s best interests in mind? Because elephants bring in big money. To be fair, some zoos have phased out their elephant exhibit for just the reasons the CZA expressed. A zoo cannot provide a quality habitat for an animal of that size. (I’d argue they can’t provide a quality habitat for any animal but I digress.) For a circus, elephants are a main attraction and a large source of income. No way they are giving up elephants without a claws out fight with animal activists. How wonderful India has an organization like the CZA that can give a independent assessment of the elephant’s needs. I’m so jealous.

Support Humane Education: Visit HEART’s Auction! November 16, 2009

HEART is an amazing organization that offers humane education to schools in NYC and Chicago for free. Right now they are having an auction on Charity Buzz, a website that allows non profits to fundraise by auctioning off fabulous items.

They have donations from Emily Deschanel, The NY Giants, Cri de Coeur, Acqualina Spa and Resort, the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Farm Sanctuary, and Best Friends. They have vintage jewelry, signed items from hit tv shows and awesome tickets to sporting events. (Plus more are still coming in) The auction will run from now through November 25. Click here to visit the auction!!!

The money raised will go to HEART’s humane education programs. What do HEART’s programs cover?  Issues affecting people, animals and the environment. Some examples include child labor, bullying, dog fighting, factory farming, pollution and climate change. Through in-classroom instruction and service learning programs students learn respect, responsibility and empathy toward all living beings and the natural world.

It’s PERFECT for shopping for the holidays and supporting a great organization all at once. I can vouch for HEART personally. How? Well, I’m a humane educator and have worked for HEART for the past three years. I’ve seen what a difference humane ed can make in a child’s life.

If nothing in the auction speaks to you, you can still donate. Every penny counts. If you can go without your coffee for a day or two, donate five dollars, ten dollars, or anything you can afford.

NY League of Humane Voters 2009 Gala! November 13, 2009

Last night my husband and I attended the NY League of Humane Voters annual gala at the Prince George Ballroom in NYC. It was fabulous. NY state Governor David Paterson gave the keynote address. He spoke about the reforms that have taken place in NYC this year. And he spoke about the things that still need to be done (mentioning the plight of carriage horses by name). The ballroom was full of hundreds of animal advocates- everyone from Gene Baur to Nathan Runkle to Peter Max to Leanne Hilgart Meyer to Congressman Eliot Engel.

There is nothing more inspirational than being in a room full of hundreds of activists. Especially when all of those people share a passion for animals and are working in their own way to protect them.

The NY League of Humane Voters allow the public to understand each politician’s record on animal issues. I definitely recommend checking them out and signing up for their updates. I’m not a single issue gal, but how a politician votes on animal issues is important to me and factors into my vote. Imagine if all AR advocates had that information and got out the vote. Well, that’s what NYLHV is for. To organize us and to put humane people in power. Don’t think we have any power? Then why would the Gov of NY State be spending his time talking to us about animals?:) So check out NYLHV and be a part of the movement, a part of a more humane world.