Great video below from Evolve Campaigns.
"Being vegan is the most responsible and morally conscious thing each one of us can do. To learn about how veganism helps not only animals, but also our own health and spirituality; as well as how it can ease world hunger and why it really is the only hope for the future of our beautiful planet, please visit: http://www.evolvecampaigns.org.uk and "Like" their page on Facebook too: http:/www.facebook.com/EVOLVECampaigns "
Eight more reasons to consider vegan choices...
I had a number of inquires after my "where humans meant to be vegan" post. And, about everyone of them, spoke to one or more of the arguments below. These are from Author John Robbins (this data a little dated, but you'll get the idea). In some of my responses to readers, I further explained that people need to stop the debate and start the repair…there is no competition, if we are to restore our environment, we must begin to work together, to move forward…It is about the now and what we can do today to change tomorrow. Reading this list shows us, that it CAN be done...
The Facts About Eating Animal Products...
by John Robbins, author of "Diet for a New America" and founder of Earthsave International.
The Hunger Argument:
Number of People worldwide who will die of starvation this year: 60 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed with the grain saved if Americans reduced meat intake by 10%: 60 million
Human beings in America: 296 million
Number of people who could be fed with grain and soybeans now eaten by US livestock: 1.3 billion
Percentage of corn grown in US eaten by people: 20%
Percentage of corn grown in US eaten by livestock: 80%
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90%
Percentage of oats grown in US eaten by livestock: 95%
How frequently a child starves to death: every 2 seconds
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 20,000 lbs
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 165 lbs
Percentage of US farmland devoted to beef production: 56%
Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce 1 pound of feedlot beef: 16 lbs.
The Environmental Argument:
Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: Carbon Dioxide from fossil fuels
More beneficial for global warming--Switching to a Prius vs. Switching to a Vegetarian Diet: Vegetarian Diet
Fossil fuels needed to produce a meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 50 times more
Percentage of US topsoil lost to date: 75%
Percentage of US topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85%
Number of acres of US forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million acres
Amount of meat US imports annually from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama: 200,000,000 pounds
Average per capita meat consumption in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama: Less than eaten by average US house cat
Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pounder hamburger: 55 sq. ft.
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 species extinct per year
The Cancer Argument:
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat four times a week vs. less than once a week: 4 times
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat eggs daily vs less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat cheese and butter 3 or more times a week vs less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times
The Natural Resources Argument:
User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the US: Livestock production
Amount of water to produce a pound of wheat: 25 gallons
Amount of water to produce a pound of meat: 2,500 gallons
Cost of common hamburger if water used by meat industry was not subsidized by US taxpayer: $35/pound
Current cost of pound of protein from beefsteak, if water was no longer subsidized: $89
Years the world's known oil reserves will last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13 years
Years the world's known oil reserves will last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260 years
Barrels of oil imported into US daily: 6.8 million
Percentage of fossil fuel energy returned as food energy by most efficient factory farming of meat: 34.5 percent
Percentage returned as food energy from least efficient plant food: 328%
Percentage of raw materials consumed by US to produce present meat-centered diet: 33%
The Cholesterol Argument:
Number of US Medical Schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average US physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours
Most common cause of death in the US: Heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the US: Every 45 seconds
Average US man's risk of death from heart attack: 50%
Risk for average US man who avoids the meat-centered diet: 15%
Risk for average US vegan man: 4%
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of animal products by 10 percent: 9%
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of animal products by 50 percent: 45%
Amount you reduce risk by changing to a vegan diet: 90 percent
Meat, dairy, and egg industries claim you should not be concerned about your blood cholesterol if it is: "normal"
Your risk of dying of a disease caused by clogged arteries if your blood cholesterol is "normal": >50%
The Antibiotic Argument:
Percentage of US antibiotics fed to livestock: 55%
Percentage of staph infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13%
Percentage of staph infections resistant to penicillin in 1988: 91%
Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Ban
Response of US meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Full and complete support
The Pesticide Argument:
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by grains: 1%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by fruits: 4%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by vegetables: 6%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by dairy products: 23%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by meat: 55%
Pesticide contamination of breast milk from meat eating mothers vs non-meat eating: 35 times higher
What USDA tells us: Meat is inspected
Percentage of slaughtered animals inspected for residues of toxic chemicals such as dioxin and DDT: <0.00004%
The Ethical Argument:
Number of animals killed for meat per hour in US: 500,000
Occupation with highest turnover rate in US: Slaughterhouse Worker
Occupation with the highest rate of on-the-job injury in US: Slaughterhouse Worker
Cost to render animal unconscious with "captive bolt pistol": 1 cent
Reason given by meat industry for not using "captive bolt pistol": Too expensive
This is definitely worth taking less than 5-minutes of your time to watch. Really powerful!
Video from KarmaTube
I am so excited to share some of the details of the upcoming Flagler Beach Vegan Fest. Below is a story from the St Augustine Record, as well as a flyer with more event details. We are going to have free yummy food samples, great vegan related exhibitors, live music throughout the day, educational information, coupons and more. If you are a local, mark your calendars...we'd love to have you join us on June 9th. As the event approaches, we will be posting additional information here, as well as on Facebook.
Be sure to check out the Vegan by Choice Facebook page by clicking here. We of course would encourage you to "like" our page, so you can receive updates and additional information there as well.
Taken from the St. Augustine Record:
By Christine Speno
Flagler County’s first-ever Vegan Fest will be June 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the BeachHouse Beanery, 202 S. Central, Flagler Beach. It is a free event and is a cooperative effort of Vegan by Choice and area businesses, nonprofits and others interested in vegan choices.
The vegan company was founded by Josh and Susie Neimark of Flagler Beach in 2011 in response to what Josh Neimark defines as his own “near death experience.”
“When I became vegan, it was purely for the health benefits,” he said. “Now it represents much more.”
Neimark weighed 256 pounds and struggling to stay alive six years ago. Today he is slender, fit and healthier than ever.
“After losing 85 pounds in 2006, I became a fanatic about the benefits of health and exercise, even becoming a trainer. But it wasn’t until a friend asked me and my wife to help him to address his diabetes that I tried the vegan way of eating. My intention was to coach him through eating vegan for a few weeks until he was on track, but the truth is my friend lasted only a few days as a vegan, and my wife and I never looked back.”
The Neimarks hope the Vegan Fest will raise awareness of how vegan choices can positively impact people, animals and the planet.
They believe that it’s not just about eating better and being healthy, but also about creating a balance in the universe.
The Neimarks think of veganism as a lifestyle, rather than just a way of eating, because they believe that so many components of our lives and the planet we live on are affected by making vegan choices.
In addition to raising awareness about making vegan choices, the Flagler Vegan Fest will showcase area businesses and organizations that are “vegan friendly,” and offer choices for those wishing to integrate veganism into their lives.
Some of the highlights of the event include free vegan food samples prepared by event sponsors and supporters, free musical entertainment by Capt. Nick and other local entertainers, vegan-friendly exhibitors offering educational information, coupons, recipes and other goodies.
Sponsors include The BeachHouse Beanery, the Turtle Patrol, Tower Garden (developers of a unique aeroponic gardening system), Non-Violence United, Capt. Nick, Pudbutter Soaps, Words Etc. and others pending. With the Flagler Beach farmer’s market right around the corner on that same morning, this event is sure to have a great turnout and will be good exposure for area sponsors.
Truly a wonderful video....I encourage you to take 8 minutes and watch this. I suspect a few of these kids will be vegan's one day...:)
The World Peace Game, a brainchild of public school teacher John Hunter, pits teams of students against each other as leaders of countries in crises and conflict. The students scheme and negotiate, compete and cooperate, wage war and make peace. But the game is not won until all countries enjoy security and prosperity. Says one fourth grader, “One of the things I learned is that other people matter. In this game one person can’t win, everyone has to win. That taught me a lot about cooperating with other people, being generous, and having an attitude that, if you work together, you can achieve anything.”
A film by Chris Farina. More at Rosalia Films.
Video from KarmaTube
I’ve just returned from a trip visiting my mother who is in the throes of Alzheimer’s disease. As if I haven’t endured enough trauma these past two years, being with her was heartbreaking. My mom is 82 and has been a vibrant and ongoing person her entire life. She has travelled the world and just one year ago she took a 3 week trip to the countries ending in “stan”. She is a shadow of her former self and seeing her so confused and mixed up is frightening. She flunked her driving test and I had the task of selling her brand new car while I was visiting. She told me yesterday over the phone that she feels like a “caged lion” without her car. I’ve arranged for someone to drive her and she has a taxi account…but she lives in the burbs and feels isolated.
I have wanted my mother to move (downsize) for years to a condo where she can walk everywhere but she has steadfastly refused. The irony of the situation is that my sister is a gerontologist (MD) and deals with families like ours every day; yet she cannot fully recognize what is happening to her own mother. I think she is just beginning to get inkling about our mother’s decline and facing reality about it. I want to keep my mother safe and living on the west coast so far away from her is painful right now. Yet I have a family to take care of and right now my own health situation.
In the midst of all of this turmoil, I have begun a wonderful new routine to help me deal with the mounting stress. I take my son to school at 7am every day and on the way back I stop at the gym. I have been doing 30 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of weight training everyday this past week. I hope to build up to an hour each day. It’s manageable and makes me feel sane I think. I still am working at managing to be vegan 100% of the time and it was not easy while I was visiting my mother. I do what I can. That’s all I can do, right?
