About

The easyVegan Link Sanctuary is a near-daily roundup of animal and environmental advocacy news, action alerts, carnivals, events and resources. This link roundup is meant as a jumping-off point for you, the reader, to take further action and learn more about the issues presented here. I link, you decide!

If you have a resource you’d like included, please drop me a line at easyvegan [at] gmail.com - or leave it in the comments! Feedback is also appreciated, particularly as it relates to the links included below. I’ve tried my best to identify and name any speciesism, sexism, racism, classism, homophobia, sizeism, etc. which may appear in the resources listed; if, however, I’ve overlooked something, please leave a note in the comments. It’s not my desire to fight one form of oppression by engaging in another.

Action Alerts

DawnWatch: Shocking hen footage on ABC prepares us for California’s prop 2 — 10/13/08
With California’s Proposition 2 aimed at banning battery cages for hens, as well as crates for veal calves and sows, Dan Noyes’s ABC 7 report showing undercover footage from a California egg farm could not have come at a better time.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Did You Know That Your Tax Dollars Still Fund Nicotine Experiments On Animals?
Since 2002 alone, the NIH has spent at least $16.5 million to conduct nicotine experiments on pregnant and newborn animals. This appalling figure does not reflect the total cost of all nicotine research on animals, which numbers far higher, but only that which focuses on nicotine’s effect on fetal and newborn development.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Help Send Lucky to a Sanctuary!; San Antonio Zoo elephant is held in cruel isolation
Lucky desperately needs your help. She’s a 48-year-old female Asian elephant who has been living alone at the San Antonio Zoo in Texas since the death of her companion, Alport, almost one year ago. Female elephants are intensely social, making her solitary confinement especially cruel.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Texas Couple Allegedly Leaves Their Chained Dog to Rot! Demand Justice!
PETA has closely monitored the heartbreaking case of Shepp, the German shepherd whom Corpus Christi residents Daniel and Norma Luna allegedly chained and left to rot for over a month without food or water. According to news reports, Shepp—whose undersized collar had become embedded in his neck—had been left lying on the concrete driveway for so long, struggling to get up, that he developed a large wound that exposed the bone in his shoulder. Although Shepp was taken into custody by local officials, he reportedly did not survive.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) / The Cancer Project: USDA National School Lunch Program Petition
On October 9 we took a monumental step forward to protect our kids. The Cancer Project, PCRM’s affiliate organization, filed a formal petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture demanding a halt to the distribution of hot dogs and other processed meats to our nation’s children through the National School Lunch Program. These products have been shown to increase the risk of cancer in adulthood.

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Action Alerts

Defenders of Wildlife: Save Wild America!
In its final months, the Bush Administration is pushing to allow commercial logging, mining, and oil and gas drilling in 4.4 million acres of Colorado’s best backcountry. These roadless forests provide high-quality habitat for lynx, elk, cutthroat trout, goshawk and other vulnerable wildlife, clean drinking water for our communities, and outstanding opportunities to enjoy the wild outdoors. We need to do everything we can to protect them. Help us stand up against the Bush Administration’s eleventh-hour land grab and defend the amazing animals that depend on these pristine lands to survive.

Environmental Defense Action Fund: Sign Onto Our 2009 Green Energy Agenda
We need a Green Energy Agenda that solves global warming and unleashes America’s clean energy future. Sign our 2009 Green Energy Agenda Petition to help us build support for real action in Washington. We’ll add your voice to our campaign and make sure the new president and the 111th Congress get the message.

Human Rights First: Elect to End Torture: Sign the Petition Today
During last night’s debate, both presidential candidates reiterated that they are in agreement in opposing torture. Senator Obama and Senator McCain both understand that America’s reputation has been damaged and our national security undermined because of the Bush Administration’s policy of torture and official cruelty. Sign our petition today to send a clear message to the next president that you expect he will put his campaign statements into action in January: it is essential for the next president to dismantle the legal framework that sanctions cruel treatment and to undertake a comprehensive examination of policies and practices that endorsed cruelty.

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Tell the Bush Tell the Bush administration not to let mining companies destroy valleys and streams
The Bush administration is about to change a longstanding rule that would make it easier for mining companies to destroy streams and valleys by filling them with sludge, rock and other mining waste. Tell officials to put communities and the environment ahead of industry profit.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Urge North Texas Tollway Authority to Leave Pigeons Alone!
The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) has apparently initiated a program, which will cost taxpayers about $35,000, that is intended to get rid of pigeons who roost under 14 toll bridges in North Texas. Eyewitnesses report seeing emaciated pigeons left to languish in traps in the hot sun without access to adequate shade or water. Allegedly, some pigeons have died in these traps before NTTA had the chance to release them some 40 miles away from their natural roosting sites.

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Action Alerts

Forest Ethics / Do Not Mail: Turn this Halloween green!
Halloween isn’t just about spooky ghosts and goblins — it’s a day to show off your creativity and share your values. That’s why we’re calling on our Do Not Mail supporters like you to turn this Halloween green. Join ForestEthics as we transform this sweet-filled holiday into an opportunity to spread the bitter truth about junk mail.

Ocean Conservancy: Sign our Letter to the Gulf Council - Urge them to Halt their Offshore Aquaculture Plan
Salmon farming has taught us a lot about the risks involved with offshore aquaculture. With so many fish packed closely together in open ocean cages, disease is much more likely. Without a doubt, some fish escape and transfer these diseases, such as contagious sea lice, to wild populations where the affects can be devastating. Studies show that some salmon populations may go extinct and most wild fish populations are declining in areas where salmon farming occurs. Sadly, the fish farming plan proposed by Gulf fishery managers fails to protect against these substantial risks and many others. We need strong and smart national standards that will protect every part of our ocean BEFORE aquaculture moves forward in the Gulf … or any of our nation’s waters.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Write a Letter to the Editor Urging Your Community to Boycott Circus Cruelty
Writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper can educate countless readers and get them thinking about this important issue. Letters are a simple and effective way to spread the word! Please take a moment to send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper educating readers about Ringling’s horrific treatment of animals and urging people to shun the circus. Speak from the heart, and ask people not to support circus cruelty.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): URGENT: Animals at Anson Animal Control Shelter in Texas Need Your Voice
PETA has received reports from local residents in Anson, Texas, who claim that animals in the city’s custody are routinely neglected by being denied access to potable drinking water, nutritious food, and clean and healthy housing. Some residents claim to have witnessed the violent shooting of a dog at the Anson Animal Control Shelter (AACS). We have been told that the dog was friendly and wagging his tail when he was shot by city officials. A local witness also reported that a puppy recently died at AACS and was left to decompose in a kennel for two entire days in full view of living animals.

Save the Manatee Club: Citizens Urged: Report Endangered Manatee Sightings to Ensure Timely Rescues
If you are a resident of Maryland, North Carolina, Rhode Island, or any eastern state north of Florida, please report manatee sightings to your local wildlife officials.

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Action Alerts

DawnWatch: NY Times editorial defends whales against Navy sonar 10/11/08
The New York Times editorial page gave us a second animal supportive editorial last week (the first was endorsing California’s Prop 2) when on Saturday, October 11, it ran a piece in favor of continued protection of whales from Navy Sonar. The New York Times has a good history of speaking up for the whales.

DawnWatch: Oprah this Tuesday and Extra last Friday on food animals and vegan diets (respectively) 10/10-10/14/08
How wonderful to see mainstream media starting to really focus on what we should be eating and why. Dr Neal Barnard, founder of the wonderful Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (www.pcrm.org ) was on Extra on Friday talking about the benefits of vegan diets…Coming up on Tuesday, October 14, big news! Oprah is covering “How We Treat the Animals We Eat.”

Earthjustice: Keep Our Streams Safe From Dirty Coal Mining
The Federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) is poised to finalize a rule that would allow thousands of natural streams and valleys in Appalachia to be buried by waste from mountaintop removal coal mining. OSM’s plan directly conflicts with the decades-old Stream Buffer Zone Rule, which prohibits surface coal mining activities from disturbing areas within 100 feet of permanent and seasonal streams.

Greenpeace: America Must Kick the Oil Addiction
It’s time to quit our addiction to oil and choose a healthier lifestyle. In order to get clean, we need to make a permanent switch to clean energy. The cycle of addiction must end now – and it’s our generation that must stand up and make the change, or there may not be generations to come…Tell our next President and the new Congress to just say no to offshore drilling.

International Center for Technology Assessment: FDA to Look at Nano-products…Again
Many new nano-products continue to come to market, at an average of four to five a week. Unfortunately nano-products are still treated by FDA like any other products or product ingredients; yet scientists agree that nanomaterials are fundamentally different substances that create new and unique risks to human health and the environment and need new forms of safety testing. A public comment period is open now through October 24, 2008 - Take action now!

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Action Alerts

DawnWatch: NY Times “Yes” on California’s farm animal cruelty Proposition 2 — 10/9/08
The New York Times has deemed a proposition from California, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, worthy of its endorsement. This is a gratifying reflection of how far our movement has edged into the mainstream. While the New York Times is not calling for universal veganism, it is telling us that the treatment of animals matters; that is an excellent place to start, as it is a point on which decent people of every eating persuasion will agree.

Farm Sanctuary: Help break the dairy industry’s monopoly on school lunch programs; tell the USDA that our kids deserve healthier options!
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is holding public hearings on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) throughout the country, and the public is now invited to give its input on the current program. For people who care about children and animals, this invitation provides a great opportunity to speak up and ask the USDA to make plant-based alternatives to cow’s milk a part of its programs.

Farm Sanctuary: Every Vote Counts, Especially for Animals in California
California voters have a monumental opportunity to take part in a campaign, the success of which will mean life and limb to millions of animals. The Yes On Prop 2 campaign seeks to give farm animals enough room to turn around, lie down and extend their limbs – a far cry from the living conditions that hens, breeding sows and veal calves currently live in. Please don’t be the one vote that keeps them confined. Take action!

Friends of Animals (FoA): Reject U.S. Government Proposal to Shoot Horses
Following the latest obnoxious proposal this month from the U.S. government to kill thousands of horses, the international animal advocacy organization Friends of Animals again calls for a full moratorium on the government-sanctioned round-ups, sales and slaughter of free-living horses.

World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA): Will McDonald’s hamburgers be made from clones?; Ask McDonald’s to be an industry leader by taking a stand against cloned animals
As part of the company’s recently launched “See What We’re Made Of” campaign, McDonald’s is inviting consumers to learn about the ingredients that make up their menu items. However, McDonald’s has no policy on serving milk and meat from cloned animals or their offspring, which means that consumers will have no way of knowing if the McDonald’s BigMac® is laced with the animal cruelty associated with cloning.

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Action Alerts

Earthjustice: Tell EPA to Protect People from Pesticide Poisoning!
Endosulfan is a dangerous pesticide in the same family of chemicals as DDT, the notorious pesticide that was banned in 1972 because it poisoned people, wildlife, and the environment. Like DDT, endosulfan is a serious threat to people — especially farmworkers and children. The European Union and many other countries have already recognized this danger and have banned endosulfan’s use.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Did You Know That Your Tax Dollars Still Fund Nicotine Experiments On Animals?
We taxpayers, with today’s economic crisis, are still funding ridiculous nicotine experiments on animals. Tell NIH we (and the animals) can’t afford this anymore.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Urge Zappos.com To Stop Selling Fur
Zappos, an online retailer, knows about the suffering that goes into every fur-trimmed garment or accessory, but the company continues to contribute to that suffering by using fur. With so many fashionable, comfortable alternatives available today, there is no excuse for Zappos.com to continue using the fur of tortured animals in its designs.

Oxfam: Ask the Presidential Candidates to lead on Climate Change
Global warming poses a great threat to the international community, and disproportionately hurts those affected by poverty. Developing countries lack the resources they need to adapt to climate change. We need to ensure that the U.S. is ready to lead the international community in committing to fight climate change. Ask the presidential candidates to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland and commit to helping developing countries adapt to climate change.

The Sierra Club: Protect the Endangered Species Act
On August 15, the Department of the Interior proposed sweeping changes to this landmark environmental law. Under the new regulations, federal agencies would no longer have to consult with experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Instead, the agency proposing the project would have the power to decide how it would affect wildlife. These proposed changes are being bulldozed through and the DOI is only accepting comments from the public until October 14, 2008. In addition, they are not accepting email comments. Please use our talking points below to draft and submit your personalized comments. The Sierra Club will compile and deliver them before the October 14th deadline.

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Action Alerts

Campaign for America’s Wilderness: Support wilderness in the Colville National Forest
The management plan for the Colville National Forest is currently undergoing revision, with 21 inventoried roadless areas at stake. The forest planners are deciding which of the 21 areas to recommend that Congress protect as wilderness, and your input can help influence them to recommend the 19 areas that conservationists agree exhibit strong wilderness characteristics. Send the forest planners your message of support for wilderness today!

Ecological Internet / Climate Ark: Tell World Leaders Urgent Climate Change Action Cannot Wait for a Return to Economic Hyper-Growth
Climate change and the bad economy are both symptoms of the same growth-based “ecological bubble”. Tell governments to urgently address climate change despite the economic downturn, as both Wall Street and Main Street must realize that without ecosystems there can be no economy

Irreplaceable: At-Risk Wildlife Need More Help, Not Less
As you well know, global warming is already affecting species across the globe—from polar bears in the far north to the tiny piping plover of our Atlantic coasts. The Endangered Species Act is our nation’s most powerful safety net to protect imperiled wildlife like these from climate change and many other threats. But the Bush administration has recently proposed drastic changes that would prevent this critical safeguard from doing its job.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Tell the USDA That Children Deserve Vegetarian Options
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act next year, and until October 15, the agency will be accepting comments on how to revise the current lunch program. Currently, there are few options in the National School Lunch Program for children who do not consume animal products. Assuming that all children have the same ethical, religious, and health beliefs and not providing them with a vegetarian meal option is harmful to children’s mental and physical well-being. Including meat and dairy alternatives helps accommodate all children.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Dogs Returned to Florida Animal ‘Rescuer’ Accused of Starving and Neglecting Animals
According to news sources, self-proclaimed animal “rescuer” Annette Knight of Manatee County, Florida, might soon face charges as a result of officials’ discovery of 15 apparently abandoned dogs and cats on Knight’s property. The animals were reportedly left without food or water, and three dogs were apparently found dead, one cannibalized by survivors. Other survivors were allegedly trapped inside a house with “feces-covered floors.” Media reports also state that one dog removed from the site had to be euthanized because of severe malnutrition, and a number of horses and birds were also removed from the property. This isn’t Knight’s first run-in with the law regarding the care of her animals: News sources report that Knight has been issued six animal control violations in Sarasota County, Florida, since 2005.

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Action Alerts

1Sky: Tell Obama & McCain: We Need Clean Energy, Not ‘Clean Coal’
During the Vice Presidential debate, both Senator Biden and Governor Palin touting their support for “clean coal”. But both presidential campaigns and Congress are missing the point: Conventional coal-burning power plants are the leading cause of global warming pollution in the United States. “Clean Coal” is a myth–a contradiction in terms. Coal companies claim they can develop coal plants at some point in the distant future that will capture and sequester carbon pollution. But carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is unproven and exorbitantly expensive.

Alaska Wilderness League: Expose the 2,000 Acre Hoax
Rep. Boehlert said it best in 2003: “The proponents of drilling add insult to injury with their spurious arguments in favor of drilling. It is only a few thousand acres, they say. That is like saying, do not worry, the tumor is only in your lungs. The drilling will have impacts that will affect wildlife throughout the area.” Big Oil says it only wants to drill in 2,000 acres, but their operations will sprawl across the entire Arctic Refuge just like 1,800 acres of Turnpike slices all across New Jersey. A network of drill sites, pipelines, roads, airstrips, and other infrastructure will effectively destroy one of the most important wildlife sites in North America. We can’t let the media perpetuate this myth. Help us fight spin with facts by writing a short letter to the editors of your local newspapers.

American Freedom Campaign: Bush Illegally Turns Army Inwards – Urge Moderators to Raise Issue During Presidential Debates
[W]e should all be deeply disturbed by the news that President Bush has assigned the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team to be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army component of Northern Command (NorthCom). According to an article in Army Times, the soldiers could be called upon for a variety of tasks, including quelling “civil unrest.” They are apparently engaged in training with shields and batons, beanbag bullets, and Tasers. We need to raise awareness about this threat to our liberty immediately. The American Freedom Campaign believes the best method available at the moment is to send an email to the hosts of the next two presidential debates, urging them to ask the candidates whether they would fully enforce the Posse Comitatus Act.

Audubon: Protect Sage Grouse Habitat from Reckless Oil & Gas Development
The Greater Sage-grouse needs your help! Its population has declined as much as 93% from presumed historic levels due to habitat loss, the invasion of exotic species in the sagebrush steppe ecosystem, the pressure of drought, and the upswing of West Nile virus. Now, a new threat—accelerated oil and gas development in the bird’s shrinking habitat—has stressed the Greater Sage-grouse population almost to the point of no return.

Forest Ethics: Keep the promise: Protect the Great Bear Rainforest
Back in April, nearly 5,000 ForestEthics supporters wrote the government of British Columbia asking them to legislate all the parks in the Great Bear Rainforest, as they had announced they would in 2006. Thanks to your continued support, the provincial government acted, putting forward legislation that completes the protection of two million hectares (five million acres) in the Great Bear Rainforest! 

 This puts us a big step closer to the conservation goal. There are 4.4 million hectares of rainforest outside of the protected areas. Now, we must continue to encourage the province to follow through with the rest of the promise to achieve full ecosystem-based management for the entire area. With your help again, we can secure a green future for the whole Great Bear Rainforest.

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Action Alerts

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Protect Yellowstone and the Greater Rockies
If the Bush administration gets its way, Wyoming’s spectacular Fortification Creek Area will soon be sacrificed to a massive drilling scheme. We need your immediate action to halt this destructive plan in its tracks. The deadline for submitting comments on the plan is October 7!

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): City of Kelowna, British Columbia, Shooting Rabbits After Promising to Use Humane Control Methods!
The City of Kelowna, British Columbia, announced earlier this year that measures would be taken to control the city’s burgeoning feral rabbit population. These feral rabbits—domestic animals who are likely the descendants of abandoned pet-store bunnies—are reportedly reproducing in large numbers and pose a problem for the local ecosystem and resident homeowners. Kelowna Urban Forestry Supervisor Ian Wilson assured PETA’s caseworkers that the rabbit-control measures would be humane. Unfortunately, it appears that Kelowna’s first move was not to attempt to trap the animals and relocate them to capable sanctuaries or even to trap and humanely euthanize them. Instead, Kelowna reportedly hired an individual to canvas the city at night and kill feral rabbits using an air rifle.

Carnivals

Carnival of the Green #147! @ Confessions of a Closet Environmentalist

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Action Alerts

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): URGE AN IMMEDIATE FBI INVESTIGATION
Bush and Mukasey are at it again. They’ve announced dangerous new FBI guidelines that will severely jeopardize the personal privacy of innocent Americans. These regulations need no congressional approval and are terrifying. Just how far can the FBI go without any factual basis for suspecting improper — let alone illegal — activity? Under far-reaching new guidelines proposed by Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the answer is frightening. All the FBI has to do to put you or any American under prolonged physical surveillance is assert an “authorized purpose” such as detecting or preventing crime or protecting “national security.”

Animal Person: Help Out Umbra and Thank (?) Ellen
There are oodles of holes in her [Grist’s Umbra] response, so have at it and recommend your favorite cookbooks. As for Ellen, she didn’t ever say the word “vegan,” but she did say she stopped eating meat and dairy and “all that stuff” […]

Common Cause: Deceptive Practices 2.0
As more and more people turn to the web for voting and election information, there is a real danger that so-called “deceptive practices” that we’ve seen offline will move online this year. Think about how fast rumors and misinformation can circulate on the Internet. We can’t afford to have this year’s election called into question because of online dirty tricks.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Please Support the Apache-Sitgreaves Wild Horses
The wild horses of Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in Eastern Arizona have quietly lived on their ancestral home for centuries. In 2005, the United States Forest Service put out a plan to remove all of these magnificent horses and to turn them over to the Arizona Department of Agriculture to be sold at auction in Holbrook, Arizona, an auction house frequented by killer-buyers.

Invisible Voices: The 1680
We hope to gather 1680 drawings of individual ‘food’(?) animals with each representing one animal death. You do not need to be an accomplished artist to participate, a doodle will do!

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