Vegan Gift Ideas

Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanzza are just around the corner. Here are some great gift ideas for the vegan in your life! If you are vegan, you can use this list to give your relatives and friends some hints so you don't end up with another ugly wool sweater!

Books:
Many vegans (myself included) love books, especially books on veganism and animal rights. Cookbooks are really great, especially for new vegans. Many vegans are also eco-friendly, so try to find a gently used version of the book, preferably from a local bookseller.

Clothing:
Another great gift idea would be a 100% cotton t-shirt with a vegan message on it. You can find lots of vegan t-shirt designs at online stores such as Herbivore Clothing Company, Etsy, Cafepress, and Zazzle . If you are the crafty type, you can give your gift a personal touch by making the shirt yourself with iron-on letters or fabric paint.

Magazines:
Subscriptions to magazines such as Vegetarian Times, VegNews, All Animals, and the Sanctuary are good options.

Shoes:
We vegans LOVE stylish, cruelty free shoes! The good news is that vegan shoes aren't always expensive. I got myself a pair of beautiful vegan sandals at Marshall's on clearance for $5. Check out http://www.veganchic.com/ and http://www.mooshoes.com/ (which is pricey, but has some decent clearance and sale prices at times).

Gift Certificates:
You can't go wrong with gift certificates! A gift certificate to the local health food store or their favorite vegan restaurant would make most people very happy! If the recipient does not live near either of those, many online vegan retailers offer gift certificates as well.

Vegan Goodies:
Most of us vegans also have a sweet tooth! Vegan chocolate, cakes and cookies are sure to be a hit!

Happy Holidays!

A day a the Zoo: Educational Family Fun or Cruelty?

One of the many hot topic issues in the vegan world is whether or not it is okay to visit zoos. When I was younger, my mother, myself, and my two friends and their mom would often go to a small local zoo to see the animals. I'll admit that as a child I loved seeing the animals and having the monkeys take treats out of my hand with their tails. I also visited a few larger zoos such as the Atlanta Zoo and the National Zoo in Washington DC. I, like most people, never stopped to think about whether or not it was fair to take wild animals out of their natural enviroment and put them into a confined space. Looking back, I remember seeing monkeys in barren cages and large animals like apes and giraffes in enclosures that were far too small for them. It makes me sick to think that I once gladly supported such cruelty. Fortunately, after I became a vegan I had my eyes opened and I am proud to say that I have not visited any zoos in over a year. If you or someone that you know is thinking about visiting a zoo, I urge you to take a look at http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_cruelty/zoos.htm to see just how cruel zoos really are and a list of cruelty free ways that you can learn about animals.

A win for animals!

I have some good news! Yesterday, the city of West Hollywood voted to OUTLAW the sale of new garmets which contain animal fur or skin! Unfortunately, the ban does not apply to wool, furniture, or leather items(hopefully they will work on banning those in the near future), but it is a definate step in the right direction. It is the first law of it's kind in the US and hope that other cities follow their example. You can read about it here: California fur ban

Vegan Thanksgiving: How to Have a Great Tofurky Day!

Coming home from work today, I saw several wild turkeys on the side of the road. They truly are beautiful creatures. This got me thinking about the approaching holidays, and it made me sad to think that one or more of those birds will probably be killed in a few days. For those of us in the US, Thanksgiving is fast approaching. It is a day for getting together with family, enjoying a meal and being thankful for what we have. Unfortunately this meal is traditionally centered around animal based foods, so it can be a tricky day for vegans, especially new ones. This will be my first vegan Thanksgiving. I have discussed the issue with my mother (who has finally accepted my veganism for the most part) and she is more than willing to see to it that there is vegan-friendly food available. She even informed me that the recipe that she has always used to make cherry pie (my favorite) is 100% vegan! That made me VERY happy! However, not all families are so accommodating. You may find that there is nothing for you to eat, that your family members are offended that you won't eat the turkey, or they pester you with endless jokes and questions. It can be enough to make you want to pull your hair out and run away screaming.

The good news is that it is 100% possible to have a delicious vegan Thanksgiving!  The site Gentle Thanksgiving contains many useful resources for vegans, including recipes and tips on how to deal with non-vegan family members. You can check out the site at http://www.gentlethanksgiving.org/

For those of you who can't or don't want to cook, the company Tofurky makes 100% vegan pre-cooked meals called "Tofurky Holiday Feast". These are available in many mainstream supermarkets, so they should be very easy for most people to find. For more info, visit Tofurky holiday feasts

Have a happy, healthy Tofurky day!

What to do with your old leather

If you are like me, you used leather products before you became a vegan without a second thought. I am a crafter, and I love making dream catchers. Before I became a vegan, I would go to powwows and craft stores and buy bunches of deerskin to wrap the dream catchers. One day, someone asked me to make a vegan dream catcher for them (which, as I describe in the first post, started me on my journey to veganism). I made it out of ribbon, and it turned out so well that I never used the deerskin again. The problem was that I was left with a bunch of unused deerskin in my craft bin. I thought a lot about what I should do with it. Ultimately, I decided to sell my scraps on eBay and donate a portion of the proceeds to the Humane Society. I just listed them a few minutes ago and haven't got any bids yet, but hopefully some good will come out of the deers death.

Here are some suggestions on what to do with your old leather items:
1. If you can wear it/use it, use it until it wears out and then buy a cruelty free replacement. This is what I am doing with my shoes. Throwing out a usable item is wasteful, hurts the environment, and is an insult to the animal that died.

2. If  you are uncomfortable using the items and they are in good condition,give the items to a non vegan friend or donate them to a homeless shelter/Goodwill/Free Clothes Closet. It helps others and gives you the opportunity to have some fun by going shopping for cruelty free replacements!

3. Sell your items and donate the money to a reputable charity. If someone wants to buy leather, it's much better that they buy it second hand instead of contributing to more animal deaths by buying a new item. Plus, you'll be helping to make the world a better place!

For more tips and advice on this issue, please visit http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?520-Using-old-leather-and-other-non-vegan-products/page5

Nice Girls Fake It (Fur, That Is)!

There is much debate in the vegan world over whether or not it is okay to wear fake fur or pleather. Some say that it's okay because no animals were killed, while others advise us vegans to stay away from the fake stuff because it sends the message that it's okay to kill animals. I have been looking into this issue recently because I am interested in making a pair of faux leather moccasins. I am of American Indian (Cherokee/Sioux) heritage and very proud of it. Before I became a vegan, I had a pair of deerskin moccasins that I loved to wear whenever I got the chance. Now that I know about the cruelty of the fur and leather trade, I do not wear them outside the house, nor do I wear them when I have guests over. However, even though I don't like the cruelty, I do like the look. Therefore, I started looking for traditional style moccasins made out of man-made materials. I found a few pairs, but they were either butt ugly, cost an arm and a leg, or made in China. I buy American or Canadian made items whenever I can, and I absolutely refuse to buy any American Indian themed/inspired item that was not made by American Indian or Canadian First Nations people. I was very disappointed. Thankfully, my mom found a solution. She sews a lot, so when she found out that a local store was having a sale on patterns, she went down to check it out. She found a beautiful moccasin pattern and bought it for me. Now I plan to buy some Ultrasuede next time I am in a fabric store and make myself a pair of cruelty free moccasins!

I know some of you are saying to yourself "but won't that send the message to non-vegans that it's okay to wear leather and fur?" Don't worry, I thought about that. I just purchased a pin back button that says "fake fur is cool, real fur is cruel". I plan to wear it on my shirt whenever I wear the moccasins (and with the rest of my button collection on my purse even when I'm not wearing them) to let people know that I do not wear real animal skin.

The issue of whether or not fake fur is okay to wear is a complicated one. It was recently revealed that some manufactures were deliberately lying to customers (big shock). Some of them sold items that were labeled a faux fur, when in fact the fur was REAL and came from Raccoon Dogs! Thankfully, the Truth in Fur Labeling Act was passed into law and signed by President Obama in 2010. It took effect in March and closes the loophole that allowed the false advertising.  To be on the safe side, I'd still advise you to do some research before you buy any faux fur/pleather item and make sure that it really is faux. For more on this, please visit
Closing The Fur Labeling Loophole

For those of you who do wear or want to wear faux fur/pleather, here are some great buttons to let everyone know it's fake!

Faux, not fur button

Fake Fur is Cool (the one I bought)

Fake, not leather button

real women fake it handmade button

Anti Fur Button handmade

So tell me, where do you stand on the faux fur issue?

An Unpleasant Suprise (IMPORTANT WARNING TO VEGANS)!

Today I had a very unpleasant experience. I should start by saying that I LOVE peanuts. They are delicious and a great source of protein. Today I was eating some Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts. As I was munching on them, I decided to take a look at the ingredients just out of curiosity. That's when one word jumped out at me: GELATIN! Yes, they put something derived from dead animal bones in PEANUTS! I immediately googled "Planters vegan" and found several vegan message board postings discussing the issue. Most of those people were just as surprised as I was. You would expect gelatin to show up in things like candies, but many of us just assumed that all nuts were vegan.This really pissed me off because I used to like Planters products. Now I'm considering boycotting them.

I guess we vegans can never assume that any pre-packaged food is safe (unless it is from a company that we know is 100% vegan) no matter what it is. Just so you know, I was not the one that purchased the nuts, but now I've learned my lesson and will check the label before I eat anything.

I sent an e-mail to Planters telling them how disappointed I was. You can do so as well by clicking here: Contact Planters

Have a great day guys and remember to always read the label!