Earth Day!

Ah, Mother Earth. Isn't she amazing? But let's face it, folks. Collectively, we ain't been treatin' our mama with enough respect! Earth Day is this Sunday, and this is a great time to reflect on honoring her and on what we can do to help ease her suffering.

You may be wondering what you could do for Earth Day to play your part. Recycle more? Start composting? Buy a cloth bag and stop using plastic while shopping? All great ideas, but if I were to propose just one thing to do, it would be this:
Eat a vegan dinner on Earth Day.
That is, if you're not already a vegan, of course!

Why?
Because eating a vegan diet is actually one of the best ways.. oh heck, I'll say it-it's the best way to be "green"! Unfortunately, this is not common knowledge- but if you do some research, you will find an overwhelming wealth of info on how animal agriculture adversely effects the environment.

Here are just a few pieces of info I found when I searched the Net:


-   U.S. livestock consume more than six and a half times as much grain as the entire U.S. human population consumes directly. According to the Council for Agriculture Science and Technology, if all this grain was consumed directly by humans, it would nourish five times as many people as it does after it is converted into meat, milk and eggs.

-  Animal agriculture accounts for more than 80% of annual world deforestation.


-  Nearly half of the total amount of water used annually in the U.S. goes to grow feed and provide drinking water for cattle and livestock.

-  A report in the New Scientist estimated that driving a hybrid car rather than an average vehicle would conserve a little over one ton of carbon dioxide per year. A vegan diet, however, consumes one and a half tons less than the average American diet.

For more info, you could check out this site (where I found some of these facts from):
http://www.veganpeace.com/veganism/environment.htm




So have your vegan dinner this Sunday, folks! Cause really, every meatless meal helps. Have a fancy dinner at Candle 79 or the new Cafe Blossom on Carmine Street, or go casual and have a yummy Vietnamese din at Lan Cafe.

If you're eating in and are a meatlover, try Field Roast Sausages. Have them with your sides of choice, like sauteed kale and sweet potatoes.

Or have some bean tacos with pico de gallo and guacamole, and leave out the cheese and sour cream. Yumm!

Now, what if you're already a vegan? Well, besides recycling more, composting, and using a cloth bag while shopping, you could go to this event- the Darwin Animal Doctors' Bake Sale Fundraiser at Mooshoes, 12:30-5:30 on Orchard Street:

How cute is their flyer, btw?? Darwin Animal Doctors is an organization that is the first free full-time, full service vet clinic in the Galapagos Islands. The wildlife in the Galapagos is some of the most unique in the world. They aim to help protect the biodiversity and the environment of the Galapagos by limiting the number of domestic animals and their impacts on wildlife through humane sterilization.

At their event, they will be selling sweet, vegan baked treats, and there will be a raffle offering goodies from Mooshoes, LUSH cosmetics, and Vaute Couture.

If you can't make the event, you could also make a donation to Lotus Elephant Sanctuary. An organization in development, their goal is to raise money to buy a minimum of 6,000 acres of land to provide a haven for elephants. The eyes of many international firms are on Laos right now because of its proximity to China and its geographical position, and corporate projects will soon ensue, causing damage to the land through reckless development.  Lotus Elephant Sanctuary can help preserve land in Laos, as well as provide a refuge for abused elephants.

For more info on the sanctuary, you can look here:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/LotusElephantSanctuary/info

And look here to make a donation:

http://www.lotussanctuary.org/help.htm

Happy Earth Day everyone! Let's take this day to appreciate our beautiful home, and to be mindful of our part in it.

xo,

Ellie