Veg Meet Up’s Across the Nation

Most people get together with friends and family on the 4th of July for a picnic or BBQ and some fireworks. But being a poor sarving college student two hours away from any family and without a car makes me: Not most people.

So instead, I’ll be spending my Fourth at a Farm Sanctuary. I recently realized that one of the premire farm sanctuaries in the nation is less than an hour away from where I live. I’ll be dragging my friend over there where they are giving free tours, free veggie dogs, and free belly rubs to pigs. Sounds like a party to me! Actually, I have wanted to visit a sanctuary for quite a while now, and it seems like the perfect chance.

On another note, what are your plans for the holiday? A lot of cities are having get-togethers where you can go meet other vegetarians, eat (sometimes free) food, watch fireworks, and generally mingle and schmooz. If you live near a major city, do a quick search on the web to find some veggie meet-ups near you.

Happy 4th!

Abolitionist vs. Welfarist

I have been asked many times why I don’t urge non-vegetarians to buy cage-free eggs or other supposedly cruelty-free meat. The shortest answer is simply that I support only the complete abolition of animal useage, nothing less.

But that response doesn’t make much sense to most people, so here is the long answer: I believe that animals were not put on this earth for human use any more that blacks were placed here for whites or women for men. Speciesism is as untolorable and cruel as racism and sexism.

This next part is where I really start losing people. I morally cannot support any form of animal cruelty. Cage-free eggs still suffer animal cruelty. “Cruelty-free” meat still suffers animal cruelty. This is the difference between abolitionists, like myself, and welfarists, like Peter Singer. Welfarists believe that any step is a step in the right direction. Vivisection is not a step in the right direction, though some welfarists believe it is. The only step a person can take in the right direction is to refrain from using animals for selfish reasons.

Telling people to consume meat that has been supposedly treated well, only makes the consumer’s concience feel better about their choice. If anything, cage-free eggs only promote the eating of eggs because they remove the guilt from a meal. Just because meat is “happy” is not an excuse to eat it. “Happy Meat” doesn’t exist, it is the meat industry’s way of gaining more customers.

Consider your choices. Which is better: meat with a (fictional) promise, or no meat at all?

Orangutang Extinction and Illegal Logging

According to a report released earlier this month by the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP), Last stand of the Orang-utan: State of Emergency, illegal timbering will likely drive orangutans into extinction. Reportedly, by 2022, 98% of Indonesia’s lowland forests will be gone. Mongabay.com reports,

Last Stand said that illegal loggers operate in 37 of Indonesia’s 41 national parks and that up to 88 percent of all Indonesian timber is illegally harvested. Further pressure comes from expanding oil palm plantations used to produce biodiesel. Surging international demand has lead to an explosion of land-clearing for plantations, which by early 2007 covered more than 6 million hectares in Indonesia and 4 million in Malaysia. Associated land-clearing using fires releases so much carbon dioxide that Indonesia now ranks as the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases despite having only the 22nd largest economy.

The illegal trade of live orangutans is taking place as a byproduct of illegal logging. With this level of illegal trade, 15 years could show a decline of 98% of the orangutan’s habitat. We can thank the demand for palm oil for that.

Edible Plates

A recent graduate from the University of Brighton has invented an interlocking set of plates for two, perfect for picnicing. The plates, made from a bread-like food, come in sets of two interlocked with a handle and a set of napkins. Vegan? I haven’t been able to find out yet. In any case this is an amazing step for reducing waste. Check it out:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/edible_plates_f.php

Good News for the Animals!

Good news #1
Cockfighting has officially been banned in every state in the U.S.! Louisiana was the last state to pass the ban with a nearly unanimous vote. One House representative with personal ties to cockfighting voted against the ban. Louisiana has a one-year grace period before the ban takes full effect.

Good news #2
As of Thursday, the bald eagle has officially been removed from the endangered species list! The number of mating pairs has rissen from 417 to over 10,000 in the past 40 years.

Been Bitten?

The Vegan Bug is coming. You know how it starts. It bites one, maybe two people. Then it spreads. But once you’ve been bit, there is no going back. You start searching veganism online and reading up on vegan health. You become a regular tofuodie. You invite friends over for a vegan pizza party. You start baking cupcakes and taking them into work. The names Isa, Bob and Jenna, and Sarah Kramer become household names. Suddenly the world seems brighter, you feel healthier, and your conscious becomes relieved and rejuvinated. Then you start spreading the bug.You can’t help it. You’re addicted. And you’ve been bitten by the Vegan Bug.

This is the idea behind The Vegan Bug. Perhaps, some of you haven’t been bitten (yet?) but are still interested in what a different lifestyle can offer you. Or, maybe, you have no intention whatsoever of ever being bitten (you may have to load up on the repellent for extra protection from us crazies) but like to keep aware of issues affecting your planet, resources, and health.

Welcome! No matter your food-status, to everyone who is at all interested in animal rights, our environment, sustainability, health, current events, or love of all beings, Welcome!

Chinese Seafood, No More!

Government agencies never cease to stupify me.

No seafood may legally be imported from China for fear that the fish may be “on drugs.” The FDA’s ban includes all catfish, eel, and shrimp among others for fear that they may have been treated with antibiotics unapproved for human consumption in the U.S.

That’s funny because certain insecticidal protiens have been deemed unfit for human consumption, yet they are still used as livestock feed. How do these government agencies decide which toxic substances may be sold as food and which can’t? Got me.

In the end, at least there will be less seafood available.