WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT DROUGHT

WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT DROUGHT

Wildfires, drought, and water shortages have been in the news lately. Now parts of California are sinking because of water use.  Most parts of the USA are getting belong average rain. Here in Wisconsin, our rainfall is 7 inches below normal.

We know we need to do something to save water. So we wash our cars less, stop watering our grass, and take shorter showers. All good measures, but the single, most effective way to save water, is simple:  Switch to a plant based diet. 

Water usage

1 pound of lettuce   23 gallons

1 pound of tomatoes  23 gallons

1 pound of potatoes 24 gallons        

1 pound of wheat 25 gallons

1 pound of carrots  33 gallons          

1 pound of apples  49 gallons

1 pound of chicken  815 gallons       

1 pound of pork 1630 gallons

1 pound of beef  5214 gallons

Taking an average length shower every day for a year  5200 gallons

These figures are from the University of California agricultural extension.

Underneath our land are water reservoirs, called aquifers that hold our ground water. We are pumping more water out of these aquifers then can be replaced. We pump more than 13 trillion gallons out of the Ogallala aquifer alone, with over half of that going to livestock. When we over pump aquifers, the land over the aquifer starts to give way, which is what is happening in California.

Besides using up our water, animal agriculture is polluting it at an alarming rate. Years ago, most farms were small and widely scattered. Now, the majority of farms are factory farms, where up to 23,000 animals are confined in small areas. You can just imagine the water they must use for that many animals.  And you can imagine the waste 23,000 animals must make.  Farming has become a multi-billion dollar a year industry. It is the largest lobbyist in state and federal governments. The EPA is usually powerless against them. Millions of gallons of animal waste is washed untreated into our rivers and lakes.  There is a 7000 square mile area dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Mississippi River flows into it in Louisiana.  Nothing can live in these dead zones. Smaller dead zones are popping up around the Great Lakes, around factory farm zones.  Green Bay, Wisconsin has one in Lake Michigan.

Local communities usually have to bear the cost of cleaning up after these factory farms.  Some try to file lawsuits, but that can take years. Meanwhile, factory farm owners continue to make money, use water, destroy land, and pollute our rivers and lakes.

We need to think about future generations and what type of world they will inherit from us. Do we want to give them a dry desert type planet like Mars, or a vibrant, full of life planet?

The only true solution to the water crisis, is Go Vegan.

Not only will you be saving our planet, but you will be saving billions of animals every year.  

THE INCREDIBLY CRUEL EGG INDUSTRY

THE INCREDIBLY CRUEL EGG INDUSTRY

A recent article in the New York Times, covered diseases that spread in the egg industry. Ex-Egg Industry Executives Jailed in Salmonella Outbreak - The New York Times

Diseases like salmonella are very common in the industry, just because of the way farms are designed.  Factory farms fit as many animals as possible into as small as space as possible with as little care as possible.  The industry itself decides what is humane.  They are not covered by any animal cruelty laws, so the industry gets away with pretty much anything.  Factory farms are an epidemic waiting to happen.  According to the movie “Resistance” 148,000 Americans die every year from superbugs.  Superbugs are bacteria that mutated to become antibiotic resistance.  80% of all antibiotics used in the world are given to animals in factory farms.  Factory farms are so over- crowded and because they want to grow animals as big as possible in as little time as they can, animals are pumped full of drugs-hormones and antibiotics. This should be a big concern to everyone on this planet.

Animal abuse should also be a big concern to everyone. Chickens are among the most abused animals on this planet. They are slammed into small cages, one on top of another, and given a living space smaller than your IPad. That is how they spend their entire life. Feces from other chickens dropping on their heads, fighting for space, fighting for life. “Free range” hens are just the same without cages.  Farmers will withhold food from them for up to 3 weeks.  This is called forced molting.  They do this because during molting season, chickens lay more eggs.  Not only do they lay more eggs, but they will lose most of their feathers and strength in the process.  We would be arrested if we did this to our pets, but factory farms are not covered by animal cruelty laws.

There is an egg farm near my home, so I did some research on it.  It is called the S&R Egg Farm.  They proudly boast about their fresh eggs-no hormones, no antibiotics. They even offer for sale a DVD about their history. They advertise it as “the deeply moving story”.

This egg farm proudly boasts they have 2.4 million chickens and 151 employees.  That means each employee has to take care of 16,000 chickens.  Could you take care of 16,000 pets?  Keep in mind that out of those 151 employees, many have nothing to do with the care of chickens. Many work in the offices and in shipping and receiving. So that figure of 16,000 per worker is very generous.

S&R Egg farms proudly shows a picture of chickens that are crammed into cages, with cages on top of each other with the caption “world leader in science based animal welfare”.  As I said above, the industry itself determines what is humane and what is not. You can just look at this picture and see this is no way to treat an animal.

S&R Egg farms has a giant chicken in front of their facility, yet that is the only chicken you will ever see. These poor birds are keep in barns and never get to see the light of day. They do not get fresh air, only fans. In most egg farms, the air inside the chicken barns is so toxic, you need a mask to go in.  A chicken normally can live to be 10-12 years, but in the egg industry it’s 18 months. Once their egg production slows down they are killed. It’s all about money.

I have tried to contact S&R to find out what they do with male chicks and have not received an answer yet. Standard practice in the industry is to discard the male chicks as they are useless.  They do not lay eggs and they will not develop large enough for meat. So male chicks are either thrown alive down a meat grinder, or tossed into trash bags and suffocated.  Again, these practices are considered “humane” by the industry.

I have pet chickens and I can personally tell you they are amazing animals. They are smart, friendly, and loving. Scientists consider chickens descendants of dinosaurs.  Yet, we kill over 314 million chickens every year for eggs and meat. You can help save chickens. Ditch the eggs, take cruelty off your plate, go vegan, please.

Additional sources to learn more:

What Cody Saw

Undercover Investigations at Factory Farms - Mercy For Animals

http://www.fowlplaymovie.com/favicon.ico

RESISTANCE

SCALLOPINI

VEGAN SCALLOPINI

1 clove garlic diced

4 ounces sliced mushrooms

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup water

1 vegan bouillon cube

¼ cup white grape juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

1 package Gardein® Chick’n Scallopini

Brown garlic in olive oil, add mushrooms, water, bouillon cube grape juice, lemon juice and seasonings. Heat to boil. Add Gardein® , cook until heated through.  You can thicken the sauce with cornstarch if desired.  To serve, place a piece of the Gardein® on a plate, top with sauce. You can serve with mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice. Quick, easy, and cruelty free. 

THE CHOICES WE MAKE

THE CHOICES WE MAKE

 

We Americans have so many choices--so many stores to shop at, so many products to buy. We are fortunate to have the choices and we are fortunate to be able to make our own choices.  Many of us, however, have not realized how important our choices can be and how our choices affect others, and even our planet. Every dollar we spend at a store is a vote for the product we purchase with that dollar.

If you consider yourself an environmentalist, consider this: Animal products are responsible for 51% of greenhouse gases, 97% of rainforest destruction, and 56% of water usage. It also uses 45% of the earth’s total land. Making the choice to purchase animal products is harming our planet.  This movie is a must see for anyone concerned with our planet http://www.cowspiracy.com/

Not only would making a choice not to buy animal products help our planet, but it would save many animals from cruelty and suffering. Dairy and egg products make you think they don’t hurt animals in their making, but they are extremely cruel products. Male calves are taken from their mothers less than 24 hours after birth. They are put into veal crates where they are unable to move for the next 4 months. The lack of movement is supposed to make their flesh tenderer.  Then they are slaughtered. 23,000 calves are slaughtered every week.

The egg industry sends male chicks, right after birth, either alive into grinders, or throws them alive into trash bags. They do not make money for the egg or chicken meat industries, so they are considered waste product. 2,000 baby chicks are killed every day. Just by choosing not to purchase dairy, meat, or eggs you can save many animals from cruelty. Watch http://earthlings.com/ for more on animal cruelty.

Toxic chemicals are also a concern to our environment. Many chemicals out there do terrible damage to our environment. Pesticides and herbicides are killing monarchs and bees. Bleach and ammonia have been detected on top of the Himalayan Mountains. These chemicals get into our water, killing fish and poisoning our oceans. Just making a choice at the grocery store not to purchase these products will help our planet and future generations. We don’t need them.  Vinegar is safe and kills 99.9% of germs. This movie is a must see for anyone concerned about toxic chemicals: http://thehumanexperimentmovie.com/

If you love animals and are against animal abuse consider your purchasing choices. Most beauty and health products at the stores are made with animal by-products and are tested on animals. Animal testing is cruel and unnecessary.  28,000 animals are killed every day in animal testing. Rabbits, monkeys, guinea pigs, even dogs and cats have hairspray sprayed in their eyes, acid poured on their skin, makeup put directly in their eyes, are force fed toxic chemicals, and many other abuses. If we all stopped buying from companies that do animal testing, they would stop this practice. Here is a list of companies that do animal testing: http://www.vidacompassion.org/main/list/company.html

Make sure the products you choose to purchase are cruelty free and non-toxic. Organic, natural, vegan products are the best and safest products to purchase. Vegan, non-toxic beauty products are available here: joyofveganbeauty.com

 

The choices you make every day at the store can either save our planet or destroy it. The choices you make can either end animal suffering or increase it. The choice is yours.

Joy of Vegan Beauty

Cruelty Free is beautiful.

Visit http://joyofveganbeauty.com/ Joy of Vegan Beauty Boutique for cruelty free and vegan face makeup, eye makeup, lip colors and balms, nail polish, and brushes.

Follow your heart. Go vegan and cruelty free with your cosmetics!

 

Follow Joy of Vegan Beauty on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joy-of-Vegan-Beauty/401534953390673Twitter: https://twitter.com/joyveganbeautyPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/joyveganbeauty/Tumblr: http://joyveganbeauty.tumblr.com/Blogger: http://joyofveganbeauty.blogspot.com/

QUICK AND EASY ROASTED POTATOES OR CAULIFLOWER

ROASTED POTATOES

 

This potato dish makes a delicious, quick and easy side to any meal.

Potatoes (any quantity)

Olive oil

Dried chopped basil

Dried ground oregano

Dried chopped parsley

Salt

Ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Wash and dry potatoes.  Cut into cubes. Spread on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil, followed by the seasonings. Bake for 30 minutes until potatoes are tender.

If you are grilling out vegan burgers or vegan hot dogs, you can use aluminum foil as the cookie sheet and put this on your grill.

You can add pepper slices or onions. I do not cook with onions as they are toxic to dogs and other animals. FYI-grapes are also toxic to them. I try to avoid food toxic to them as well as house plants.

You can do this same thing with cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, or any other vegetable. It’s quick and delicious. Cruelty free always tastes better.

THE TRAGIC STORY OF CECIL THE LION

CECIL THE LION

 

We have all heard about the dentist, Walter Palmer, who paid $50,000 to kill a gentle, beloved lion. How hunting can be called a “sport” is beyond me.  A sport is basketball, baseball, football, agility, etc. Two equal teams compete against each other. How can hunting be considered “sport”?   I was thrilled to learn Palmer had to close his practice up and is now the most hated man in America.  That’s karma.

Cecil’s tragic death has opened a lot of people’s eyes to the animal cruelty out there.  Hopefully something positive will come out of all this.

I have been using Cecil’s death to promote veganism, making numerous memes about dairy, eggs, meat, fur, vivisection, and hunting.  My plan was to show the animal and post how many were killed each day.  I went to animal agriculture sites to get my information. I took their yearly numbers and divided them down into daily numbers.  What I found was disturbing. I have listed my findings below.  Keep in mind when you read these numbers that my numbers are lower than what actually goes on.  The numbers I used are from USA agriculture sites, so they do not add in other countries.  Agriculture sites don’t count animals that were killed on their way to slaughterhouses, which run into the millions every year.

13,200 pigs are killed every hour. According to the industry, only 1% of pigs wind up being boiled alive.  That means over 100 pigs are boiled alive ever hour.

2000 male baby chicks are ground up in food grinders alive or placed alive in trash bags every day, shortly after birth.  Male chicks do not lay eggs so they are considered waste product.  Male chicks are also used as “packing peanuts” for shipping. If you think eating eggs, doesn’t kill anything, think again.

960,000 chickens are killed every hour.  180 million chickens are boiled alive every year.  Chickens and pigs are the most abused animals in the world.

2,700 male calves are killed every day. Male calves are taken away from their mother right after birth and sold for veal.  They are kept confined in small crates unable to move very much at all. Male calves do not make milk. They only way they make a dairy farmer money is as veal or calf leather.  Farms are businesses and their only goal is making money. If you think drinking milk doesn’t harm any animals, think again. The only way cows can produce milk is to have a baby. What do you think happens to all those babies?

4000 cows are killed for beef every hour. At the rates slaughterhouses have to work, many cows wind up being skinned alive.

31,000 turkeys are killed every hour.  I have never understood the tradition of stuffing bread crumbs up a dead bird’s butt.

55.000 dairy cows are killed every week. After being milked to death, they become your hamburger patties. A cow can live to be 20, but in the dairy industry it’s only 5-7 years.

28,000 animals are killed for fur every day.

28,000 animals are killed in animal testing every day.

3,000,000,000,000 fish are killed every year. That’s 3 trillion—3 with twelve zeroes after it.

100,000 sharks are killed every year. Number of people killed by sharks in a year is four.

As you can see, the number of animals killed every day, every week, every year, is unbelievable.  What has our society become?

None of these deaths or lives of these animals was humane or gentle. They all lived horrible lives and suffered cruel deaths. They were hit in the head with a hammer, shot, electrocuted, throats cut, or stunned gunned. One note, I need to make about stun guns, is they are supposed to do just that—stun, not kill.  They basically just put a shot in the animal’s brain which is supposed to stun the animal, but doesn’t kill it.

After all this research, my conclusion is that vegan is the only ethical, moral way to live.