vegan chocolate…drool

Good thing my mother doesn’t read my blog, otherwise she’d find out that she’s getting some yummy vegan peanut butter-filled chocolates for Mother’s Day. She loves Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, but you know, they’re tainted by the suffering of dairy cows. So instead of spending my money on useless baubles and knickknacks she’ll never use, or on non-vegan foods that run contrary to my own personal ethics, I’m going to spring for some gourmet vegan candy. Not only can I sleep easy, knowing that my Mother’s Day gift is helping to support an ethical company, but my gift will also go a long way towards showing my mother how good vegan foods can be.

Of course, you need not limit this idea to Mother’s Day. A vegan food item, given to a non-vegan friend or family member, can help counteract the stereotype that all vegan food is made of broccoli or granola and tastes like dirt. It can be anything: chocolate, candy, baked goods, jerky, ice cream. If the commercial items are too pricey for your budget, make your own dessert and hand deliver it! (I found a mouthwatering vegan peanut butter cup recipe on vegfamily.com - maybe a certain libertarian douchebag would like this make this for my birthday, hmmm?)

PETA is even giving away a vegan chocolate assortment for Mother’s Day - you can enter the drawing here.

Some of my favorite vegan companies are listed in the sidebar, under “Veg*n Vendors (Online)”. If you’ve got a link you’d like to see up there, leave it in the comments!

(Photo: Valentine’s Day gift box from Rose City Chocolatier - thnx, Shane!)

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Tagged: everyday activism vegan veganism vegetarian vegetarianism chocolate mother’s day shopping gifts sweets

awwwwwwwz, lookit teh dawgy, iz sooooo cuuuute!

The Cuteness. Must. Fight. It.

Ahem.

As silly as LOLDoggeh is, he (she?) comes bearing an important message today: think outside the box, veg*ns!

In this vein, tonight’s Everyday Activism tip is a fun one that I picked up from Mark Hawthorne’s Striking at the Roots. It’s so simple and so cute that I was really quite surprised that I’d never thought of it.

Here’s Mark:

Many activists create a special signature at the end of their emails, appended automatically each time they hit the send button, asking readers to take a specific action for animals or including a link to a video.

Thanks to email, digital media has the ability to go viral. Viral marketing is word of mouth for the twenty-first century, but rather than telling one person at a time, you can spread the word (or photo or video or Web link) to thousands of people, all over the world. The emails with the most viral potential are those you can’t wait to share with your friends - the “you’ve got to see this” email that can take on a life of its own. […]

You can create your own viral email with an animal-rights angle. Site like www.cuteoverload.com feature countless images and video clips of animals. Pick any of them […] and blast it out with a brief note explaining that this is just one example of the sentience of animals, and direct readers to a link with more information.”

People love the fuzzy wuzzies, and that goes double for fuzzy wuzzies spouting lolspeak. Sites such as Cute Overload not only post pics of super-cute animals, they also often encourage readers to pay the cuteness forward. Many have a built-in email function, wherein readers can email the pic to their friends, along with a brief message. So find a cute photo, attach a relevant animal rights message or link, and get viral! This can be anything: a link to a news story, fact sheet, video, or website; a personal message; an eloquent animal rights quote - you get the idea. If you’ve got extra time to burn, search around for a photo with an explicitly animal rights message - you might be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

For example, I posted this photo a few weeks back (the lolz, we needs ‘em):

It’s just crying out for a link to www.torturedbytyson.com or www.goveg.com/ui_chickens.asp, dontcha think?

If you’d like to give it a try, here are some of my daily fixes:

icanhascheezburger.com

ihasahotdog.com

www.stuffonmycat.com

www.cuteoverload.com

lolcats.com is another popular one, but they don’t seem to have an email option (oh noes!). www.macrocats.com, on the other paw, allows for email but doesn’t have a field for personal messages.

Got a favorite site? Share your lolz in the comments!

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts everyday activism viral viral email email cute lol lolz lolcats loldogs mark hawthorne striking at the roots armchair activism cute overload activism

UPDATE, 5 minutes later:

Doh! My post was flagged and deleted. Methinks it sounded “too commercial”. Guess I’ll try again tomorrow. By the by, here’s their moderation policy and TOS. It’s kind of iffy re: links to free starter kits, but I bet we can find a way around it. Leave a note in the comments if you find a format that makes it past the Craigslist censors!

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So as y’all know, I’m currently reading Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism. Well, that’s only half true - I finished it yesterday, and should have a review up soon. ‘Twas a great book, so if you were already kinda sorta thinking about maybe buying a copy, go ahead and do it already. You won’t regret it.

Even your uber-geeky blogger found some shiny new ideas for activism on the internets. Enter Craigslist - and today’s Everyday Activism post. (A category which, by the way, I plan to stop neglecting from this point forward. Pinky swear!)

The short of it: log on to Craigslist (you’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one) and post an ad for a FREE VEG STARTER KIT, with a link to any one of the dozens of animal org’s that offer them.

The long of it, from Striking at the Roots:

Leafleting in Cyberspace

Activist Nora Kramer suggests posting an ad for a “Free Vegetarian Starter Guide” on Craigslist.org:

1. Go to www.craigslist.org

2. Click on your (or any) city on the right-hand side.

3. Click on the section titled “free” in the “for sale” section.

4. Click on the links titled “post” (in the upper right-hand corner).

5. Type out and submit your message explaining where they can get a Free Vegetarian Starter Guide, using as a link www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack/free-vsp.html or a similar veggie guide link from PETA, Mercy for Animals, etc.

6. Click “post” and follow the final directions, then repeat once a week, as the posts get removed.

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And while we’re at it, I’d like an Invisible Pink Unicorn, too!

OK, so I’ve been slacking on these “Everyday Activism” posts. Big time. Which is sad, because I’m brimming with them. Plus, they’re generally really simple, easy actions that you diy in no time. Not to mention…people have packed books full of these tips!

So, my tip for today: write/call/email/otherwise harass (but politely) food companies, and ask them to provide more veg*n options. This can be a general request, for example, to Kraft Foods, requesting that they make more veg*n food choices available overall. However, my feeling is that it would be better still to target a specific brand. Think of a veg*n product that you enjoy, but that might be the only veg*n item in that line. Or perhaps a mostly-veg*n line that, despite the manufacturer’s overall animal- or eco-friendly stance, still includes a few non-veg*n items. Write the manufacturer and lay out your case.

For example, I sent the following email to Near East. Love their couscous; wish there were more flavors I could actually eat.

I used to enjoy your Tomato Lentil CousCous immensely. I went through a case of the stuff every few weeks when I lived in New York, but was unable to find it once relocated to the Midwest. So I was delighted to see the Tomato Lentil CousCous in a Whole Foods store last month! However, I transitioned from vegetarianism to veganism a few years ago, and was shocked when I read the label - just in case! - and found that the Tomato Lentil contains honey, an animal product.

Please, please consider using substitutes when possible to make your vegetarian items 100% vegan. It’s so disappointing for new vegans to find that their favorite products are off-limits. Going vegan when possible will help to widen your customer base AND foster loyalty with those customers who are limited by various dietary restrictions. I will continue to enjoy your vegan items, such your Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil CousCous, but would greatly appreciate it if you would consider making more of your vegetarian items all-vegan.

Thanks for reading!

It’s usually all about the money, so stress how much they can expand their customer base by making omni items vegetarian, or vegetarian items vegan. Throw in some stats if you’re feeling math-y. Tell them that you used to love their products before you went veg, and miss them terribly. And so do all your veg*n comrades! If only they’d ditch the whey…

And if the company isn’t all about the money, but also professes to care about animals or the environment, appeal to their ideals: explain why an eco-conscious company can’t, in good faith, sell products laced with factory-farmed eggs. (And cage free eggs are no better.) If you’re especially offended by their non-veg wares, threaten a boycott (but only if you mean it!). Unlike the Kraft Foods conglomerate, a smaller, tree-hugging company might actually care about losing your business - doubly so since you’re more likely to fall in their target demographic.

Got an almost-veg*n vendor who needs a good talking to? Leave the details in the comments. Maybe we can get a letter-writing campaign going!

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts everyday activism easyvegan vegan veganism vegetarian vegetarianism food capitalism animal-friendly eco-friendly food options food choices prepackaged food packaged food meals brands lines

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Union of Concerned Scientists Action Network - action [at] ucsusa.org
Date: Nov 13, 2007 1:42 PM
Subject: Your turn to question the candidates

Over the next year, presidential candidates will be crisscrossing the country to try to gain your support. But how will you know where they stand on the issues that are most important to you? As president, will they protect our health, safety, and environment? You won;t know unless you ask.

The 2008 presidential election provides a great opportunity to ask the candidates questions about global warming, nuclear weapons, censorship of government science–anything that you’re concerned about. This is your chance to educate and engage the candidates and other voters on the issues you care about most!

There are many ways to express your views. You can attend candidate events, advocate for policy solutions to be included in the party platforms, ask convention delegates or other local elected officials to communicate your views to the candidates, let candidate staff and volunteers know your views when they contact you, or you can write letters to your local paper.

Entering the dialogue is easier than you think. Click any of the links below to access the online resources we have developed to
help you along the way.

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: DawnWatch - news [at] dawnwatch.com
Date: Mar 26, 2007 4:21 PM
Subject: DawnWatch: Delightful two line letter in Los Angeles Times 3/25/07

Because I try not to swamp people with mail, I rarely forward animal friendly letters to the editor that I have come across. Please know, however, that it is well worth writing — animal friendly letters are generally published in response to alerts. I find it particularly gratifying when I see animal friendly letters published in response to articles about which I have sent out or seen alerts. Lately I have been overwhelmed with other projects (particularly with a book to be published by Harper Collins early next year, which I look forward to sharing more about later) and have not been able to cover everything I would have liked. How wonderful to know that compassionate people everywhere are keeping their own eyes on their local media and responding on behalf of the animals.

Occasionally I see a letter that I just have to share. Last Sunday, the Los Angeles Time published a lovely piece in which Roseanne Barr shared her interest in making the world a better place. You’ll find the article it on line here. In response to that article, yesterday’s, March 25, Los Angeles Times carried the following letter:

Praising the Barr
Pg. E2

WOW. Roseanne is beautiful in and out [”It’s Not Just Lip Service,” March 18]. Now if only she were vegetarian!

RACHEL ROSENTHAL

Thank you Rachel, for exemplifying how easy it is to write an animal friendly letter. With two lines, which probably took her sixty seconds to send, she has responded to an article that did not appear to have animal relevance, and reminded Los Angeles that kindness to animals is part of the picture of compassion. I forward her letter in the hope that she will inspire animal advocates to take a moment to respond to the media whenever possible. Legislators look to the letters pages as barometers of public opinion. And readers seeing animal friendly letters are reminded that animal issues are increasingly relevant to mainstream conversations about social issues.

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According to Michael Greger, Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States and M.D. (and author of Bird Flu, which I recently reviewed here), people are, shall we say, quite lax when it comes to washing their hands. Given that handwashing is one of the most effective ways to protect against infectious diseases such as Ebola and - yes! - avian influenza, findings such as these

Ninety-five percent say they wash their hands after using a public toilet, yet the American Society for Microbiology published a survey of almost 8,000 people across five U.S. cities and found the true number to be only about two-thirds. Chicago topped the list at 83%; in New York City, the actual number fell to less than half.

are a wee bit problematic.

The experts say that:

Proper hand washing, according to the director of clinical microbiology at Mount Sinai, involves lathering with plenty of soap for 20 to 30 seconds (about the time it takes to sing the “alphabet song” three times at a fast tempo), rinsing, and then repeating for another 20 to 30 seconds. CDC guidelines are similar, with additional reminders to wash between fingers and under the nails, and to soap into the creases around knuckles.

and:

At a minimum, experts advise, hands should be washed after every cough, every sneeze, and every time we shake hands with anyone. These simple recommendations may decrease the number of colds we get every year, the number of work days we miss, and the number of days we are laid up in bed. During a pandemic, they may even save your life.

As a true-green enviro, that strikes me as a crazy amount of water to be running through every day.

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Today’s everyday activism idea comes from the Union of Concerned Scientists’ January ‘07 edition of Greentips, “Idling Gets You Nowhere”. In two words: idling, bad!

But I’ll let them explain:

Would you drive a car that gets zero miles to the gallon? Of course not. Yet that is your mileage whenever your engine idles. Idling wastes money and fuel, contributes to air pollution, and generates carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming. Some states even have laws limiting the amount of time cars can idle (see the related links).[…]

Unfortunately, many people believe that idling is necessary or even beneficial—a false perception that has carried over from the 1970s and 1980s, when engines needed time to warm up (especially in colder temperatures). Fuel-injection vehicles, which have been the norm since the mid-1980s, can be restarted frequently without engine damage and need no more than 30 seconds to warm up even on winter days.

In fact, idling longer than that could actually damage your engine in the long term. Because an idling engine is not operating at its peak temperature‚ the fuel does not completely combust, leaving residues in the engine that can contaminate engine oil and make spark plugs dirty. Excessive idling also allows water to condense in the vehicle’s exhaust, contributing to corrosion of the exhaust system.

No matter what time of year, minimize your idling with the following tips:

* When first starting your car, idle for no more than 30 seconds.

* Except when sitting in traffic, turn your engine off if you must wait in your car for more than 30 seconds. You can still operate the radio and windows without the engine running.

* When the time comes to buy a new car, consider a hybrid. Hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles switch off the engine and use battery power for accessories when the car is not moving, effectively eliminating idling. Visit the UCS Hybrid Center website for more information on these fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles.

There ya go.

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Tagged: environment environmental environmentalist environmentalism climate+change global+warming ucs union+of+concerned+scientists greentips everyday+activism driving

Getcher free endangered wildlife ringtones here!

Errr, wait. That sounded a bit too giddy, especially since we’re talking about endangered wildlife here. Let’s try this again.

Via the Center for Biological Diversity, download a free endangered wildlife ringtone. Personalize your cell phone, and when friends and strangers inquire about your wild taste, use the opportunity to educate ‘em about the plight of the Blue-throated Macaw or the importance of the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Since now is as good a time as any, consider this the first in an ongoing series of “everyday activism” posts. “Everyday activism” = quick, simple, non-taxing actions y’all can take when out and about to advance animal-friendly and green causes. In this case, downloading an endangered species ringtone will take you all of 30 seconds - but will provide you countless opportunities to introduce the issue to those you encounter throughout the day. I was going to begin with a post about getting more AR literature into your public library, but - *shrug* - the ringtones thing is good too!

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Tagged: animals animal+rights environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist center+for+biological+diversity ringtone cell cell+phone wildlife endangered+species conservation activism everyday+activism