Category "Veg Information and Resources"
June 08, 2005
Ways to help the animals
Are you interested in helping spread the word about vegetarianism and the harmful effects of factory farming?
Well, if you live in the Twin Cities area, I strongly believe that getting involved with Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA) is one of the best things you could do!
This organization has really impressed me from the very beginning. The people are awesome and very dedicated! The group also puts a lot of thought into the ways in which they can be the most effective at reducing animal suffering. This means that the group is really able to make the most of their resources.
CAA is active year round, but many of their biggest events occur during the school year on the U of M campus. Check their website for upcoming events, or better yet, subscribe to the email list to get weekly updates.
Here are some great suggestions from CAA for how you can help the animals this summer!
Posted by john6550 at 10:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
Save your trash and save a raptor!
This talk about "the three R's" reminds me of a good tip that I learned from The Raptor Center.
Just about everyone knows that it's bad to throw litter such as bags, cans, styrofoam, and wrappers on the road when you're driving. The reasons not to throw these things on the sides of roads are obvious. But what about things that would easily decompose such as apple cores or other bits of food?
These things should not be thrown out on the side of the road either!
This food-waste attracts mice and other small rodents to the sides of roads. Raptors that eat these small rodents such as Red-tailed Hawks will also be attracted to the sides of roads.
Why is this a bad thing?
One of the most common reasons that a raptor ends up in The Raptor Center 's clinic is having been injured in a collision with a car. By disposing of our food-waste in a compost pile or trashcan, we will be able to help prevent injuries to raptors.
Continuing on this theme of saving trash and saving raptors, here's a way that you can help The Raptor Center out.
The program is called Recycle for the Raptors. The majority of The Raptor Center's funding comes from private donations and memberships. By sending in used printer cartridges for this program, you not only reduce waste, but also help fund The Raptor Center's work rehabilitating raptors, training veterinarians, educating the public about wildlife conservation, and doing scientific research on raptor medicine.
Compassion for animals also extends to those animals who live in the wild!
Posted by john6550 at 03:27 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
The humane version of "The Three R's"
We've all heard of the three R's: Recycle, Reduce, and Reuse.
But check out another version that comes from the Humane Society of the U.S. that provides some tips about how to choose a more humane diet...
"One rule of thumb is the "three Rs"—reduce, refine, replace. Here's an example of how to apply the three Rs to the food you eat: You can reduce the amount of animal-based food in your diet, refine your diet by eating more humanely produced animal-based foods, or replace animal-based foods with plant-based ones that are sustainably, organically produced."
The page that this comes from also has many links to interesting articles about "living in harmony with animals".
Posted by john6550 at 03:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
June 06, 2005
Thanks Veg Blog!
Eep! I feel like Veg Log has gone global! Well, maybe not quite :)
In a quest to find other vegetarian and vegan bloggers, I sure haven't had to look very hard. There is a growing web-based veggie community out there.
One great blog I came across was Veg Blog. Great name ;) This wonderful veggie-themed blog posted about Veg Guide and Veg Log after I sent in a link to Veg Guide. Jeepers that's a lot of veg's.
Anyway, I just wanted to let y'all know that Veg Blog is a really well developed resource with many links to interesting blogs and websites. The blog itself has been around since 2000, so you might say its one of the granddaddies of veggie blogs.
Posted by john6550 at 08:59 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
Free Veg Starter Kit
Curious about going vegetarian but want more information? Here's a quick and easy solution: Order a free Veg Starter Kit from Compassionate Action for Animals!
Posted by john6550 at 07:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
Is something missing from your diet?
There's lots of debate about vegan health and nutrition, but the one recommendation that I've heard consistently is about vitamin B12.
Vegans can only get B12 from foods that are fortified with it or from vitamin supplements.
If you have any questions about B12 please visit this link from VeganHealth.org.
Posted by john6550 at 05:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
Debunking animal rights
Last night I was looking for anti-animal rights sites and came across AnimalRights.net. The goal of this site is to expose the fallacious arguments used by animal rights activists.
I found it to be a really interesting site. I really liked the way it is being used as a forum to discuss these issues critically. The discussions on a single topic get quite lengthy and detailed.
Most of the discussions seem to start from some tidbit of news about animal rights activists. This means that the focus is often on PETA or other more radical, extreme groups that often get the attention of the media. Personally I don't think that these groups always present the strongest arguments, so there is a lot for AnimalRights.net to criticize here!
There are some pro-animal rights people who also post to the site, but I would like to see more people who are pro-animal rights responding. Not because I think that AnimalRights.net needs to be squashed and drowned out, but because I would like to see the site grow. I think the discussions on the site would benefit if there were a greater diversity of pro-animal rights arguments being discussed and criticized.
This is a place where people with opposing opinions are able to really discuss their views and maybe come to some sort of understanding of one another.
Posted by john6550 at 03:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Ramblings"
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
June 02, 2005
Rediscovering the goal
The past few days, I was kind of going through a phase where I was having some doubts about why I've decided to go vegan. But after doing some thinking and reading some articles, I'm really happy that I've made this choice.
Sometimes I get too worried about the details and loose focus on what's important. The goal is to reduce animal suffering, and to do that I want to reduce the amount of animal products I consume. The products that I want to eliminate are those for which animals were bred, raised, and slaughtered. There are small amounts of animal by-products used in many things, but those aren't so critical to focus on.
Being vegan is not about purity or moral superiority, its about taking action to reduce suffering and spreading a message of compassion and consideration.
It's also not necessary to go vegan to help reduce suffering. Even eating vegetarian one day a week is awesome! If people are interested in reducing animal suffering, they can do a lot to help with out going vegetarian or vegan. Every little bit counts.
I get so excited when people even show the slightest interest in animal issues even if they're not vegetarian!
People can also do a lot to help by talking to their friends and family about the conditions that animals face on factory farms. For some reliable information, check out Vegan Outreach's " Why Vegan?". Vegan Outreach is an excellent organization that focuses on distributing accurate information about animal suffering. They're not using propaganda and unreliable sources. Their pamphlets have educated thousands of people about animal issues and going vegan!
Posted by john6550 at 02:44 PM | Comments (0) | Ramblings | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
June 01, 2005
Field Trip
Tour a battery cage facility, you'll probably never look at an omelet the same way.
Posted by john6550 at 11:45 PM | Comments (3) | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
Piraro's Bizaro
Hey Folks, sorry about the lame attempts at humor in the previous post. I thought I would try to make it up to you by posting about someone who's actually really funny. Dan Piraro, the creator of the comic strip Bizaro, is vegan and has done quite a few animal rights cartoons. Here's his idea of what real "Hamburger Helper" is...
Posted by john6550 at 11:03 PM | Comments (1) | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
What were they thinking?
PETA is probaby the largest and most well known animal rights group out there, but if you talk to people who are interested in animal rights, you'll often hear mixed opinions about the work that they do. Here are a few examples where I just had to wonder what were they thinking....
Is this a lesson I missed in sex ed?
Wow, who knew about lizards and their secret passion for purses?
Want to know why Jaws was so pissed off?
Hmmm, now this is just ridiculous....
Don't get me wrong, PETA does some great work, but they also do some things that are not so great. Not all animal rights activists are pro-PETA. There's a lot of disagreement within the animal rights movement about what tactics are appropriate and effective.
Posted by john6550 at 10:13 PM | Comments (1) | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Reasons to go vegan"
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
May 28, 2005
Concerned about the environment?
There are many great reasons to go vegetarian: health reasons, ethical reasons, and environmental reasons for example.
For some quick facts about vegetarianism and the environment visit Ch-ch-changes.
While you're there explore some of the other things you can do to make this world a better place :)
Posted by john6550 at 04:35 PM | Comments (0) | Reasons to go vegan | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
May 26, 2005
Animal Protection Laws
While some South Dakotan cattle ranchers and politicians are trying to get the Certified Beef program up and running, the rest of the cattle in South Dakota remain unprotected by state animal cruelty prevention statutes. Under the current law (see chapter 40-1 and statute 40-1-33), such protections do not apply to animals used in agricultural pursuits.
So how do animal cruelty laws work in the United States?
A very informative article from the Animal Legal and Historical Center at Michigan State University College of Law explains U.S. policies and compares them to the policies of some European countries.
At the federal level, the U.S. has no policies that apply to the treatment of animals reared for food while they are on the farm. This means that each state has its own regulations. While all states have some legislation that regulates the treatment of animals, customary farming practices are exempt from those regulations in twenty five states. Many of the farming practices that are considered customary, such as the use of battery cages for egg laying hens, cause a lot of animal suffering.
The U.S. has taken little action to regulate the treatment of animals through legislation and has also taken few steps to enforce what legislation it does have.
The European Union and individual European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland have taken some steps to reduce inhumane farming practices such as phasing out the use of battery cages, sow stalls, and veal crates.
Why have these European countries taken these steps to prevent animal cruelty?
The difference seems to be in their attitudes toward animals. In the United States, federal policies and many of the state animal cruelty statues view farm animals merely as personal property. There is no reason to consider the interests of animal itself. The only rights that need to be protected are the rights of the owners of animals. In some of the European countries there is an attitude that the welfare of animals matters on its own. The interests of farm animals are taken into consideration in determining they ways in which they ought to be treated.
Posted by john6550 at 05:01 PM | Comments (0) | Veg Information and Resources
Category "Veg Information and Resources"
May 25, 2005
The guide to everything veg
Since I've been on a bit of a food theme today, I would like to recommend a really useful website called Veg Guide. It is a worldwide guide to restaurants and stores. Anyone is free to come to the site and add restaurants to the list or review restaurants they have been to.
This is a useful resource for anyone who's looking for a place to eat or shop, but it is especially useful for people who are vegetarian or vegan. Each restaurant or shop is rated on how veg-friendly it is. It can be frustrating or intimidating to go out to an unfamiliar restaurant for new and old vegetarians. Some restaurants note on the menu which items are veg-friendly, others are willing to take special requests for veg-dishes, but some are either unfamiliar with the needs of vegetarian customers or are unwilling to make accommodations for them. Veg Guide helps people find exactly what they're looking for in a restaurant.
Whether you are vegetarian or not, Veg Guide is a fun site to browse. You can look up your favorite restaurant and review it. If it's not there, just add it to the list. It's also a great way to find new places to try. There are over 200 listings in the Twin Cities area!
Posted by john6550 at 10:45 PM | Comments (6) | Veg Information and Resources