Comments amc89 has made

Best option is soy milk or other non-dairy milks

If you read nutritionist Marion Nestle's book What to Eat, she says that milk and other dairy products should not be considered the absolutely-necessary-for-a-healthy diet foods the dairy industry would like us to think. Osteoperosis is now thought to be more related to exercise, caffine intake, smoking, protein intake (consuming too much protein, which dairy is rich in, can strip away calcium from bones) and other factor besides calcium intake. Calcium and protein can be found in many non-animal derived foods such as greens like collards, kale and chard, brocali, tahini, molasses, and enriched soy or nut milks.  If you have concerns about getting enough calcium, supplements are probably a better option than drinking the 3 servings of milk a day that the government recommends because of the intensive dairy industry lobbying and campaign contributions Nestle details in her book.

Also, its important to keep in mind that at the end of a dairy cow's short life of 4-5 years (they would live to be about 20 if they were not on a constant cycle of reproduction and treated so poorly), they are all shipped long distances to slaughter to be turned into hamburgers. The beef recall that happened last winter was the result of "downed" dairy cows entering the food supply. "Downed" cows are those too sick or injured to walk to slaughter. When dairy cows have male calves, they are of course useless to the dairy farmers, who sell them to the veal industry, which keeps the calves in tiny crates and feed them ironless diets to make their flesh anemic.

Keep in mind also that the livestock industry contributes more to global warming than all transport combined.

Planted based milks are therefore better to the planet, animals and your health.On Umbra on raw milk posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago 20 Responses

measure on horse racing in MD

Let's wish everybody working on protecting farm animal welfare, the environment and rural communities in California good luck with Proposition 2. Hopefully it will be the start of factory farming reforms across North America and we can finally catch up to the standards for farm animals in much of Europe.

Another ballot question relating to animal cruelty is Question 2 in Maryland that covers slot machines. It's mainly horse racing industries that are supporting it, as their industry in the state is suffering and they need slots to prop up their "sport."  I'm not too fond of gambling, but the main reason I'm against the measure is my opposition to the cruelty inherent in horse racing.  The horses experience high rates of injury and when they can't compete any more they're often shipped thousands of miles to Texas or Illinois, the location of the only 3 horse slaughterhouses in the country. Or sometimes they're sent to Canada or Mexico slaughterhouses.   On A guide to 2008 environmental ballot measures posted 1 year, 1 month ago 6 Responses

Californians can do something: Vote Yes on Prop 2

Tom makes a good point. It's important but not enough just to make changes in our own diet, we need to convey how important our desire for humane and environmentally friendly food systems are to our politicians. And when politicians don't listen, we can take it directly to the voters through the ballot initiative process (though unfortunately not every state has the initiative process) as happened in Florida, where voters voted in favor of banning pig factory farming in 2002, in Arizona, where voters voted against pig and veal calf factory farming in 2006 and now in California, where voters should vote Yes on Prop 2 to ban the factory farming of egg-laying hens, veal calves and pigs.  Let your California friends know about Prop 2 with this video by Free Range Graphics.

http://uncaged.yesonprop2.com/On Why factory farming must be stopped posted 1 year, 2 months ago 5 Responses

This Proposition deals more with chickens and pigs

Prop 2 bans the caging or crating of egg-laying hens, pigs and veal calves so it doesn't really impact cattle grazing that much.  I'm hoping not only that Prop 2 will win but that the campaigns and advertizing for it will make consumers more aware of the realities of where most of their animal products are now coming from- not from family farms but from factory farms.  Hopefully more people will go vegetarian or reduce and alter their animal product consumption because of what they've learned.  

Check out the video promoting campaign by the makers of the Meatrix at  http://uncaged.yesonprop2.com/   
On From New Jersey, bad news for factory farms posted 1 year, 2 months ago 7 Responses

Wood pellet fuel

Sarah, the same thing happened to my poor cat Ralph. When I tried using the newspaper litter, my cat pooped on my bed. I knew it was too good to be true.  

The best material I've used was wood pellet fuel, which we used to get at Home Depot. Super cheap, no smell, no dust, and easy to clean but our local Home Depots stopped selling it and it broke our hearts.  

I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here, but truly the most important action you can take in regards to minimizing the eco-footprint of your cats is to adopt from a shelter or rescue group and to spay and nueter them. And to feed them non-factory farmed food.On A review of non-clay cat litters posted 1 year, 2 months ago 32 Responses

consumptive wildlife activities

It's not just the whaling lobby that uses this notion of now that a species is somewhat recovered, it's okay to once again start doing the behavior that reduced numbers in the first place. The commercial seal hunters in Canada, the wolf hunters in the western US, commercial fur trappers, commercial fishermen and so on. This is why I'm always weary of initiatives by environmental groups like the Sierra Club to work with hunting groups and other groups promoting consumptive wildlife activities.  On Some big whales no longer in trouble posted 1 year, 3 months ago 6 Responses

Great

Safeway also seems to be offering more vegetarian and vegan foods lately also.  

This is a good step for them but I wish they and other conventional grocery stores would have policies to only sell free-range animal products like some other more progressive retailers have done but that's probably not realistic to expect them to be so advanced. Customers will complain about price, but in the long run it would cheaper for us all if factory farming was banned.  Climate change, bird flu, mad cow disease, salmonella, polluted waterways, obesity, and so are all pretty expensive problems.On Safeway agrees to animal-welfare standards for some products posted 1 year, 4 months ago 2 Responses

The upside

At the very least, I hope Oprah doesn't go back to eating factory farmed animal products and starts to speak out against factory farming. It seems she's becoming more aware of animal cruelty issues. The show she did on the inhumane practices of puppy mill operations a few months ago was great.

It's unfortunate she's back to eating meat and other animal products, but at least it's raised awareness about the many benefits of a vegan diet.
Some of her audience members probably had never even heard of the word "vegan."  

But I don't think 21 days is long enough for an attempt at a vegan diet. You probably still have cravings after 3 weeks, but after a few months you stop having cravings for such items as ice cream, at least for me anyway. Then animal products just become disgusting. And it takes a few months to discover all the great veg-friendly products, restaurants, and stores available. Once I discovered Soy Delicious ice cream, I never looked back. On The all-powerful talk-show host ends her vegan cleanse posted 1 year, 5 months ago 30 Responses

foie gras opposite of "green"

I agree with skipskipper, foie gras should definitely not be on the menu list of any "green" chef. Not only is foie gras, which is French for "fatty liver" and is produced by force-feeding corn to factory-farmed geese or ducks in order to make their liver many times the size it naturally should be, completely inhumane and cruel, but one of the biggest foie gras farms in New York was recently accused of violating Clean Water Act regulations by allowing huge quantities of feces to go into local waterways.  And there's no such thing as "pasture-fed" foie gras, think of the huge amounts of grain that are used to fatten up the animals.  What a waste. On 15 Green Chefs posted 1 year, 7 months ago 25 Responses

Plants are better sources of omega 3

Why not just get omega 3s straight from the plant source?  Walnuts and hemp and flax seeds have lots of omega 3 fatty acids and are a lot cheaper than meat. This kind of technological manipulation of animals is sickening.

kmp-
"Look at it as a bargain struck; we will raise you healthily and happily, let you forage in woods and pasture, let you roll in mud and play, feed you healthy foodfeed you healthy food and give you love and attention"  

Wow, you are naive.  Those kind of conditions exist on an extremely small number of farms. And even on small farms, cruelty exists. Visit a local farm animal sanctuary and talk to the owners and they can tell you some stories about the family farmers near them. While many of the animals they rescue come from factory farms, a significant number are coming from these family farmers who we all like to think are so much more humane.  It's often an illusion.

Why is it necessary for domestic pigs and other domestic animals to exist at their current levels?  Currently 50 billion domestic animals are killed each year on this planet for meat. So I don't think there's any danger of running out of animal fertilizer any time soon, so that is not a legitimate excuse for you not to give up meat. Everybody who gives up meat or eats much less of it contributes to reducing the over-breeding of domestic animals and that is vital.  

Domestic animals, most of whom live miserable lives on factory farms and feedlots, are causing huge amounts of environmental damage, including climate change (cows and sheep produce huge quantities of methane which is many times more harmful than CO2), rainforest destruction, soil erosion, and air and water pollution and are contributing to the spread of diseases such as bird flu.  We do a favor to these animals and to the environment when we just don't breed them in the first place. Better to not breed an animal than to breed an animal and cause it to suffer and  damage ecosystems.  Lets use our resources on protecting and re-populating rare wild animals, not domestic animals.  On 'Heart-healthy' pork from pigs with bad hearts posted 1 year, 8 months ago 33 Responses

another alternative

Never thought of putting tempeh in my chili before! Great idea. I've usually used the LightLife vegetarian "beef" crumbles which works pretty well. Or sometimes I don't use any meat substitute at all. The beans are enough. On Warm up over a bowl of chili -- while planning your spring vegetable patch posted 1 year, 8 months ago 12 Responses

I'm supposed to have sympathy?

If higher prices cause people to put fewer eggs, milk and cheese products, particularly those that come from factory farms and feedlots, in their grocery carriages, that can only be a good thing. Most Americans eat far too much protein as it is, and this over-consumption of protein has a number of negative health effects.  While it seems that the price of all foods is rising, the price of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, mushrooms, seeds, nuts and other vegan staples will probably still be more affordable than animal products.  Like the above said, help your wallet, help your health, help the planet and help the animals by eating lower on the food chain.  On As the feds bail out Wall Street, here's a food-related fix for Main Street posted 1 year, 8 months ago 12 Responses

Economic impact of sealing

If the sealing industry in Canada wasn't subsidized by the Canadian government (it spent an estimated $20 million on the seal hunt between 1996 and 2001 according to investigations, and millions more since then), sealing likely wouldn't still be happening, or at least not at the current high kill levels.  The economic data shows that sealers in Newfoundland and Labrador and the Magdalen Islands only make an average of 5% of their annual incomes from the commercial seal hunt, which takes place for just a few weeks in March and April. The rest of the year, most of the sealers go fishing or crabbing.  Also, sealing is an extremely dangerous and degrading way to earn income.  Last year, hundreds of sealers were stranded on their boats miles from land after an ice storm for over a week. The Canadian Coast Guard spent millions of tax payer dollars on their rescue.  Another point is that the sealers aren't going to be able to keep on killing 300,000 seal pups a year if high pup mortality continues to increase with global warming. If the Canadian government really cared about the economic welfare of fishermen in remote Newfoundland communities they would implement a license retirement program that would fairly compensate the sealers and begin to invest in sustainable and safer jobs.  On Depressing ocean news buoyed by Pam Anderson's striptease posted 1 year, 9 months ago 11 Responses

commercial seal hunt vs aboriginal seal hunting

Yes, the Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence seal hunt issue is complicated, but so far I have yet to see any scientifically sound studies supporting the fur industry's claim that killing harp seals, and to a lesser degree the hooded and grey seals, will bring back cod and other fisheries.  A better solution is to further restrict quotas (the Atlantic Canada fishermen still have a quota for cod, amazingly) and reduce pollution and habitat degredation.  Killing marine mammals is never the solution to boosting fish populations.  The fur industry would like us to feel less guilty about wearing fur so they want us to be telling ourselves that wearing fur helps bring back the cod or some native bird species or any number of other prey species, but these claims are frequently quite dubious.  Good for Pam Anderson and other celebs that are working to expose the fur and sealing industry and the Canadian government.

And Sam, it should be pointed out that according to the Canadian Sealers Association, only about 10% of the seal meat for the Newfoundland hunt was collected in 2005. I haven't seen any more recent figures, but I imagine they're similar.  The commercial sealers are primarily after the pelts, not the meat. While the commercial sealers had a kill quota last year of 270,000 (which, it should be noted, they failed to actually meet as a result of the high pup mortality due to the horrible ice conditions), the Inuit quota was less than 10,000. So clearly the commercial harp seal hunt in Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence is not about feeding indigenous people in Nunavut, who most kill ring seals for their diet.On Depressing ocean news buoyed by Pam Anderson's striptease posted 1 year, 9 months ago 11 Responses

poor animal welfare conditions

While thankfully there is a growing awareness about the suffering of animals on chicken, turkey and pig factory farms, there's unfortunately still little public awareness about the animal welfare conditions in these underwater factory farms.  And too many people still think of aquaculture as environmentally benign thanks to the propaganda of the fishing industry but hopefully the media will give more coverage to the negative aspects of aquaculture with the release of more reports like the above.  Hopefully the World Bank will respond by re-thinking their policies on aquaculture, as well as other factory farm operations.  If we want to protect the environment, prevent the spread of disease like bird flu and protect animals from cruelty we should not be exporting the factory farm model to developing nations.On New studies show salmon farms destroy wild stocks posted 1 year, 9 months ago 17 Responses

Supporting factory farming

Clinton lost much of my support when she hired a former pork producer lobby group executive to run her rural states campaign. I was a big fan of Kucinich and Edwards in part because they were both strongly against CAFOs (factory farms).  Sorry to see them go. On Obama or Clinton: who's greener? posted 1 year, 10 months ago 46 Responses

Most fur does not come from Aboriginal people

The reality is that very few fur items on the market today come from animals trapped and killed by aboriginal people in Canada or elsewhere. Most fur comes from fur factory farms, and the fur that does come from trapping typically does not come from Nunavut or other aboriginal territories.  Most trappers in the US and Canada are Caucasians, not Aboriginal peoples.

Your average fur coat or fur-trimmed garment, which is often not labelled as to country of origin, found at Macy's or Neiman Marcus likely comes from a fur farm in Utah, Wisconsin, Nova Scotia, Europe (most of which are in Denmark, as well as Finland, Norway, Russia, and Poland) or China. China now actually raises more fox than Finland, which traditionally has been the main fox fur producing country.  In terms of mink farming, China is second only to Denmark. Needless to say, animal welfare and environmental practices on Chinese fur farms has been found to be extremely poor.  Investigators documented Chinese fur farmers frequently killing the animals by slamming them down on the ground and skinning the animals while they were still conscious.
On Umbra on (inherited) fur coats posted 1 year, 10 months ago 60 Responses

Treating farm animals like "pets"?

Thanks for posting this great piece David.

Somebody above mentioned how cows raised on family farms are treated like "pets". This strikes me as incredibly naive. Even on a small family farm, cows or other animals are being raised for profit. They're often treated better than on a more large-scale operation, but the fact that an animal was raised by a family farmer does not guarantee that it was raised or killed humanely.  There's a farm animal sanctuary in my county that rescues farm animals from horrible conditions and provides them a safe haven. Most come from industrial farms. But many also came from small farmers in the county that were horribly abusing or neglecting the animals in their care.  

Another person above asked about "farm" vs "pharm" in reference to eating a balanced diet.  Well, if you want to avoid "pharm," the less meat you eat the better considering all the antibiotics given to the majority of animals raised in America today. The fact is that very few animals in the US are raised without antibiotics and even fewer are raised outside the industrial model, not nearly enough to feed American's current demand for meat, so it's clear to me that everybody in the country should be striving to eat little or no meat.

It's also important to keep in mind that there are plenty of plant-based sources of iron, calcium and other nutrients found in meat. The only vitamin a vegan in the developed world needs to take, either in the form of fortified foods like soy milk, cereals or nutritional yeast or in a pill is B12, a bacteria.  If you're a vegan not in a developed world that drinks treated water, you would not need to take Vitamin B12 because it is found in water, but because we in the west treat our water and thus remove the Vitamin B12, we need to have suppliment. Still, I'll take my B12 pill, which one only needs to take once a week, over animal suffering, environmental damage, obesity, heart disease, cancer, salmonella, ecoli, hormones and antibiotics any day. On In case you'd forgotten, industrial meat is a friggin' nightmare posted 1 year, 10 months ago 46 Responses

vegetarian sushi

I'm with BluePlanet. This mercury expose points to two huge environmental problems that need urgent action, issues that aren't getting enough attention from politicians.  We need to reduce our reliance on out-dated power plants that put mercury into the environment and we need to stop over-fishing, especially highly migratory fish such as tuna that breed exceptionally slowly compared to other fish.  Wild or ranched, eating blue fin tuna and other carnivorous fish species is unsustainable.  And the fishing and ranching methods often involve a great deal of animal suffering.

We should all be following Congressman Kucinich's example and stick to the vegetarian sushi.On NYT satire gives candidates' alleged responses to the fish 'n' mercury issue posted 1 year, 10 months ago 4 Responses

The problems are meat consumption and cars

Some of the major reasons why people in the west are so much more obese than a few generations ago are also the main contributors to climate change and other environmental ills: our huge increase in meat consumption, especially in corn-fed cows and factory farmed pigs and chickens, and dependence on the automobile.

Just a few decades ago, meat was still pretty expensive and thus most middle class people only had it occasionally. And most meat products weren't from animals raised on factory farms, but from small farms in which animals were kept out of doors and had room to move.  Cows ate grass, instead of huge amounts of corn that were produced using obscene amounts of pesticides and fertilizers.  A recent UN study found that 18% of greenhouse gas emmissions comes from livestock.  Corn-fed cows release more emissions than grass-fed cows raised in a more natural environment. Many health studies have connected high meat consumption with obesity, along with high cancer rates, diabetes, heart disease and other ailments. Vegetarians, according to a number of studies, experience lower rates of these negative health conditions.

Unfortunately, diet and transportation choices are aspects of our lives that few people are willing to change.  But I'm hopeful that as the connections between animal agriculture and automobile dependency with climate change become more widely known and accepted, we'll make an effort to eat more vegetarian foods and plan our communities to be more friendly to pedestrians and bikers and less friendly to cars.  

Consumers can make a difference but we also need our politicians to change agricultural policies. They need to end cheap corn subsidies and subsidies to factory farms and cattle ranchers.  They need more require manufacturers to produce  more efficient cars and earmark more funds to  investment in public transit and bike infrastructure, which would also go a long way in improving public health.  On The parallels between accepting obesity and ignoring global warming posted 1 year, 10 months ago 71 Responses

lots of petroleum used to make fur

One above poster's suggestion that fur farmers start raising their animals in a free range manner made me laugh.  There's no way to raise territorial predators such as fox and mink in a free range system. They'll all kill or injure each other. So it's completely unrealistic to expect the fur farming industry to let mink and fox out of their tiny, barren cages any time soon.

I am disappointed that some people concerned about petroleum use simply assume that real fur is a petroleum-free product just because it came from an animal and is therefore "natural" and "renewable". Let's think about this a bit more deeply.  To take the hides and pelts of an animal and make them into a fashion product, you're going to need to work on them a bit. Fur is processed and dyed with a number of harmful chemicals such as chromium, often in China, a country with few environmental and labor regulations. And once you buy a fur, new or used, you'll need to have it cleaned.  And the only way to clean a fur without damaging it is dry cleaning, which involves some pretty horrific chemicals.

Also, a tremendous amount of fuel is needed to ship these pelts around the world. Pelts from animals raised on fur farms or trapped in the woods (and I don't think these trappers are driving hybrids to check their trap lines) are shipped to the auctions, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and so on.  It also takes a huge amount of fuel to house, feed, and slaughter the thousands of animals on fur farms.  It takes about 40 mink to make just one full length fur coat.  

So the bottom line is that if you're concerned with petroleum use, don't spend your money on a $5000 real mink coat that needed large amounts of harmful chemicals and fuel to produce when you can buy a synthetic coat that very likely used a fewer quantity of chemicals and fuel and probably costs a lot less. The main reason why real fur is so expensive and is considered a "luxury" is because of the huge amounts of input needed to produce it.  Common sense really.

Same goes for wool and leather. Just because it's a "natural" material doesn't mean it's environmentally friendly.  Livestock accounts for 18% of global greenhouse gas emmissions, and that includes cows, sheep, and goats.  Leather and wool are also processsed and dyed with harmful chemicals.

If you don't want to buy a synthethic coat, buy a coat made from recycled materials, organic cotton, hemp or other animal-free eco-friendly materials.  These products may be a bit more expensive than the convential synthetic coat but will almost always be cheaper than real fur.

As for the gassing of mink with carbon monoxide, this is cruel because mink are semi-aquatic animals and can hold their breath for a very long time and thus it can take a long time for a mink to die when gassed, more so than another mammal that is not semi-aquatic.

As for trapping, it's important to keep in mind tha many animals still trapped for fur are predators that are declining and that play an important role in the ecosystem, including lynx, wolves, wolverines, leopard cats (native to Asia) and bobcats.  Coyotes are not declining, but it's still unfortunate that they're being trapped so heavily given that they are important predators that kill fawns, rodents and other animals we often view as "pests".  And with coyotes, studies have shown that the more you target them, the more they reproduce, so trapping is most definitely not the way to control their numbers (though I don't think they they need to be "controlled" in the first place).

If you inherit a fur item, I think Umbra's suggestion of donating it to a wildlife rehabilitator is the wisest choice. Anything we can do to support injured wildlife and improve their chance of recovery should be supported.  Most wildlife rehabers in the US and Canada are volunteers and depend on donations of supplies and funds.  

For more information on locating a wildlife rehaber near you, visit
http://www.nwrawildlife.org/page.asp?ID=214

 On Umbra on (inherited) fur coats posted 1 year, 10 months ago 60 Responses

blaming marine mammals

Clearly killing sea lions will not be an effective solution and it's just another case of officials wanting to look like they're "doing something" for the fishermen, even if that "something" will have little or no effect.  Fishing communities around the world love to blame marine mammals, including seals, whales and dolphins, for dimished fish populations, even if there is little data linking marine mammal predation and decreased fish stocks.  And even if the marine mammal species in question is itself struggling as much as the fishery.

Japanese fishermen blame whales and dolphins for low fish stocks, while in Atlantic Canada, fishing industry lobby groups blame harp and grey seals the low cod and other fish numbers. Fishermen in Namibia also blame Cape fur seals for decreased fish stocks and brutally slaughter thousands of seal pups each year.  In almost every case, the real reasons the fishery is in decline is simply because of human overfishing, as well as habitat destruction, which in this case of the sea lions in Oregon includes inappropriate dams. But local officials score points with voters in fishing communities by making marine mammals and environmental and animal protection advocates out to be the enemies.

Why do people view the salmon and other fish species as being solely for humans and not for any other creature?  Shouldn't one of the solutions be to further limit the fish kill quotas?On Federal officials suggest killing sea lions to protect salmon posted 1 year, 10 months ago 40 Responses

I go for the bikers

They're more likely to be fit for the long term than the SUV drivers. On Top British scientist tells women to stop drooling over gas-guzzling males posted 1 year, 11 months ago 3 Responses

another response to Ekirky

Here's the Organic Trade Association's website listing companies that sell textiles made with organic materials: http://www.theorganicpages.com/topo/commercialactivity.ht ...

For a list of brands and retailers that are fur-free, visit www.humanesociety.org/furfree

A great place to find fashionable and well-fitting vintage clothing is the vintage chain Buffalo Exchange: www.buffaloexchange.com

And because the livestock industry contributes so greatly to climate change, I think it's also important to look for non-leather items. This website has some fashionable vegan clothing:
www.alternativeoutfitters.com

Here's a company I just discovered that specializes in organic cotton, soy and demin garments:
Under the Canopy
www.underthecanopy.comOn Shop till you drop? There's a better way posted 1 year, 11 months ago 10 Responses

local "stuff"

I second the suggestion of buying more services as gifts, especially for eco-friendly services, instead of stuff, but you can also find some good "real" gifts locally as well. Local orchards often sell nice gifty stuff such such as homemade jams, candies, maple syrup, etc. That's where I got most of my presents this year.  Local craft shoes often have clothing, crafts, furniture and more made from local artsy/craft folks.  A few holiday seasons ago I bought some cds from a local Andean band I heard at a street festival. (Okay, the materials used for the cds probably were manufactured locally, but I still think this counts as "local") The only non local items I bought this year was some vegan, fair trade chocolate.On Shop till you drop? There's a better way posted 1 year, 11 months ago 10 Responses

Great article

Hopefully the factory farming of pigs in California will soon be prohibited. Visit www.humanecalifornia.orgOn Why bees and pigs are not machines posted 1 year, 11 months ago 12 Responses

small farmers vs. factory farms

Small family farmers are typically more likely to be treating their animals humanely than factory farmers, since their operations are more likely to be free range.  But that doesn't always mean that cruelty is absent from small livestock farmers. It's still a business, after all. I've heard of numerous cases of farmers neglecting their animals in my community.  And the animals are usually still sent to slaughter houses, though I have heard of some smaller places in which butchers come to the farm to do the deed, which at least avoids the trauma of being transported miles and miles to the slaughterhouse.

It's best to visit a farm and see the conditions yourself before you buy animal products from a particular livestock farm. Better yet, switch to a plant-based diet. Better for the environment and the animals.On Why we shouldn't target farmers for our farm bill frustrations posted 1 year, 11 months ago 9 Responses

Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act (California)

I don't think workers go find jobs at slaughterhouses and factory farms because they enjoy inflicting pain on animals, they do it because they're unskilled and there's not a lot of other choices.  They become frustrated with their lot and take that frustration out on the animals. And the upper management at these facilities just don't care.  So one of the best way we can help these workers, the animals themselves and the surrounding environment and communities is to boycott meat and switch to plant-based foods that are grown in an environmentally sound way. Preferably local and if from abroad, fair-trade. We need to reduce the market demand for the products of Smithfield and other factory farming companies like Tyson, Cargill, Purdue and others.

And we need to support campaigns that stop the worst of factory farming practices, like the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act ballot question in California. www.humanecalifornia.org

The proposal is endorsed by Bill McKibben, Dr. Jane Goodall, and a number of other prominent environmental and animal protection advocates in addition to many California veterinarians. On Cruelty to hogs, and wretched meatpacking conditions posted 1 year, 11 months ago 12 Responses

reasons other than carbon to buy local

I agree with Ed's post above.  

I buy local for a number of reasons than just reducing food miles and carbon output (which I agree are important, but just not the only factor).  I like the idea of local produce farms in the area flourishing and I think keeping our farms alive makes a community more pleasant.  I like that the people at the farmer's market recognize me and chat with me. The food also tastes a lot better and is healthier.  

Another important reason is animal welfare. I don't eat animal products myself, but for those that do, buying local animal products usually contributes to better animal welfare, since it means not buying from a factory farm, where animals are kept in tiny cages, given antibiotics and hormones, and transported long distances, often under horrific conditions to slaughterhouses.

Tom, you'll be happy to know I biked to the farmer's market this summer and fall. On And other revelations from the latest big-media expose of local food posted 1 year, 11 months ago 9 Responses

"nature's perfect food"

Milk is "nature's perfect food" only if the mother's milk is going to a member of her own species. On More on feedlots and distillers grains posted 1 year, 11 months ago 10 Responses

Horrible idea

Any type of industrial animal agriculture operation is just a bad idea, whether you're talking about pigs, chickens, mink or fish.  Pollution, animal cruelty, disease, and so on.  I certainly don't want my tax money going to this.  The way solve the problem of declining fish populations is protecting habitat, reducing pollution and encouraging people to eat less seafood, not subsidizing industrial fish farms. On U.S. government wants to boost fish-farming industry posted 1 year, 11 months ago 6 Responses

I just saw the film a few weeks ago

Wasn't the greatest film on this topic (I liked Supersize Me better) but it did have some great eye-opening scenes that hopefully caused viewers to walk away with a different attitute towards the meat industry.

When I read the NY Times article I was also really frustrated that the most effective solutions were not mentioned: eating drastically less meat and improving the animals' conditions and diet. More humane practices typically lead to fewer disease outbreaks.  Common sense to me but I suppose not to those obsessed with cheap and abundent meat supplies.  

I was glad though to see some pretty graphic pictures of cow carcasses in slaughterhouses in the online article and was impressed that the Times had the bravery to publish them.  Their readers deserve to see the truth.   On NYT on the surge in E. coli outbreaks posted 1 year, 12 months ago 4 Responses

That's a great quote, Blueplanet

My concern with the Sustainable Seafood lists is that whether or not you are eating a "sustainable" seafood item or not, bycatch is almost always still a factor. Maybe some species are still plentiful, but what about the species that are caught and disgarded in the process?  Which is why I don't eat any seafood and encouarage others concerned about oceans not to either.  Plenty of other non-animal sources of protein and omega 3 fatty acids are readily available and are healthier since they don't have mercury, pcbs and other pollutants. On Bycatch is the ugliest thing you never see in the fish market posted 1 year, 12 months ago 15 Responses

East coast wine an option too

"His main recommendation is to "offset" your wine drinking by giving up other carbon-heavy vices such as bottled water or Big Macs. Works for me."

Works for me too. I'd take a glass of red wine over a hamburger any day. Okay, I'd take mostly anything over a hamburger since I'm veggie.... but seriously, if you live on the east coast, why not buy local wine? This article makes it seem like the only options are west coast or European wines, when most east coast states do have some amount of local vinyards.  The once or twice a year I do buy a bottle of wine, I buy local.  The vinyards near me are affordable and fun to visit. I'm not a wine snob so I don't really know much about quality but it's good enough for me. On Tips for low-carbon merrymaking posted 1 year, 12 months ago 4 Responses

trapping

Several Mexican gray wolves have lost their legs because they were caught in steel-jaw leghold traps, which is further evidence of why commercial and recreational fur trapping should be banned in New Mexico like it is in Arizona, Colorado and California.  One of the wolves that was caught had to have her leg cut off because she had developed frostbite due to being left in the trap in winter weather. On Gray wolves in Southwest aren't faring well posted 2 years ago 6 Responses

Well done Canada

This area is hugely important for the climate and for bird migration.

Now, if we can just get the Canadian government to end the commercial harp seal slaughter...On Canada sets aside huge tracts of land for protection posted 2 years ago 2 Responses

Gifts of vegan/local/fairtrade foods

I try to get around the "Where am I going to put this?" issue by giving people food items, which can always be used.  Fairtrade and vegan chocolate, fair trade tea, local maple syrup, homemade sauces and jams, etc.  Also, sponsoring a rescued farm animal at a place like Farm Sanctuary is something that has been a hit in my family.  My dad has a picture of the chicken sponsored in his name in his office, which creates a lot of interesting conversation about his vegan daughter!  

I'm not so fond of the sponsoring-a-cow-for-a family-in-Africa scheme.  Supporting a veg-friendly hunger charity like Veg Fam that "fund plant food projects: seeds and tools for vegetable growing, fruit and nut tree planting, irrigation and water wells" makes a lot more sense to me. Check them out at www.vegfamcharity.org.ukOn Are you brave enough to say no to a high-stress holiday? posted 2 years ago 51 Responses

I like the turkey one

Now that the no-turkey eaters outnumber the turkey eaters in my family, my parents don't get a whole carcass anymore, just some cutlets for Grandpa.  Progress!!  On Don't be a turkey -- show them you care posted 2 years ago 2 Responses

hormones and antibiotics

Let not use hormones and antibiotics on farm animals in the first place!  Go vegetarian, or eat less meat and only buy free range and organic animal products.  On Practice of composting animals raises red flags for greens posted 2 years ago 8 Responses

Removal?

When they say "removal" do they mean kill? There's got to be some way to deal with this problem humanely.  Perhaps one action would be to establish more protected park land around the city.  Also India needs more population planning programs in both the cities and rural areas, which would help control this sprawl. On Thousands of monkeys uprooted by sprawl move into New Delhi posted 2 years ago 4 Responses

Great response

I had the same reactions reading the piece yesterday.  On NYT's Andy Revkin pens another stinker on the so-called 'center' of the climate debate posted 2 years ago 42 Responses

threats to birds

I don't think anybody is suggesting that cats are the only threats to birds. There are of course many threats, and outside cats, both pet cats and feral cats, are just one of many contributors to bird declines. It all really  depends on the bird (or small mammal) species in question.  There's no doubt that cats have an impact on several species of threatened birds such as least terns and piping plovers. In New Zealand, outdoor cats are threatening a number of native bird species, who are not used to land predators.

Still, I don't think the solution should be to track down and shoot every last feral and stray cat, which is neither practical nor humane.  Trap, nueter/spay and release is ideal, since the feral cat colonies will die out over time. Any kittens born in the colonies should be adopted out. And, as Umbra suggests, house cats must be kept indoors. I have never seen any study showing that cats with access to the outdoors are mentally better off than cats kept indoors.

And whether you're on the side of birds or cats (or both, as many of us seem to be), we should all be asking pet stores not to sell purebreed cats and dogs and instead urge them to have in-store pet adoption events.  A number of pet stores already do this, but more should be doing so. Petland is particulary unethical about the source of their animals on sale.  Over 4 million cats and dogs are euthanized each year because there aren't enough homes for them.  

Unfortunately, a recent bill in California, CA A.B. 1634, that would put a moratorium on the breeding of companion animals, given the large number of pets the state is euthanizing each year, was defeated, mainly because of lobbying by the breeders groups and the pet industry. This bill was supported by a large number of animal advocacy groups. I checked the website of the group promoting this bill www.cahealthypets.com and I didn't see any bird advocacy groups that endorsed it.  So bird folks, you need to speak up.  If you're really so concerned about the impact of cats on birds, please support efforts to stop the overbreeding of pets. On Umbra on cats and birds posted 2 years ago 72 Responses

spaying/neutering rather than killing feral cats

Caniscandida pretty much summed it up.  I'd like to add that trapping and killing feral cats will not solve the problem. I think all of us would like to see less feral cats and the way to do that is to concentrate on spaying and neutering them, not killing them. Studies have shown that if you take adult feral cats out of the environment, other (usually non-fixed) cats will just move into take their place and breed more kittens. We should also focus on rescueing the kittens of feral cats because when you get them young, they can make great pets and are easily adopted out.  The adults are very difficult to find homes for.

If more people adopted from animal shelters rather than going to the pet store or to breeders, we'd be in a better situation. So instead of fighting, bird lovers and cat lovers should work together to promote the keeping of cats indoors, adoption over breeding, and the spaying and neutering of feral cats.On Umbra on cats and birds posted 2 years ago 72 Responses

Good work

I thought it was a pretty good list. It mentioned some topics that other lists shy away from: the meat issue and getting political!!  

My car is in the shop, so I've been carless the past few weeks and it's amazing how used to it you become.  I'm certainly getting lots of exercise.On Easy ways to cut your energy use, one day at a time posted 2 years ago 11 Responses

More exciting ocean new this week

Seafood Companies Call on Canada to End Seal Hunt

http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases ...
On Iraqi catches shark, blames America posted 2 years ago 7 Responses

Transfatty acids

What a crazy situation. Good for Greenpeace for being one of the only groups to tackle this.  

Transfatty acids should certainly be avoided, and it's a good idea to replace butter in cooking since dairy has its own set of environmental and animal cruelty issues, but there's got to be other ingredients to use besides palm oil??  I buy Earth Balance for baking which I think is olive oil based. I use organic olive oil for sauteeing instead of butter as well. I know there's some eco problems with olive growing too but it can't be as bad as corporate dairy farms and palm plantations. On Amazing helicopter footage of Greenpeace in the Indonesian peat bogs posted 2 years, 1 month ago 4 Responses

Thanks

The person I share a car with have been bickering about this for a while! Thanks for clearing this up. On Umbra on whether to leave the engine running posted 2 years, 1 month ago 1 Response

Very disappointing

"In my area of western North Carolina, gated communities often cheekily take the names of the farms they have replaced. Driving around, you'll see an elaborate sign above a rustic gate proclaiming so-and-so "Farm" -- and peer up the road to see "no trespassing" signs and McMansions tarted up to look like log cabins or farmhouses."

In my community as well, Tom.  On What's up with that gated 'community' in Montana? posted 2 years, 1 month ago 6 Responses

Animal feed

I love a nice ear of local corn in the summertime as much as anybody, but these numbers ("the U.S. produces about 44 percent of the globe's corn crop") are quite concerning. You would think there would be no hunger in this country with that much corn.  

What can all do at the individual level is eat less meat, since such so much of the corn grown in this country is used as feed on factory farms, and when you do fancy some fresh corn on the cob, buy local corn at the farmer's market.  And we can all ask our legislators to stop these absurd subsidies. On A conversation with a spokesperson for the National Corn Growers Association and his friend from the posted 2 years, 1 month ago 4 Responses

I am a proud Amtrak Guest Rewards member

I live on the east coast, so when I'm just doing trips up and down the coast, Amtrak usually works out the best. May take longer than flying but you do spend less time in security, and the stations are usually in downtown locations so are usually closer to your final destination than the airports, and you don't have to worry about airsickness.  On Umbra on planes and cars posted 2 years, 1 month ago 8 Responses

too many kids

I'm more concerned about the white Morman, Evangelical and other religious couples that are still having huge families than about immigrants from Mexico, who typically don't consume nearly as many resources as native-born American families.

Also, the children of immigrants will probably have fewer children when they grow up than their parents did, as well as the rest of their family back home.  

And the teen pregnancy rate is still pretty high in this country. I'd rather see resources combatting this than on a wall.

But I do agree with the above comments on the importance of providing aid to Mexico to help it overcome the economic problems prompting immigration. On Why environmental groups have been slow to fight the border wall posted 2 years, 1 month ago 38 Responses

Soup recipe looks great

I have a huge butternut squash in my fridge I need to use up so thanks for providing that recipe.  

The restaurants that promote themselves as "sustainable" but have scant vegetarian and vegan dishes really irk me, so Kurt, that's great you have vegetarian options at your restaurant. I'll be sure to check it out if I'm ever in Iowa City again. On The savory challenges of being a sustainable chef in Big Ag country posted 2 years, 1 month ago 34 Responses

Meatrix

I think the Meatrix is brilliant and I know of a number of people who've gone vegetarian or decided to eat a lot less meat because of viewing it. The Meatrix II is great as well. On An interview with sustainable-food advocate Diane Hatz posted 2 years, 1 month ago 5 Responses

Leapingbunny.org

For a list of personal care products that don't test on animals, visit www.leapingbunny.org  Many of these companies tend to use primarily natural ingredients so they're also more friendly to your body, as well as animals.On A no-makeup diet is healthier for you and the planet posted 2 years, 1 month ago 2 Responses

Also boycott Canadian seafood

I'll skip the fish along with some of the others above, but if you do eat seafood, remember to boycott Canadian seafood because of the horrific harp seal slaughter. To view the restaurants and retailers that have joined the boycott, visit www.RestaurantsForSeals.org.

All fresh seafood sold in the U.S. must be labelled as to country of origin. You can download and print a copy of the pocket guide to boycotting Canadian seafood at http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/pocket_guide_to_boycott ...

One of the main targets is Canadian snow crab, since the majority of sealers also catch snow crab after the sealing season.  Interestingly, snow crab numbers in Canada have been steadily declining. On Evaluating seafood choices just became a lot easier posted 2 years, 1 month ago 12 Responses

agree with both of you somewhat

It's not being interested in fashion and wanting attractive clothing that is inherently bad for the environment, it's the constant purchasing of newly-produced clothing that's harmful. Therefore it doesn't sound like Ms. blueberrysushi is doing anything too harmful to me.  

So I would amend "IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FASHION YOU CANNOT CLAIM TO BE AN ENVIRONMENTALIST" to "If you constantly buy non-vintage clothing on a regular basis, you cannont claim to be an environmentalist (or human rights-ist, since so much of it is produced by sweatshops). If you constantly buy eco-friendly and animal-friendly (non-fur, non-skin, etc.) clothing on a regular basis, you're doing somewhat better but not quite there. If you buy second-hand, vintage clothing when truly necessary, you're even closer.  If you never buy any clothing ever and wear only hand-me-downs or sew your own clothes from eco-friendly and animal-friendly materials, or go around nude, you win the prize".  

That probably has too many nuances so I don't think that's going to catch on.    

I'm wearing: a hand me down jacket from my mom, a hand me down shirt from my friend, hand-me-down shoes from another friend. Okay, I bought the jeans new 4 years ago (but I had a $20 gift certificate!!). Now they have holes in them, most people would have tossed them by now but I will wear them much longer still. I won't go into my undergarments. On Three designers tell all during Seattle's first Green Fashion Week posted 2 years, 1 month ago 8 Responses

size of home

My thoughts are that if you need a maid to clean your home, that's an indication your home is too big. On Umbra on household help and homemade cleansers posted 2 years, 2 months ago 14 Responses

"Adopting" animals

I've always been partial to the wildlife adoption programs with groups like Defenders of Wildlife and Earth Island Institute. Great way to teach kids about endangered species.  Farm animal advocacy groups like Farm Sanctuary also do adoptions for their cows, pigs, lambs, goats and chickens, most of which have been rescued from factory farms or are discarded pets. I adopted a chicken for my dad a few years ago.  I think kids would love it, especially if you live near the sanctuary and can go visit the animal. On Umbra on kids' birthday parties posted 2 years, 2 months ago 15 Responses

B12 deficiency

Re: Iron and B12-You shouldn't let concern over these nutrients prevent you from making the switch to a more humane and sustainable plant-based diet.  If you're a vegetarian or vegan concerned about getting enough vitamin B12, just take a pill and/or drink fortified soy milk or nutritional yeast. Same with iron, though there are many plant-based sources of iron, including greens, dried fruit, brocali, and legumes.  

There are potential pitfalls to every diet. Eating meat has many risks as well-you have to watch out for obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mercury, dioxin, antiobiotics, hormones and more. Education is the key.

In National Geographic's November 2005 article on longevity around the world, it advised people to reduce meat consumption for better health and better chances of having a long life.  Eating meat is not a necessity for good health, so what justification do we have for eating it?  On On PETA's latest campaign posted 2 years, 2 months ago 256 Responses

immigration

Well said, I totally agree with this view of immigration. Cracking down on immigration will do little to help the environment on a global scale.

I also think we should urge our elected officials to look at ways to bring the cost of adoption, either foreign or domestic, down.
On Competitive birthing is a new fad posted 2 years, 2 months ago 1 Response

Deforestation

'And it involves what he called "perverse incentives," written into the Kyoto Protocol, which, for instance, allow countries to be rewarded for reforestation without penalizing them for deforesting in the first place. '

Wow, that is pretty nonsensical. On Leaders of Chile, Austria, Ecuador, and other countries talk about the climate challenge posted 2 years, 2 months ago 1 Response

Giving up too easily

In reference to the quote from the UN report on the negative environmental impacts of livestock:
"Attempts to curb the booming demand for these products have generally proved ineffective"

So does that mean we should just give up encouraging people to consume less meat?? Encouraging people to give up driving and flying or drive and fly less has not been that effective but I don't see any enviro groups calling for a stop to campaigns encouraging driving and flying less.  I think the problem is that not much resources have been dedicated thus far towards making people aware of the impacts of their diet. If more governments, NGOs, and other institutions worked together to educate people about the importance of eating less meat and helped livestock farmers switch to growing more produce and plant-based sources of protein, per capita meat consumption would go down somewhat. I also think more governments and NGOs should be encouraging people to have smaller families, but that's a separate topic.On Tidwell responds to scientists responding to Tidwell posted 2 years, 2 months ago 28 Responses

Don't read the article when you're hungry

I read the article before lunch yesterday when I was starving, big mistake. Wish I could have her come to my apartment and cook me lunch, I don't care if she makes a mess.

Agreed, caniscandida.

Hasn't Kucinich brought up and proposed solutions for many of these family farming/factory farming/farm bill/sustainable ag issues before?

Waters was also mentioned in a NY Times article on bottled water a few weeks ago and they described how she made a policy against serving bottled water from her restaurant. Some other chefs were quoted as complaining about she gets "carried away" sometimes with her reforms. And I was groaning and thinking that if banning bottled water is really considered that radical, we're in trouble for more touchy issues like factory farming, etc.On A good NYT piece on Alice Waters posted 2 years, 2 months ago 4 Responses

Interesting

Don't see myself ever living in a "house and yard setup", even if I did have the money. Compactness is much more desirable to me. Would be nice to have more space for my pooch, but being yardless just makes me take more walks, which is probably a good thing.On Does anyone choose to live in a condo? posted 2 years, 2 months ago 7 Responses

Eat less meat

Meat and dairy products have high levels of dioxin. A North American eating a typical omnivorous diet will receive 93% of their dioxin exposure from meat and dairy products.  Dioxin has been linked with birth defects and decreased fertility.

A 2001 study published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health found that vegans had the lowest levels of dioxin compared to people who consumed fish, dairy and meat. On A primer on chemicals, fertility, and reproduction posted 2 years, 2 months ago 8 Responses

Clif bars

I also like Clif bars because they're vegan. So are many of the Newman's Own Organics products.On 15 Green Business Founders posted 2 years, 2 months ago 33 Responses

Nutrition

Yes, there are health risks in a vegetarian or vegan diet, but there are health risks in an omnivorous diet as well, perhaps more. If you are vegan, you have to be mindful of having enough B12, omega fatty acids, calcium and Vitamin D. But if you make an effort to eat foods with these nutrients, you should be fine. If you eat meat and fish, you have to be mindful of hormones, antibiotics, cholesterol, saturated fat, salmonella, dioxin, mercury, PCBs and more.  The point is whatever diet you adopt, you should educate yourself.  If you are dismissing a vegan diet just because "it's not healthy if not well planned" then you should just as quickly dismiss the omnivorous diet because it too can be unhealthy if poorly planned.  

On another note, here's a great video from the Sierra Club about the Farm Bill, chicken factory farming and its effects on the environment.  It's great to see environmental groups campaigning against factory farming and I'd like to see more of them do it.  http://www.sierraclub.org/factoryfarms/flash/fowlie01.htm ...On Umbra on meat eating and global warming posted 2 years, 2 months ago 41 Responses

A word about the poultry industry and pets

I'm glad more attention is being given to the impact of meat-centered diets and I think this awareness will bring positive change and it's time we stop viewing diet discussions as "taboo".  I dont' think any animal groups are saying the diet is the only important action you can take, we should do all the other things bioversist suggests, but eating less meat or going vegetarian is an important action that some eco-minded groups are ignoring, and this has to stop. Thankfully, many eco-groups realize this and are encouraging people to eat less meat and are working with animal groups to stop factory farming.

Our main focus should be on encouraging as many people as possible to make a serious effort to significantly reduce their personal meat (incuding poultry and fish) consumption. This can have a huge impact. Let's not forget that we import beef and other livestock from other countries, biodiversist seems to be assuming we eat only meat grown in this country.

Eating as close to vegan as possible should be the goal. I think animal groups realize that if they ask people to go vegan or vegetarian, a certain number will do that, and even more will understand the message and make an effort to reduce meat consumption. You always ask for more than you think you can get when negotiating, right? So I think their strategy will have an impact. If somebody can't committ to veganism, they should still feel they can make a difference by eating less and eating wiser choices, but a near-vegan diet should be what we should be striving for and what our politicians should promote with education campaigns and by stopping subsidies to the meat industry.

Also, biodiversivist seems to suggest that we should replace beef consumption with poultry consumption because its more efficient, but there any many humane, environmental and health problems with poultry as well. Over 95% of poultry products consumed in this country come from factory farms, which cause large amounts of water and air pollution.  Chickens and turkeys are crammed in huge shed and never see the light of day until they are shipped long distances to slaughter houses.  The intensification of the poultry industry has also been implicated in the spread of bird flu.  So environmentalists should be making as much of an effort to stay away from poultry as from beef.

In regards to the eco-footprint of your pets, biodiversivist makes the assumption that we are all feeding animal products to our pets. Dogs can be perfectly healthy on vegetarian diets. Conventional dog food often has strange animal byproducts in it that may not be the best for your animal's health. I feed my dog, who I adopted from the shelter, Natural Balance vegetarian dog food and she loves it and is one of most healthiest dogs I know. I understand the concern about the impact pets have on the environment, but I think the best way to deal with this is to promote spay/neuter efforts and campaigns against puppy mills and breeders.  On Veganism: All or nothing? posted 2 years, 2 months ago 30 Responses

Don't be so closed minded about vetetarian cooking

Good post David. Thank you for eating less meat than average and I hope you continue to reduce your consumption.

"Who says sustainably-scaled, pastured livestock is not possible?"

I think it is possible, to some degree. But it's not realistic the expect that this type of small-scale agriculture can feed billions of meat eaters, hence we need to reduce demand, which is what many environmental and animal advocacy groups are calling for. To think that demand can stay static and we can meet this demand through only grass-fed beef is fantasy.  

I take issue with Biodiversist's statement that "vegetarian diets are less pleasurable."  I think that's a stereotype that we need to move away from. Sounds like you were vegetarian a long time ago before many of the popular vegetarian products, companies and restaurants were born.

Many vegetarian restaurants have become much more sophisticated in recent years as the number of vegetarians have increased.  Take Millenium in San Francisco for example.  There are also loads of fantastic vegetarian restaurants in New York City, London, Washington DC, Portland, and other major cities, each one with a different approach and style. I've even read cooking articles in which omni-vorous chefs praise the virtues of tofu.  I can honestly say that I've never missed meat in my almost 9 years of being vegetarian and 5 years of being vegan.  I experiment with different foods, cookbooks and try to find new restaurants. I would guess that I find as much pleasure in my diet as the average meat eater, maybe more so. On On PETA's latest campaign posted 2 years, 2 months ago 256 Responses

Well said

The UN report is very interesting and I encourage everybody to read it, vegetarian and omnivore alike.  The bottom line is we all should be eating lower on the food chain and as close to vegan/vegetarian as possible.  

I'm sick of people saying "we need to eat me, we evolved to do it". Maybe thousands of years ago, eating meat was "natural" for humans but today there are 6 billion of us. There's nothing "natural" about factory farming, hormones and anti-biotic over-use. We do lots of things that aren't "natural", such as using birth control, taking medication, etc but that doesn't stop us from doing them.  A well-balanced vegetarian or vegan diet is approved by the American Dietic Association, so there's really no reason to continue eating meat for health reasons. Yes, you do need to take a Vitamin B12 supplement to be a healthy vegan, but it's not the end of the world to take a supplement!!  It's much preferable to climate change and rainforest destruction! On Umbra on meat eating and global warming posted 2 years, 2 months ago 41 Responses

Become involved politically

Sorry state of affairs.

Another important step for ordinary citizens after pledging to reject factory farmed foods is to put pressure on their legislators to support legislation restricting factory farming, at the national, state and local level.  

For example, there are several state bills aimed at stopping intensive hog confinement. Arizona passed last November a citizen ballot question to stop veal and pig factory farming.  At the national level, we can ask our legislators to stop giving subsidies to the meat industry. For example, in the recent Farm Bill, a provision was stopped that would have given a $12 million subsidy for the U.S. veal industry.  On How the meat industry thrives, even as costs rise posted 2 years, 2 months ago 15 Responses

more info on polar bear hunting in Canada

For those that may not be familiar with the issue, Inuit hunters kill polar bears for subsistence, and they also sell a significant number of their subsistence tags to foreign sport hunters, mostly Americans. Two years ago, the government of Nunavut announced that they would be increasing hunting quotas for polar bears by as much as 28 percent.

I don't think anybody is trying to stop genuine subsistence hunting, but when polar bear numbers are decreasing and the ice is melting, a policy of selling permits to American and European trophy hunters makes absolutely no sense.

The trophy hunters offer large cash payments to the Inuit for killing the polar bears. Yes, there are many problems facing the Inuit, but there has to be a better way to help them economically than polar bear trophy hunting and the Canadian and Nunavut governments should be addressing this. And we in American can do our part by passing legislation that would ban our hunters from taking back polar bear hides.On U.S. study says two-thirds of polar bears will be gone by 2050 posted 2 years, 2 months ago 7 Responses

Different advice

I would advise Jaime not to start eating fish, for a number of ethical, health and environmental reasons. If you have "protein cravings" seek out the more protein rich plant-based foods like seitan and experiment with recipes.  

I do understand where Umbra is coming from when she suggests that those who start having animal protein cravings may want to go out and buy an animal and try to kill it, but I'm not sure if it's legal to acquire a pig or a cow for the purpose of killing if you live in a city or suburb and not on a farm, and I don't know how an untrained city or burb dweller could possibly humanely kill livestock in their homes.

Too bad slaughter houses don't open their doors to the public.  Next best option is to watch documentaries on the meat industry to remind yourself of why you went vegetarian in the first place. On Umbra on vegetarian remorse posted 2 years, 2 months ago 38 Responses

NRA at work

There was an amendment this year, S. 1406 & H.R. 2327, to the Marine Mammal Protection Act to repeal the provision allowing the import of polar bear trophies into the United States from Canada. Though the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved it, the amendment never made it out of the full Senate. It also passed a House committee, but was defeated in the full House because of lobbying by "sportsmen" and the NRA. Very disappointing that so many of our legislators value an American hunter's "right" to a polar bear rug more than the future of the species. Also disappointing that the Canadian government gives out so many permits to kill polar bears.  Unfortunately too few legislators or groups speak out for fear of offending the Inuit and the hunting lobby. On U.S. study says two-thirds of polar bears will be gone by 2050 posted 2 years, 2 months ago 7 Responses

Strange

If they offered a half price veggie burger, it might make slightly more sense.On Japan offers Micky D's as reward for climate change promises posted 2 years, 2 months ago 6 Responses

Agreed, Mostly

I'll always maintain that changing personal consumption patterns is an important piece of the puzzle, but nothing can take the place of public policy reforms.

In regards to those top 10 lists, I wouldn't mind them so much if they listed big-ticket ways to help, instead of some of the more wimpy "turn off the water when you brush your teeth" type ones. Top 10 actions that really will make a difference but may be polically risky for a mainstream publication to suggest would include:

Having less than 2 children (or none at all)

Moving closer to work so that you can drive significantly less (or not all)

Eating significantly less meat (or going vegetarian and eating none at all)

Downsizing your house

Stopping the purchase of new objects and buying only second hand

Putting your senators and congressperson's office number on speed dial on your cell phone and calling them every time an eco bill comes up for a vote.On Voluntary actions didn't get us civil rights, and they won't fix the climate posted 2 years, 3 months ago 61 Responses

Most mainstream stores now sell soy milk

It used to be harder to find soy milk at places other than Whole Foods and natural food stores but now I can find it at nearly all mainstream supermarkets, like Safeway and Giant. On USDA brings the enforcement hammer down on nation's largest organic dairy producer posted 2 years, 3 months ago 6 Responses

Good decision

Still won't ever go to Starbucks.  I prefer to make my own hot beverage at home and take it with me in my re-usable mug. On Starbucks vows to make 100 percent of its milk rBGH-free posted 2 years, 3 months ago 3 Responses

Homemade veggie burgers

Thank for the vegan recipes. Making homemade lentil, chick pea or black bean burgers is another main course alternative, if you have some time to prep before hand.

My citrus marinated grilled tofu was a big hit at the last bbq I went to.   On A guide to grilling without red meat posted 2 years, 3 months ago 17 Responses

Um, why are people keeping cougars as pets?

Seems like that should be illegal.  On Are cougars coming back to the Northeast? posted 2 years, 3 months ago 6 Responses

Dion supports seal slaughter

I also question whether Stephane Dion should be on this list. He supports Canada's commercial harp and hooded seal slaughter, even though climate change is having a huge impact on their populations and hunters couldn't even reach their quota of 270,000 seals this year because pups were so scarce due to the vanishing ice.

For more on this topic, and the environmental implications of the commercial seal hunt in Canada, visit:

Harp seal populations in the northwestern Atlantic: modelling populations with uncertainty-a 2006 report by Dr. Stephen Harris, Carl D. Soulsbury & Graziella Iossa, School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, UK
http://www.hsicanada.ca/pdfs/Harp-seal-populations-in-the ...

The Canadian Seal Hunt: No Management and No Plan
http://www.greenpeace.ca/e/feature/seals/seals_report_030 ...On 15 Green Politicians posted 2 years, 3 months ago 34 Responses

What's up with Amazon

Cockfighting is not only cruel, but also aids in the spread of avian influenza.

I just can't fathom why they would so steadfastly support magazines promoting such a cruel, and illegal, industry.  It's not like stopping the sale of these stupid magazines is going to significantly impact their profit margins.  Seems like they're losing lots good will for such marginal magazines. On Readers write in about presidential candidates, green lists, and Grist's "suck-it" chauvinism posted 2 years, 3 months ago 4 Responses

Morrissey should be runner up

I go back and forth between voting for Thom Yorke and Morrissey for the Sexiest Vegetarian contest each year. What can I say, I'm Anglophile and veggie-phile.  I think Eddie Veder is the only American I've ever voted for. On 15 Green Musicians and Bands posted 2 years, 3 months ago 29 Responses

babies, flights, cars and steaks

We need to have less babies, fly fewer planes, drive fewer cars and eat less meat. Those 4 actions need to be addressed if we have any hope.  Unfortunately that message is not going to get any candidates into office and that's why this issue is so difficult.  On We have what we need to beat global warming posted 2 years, 3 months ago 12 Responses

Giving antibiotics to healthy animals

I don't think there are any mainstream groups that advocate not giving antibiotics to animals on farms that are actually sick, but when the antibiotics are given routinely to all animals, healthy or sick, to prevent them from getting sick in the stressful, cramped conditions they're kept in, that's not only bad for animal welfare but also dangerous to human health and safety. When all animals on farms are given antibiotics, this is called "Non-Therapeutic Antibiotic Use".  Read more at this factsheet:

Human Health Implications of Non-Therapeutic Antibiotic Use
http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/research/pubhealth/hum ...

One whole category of drugs to fight influenza has been made useless because of it's over-use by Chinese poultry factory farmers.  On Umbra on organic pork posted 2 years, 3 months ago 19 Responses

Pig virus in China

This was in the NY Times today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/business/worldbusiness/ ...

"Virus Spreading Alarm and Pig Disease in China
CHENGDU, China, Aug. 9 -- A highly infectious swine virus is sweeping China's pig population, driving up pork prices and creating fears of a global pandemic among domesticated pigs.

In Gu Yi, a village in Sichuan Province, a veterinarian's banner claims he can cure blue-ear disease, but the virus still spreads.
Animal virus experts say Chinese authorities are playing down the gravity and spread of the disease."

As the demand for red meat and poultry in China continues to increase, factory farming will dominate and we'll likely be seeing more of these horrific viruses. There are absolutely no official animal welfare regulations for farm animals in China.  It's unfortanate that China is taking up the unhealthy and dangerous western habitat of eating large quantities of meat on a regular basis.
On Umbra on organic pork posted 2 years, 3 months ago 19 Responses

Organic soy

Not all vegetarians and vegans subsist on only soy products. Most vegetarians I know, myself included, make an effort to vary protein sources, and to buy organic and local produce. And most of the soy products available at places like Whole Foods are organic, so don't blame vegetarians on the over-use of pesticides. In fact, in a previous Grist column, Umbra mentioned research on the environmental impacts of soy compared to the environmental impacts of beef, and soy was clearly the winner. It takes a tremendous amount of pesticides to grow feed for livestock and poultry. And there are the greenhouse emissions from livestock.

As for hunting, one of my concerns has always been that in places where deer, elk, or moose numbers are low, hunters seem to always lobby for killing seasons on their predators. For example, in Alaska, hunters are killing wolves to boost moose numbers, in some areas in the southwest, hunters want seasons on mountain lion to boost elk numbers and in Maine, trappers are killing coyotes with the cruel neck snare to boost deer numbers. So I've always had a hard time taking seriously that hunters care so genuinely about the ecosystem. On Umbra on sustainable meat posted 2 years, 3 months ago 32 Responses

tofu

"And they taste a helluva lot better than regular eggs or, ick, tofu."

Evidently you don't know much about tofu, since it's not meant to have a taste, it's meant to absorb the taste of the flavors you cook/prepare it with. Asian cultures have been cooking with tofu for years. If you're eating plain tofu, of course it's going to be "icky."  Try making chocoloate mousse with silken tofu and you'll see what I mean.
On Yolk, yolk, yolk ... posted 2 years, 3 months ago 14 Responses

bush meat trade

I think eco groups need to make tackling the bush meat trade a priority. In some quarters I think some groups may see it as taboo to campaign against what many people see as subsistance hunting, but it's clear that what's happening is not subsistance. Nobody should have to kill and eat exotic wildlife to survive.  There's many environmental problems with livestock as well, so partnering with aid groups to promote sustainable plant-based diets in these impoverished areas would be a smart move.On Newsweek's cover story deserves Pulitzer -- and global action posted 2 years, 3 months ago 5 Responses

Agree with akbeancounter

No, I don't think "it would be beneficial and productive to promote the use of free range instead of avoiding all meat-eating altogether?" We should promote free-range, humane certified and grass-fed over the conventional crap, but not over healthier more sustainable plant-based alternatives.

If you're already vegetarian, great, stay that way, as the vegetarian diet has less of an environmental impact than even diets based on grass-fed livestock. Livestock, even grass-fed, emmits significant quantities of greenhouse gases like methane and ammonia.  Switching livestock from grain-fed to grass-fed reduces the emmissions, but does not eliminate them.

"eg. lowering the cost of such meats" I umderstand where you're coming from, but we need more people going vegetarian or vegan to reduce the cost of meat and dairy substitutes and other plant-based sources of protein! On Umbra on sustainable meat posted 2 years, 3 months ago 32 Responses

Agree with Keaty

Well, said. The false dichotomy thing was my first thought when I read the article in the Times.  Vegetarian food runs the specrum between salads on the light side and more hearty fare.  I've rarely just ordered a salad at a restaurant.  

Interesting that in the UK, news articles have described how eager people are to show off their eco-friendliness in order to attract mates. Wish the same could be said in NY City.  At any rate, I've never had a man express disapproval of my my veggie diet. And if a man did give you a hard time for having a vegetarian/vegan diet diet, I think that should give a woman signals that he's not the most open-minded and tolerant of people. On NYT dating advice: Eat more flesh posted 2 years, 3 months ago 24 Responses

Antibiotic use

Since the woman who wrote in to Umbra mentioned bring home the tofu-bacon, (by the way, the best place to get great tofu-bacon is the restaurant Vegetae in DC; amazing veggie brunches), I'm assuming she probably doesn't buy animal products, but I would advise anybody who does to listen to Umbra's suggestion to not only eat less of them, but to make sure to only buy free-range/organic/grass-fed/local/humane-raised, etc. because the antibiotics and hormones are really dangerous to people, as well as harmful to animal welfare.  Here's a good discussion of antibiotic use on factory farms: http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/research/pubhealth/hum ...On Umbra on prioritizing organic purchases posted 2 years, 3 months ago 10 Responses

Yuck

And all those eggs are probably coming from factory farms that keep hens in battery cages that are so small the hens can't even spread their wings.  

Make your own homemade vegan sweets and skip the processed junk.  On Where your dinner is mined posted 2 years, 3 months ago 2 Responses

Awww

Thanks for the story, askantik. That's inspiring!On From Vegans to Vengeance posted 2 years, 3 months ago 6 Responses

184 passenger miles per gallon pretty impressive

I've been taking the bus a lot more lately. Once you get in the habit, it's a lot better than driving. On Greyhound gets some competition from Megabus.com posted 2 years, 4 months ago 5 Responses

beef industry

biodiversivist: "His idea that the beef industry should bear the costs of transporting bulky grass instead of cellulosic biofuel refineries suggests that cellulosic may go the way of hydrogen because of high costs. Food producers and fuel producers are just now starting to go head to head over resources. Will our politicians give deference to our cars?"

If beef and dairy prices go up as a result, I'm certainly not going to lose sleep over it since Americans need to be eating far less meat and dairy anyhow.  On It's a thing posted 2 years, 4 months ago 9 Responses

Voted for him in 2004

And I'll vote for him again in 2008. He's no doubt the most sincere when it comes to environmental and animal protection policies. On An interview with Dennis Kucinich about his presidential platform on energy and the environment posted 2 years, 4 months ago 34 Responses

Some tournaments still killing sharks

There are still dozens of shark killing tournaments on the west, east and Gulf coasts in the U.S. and in Nova Scotia, Canada. The Monster Shark Tournament in Martha's Vineyard is one of the worst. This one and others still target porbeagle sharks, which are critically endangered, though fortunately the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) is currently proposing to add them to the prohibited species list. Most tournaments also kill mako and thresher sharks, which are both listed as "threatened" by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).  

Though shark finning is responsible for the majority of shark deaths by humans, I still think the U.S. and Canadian governments should do more to crack down on the recreational/trophy killing of shark species that are in great decline.

In regards to shark finning, I was horrified to see shark fin soup on the menu at a restaurant in Chinatown a few months ago.  Anybody have experience or advice on getting shark fins off the menu at restaurants near you? On Get the facts, dispel the myths posted 2 years, 4 months ago 4 Responses

Agreed

I think every movement has this problem.  On A note to the environmentally self-righteous posted 2 years, 4 months ago 15 Responses

Sounds pretty cruel to me

Zoos that can't ensure that visitors don't interact in a harmful way with animals should be shut down.  A few months ago British singer Peter Doherty was caught giving a joint to a penguin at a zoo in England. A biologist later said it could have killed the animal. So it's not very amusing to me when I hear about stunts like this. On Sighted in a Saudia Arabian zoo posted 2 years, 4 months ago 3 Responses

Even if I didn't care about the earth...

...I'd probably still bike just to save money. On Alan Durning on whether biking is for children and for losers posted 2 years, 4 months ago 26 Responses

Can't wait to see it

I admit it, I love films about cute animals in cold places too. Especially those with a message. On An interview with the directors of Arctic Tale posted 2 years, 4 months ago 1 Response

Wild Oats, I'll miss you

I really liked the Wild Oats I shopped with when I lived in Utah.  I shop at Whole Foods mostly, since better selection of vegetarian/vegan foods than any other store, as well as the farmer's market during the summer. Though I don't like supporting a monopoly, there aren't many alternavites, unless I want to drive 15 miles to the other closest natural food store. On Why the FTC is right to block Whole Foods' buyout of Wild Oats posted 2 years, 4 months ago 28 Responses

Protecting old growth

One of the most effective tactics in fighting climate change is protecting old growth forests, so if the timber industry was really that concerned, they'd keep their hands off the little remaining old growth forest left on this plant.  Next time you're in the wood product market, visit the third-party certification group Forest Stewardship Council at www.fsc.org for guidelines. On Making things out of wood sequesters carbon, turns out posted 2 years, 4 months ago 6 Responses

Interesting observation

I think your observation is probably correct with 90% of the time.

For me, its unimaginable why anybody would not want to carpool (assuming you don't loath the potential carpool mate).  Good for environment, cheaper, less stressful, hello????  Even when I was in highschool, when gas was still pretty cheap, I was always trying to organize carpooling. On A gender fender mind-bender posted 2 years, 4 months ago 12 Responses

battery cages and eggs

"All uncanned animals and their products need to be refrigerated."

Yet another reason to start eating more mealess meals!

The reason salmonella poisoning is increasing in the U.S. is because of intensification of egg producing facilities. Does is really shock people that the worse you treat animals, the more often their products will be contaminated? Eggs used to come from hens out in the barn yard. Now they mostly come from factory farms, where hens are kept beak to beak in tiny battery cages with not even enough space to spread their wings.  Consider the many egg alternatives available when baking or scrambling. At the very least, switch to free-range, local eggs. On Umbra on refrigerator downsizing posted 2 years, 4 months ago 34 Responses

Scandinavians and osteoporosis

"Veganism is more than a diet. It is a quasi-religious mindset."

That's a sweeping generalization and very unfair. To me, being vegan is a pragmatic way to help reduce animal suffering and environmental destruction and improve my health. There's nothing religious about it. A vegan diet doesn't have to be "boring" if you are willing to experiment every now and then and have an open mind about trying new plant-based foods. I think my diet is many times more diverse since I gave up meat 13 years ago and dairy and eggs 5 years ago.  

Somebody brought up Scandinavians and dairy consumption. It's interesting that the incidence of hip fractures (a good indicator of osteoporosis) in countries that have the highest dairy consumption in the world (like Norway, Sweden, and the United States) is 50 times greater than in countries like New Guinea and South Africa that have extremely low consumption of dairy products (and animal products in general).  The point being that you don't need meat and dairy to have healthy bones, despite all the ads from the U.S. dairy indusry telling us otherwise.

At any rate, I applaud Christine and anybody else who is eating more meatless meals and making sure to only buy locally raised and organic meat. I think people who are concerned about these issues (animal cruelty, environmental destruction and spread of diseases caused by factory farming), whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian, should stop bickering and work together to make the public at large realize that our current diets based on factory farmed meat is harmful and that factory farmed meat (including fish from fish farms) is best left out of our diets. On On the difficulties of going veggie posted 2 years, 4 months ago 65 Responses

Sounds like a misguided policy

"If that's going to be their policy, then how about restoring all Federal land to what it looked like when European settlers first saw it?"

Well put. Agreed.On Park Service hacks down some trees in Pa. posted 2 years, 4 months ago 29 Responses

Animal Exploitation hurts us as well

It may be idealistic, but I think agree with GreenEngineer, that on most occasions "human needs can be met while meeting, or even by meeting, the needs of nature."  If you look at the reasons most wild and domestic animals are being harmed, it's for reasons that have little to do with human well being (think ivory, fur,  feathers, folk remedies, sport/recreation/entertaninment-do we really need this?), and in some instances our exploitation of animals actually does us harm. For example, our exploitation of poultry on factory farms not only cuases large amounts of pollution but will likely lead to a bird flu pandemic that will kill millions of people.  So when we stop exploiting animals and take into consideration their habitat needs, in the long run it's better for us.  
On And a bit of introspection posted 2 years, 4 months ago 8 Responses

Please also boycott Canadian seafood

I still advocate for grilling some marinated tofu or seitan rather than meat or seafood, but I thank Roz for providing this info because I do agree that some seafood choices are better than others.

If you do consume seafood, please boycott any type of seafood from Canada because of the commercial seal slaughter for fur, which is conducted by the fishing industry. The Canadian fishing industry blames the harp seals for the decline in the cod fishery, though all evidence points to human overfishing as the main culprit. Common types of Canadian seafood include snow crab, shrimp lobster, and cod.  In the U.S., Country of Origin Labelling (COOl) for seafood will tell you what country the item is from.  For more info, visit www.ProtectSeals.org On All you need for summer seafood splendor posted 2 years, 4 months ago 22 Responses

Control the animal agribusiness industry

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) detailed the widespread and significant environmental problems posed by animal agribusiness in the report, Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, which examined how animal agribusiness is a major contributor to global climate change--generating even more greenhouse gases than cars--and causes massive land and water degradation on a global scale.  
http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/ ...

In light of this report, if I were climate change czar, I would put an end to meat and dairy factory farming and any type of subsidy to the meat or dairy industry.  On What rules would you impose to address global heating if you were posted 2 years, 5 months ago 7 Responses

Try a nice glass of soy milk

The best way to avoid supporting mega-dairy operations is to reduce or eliminate dairy products from your diet. There are plant based alternatives to almost every type of dairy product.  With products like organice soy milk, you don't have to worry about the cruel treatment of cows and veal calves, inhumane slaughter practices, hormones, antibiotics, the release of greenhouse gases like methane (emmitted when cows fart), mad cow disease, and the massive water pollution caused by manure.  Companies like Horizon, that market themselves as "green" don't even let their cows graze on pasture.  On Dairy farmers' organic practices called into question posted 2 years, 5 months ago 13 Responses

Yuck

It's disappointing to see so many unsustainable food choices in many of these profiles.  All that soda (individual bottles) and fast food.  And way too much meat. Each group had some amount of fresh fruit and vegetables but not nearly enough.  On Lots of fruits and bread in Sicily; lots of junk in North Carolina posted 2 years, 5 months ago 6 Responses

CAFOs definitely a bad thing

I think environmental groups should be stepping up campaigning against factory farms, other wise known as CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). Animal protection groups are campaigning against them and Sierra Club and a few other eco groups as well but it would be nice to see some other big name eco NGOs make it a priority.  Too controversial I guess.  Too afraid of loosing their bacon eating high donors.

Besides the cruelty issues, CAFOs are horrific for the environment and wildlife on so many levels that we shouldn't allow the industry to greenwash.  It's good to see that no reputable eco group has endorsed this turkey manure power plant to date. There are many other renewable energy options without having to resort to supporting the factory farming inndustry. On Great idea or load of crap? posted 2 years, 5 months ago 7 Responses

If you do a sports villian list

I can think of lots of sports stars to top the eco and ethically challenged. Anybody who does Nascar (think of the mass amounts of gasoline burned for no real reason in all those races). All the Russian figure skaters that wear those disgusting huge fur coats. And dog-fighting NFL star Michael Vick whose property in Virginia was raided by police, who found 60 pit bulls and similar breeds, some scarred and in poor condition. They also found blood-soaked carpeting and dog fighting paraphernalia.
On 15 Green Sports Stars posted 2 years, 6 months ago 15 Responses

Hormones and antibiotics

Hormones and antibiotics being given to livestock in such large quantities is so incredibly inhumane and unhealthy and state and local governments should definitely be allowed to ban these practices. Ideally the federal government would ban this like some other nations in Europe have but unfortunately the USDA is too beholden to the factory farming industry.  

Some good news is that some states like New York are considering bans on live poultry markets. For more news on efforts to combat factory farming visit:
www.HumaneEating.org On Threatening local control in our food system posted 2 years, 6 months ago 7 Responses

Daniel Pauly

I'm not familiar with all the names either, but Daniel Pauly is a very enlightened fisheries scientist. He's Professor of Fisheries at the Fisheries Centre of the University of British Columbia.  He's spoken out against the tendency of blaming marine mammals such as whales and seals on fisheries declines, which is important given how much the fishing industry in Japan and Norway complain about whales eating all their fish, and the same in Canada with the harp, hooded and grey seals. ("More seal fur coats equals more fish for us" is one of the Canadian sealing industry's more dubious assertions.)

Read his report at
http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/FoodForThought_v2.pdf
On Top scientists appeal to WTO posted 2 years, 6 months ago 5 Responses

With less subsidies, more vegetarians!

The sooner the subdidies stop the better. Let consumers pay the full price for their sushi. If they had to do that, most would probably end up choosing the vegetarian sushi. On WTO talks could end fishing subsidies posted 2 years, 6 months ago 8 Responses

Great idea

Sounds like coming up with the process of measuring carbon will be a headache but I think it needs to be done and will be very valuable for consumers.  Yes, its obvious that the products you buy from overseas are going to have high carbon footprints, but it's good to be reminded of that with an actual number.

Also, why only focus on carbon? What about other greenhouse gases such as methane?  Products that come from livestock, such as meat, leather and cows, would have a particularly high methane footprint since cows put such large amounts of methane and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It would be great for all those meat eating "environmentalists" to be reminded of how climate-unfriendly meat truly is. On Can a bag of potato chips point the way to saving the planet? posted 2 years, 6 months ago 10 Responses

Great heroine to a nine year old

I did a report on Rachel in fourth grade and she's been an inspiration to me ever since.  

Most people don't reaize that she was also an animal protection advocate and condemned factory farming, which was taking off around the time of her book.On I shall speak now and then forever hold my peace posted 2 years, 6 months ago 20 Responses

Simpler definitely best

I must be one of the few ladies in the country that can truthfully say I've never had wedding fantasies.  Luckily neither has my partner. He once threw out the idea of a "commitment ceremony" which we both soundly rejected after 2 minutes of discussing how much it would cost and the effort it would take. We're just too practical. So many other ways I'd like to spend our limited time and money.On Green weddings are no better than white ones posted 2 years, 6 months ago 11 Responses

More links to info about exotic pet trade

Humane Society of the United States:
Should Wild Animals Be Kept as Pets? http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/shoul ...

Animal Protection Institute: More Beautiful Wild
www.morebeautifulwild.com/

Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition
www.cwapc.orgOn Umbra on cane toads posted 2 years, 6 months ago 11 Responses

Fish oil

I just signed the petition too.

Interesting about the fish oil as well, and the presence of mercury and PCBs.  I think there should more of an effort to raise awareness about the harmful pollutants in fish oil, since so lots of people seem to be jumping on the fish oil bandwagon lately.  You can get omega 3 fatty acids from ground flax seed and flax oil as well, and you don't have to worry about high levels of mercury and other pollutants with flax. On 'Organic' beer with conventional hops, and other USDA wishes posted 2 years, 6 months ago 4 Responses

Questionable choice of artists

When you invite celebrities that have done nothing for the environment or climate change issue and are known for being massive consumers (just think of all the diamond rings and fur coats J Lo and Madonna own), it kind of de-legitimizes the whole event.  I like the Live Earth idea, but I think there should be a focus on getting only celebs that are genuinely involved and concerned about the issue.  On And if I could work another 7 in there, I would posted 2 years, 6 months ago 5 Responses

Throw in some greens

Everybody, not just vegans/vegetarians, can benefit from more green leafly vegetables like spinich, kale and chard. They have lots of iron and calcium-good for athletes. You can add them really easily to pasta sauce and stir fries.  We always keep a frozen bag of spinich to add to our creations. On From Possums to Paddling posted 2 years, 6 months ago 4 Responses

Every day is bike to work day for me!

Well, except when I'm on vacation. And even then I might be biking.  On The wheels on the bike go round and round ... posted 2 years, 6 months ago 6 Responses

Third

"ending natural resource subsidies of all kinds should be the #1 priority for environmentalists."

I third it.

Actually can we have 2 priorities- ending natural resource subsidies AND industrial animal-agribusiness? On Senators call for a worldwide end to fishing subsidies posted 2 years, 6 months ago 20 Responses

Boycott

I'm boycotting the Vancouver Olympics because of the Canadian government's support of the commercial seal slaughter.  On Not lookin' so good posted 2 years, 6 months ago 3 Responses

Religion the problem?

Maybe it's because of the Evangelical Christian conservatives that climate change is a hands-off issue for most Republicans. Since they believe that our actions don't really effect our future, it's all in God's plan for us.  

Or it could just be that oil and coal companies are super wealthy and generous with contributions to the GOP. On From that new French dude posted 2 years, 6 months ago 2 Responses

Becoming politically active

I think that just blaming the corporations and static governments while not making any reforms yourself is taking the easy way out. We all need to make changes in our everyday lives. But just making lifestyle changes is not enough, all of us that are concerned about the planet and its inhabitants, human and animal, should involved in pressuring governments and businesses into reform as well. We need to have a larger voice in the political and economic worlds. So those who just stay home and just do organic gardening, I say to you get involved with politics as well, at any level, from arm chair activism to volunteering or working for a green candidate. On Technoscientific and ... not posted 2 years, 7 months ago 35 Responses

Similar proposal needed for commercial seal hunt

I think the buy-out idea should be used for the commercial seal slaughter in Canada, as well as other countries that have commercial seal hunts such as Namibia and Norway.  Climate change is destroying habitat that harp seals in the Northwest Atlantic need to have their pups and its likely their population will continue to decline as climate change becomes worse.  The commercial seal hunt only exists because of subsidies to the fur and sealing industries from the Canadian government and Newfoundland provincial government.  Since it brings in so little money, after the costs and subsidies are accounted for, I think a license retirement program should be the solution. Healthy marine ecosystems need predators like seals, whales and sharks and commercial hunting just adds to the uneven balance of predator and prey. On Working with the fishing industry, Orri Vigfússon protects North Atlantic salmon posted 2 years, 7 months ago 2 Responses

enough with the stereotypes

My ivy league alumni co-worker went to college fully paid for by scholarships, works for a non-profit, is neutered, rides his bike to work, eats a vegan diet, lives in a one bedroom apartment, and donates most of his salary. Thus, his eco-footprint is probably far lower than most "middle-Americans".  Our society, for better or worse, expects decision makers to go to the best schools, so I'd like to see more people who want to change the world go to top schools, so they can have the credibility and knowledge to take on the Roves of the world. On Some students don't want to go carbon neutral posted 2 years, 7 months ago 36 Responses

The right approach

Hammer's story is really inspiring.  I think these types of programs are much better solutions than the ones that promote trophy hunting by westerners, supposedly to raise money for "conservation." On Hammer Simwinga provides alternatives to African poaching posted 2 years, 7 months ago 2 Responses

Canada mis-behaving again

In regards to the What the Flick item, you'd think that with all those harp seal pups drowning in the Northwest Atlantic because of loss of ice (well, those that weren't clubbed or shot for their fur), Canadian politicians would be united around saving energy.On From Flushing to Flooding posted 2 years, 7 months ago 5 Responses

A smarter reform

I think one of the most efficient reforms in agriculture we could do is take the mass amounts of land currently devoted towards raising livestock and the feed crops that are given to them and used that land to grow more fruits, vegetables, and plant-based sources of proteins. Governments and NGOs should be doing a lot more than they currently are to promote a decrease in animal protein consumption. On Can we live with skyscraper farms? posted 2 years, 7 months ago 29 Responses

Egg Alternative tips

This useful info is from the Toronto Veg Assocation website: http://veg.ca/content/view/131/112/

Tips for eggless baking:

1. Find vegan recipes and try them before converting your old favourites. See our breakfast page and recipes page.
   
2. Eggless cake batters should be slightly thicker than those made with eggs so avoid adding too much extra liquid.
   
3. Use pastry flour instead of regular flour.
   
4. To give extra leavening, add an extra 1/2 to 1 tsp baking powder.
   
5. Removing eggs from a cake recipe may result in a slightly stickier mix. Use a non-stick baking pan, or oil the pan then dust with flour.

Scrambled tofu. A popular commercial product called "Tofu Scrambler" can be used to turn tofu into a delicious dish that resembles scrambled eggs. It is available in natural food stores and in most supermarkets. Or make your own: crumble tofu with a fork then gently fry with a spoonful of turmeric and a dash of salt. See full recipe on our breakfast page.

Replacing eggs in casseroles, burgers and loaves
Eggs used in casseroles, burgers and lentil loaves are used primarily for binding. There are a number of savoury substitutes, including flour, tomato paste, mashed potato, mashed avocado, tahini, nut butters, and moistened breadcrumbs or rolled oats.
On Earth Dinners keep cuisine and conversation flowing posted 2 years, 7 months ago 10 Responses

They're still "pups" by any standard

Yes, we all know that "whitecoat" seals can't be killed, as the Canadian government keeps on pointing this out to any one that will listen. Which I find ironic, given how hard the Canadian government and the fur industry fought in the 1980s against the ban on the importation of fur from "whitecoat" harp seals in Europe. Canada only banned killing "whitecoats" because the market collapsed in Europe. Now they act so proud of it.

But now they allow a seal to be killed once it starts shedding even a little bit of white fur. If you view the 2007 footage of the slaughter on the website of Humane Society International-Canada, you'll see that "ragged jackets" (seals just beginning to shed their white fur) are being killed. The vast majority of the pups being killed, whether "ragged jackets" or "beaters" (seal pups that have lost all of their white fur), have not yet had their first solid meal or taken their first swim-and they literally have no escape from the hunters. So this is definitely not a "fair chase" hunt. Well over ninety-five percent of the seals killed are under three months of age. For an animal who may live more than 35 years, and doesn't reach sexual maturity until about 5 years old, these are "babies" or "pups" by any standard.

Many scientists agree current kill levels are not sustainable. A 2006 study by Professor Stephen Harris from the School of Biological Sciences at Bristol University asserts that "the Canadian management regime for harp seals does not apply a precautionary principle and threatens the survival of seal populations."

While awareness of what really happens at the seal hunt is increasing in the U.S., Europe and around the world, unfortunately in Canada, the media (which is often government-subsidized, like the CBC) gives a "sanitized" version of the annual harp seal slaughter. Though international journalists, independent veterinarians, European parliamentarians, and observers from animal protection organizations routinely witness and document seals left to suffocate in their own blood, conscious seal pups dragged across the ice floes with boat hooks, and conscious seals reacting in pain as they are skinned alive, the Canadian media rarely airs or prints any of this footage. Thus, many Canadians do not even realize how cruel, and unsustainable, this tax-payer subsidized seal slaughter truly is. And they don't often realize how poorly the Canadian goverment regulates the slaughter. This type of behavior from the Canadian media is disappointing from a nation that prides itself on being so much more open, fair, and compassionate than other nations.On Drown and Out posted 2 years, 7 months ago 7 Responses

Andrea

I second the Vegan With a Vengeance cookbook recommendation. Another nice one is Vegan World Fusion.  A whole foods, locally-based vegan diet is what I strive for. I've got the vegan thing down and am working on the local.  A great non-animal based, non-transfat alternative to butter and margerine is Earth Balance, which is olive oil-based and delicious.

In addition to being inhumane and unhealthy, I think our dependence on factory farmed meat and poultry (and sometimes fish) is one of our biggest environmental problems in the western world, and unfortunately we're spreading these practices to developing nations. Hense bird flu.On How a cookbook renaissance heated up the sustainable-food movement posted 2 years, 9 months ago 18 Responses

Situation with seals in Canada

Thank you Castre for your take on the situation on whaling in Japan.  

I see a similarity with what's happening with whales in Japan with what's happening in Canada with seals.  The commercial seal slaughter makes no scientific or economic sense, but it does benefit the Canadian politicians on the east coast.

The Canadian government is subsidizing the slaughter of harp and hooded seals, despite opinion polls that show the majority of Canadians want the large scale commercial hunt to end.  The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has invested millions of dollars of taxpayer in promoting and defending the seal hunt around the world. They're lobbying heavily against bans on seal fur in the European Union and they invested money on finding new markets for seal meat, though to date, few people outside of aboriginal communities, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Magdalen Islands have developed a taste for seal meat. They unsuccessfully tried to market "seal pepperoni." But because there is such a small market for seal meat, less than 10% of the seal meat is collected, according to sealing spokespeople.  

Thus the main value in the hunt is for the fur for the international fashion industry. Though sealing supporters claim the seal hunt is a market driven hunt, there's no hiding the fact that one of the primary motivations for conducting the seal hunt is the notion, spread by many of the east coast fishermen and the politicians, that the harp seals were the cause of the infamous cod collapse in the 1990s.

We all know that it was government incompetance and unreasonably high quotas that caused the cod collapse, but marine mammals are easy scapegoats, whether in Canada, Japan, or Norway.  

There is currently no evidence that harp seals are impeding the recovery of cod stocks.  The decline of cod and other fisheries is obviously caused by over-fishing, not marine mammals. But its easier for Canadian ministers to call for an increase in seal hunting than it is to implement fisheries recovery programs that include strict quotas.

More than 50 years of studies indicate that Atlantic cod is a minor constituent of the harp seal diet.  Science (and common sense) clearly shows us that seal and fish populations interact in a mutually beneficial way.  Harp seals help keep groundfish populations healthy and abundant. As we've seen in fishing communities around the world, as long as seals and fisheries overlap, commercial fishing interests will want to remove seals from the eco-system.  However, there is no scientific evidence that the culling of large marine predators has ever benefited a commercial fishery.  

The Canadian government claims the harp seal population is not impacted by the commercial slaughter, but with over half of the pups born each year being killed for their fur, some scientists predict that in several years, the effects of the hunt will be evident. Today's kill levels meet and even exceed those of the 1950s and 60s. And today seals have a new threat to contend with - climate change.  Poor ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where many harp seals give birth, may already be negatively affecting the species.

So I believe that the issue of the commercial seal hunt in Canada is both an ethical and environmental concern that needs to be addressed by all groups concerned with these matters.  We need to address the demand for fur, and we need to advocate for sensible fishing policies, in order to help stop marine mammals from constantly being scapegoated for decreased fish stocks. On If environmentalism doesn't include animal welfare, why not? posted 3 years, 2 months ago 65 Responses

Word choice

Though I'm vegan, I agree that "murder" isn't the best word to use to describe the killing of animals for any commercial purposes. I've just always been a logical, straightforward person who doesn't like to be sensationalistic. If we want people to stop being so defensive about their dietary and other lifestyle choices, I don't think "murder" is the right word.

I'm vegan as much out of respect for animals as for concern for the environment, and I don't like the author's insinuation that veganism doens't have much to do with helping the earth.  Factory farming, whether for meat, dairy or egg products, causes tremendous pollution, habitat degredation and resource waste.  Over 95% of animal products sold in the U.S. comes from factory farms. When there is a diet that is actually healthier, according to many scientific studies, why choose a diet that greatly harms the environment (and animals)?  

I also don't like the author's implication that meat eating is pleasurable but a vegetarian diet is not.  He (or she) needs to get to more of the amazing vegetarian restaurants that are sprouting up across the country (and around the world).  

I think when people start getting defensive about their diets, or any lifestyle choice, they start calling the opposite view a "religion".  I don't know any vegans or vegetarians that consider veganism or vegetarianism a "religion".  Sometimes, we might make jokes, but mainly we see not eating animals and their products as a practical way to help reduce the cruelty and environmental destruction we see happening around us. I don't think that's fanatical in any way. On Can you 'murder' a chicken? posted 3 years, 2 months ago 25 Responses