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Who Stars Diva Close Up
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 105th of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots (if any) that didn’t make the cut.
This is Be Nice’s newest design by me entitled, Who Stars. This owl is not only wise, but also a super hero in disguise. Who is the one who stars in the night? Who never takes flight from a fight? That’s right it’s the unknown hero of Be Nice. Stay tuned for more on this story…
Good times.
-Cara
What a great time for Who Stars and Homosapien Friendly to debut in the midst of three gift giving holidays. You’re welcome! Pick yourself up one or two or all of Be Nice organic t-shirts here at ubenice.com. If you’re not sure which Be Nice super fly, organic tee to get your friends why not get them a Be Nice gift card instead?
Since it is “The Season” we would like to offer our super fans a sweet deal on our fresh threads till the 26th of December. Use the promotional code, “Holiday“ for 15% off your “Tis the Season” order!!!
We have also redone some of our more popular shirts’ screens. One example that is already up on the site is Robot Girl aka Fem Bot to some. Robot Girl’s screen has been updated and she is now bigger and more beautiful than ever before. You to can have your very own fantastical, organic cotton, handmade in Manhattan, inspired by my very own marvelous mind, super soft, ONLY $40 t-shirt if you’d like, just click here. Technology can free us and Robot Girl is here to show us the way.
I will keep people updated on the other screens we have redone as we list them on the site. FYI the next re-design is Wind Turbines!
Don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook to get the 411 faster or follow Be Nice’s super important tweets here. :]
Spread the love.
-Cara
Who Stars Chic
That’s right Be Nice is launching yet another amazing design, Who Stars, by me. :] I love owls. I have been slightly obsessed with them, super heroes and the stars at night forever, which is how this shirt came together. The question remains who is this owl in disguise? What is the story behind the mask? Stay tuned to find out more.
What a great time for Who Stars to debut in the midst of three gift giving holidays. You’re welcome! Pick yourself up one here, http://ubenice.com/shirts/girls-guys/who-stars and sign up for the newsletter to find out more on this awesome owl. You can also like Be Nice on the book of face here.
Spread the love.
-Cara
Fem Bot
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 84th of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots (if any) that didn’t make the cut.
Again, I am doing some self promotion. This is an amazing reprint of Robot Girl and watch out world, she’s bigger and better than ever before. That’s right, I said it. You too can have your very own organic cotton, made in Manhattan by my very own hands, inspired by my very own mind, super soft for only $25 dollars t- shirt. Here’s where you can find her amongst other cute tees.
Rock the robot.
-Cara
Texture
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 43rd of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots (if any) that didn’t make the cut.
A tree in the Slope hanging out with Joanna’s helmet on a rainy Sunday.
Here’s the rest, Day 43 Sunday.
-Cara
The Dance of Dinner
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 20th of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots that didn’t make the cut.
I am not in love with any of the shots I took today or I should say I am unsure of my love for them. This is the first time I have felt this way during the year in pictures. I won’t be too dramatic since I just started, but… :] I need to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future. I personally like this picture because they are my friends and this is them, but structurally I am just not sure I feel it. I don’t know. Maybe I love it… :D
Here are the extras, Day 20 – Blah.
-Cara
Jo and Zoe Look Away
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 14th of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots that didn’t make the cut.
This is a shot of Joanna and Zohara, both tired of me taking pictures all the time, showing me their disapproval. Not really…maybe. :] Here are the seconds of the day, Day 14 – Jo and Zoe.
This taking and cataloging pictures for everyday turns out to be a lot more work than I thought!
-Cara
Laurel's Foot
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 8th of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots that didn’t make the cut.
This is at Life Cafe, in the East Village. I was having brunch with my peeps, Joanna, America, and the star of today’s shot, Laurel. Here are the extras of the day, Day 8 – We Ate.
Good times.
-Cara
I stumbled across this site VeganVanguard.com which brought to my attention that some beers are not vegetarian/vegan. Turns out certain beers are filtered using products derived from animals. For example, isinglass (one of the oldest sources of gelatin) is a substance obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish. It is a form of collagen used mainly as a as a fining agent for wine and beer. Then there is also other types of gelatin used for the clarification of wine and beer derived from the collagen inside animals’ skin and bones. Say what?
VeganVanguard.com compiled a list that you should go check out. They have the “yeas and neighs and awaiting replies” list for your perusal. If you don’t see your brew here and want to know more, contact the manufacture and ask.
Three non-vegan beers listed were:
- Barley Creek Brewing Company
- Website: http://www.barleycreek.com
Concerns: This breweries specialty beers are fined using isinglass. Some of their specialty beers also contain animal products in the ingredients. All other types of beer from this brewery are fined using gelatin. Farmer uses the spent grain as feed.
Correspondance: 11/06/03
1. Are there any animal products or byproducts (honey, etc) contained in any of your beers?
“Yes (a few of our specialty brews)”
2. Are there any animal products or byproducts (isinglass, gelatin, etc) used in the manufacture (such as in the filtering or fining process) of your products? While materials used in fining do not end up in the final product, strict vegans have an aversion to the use of animal products in situations as such.
“Yes (Isinglass for cask conditioned brews & Clear Fine, a gelatin for the others)”
3. What does your company do with the waste grain after it is used?
“Farmer gets the spent grain after a brew and uses it as feed. We feel it is better than filling up land fills with it.”
- Bayhawk Ales
- Website: http://www.bayhawkales.com
Concerns: This brewery’s products are filtered using animal products some of the time. However, their Stout and Hefe Weizen beer are unfiltered and therefore considered vegan. Aside from being filtered with animal products, Honey Blonde Ale contains honey which some vegans choose to avoid.
Correspondance: 5/26/03
“85% of the time our beers are not fined with animal products. We have two beers that are never filtered, Stout and Hefe Weizen. To the best of my knowledge, no animal products ever come in contact with these two beers. We do employ Honey in our Honey Blonde Ale. Regarding our spent grain, this has always been a source of great concern to me. Unfortunately at this point in time, we have to dispose of it with the regular garbage.”
- Lucky Labrador Brew Pub (Portland, Oregon)
- Website: http://www.luckylab.com
Concerns: Only the beer “Organic Golden” is vegan. Spent grain is used as livestock feed by a local farmer.
Correspondance: 6/13/03
“We have one vegan beer, Organic Golden, that is 100% organic (no finings). However, we recently heard that processed Carbon Dioxide has minute traces of non-organic substances. We have not confirmed this though. Do you know? Our grain is picked up by a cattle farmer and an organic farmer.”
You can see more of their list here.
In my search for cute, funny old school beer ads I found this other site Barnivore, a vegan wine, beer and liquor guide. I wanted to make sure Schlitz Beer was vegan before I used their ad in this entry. They are. :] This site is more extensive, check it out.
Cheers.
-Cara
Gay Pride that’s what…but what happens first??? The Veggie Pride Parade, but even before that is the Veggie Prom of 2010!!!! Say what??? :] Here is a little promo for both events, as I think being a vegetarian or vegan is super fresh.
Veggie Prom is 8 p.m. Friday, May 14, 2010. It will be at Littlefield in Park Slope: 622 Degraw Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
Click on the prom flyer above for more info. A raffle will benefit Mercy for Animals. They say creative prom attire is encouraged, couple themes welcomed and like as in life, no date required.
Then post prom is the big parade.
NEXT VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE:
SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2010 info@vivavegie.org….•….212-242-0011
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Go veggies (and fruits)! ;]
-Cara
Martha chats with Robert Kenner and Joel Salatin about the behavior and impact of the commercial food industry.
That is right I said it, as someone who will be enjoying a delightful, sure to be delicious, vegan Thanksgiving feast at our friend Joanna’s abode today and has had the guilty pleasure of being a stalker of all things Stewart for many a year, this is great news. I know her daughter Alexis is a vegetarian and has helped Martha to see the light that fur is not cool, but still, the classic Martha Turkey Day blow up…vegetarian? That my friend is revolutionary if you wrap your mind around the whole picture.
I have heard about Food Inc as well. It looks like an amazing movie and sounds like a great Christmas (or Yule, Chanukah, Kwanza, Three Kings Day, Day of Ashura, Holiday…) gift! :] I will definitely check it out.
I hope at some point to be the person that does not have to keep watching these types of movies, videos, etc to remember why everything we choose to do is so important. I am very tired of how people can not see what is right in front of them or choose to not be inconvenienced. This show with Martha Stewart promoting this film, Food Inc is inspiring to me as I do not expect someone in Martha’s position to promote something so risky. This coming from someone that was previously set up for a fall just to be taught a lesson…a lesson it seems she thankfully did not learn.
Martha Stewart is a rebel!
-Cara
I know all my stalkers like to know when they can catch a glance of me from a safe distance of 20 to 30 feet, well tomorrow is your lucky day! Marine and I will be selling our cute, handmade, organic, soft shirts at The Market NYC for the first time. This all courtesy of our green little company, “be nice“. If you would like to learn more about it, you can on the “be nice” blog!
Hope to see some non-crazy peeps there as well.
:]
-Cara
‘be nice” my sweet store co-made with Marine Boudeau is having its first sale. We’re offering fresh deals on original, handmade, organic tees. This is the last of our first collection…one day they will be worth millions!!! :]
Get them while you still can.
I said it!
Cara Reynolds
Co-Founder Of Be Nice
Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry Leaves)
I started a juice fast today. Well, today to start the juice fast I am only eating raw fruits and veggies and then tomorrow will begin the all juice fast. I will get more into it in a later post. This particular post I will focus on one of the many teas I can drink to replace my million cup a day coffee habit. I am not only scared for me, but honestly, I am a little afraid for the world. The first tea I started today with is an organic raspberry leaf, so to make it more interesting I have done some research on said tea. I can say for sure, it does not taste nasty…or bad for that matter, which is good. :]
Species Rubus idaeus, family Rosacaea, raspberry is a relative of the rose, famous for vitamin C in the rose hip. Raspberry leaves (and fruit) are rich in citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, citrate, malate and tartarate of iron, potassium and calcium, calcium and potassium chloride, sulphate and phosphate, pectin, fragrine (an alkaloid that tones the tissues), a volatile oil, vitamins A, B, C, E, and fructose. The action is astringent, tonic, refrigerant, parturient, hemostatic, anti-septic, anti-abortient, anti-gonorrheal, anti-leucorrheal and anti-malarial.
If you grow your own raspberries or live where they grow wild you should harvest the raspberry leaves in spring or mid-summer for maximum potency. Use them freshly picked, but if drying them for storage, do so away from light. They dry nicely spread thinly on a cotton sheet hung hammock fashion from the ceiling, according to Norma Whitehead.
For a nice cup of tea using bulk herbs, pour one cup boiling water over a teaspoon of dried leaves and let it steep at least 15 minutes. Raspberry leaves are abundant in potassium (441 ppm), calcium (121 ppm) and magnesium (93 ppm), it is also rich in all important trace minerals such as manganese (.52 ppm), zinc (.35 ppm), iron (.04 ppm) and chromium (.02 ppm). Raspberry leaf tea is a gentle, soothing, nourishing drink – morning, noon and night. Most prefer to take Red raspberry leaves in a tea. It can be drank warm or cold depending on what you like. You can also find it in capsule form.
Red raspberry leaves have been used for many years dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It has also been widely used by and Native American women. Some of the illness they used red raspberry leaves to treat included the flu, gum disease, rubella, upset stomach, hangovers, diarrhea, fevers, vomiting, menstrual problems, and inflammation.
It is also said to tone the uterus and provide many vitamins and minerals to the body. They recommend drinking one cup of the red raspberry leaf tea daily during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and then increase to two or three cups a day during the last three months. Some say not to use in the first trimester if you have a history of miscarriage it is always best to consult your doctor before starting any type of herbs. Red raspberry tea with red clover (one or more cups daily for several months) promotes fertility in men and women, prevents post-partum depression and hypertension, and with blessed thistle, increases breast- milk production. Remember again, it is always best to consult your doctor before starting any type of herbs.
The red raspberry leaves may change the way the body absorbs medications so if you take any other medicines take the red raspberry at least two hours before hand.
Red raspberry leaves have also been used for a mouth rinse to treat sore throats, thrushes in your mouth (a yeast infection) or canker sores and drinking raspberry tea can soothe the pain they cause.
Raspberry tea reduces the blood flow in females who bleed heavily during their menstrual cycle. It also helps relieve cramps. Later in life, during menopause, it can support the adrenal glands as they try to compensate for the reduced functioning of the ovaries. To regulate a menstrual cycle drink two to three cups of the red raspberry leaf tea a day. After two or three months the menstrual cycle should be right on schedule.
Red raspberry leaves can also be used on the skin as an astringent to relieve irritated skin and it is good for people suffering from acne. It also helps the tissue become firmer and tightens the skin’s upper layers.
Red raspberry leaves have also been found to lower blood sugars in people with diabetes. If taken in large does the red raspberry leaves may cause blood sugar levels to drop too low.
When using the red raspberry leaf to treat diarrhea you will need to drink six cups a day. If the diarrhea continues you should call the doctor.
If you want to treat a cold or flu try drinking only red raspberry leaf tea until the symptoms are gone. Then start back on raw fruits and vegetables. It is important to not eat anything else while fasting on the red raspberry leaf tea or the symptoms of the cold or flu will return.
Men whose bodies have cut down on testosterone production can drink it to help aid adrenal gland performance. It can also help with bed-wetting by toning pelvic muscles.
I read somewhere that it is good in a popsicle form, but I have yet to try that.
That is a lot of good stuff.
-Cara
Do not fear. There is a way to avoid the assassin…at least if you live in the Northeast.
Here is a cool link for the seasonal fruits and veggies in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can also use this interactive map to see what’s fresh in any area, by month.
Eat fresh.
-Cara
I have put together a schedule of what is in season or well at least the harvest times of fruits and veggies I like in the New York/Northeastern area last night. It is always good to buy local and helpful to know when you can.
Enjoy.
-Cara
Marine is doing some research for our organic t-shirt business, be nice and sent me this web site, http://actionnetwork.org/. They are a part of Environmental Defense. One of their featured action alerts has to do with humans increasing resistance to antibiotics. Go here to send a message to your Congressperson and Senators.
I, myself have never been a big fan of Western medicine, especially that flu shot. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that flu shot is just the government doing some crazy testing on us or something to that affect. I am sure of it! It is the same way with goldenseal root and penicillin, if you take them for too long or just take too much you become immune to their positive/healing effects. I also think that Western medicine mostly covers up the aches and pains of sickness till you heal, unlike natural vitamins and herbs that act as a preventative measure and heals you rather than covering up the sickness.
Heal naturally when possible.
-Cara
Living in NYC, it is strange to wrap my mind around all that nature and chimpanzees swinging around everywhere. I think any of those jobs would be cool. The coffee sniffing, the chimpanzees studying and the farming, but maybe not on such a large scale. I’m more of a fire escape gardener than coffee farmer.
I love organic coffee, chimpanzees and fair trade!!!
-Cara
That’s right a year ago, on January 10th, 2008, “The Day After An Inconvenient Truth” was formed. When I first started this blog it was to have a voice in the world that differs from mainstream television, radio, satellite, newspapers, etc. I was inspired by the movie, “An Inconvenient Truth“, drawn into the meaning of an “inconvenient truth”, the fact that you might not want to hear what the problem is and what can be done to solve said problem, but here is the truth and now that you know, what are you going to do about it?
In the beginning, what I primarily wrote about was eco, environmental “inconvenient truths”, following in the footsteps of the film, but as time went by I began to find “inconvenient truths” in other areas as well, be it the issue of gay rights, human rights, animal rights, freedom of speech, freedom of art, whatever is going on in the world that mass media does not cover or covers up, these were the pieces I exceptionally enjoy writing about. Then there are the “recycle stuff” ones, just there for some information of what extra steps you can take to make a better world, the D.I.Y. projects using recycled materials, or just how to make something green and cool for your everyday life. Throw in a few organic recipes, cool green events, green product reviews, games, petitions, stories of amazing people who inspire me, beautiful photos, and sometimes just a funny video to relax and you have, “The Day After An Inconvenient Truth“. :]
What I am getting at with all this is to say, “The Day After An Inconvenient Truth” has evolved from when I began to where it is at now. I went from doing blog entries everyday from January, 10th, 2008 to October 13th, 2008, right around when I got an official 9-5 job, to now where I may not blog everyday, but no more than a few days go by without me throwing one out there. I needed to find a balance in my life and for now this works for me. I’d rather have good ones than just have ones. :]
I really like writing this blog, even when I can’t think of what to write about, or when I’d rather be playing PlayStation with Ms. Marine or web 2.0 out on the million social networks. This blog makes me more accountable. It is something I started and am still doing a year later (see Tony). Listen, for someone with absolutely no attention span to anything (besides computers and all things tech), I am pretty amazed that “TDAAIT” is still going. What is crazier is when I started this blog I was surprised if I got 10 hits a day, to now where I get on average over 300 unique hits a day from all over the world. Though businesses like MSNBC and other corporations that I do not have any respect for, ask me to place their advertisements on my site, I refuse. I was not working a real job when I started this blog and could have used easy money like that. Instead, I was insulted that they would even ask me, so much so I responded that they obviously had not looked at my blog, because if so they would never have asked me! In retrospect, I am sure they would have asked me anyway. In their minds people are just a herd of non-thinking cows who when they see a blinking ad, inevitably they must click on it. That goes against what I am trying to achieve here. I really hate ads everywhere. I am blessed in many other ways through this blog, so it doesn’t need to monetarily support me as well.
What else have I gotten from writing, “The Day After An Inconvenient Truth”? I have learned about a lot of bad stuff that goes on, and I have learned about good people, things and ideas, living and growing here on this Earth (I liked it when Alice Walker called humans “Earthlings” in this interview.). I maintain hope and an awesome faith that things will only get better if you do good.
Something I keep in the forefront of my mind is, what each of us does affects the other. It is not just the huge things necessarily, even our smallest thoughts affect the world. Also, we can as one person change things; who you touch in turns will touch others. You may not get the gratification of seeing the change you bring to the world directly, but if you do it, you may see the world itself change. I search for happiness and peace, by going inconveniently through its sorrows, untruths, truths, and ugliness. I also keep the faith. Faith is the most important thing, without it you are lost. I guess that is what, “The Day After An Inconvenient Truth” is to me, a way to not lose hope and to maintain my faith during the era that is the beginning of the end.
This year I have learned that humanity is not as bad and hopeless as it seems, so that’s cool.
-Cara
This organic mandarin orange almond salad is a simply delicious salad I love to make.
Watch You Need
1 head of organic green or red leaf lettuce or an organic mesclun mix works
1 can (11 ounces) of organic Mandarin orange segments or the equivalent of fresh organic Mandarin orange segments
1 to 2 ounces of organic toasted almond slivers
What To Do
Toss together in a huge bowl with an organic oil (1 cup), vinegar (1/2 cup) and mustard (2 tablespoons) dressing, or an organic Italian is good.
Try it.
-Cara
This organic vegan chocolate cake is good for you and tastes good. Try it, you’ll like it.
What You Need
1/2 a ripe organic banana
1 pkg. (10.5 oz) organic firm lite silken tofu
1/3 cup organic canola, organic olive or organic sesame oil or a mix of all three
1 1/4 cup H2O
2 1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla
2 tablespoons egg replacer (powder) (Reason 1 this recipe is not organic is I have not been able to fine a dry, organic egg replacer anywhere. If anyone knows about it let me know.)
2 1/2 cup organic pastry flour (for a little denser cake use 2 cups organic pastry flour 1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour)
2 cups organic sugar or organic sucanat
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon organic baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup organic cocoa powder (for extra flavor you may add 1/3 cup carob powder)
What You Do
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Oil and flour pan.
Blend tofu and oil in a processor or blender until smooth. Next, add the banana, water, and vanilla.
Combine remaining cake ingredients in a large bowl. Add to tofu mixture and whip for 8 minutes.
Bake for 35 minutes
If you want a fantastical organic pesto recipe here it is.
What You Need
1 cup organic walnut pieces
2 cups organic cilantro leaves, stems removed
1 organic jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1 tbsp Bragg organic raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup purified water, or as needed
Here’s What To Do
Grind the walnuts in a food processor until fine. Add the cilantro, pepper, salt, vinegar, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and blend. Blend in more water until the pesto is the consistency of a thick sauce. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Keep unused pesto refrigerated in a tightly covered container.
It’s good.
-Cara
This faux chicken is so tasty and really simple to make and takes 30 minutes at most to put together.
What You Need
1 10 ounce package frozen organic peas and carrots
1/3 cup organic butter (organic canola oil for a vegan version)
1/3 cup organic flour
1/3 cup chopped organic onion
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cup organic vegetable broth
2/3 cup organic milk (organic soy milk for a vegan version)
1 cup cooked favorite organic vegetable, potatoes, green beans or mushrooms
1 1/2 cups organic chicken style seitan
What To Do
Rinse frozen peas and carrots under cold water to separate; drain. Heat butter in 2 quart saucepan over low heat until melted. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in vegetables and seitan.
It’s perfect Autumn food and goes great with my organic biscuits. :]
Enjoy.
-Cara
These cracker are good. I myself cut them in any shape I want to. You can even use cool mini cookie cutters. I love them with anything.
What You Need
3/4 cup organic, unbleached white floor
1/4 cup organic fresh mango purée
1 tablespoon organic canola oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon organic coriander powder
What To Do
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients together to form a dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough 1/16th inch thick and cut into 3 inch squares for the perfect crackers. Prick each cracker 3 times with the tines of a fork to prevent puffing during baking. Bake the crackers on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 5 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Remove crackers from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
So good.
-Cara
Reason 101 from, 101 Reasons Why I Am Vegetarian:
When you fork over that $1.89 for those 7 ounces of Brown ’N Serve Sausage Links, it’s really quite a bargain, or so you might think. But such purchases–collectively trillions of them across the globe–accumulate a steep ecological deficit. In time, the debt will come due. Future generations will be the ones remitting its payments, in installments, with global warming, aquifer depletion, topsoil erosion, desertification, collapsed fisheries, wildlife extinction, deforestation and lost ecosystem services. Isn’t it time to start eating lower on the food chain? Get Hip. Go Veg!
It has been 101 days since I started the 101 Reasons Why I Am A Vegetarian journey. I commend Pamela Rice for her commitment to wanting to protect the wild animals, human animals (sometimes wild as well) and the planet we live on. I might not have agreed with every thing she said or maybe more of how she said it, but always with her mission. There are not many people out there who believe in a humane cause and then follow it up by actually doing something, something big. It is a sign of great character and I respect that.
Thank you.
-Cara
Last Saturday I went to ABC Carpet and Home on Broadway to watch the Pangea Day films. I think it is crazy in such a huge city we did not have a large public event like in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro, but was appreciative that ABC Carpet and Home hosted it, as they got nothing from it really. It may have been to their detriment, as people would come towards the showroom we were in and some left thinking they were interrupting something. Well maybe the people watching the film never came there before and now love it!!! Who knows? One thing they did gain was a fan, so if anyone from ABC Carpet and Home is reading this, thank you! Oh yeah, and we also ate in their restaurant, Pipa [nice place], so they did get some monetary value out of it!
For those that don’t know what Pangea Day is here is a link to an entry I did on it called, “What is Pangea Day?“. There were amazing films. It was a really great line-up. The only negative I will say was the three of the four hosts of Pangea Day were a bit annoying. I only really thought June Arunga cared about the event, the two men Max Lugavere and Jason Silva seemed very insecure and fake, so that kept distracting me and Lisa Ling was just on script. I could have also lived without all the actors reading their teleprompter, but I must admit when I told my mom Meg Ryan, Goldie Hawn and Cameron Diaz were a part of it, she got interested. Until then she was like, that sounds interesting dear…you know in THAT way…but later that same day she did email me and said she watched a whole hour. I guess it was a good idea to use popular Hollywood actors to pull in people like my mom, who are a little skeptical of us crazy do gooders, but trust that if Hollywood actors can support Pangea Day, it must not be too radical.
If you want to see some of these films go here. There was four hours of films [some ads, and songs, and such in between], I arrived about 45 minutes late, so only saw 3 hours and 15 minutes, but still they were so good time flew by. I think this was a great event, and in the words of the creator of Pangea Day, filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, “Movies can’t change the world. But the people who watch them can.”, so please take some time to watch these films and see where they take you.
One last thing, I just want to say I think Jehane Noujaim is an amazing woman and a beautiful soul and am thankful she exists in this world.
-Cara
Reason 90 from, 101 Reasons Why I Am Vegetarian:
Even if meat eaters are spared the big killers that their lifestyle is associated with (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer), their diet may still be robbing them of everyday good health. A meat diet is sure to lead to nagging conditions and ailments. A whole-foods, high-fiber vegan diet, full of grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, is just the ticket to reduce arthritis pain, ease irritable-bowel disorders, mitigate common back pain, relieve cold and allergy symptoms, and lower risk for gallstones, kidney stones, and heartburn. But perhaps best of all, the vegan life is one free of constipation!
It is recipe day and today’s recipe is a dessert, a first here at The Day After An Inconvenient Truth. It is a chocolate, rice crispy ice cream pie, because summer is just around the corner.
What You Need
1/2 cup organic chocolate syrup
1/3 cup organic semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups organic crispy rice cereal
1 quart {4 cups) of your favorite organic ice cream
(F.Y.I. – The links to organic products are just suggestions of products I have used and recommend, but you can use any organic brand.)
What to Do
Butter a 9 inch pie pan
Mix the chocolate syrup semi-sweet chocolate chips in a pan over medium heat and stir until smooth. Remove and set aside 1/4 cup of the chocolate mixture and put it in a small bowl. Add cereal to remaining chocolate mixture, stirring until well coated. Let it cool slightly.
Then using the back of spoon, press mixture evenly on bottom and up sides of prepared pie plate to form crust. Place the pan in freezer 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is firm. Spread one-half of ice cream into crust; spoon chocolate sauce over the first layer. Then top with scoops of the remaining ice cream. Cover and return to freezer until serving time. Drizzle with additional chocolate syrup just before serving.
You have no idea how good this is on a hot day.
Enjoy.
-Cara
Reason 85 from, 101 Reasons Why I Am Vegetarian:
Clog up your arteries on a diet loaded with saturated animal fat and cholesterol year after year and you risk having a heart attack or stroke. You can opt to avert these afflictions with an expensive, though now-routine, operation known as angioplasty. Performed with a balloon-tipped catheter, it works to flatten plaque against artery walls, thus opening up passageways for blood to flow. A whole-foods vegan diet, along with regular exercise, can have the same effect.
I usually try to stay away from animal cruelty newsletters or web sites as they really upset me and as a vegetarian I feel like I don’t need to be exposed to these horrors. I don’t eat or wear animals because of said suffering, so I don’t want to read or see things that are so sad. That said a few months ago I signed up for PETA’s newsletter for the second time to remind myself that I should do more, even if I don’t want to see it, it does motivate me.
In the latest newsletter I got today, PETA talks about leather. I being a lover of super fresh shoes, always had leather and suede shoes, until a few years ago where I read about the horrors of leather and decided to give up buying any leather products. Recently, I started to see a few shoes made from animals that I thought were cute and I couldn’t quite remember why I gave up leather…
Then along came PETA, with their Shopping Guide To Compassionate Clothing and Cows Are Cool, with their page on, What’s Wrong With Leather. This information reminded me why I gave up leather and suede. I’d like to share some information from Cows Are Cool with you.
Leather may be made from cows, pigs, goats, and sheep; exotic animals like alligators, ostriches, and kangaroos; and even dogs and cats, who are slaughtered for their meat and skins in China, which exports their skins around the world. Since leather is normally not labeled, you never really know where (or whom) it came from.
Most leather comes from developing countries like India and China, where animal welfare laws are either non-existent or not enforced. Many of the millions of cows and other animals who are killed for their skin endure the horrors of factory farming—extreme crowding and deprivation as well as castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning, all without any painkillers. In India, a PETA investigation found that cows have their tails broken and chili peppers and tobacco rubbed into their eyes in order to force them to get up and walk after they collapse from exhaustion on the way to the slaughterhouse. At slaughterhouses, animals routinely have their throats slit and are skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious after improper stunning.
Most of the millions of animals slaughtered for their skin endure the horrors of factory farming before being shipped to slaughter, where many are skinned alive. Buying leather directly contributes to factory farms and slaughterhouses since skin is the most economically important byproduct of the meat-packing industry. Leather is also no friend of the environment since it shares all the environmental destruction of the meat industry, in addition to the toxins used in tanning.
With every pair of leather shoes that you buy, you sentence an animal to a lifetime of suffering. Instead, you can choose from hundreds of styles of nonleather shoes, clothing, belts, bags, and wallets. Fashion should be fun, not fatal! Read more about the cruelty of the leather industry.
…so nevertheless I have cured myself of my desire for leather, thanks to PETA and Cows Are Cool and my conscious.
Also, PETA has given shopping alternatives to leather, wool, silk, fur, down on their site. Here are the links and one link for companies who offer cruelty-free products to be listed in PETA’s guide:
| Vegan Companies |
| Leather and Fur Alternatives |
| Search by Product Type |
| Animal-Friendly Companies Wanted |
Remember all animals feel pain and nothing is done to alleviate these animals suffering in their processing and slaughtering. I don’t want to ever be a part of that.
Knowledge is enlightenment.
-Cara
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Reason 69 from, 101 Reasons Why I Am Vegetarian:
In 2005, a $7.1 billion plan to prepare the U.S. for a bird-flu pandemic was instituted by the Bush administration. It included very little to help poor countries slow the spread of the H5N1 strain already on the march. Pharmaceutical companies would get most of the largesse in order to stockpile and develop speedier methods to develop appropriate vaccines for American citizens. In addition, President Bush proposed that he be given the power to impose essentially martial law on the land in the event that a pandemic actually came about. The number of countries with bird flu increased from 14 to 55 in 2006.
I am just going to cruise over this topic in this entry and supply you with links to learn more if you so choose. Freegans [According to Wikipedia, “Freeganism is an anti-consumerism lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on “limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources…“] the new Vegans [According to Wikipedia, “Veganism is a philosophy and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.“] are coming up again in conversation. I remember 10 years ago watching Geraldo or one of those shows about kids dumpster diving for meals, instead of giving into consumerism. They were all white and dressed as fashionable disasters. I am curious what happen to the original Freegans. Where are they now?
I remember in Chicago, again 10 or 11 years ago, some of my friends who moved from Chicago to Cali were all into it. I myself think it’s crazy to associate freegans with vegans because as a vegan I wanted to eat healthy and not mess with animals…I certainly did not want to eat bacteria infested garbage, seeping with dog crap, heroin needles and a plethora of other nastiness that dwells in the bowels of the dumpsters of New York City.
Besides not liking the association with vegans I am glad freegans exist. I don’t have the courage I guess…well not the courage, because if I had to dumpster dive for someone else, for some important reason or because I had no money, I would not be afraid to. I just REALLY prefer not too. I AM glad some people are willing to pick up the slack and kick ass for me and others who are not willing to go that extra mile. I think it’s awesome actually.
One thing if I may I suggest to freegans is, you may not need to dumpster dive. When I was a kid my friends and I developed relationships with pizza places and such where at the end of the night [behind the place…by a dumpster. :)] they would give us the food they were going to throw out, or Ann Sathers in Chicago after 9pm, gave away their soup of the day to anyone who wanted it for free. If not, they would have just thrown it out [It is like what City Harvest does here in NYC. They develop relationships with all types of businesses and send trucks to pick up the excess food that would have been thrown out and wasted. They then use that food to feed our homeless. I guess that is why freeganism hasn’t seemed to really have caught on here…so far. Also, I bet California garbage looks better than some New York City fruit stand’s goods. ]. We did a whole bunch of stuff like that to get by back in the day, but I like fresh food and siting down at a table these days. I guess I’m getting old. :)
I’m out.
-Cara
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Early in 2007, Consumer Reports tested 525 supermarket chickens from all across the U.S. and found only 17 percent free of both salmonella and campylobacter. Premium brands labeled “organic” or “raised free of antibiotics” actually harbored more salmonella than conventional ones. Most of the bacteria were resistant to at least one type of antibiotic, making food poisoning from eating poultry that much harder to treat. Some samples showed resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics.
OK, so right now I am more or less self-employed, but I will probably have a job at some point where I’ll be able to bring my lunch with me. This is a good thing as I love cooking and we always seem to have leftovers, so I’ll eat good food and save money!
I do make lunches most days for my significant other, like today what I did was wrap up a slice of this meatless meatloaf I made last night. Which was soooo good. I found the recipe yesterday on-line [I used organic, free-range eggs, not the vegan version, but I will try it that way as well.]. What inspired me to look was I am attempting to eat more green after writing the green calculator entry on Saturday. Which you know…not only does that mean not eating animal products, but you must also buy food from local farmers/distributors. The best I could do yesterday for jelly was to buy the one non-Italian made product, but for the produce I did alright. I realize I should make it a habit, at least once or twice a week, to go to Union Square Farmer’s Market, Greenmarket, and get my cheese, bread, produce, etc., since I am blessed to have one so conveniently located.
Back to the point, when I put together lunch-to-go today, I wrapped the meatloaf and bread in aluminum, put the mayo in a cleaned, recycled, plastic, delivery container and then put the lunch into a plastic bag that I use to put said lunch in everyday. On Global Stewards’ website they give some tips and information on how to pack a waste-free lunch. Let’s see how I did today….
Pack a Waste-Free Lunch
A waste-free lunch means that you have no packaging to throw away when you’re done – nothing other than apple cores, banana and orange peels, peach or cherry pits. The best way to reduce garbage is to not create it. (source: Environmental Forum of Marin)
Five Simple Ways to Pack a Waste-Free Lunch
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YES
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NO
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|---|---|
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REUSABLE carrier (cloth bag, lunch box)
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NO throw-away bags
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REUSABLE containers
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NO plastic wrap, foil or Styrofoam
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THERMOS for drinks
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NO single-use cartons or cans
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CLOTH NAPKIN to wash and re-use
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NO paper napkins
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SILVERWARE to wash and re-use
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NO plastic forks and spoons
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Lunch Waste Facts
| ALUMINUM FOIL | More than 20 million Hershey’s kisses are wrapped with 133 square miles of foil every day |
| ALUMINUM AND TIN CANS | In the time it takes you to read this sentence, more than 50,000 12-oz. aluminum cans were made |
| BANANA AND ORANGE PEELS | Food debris in a landfill decompose only 25% in the first 15 years (try composting or vermiculture!) |
| JUICE BOXES | Most inorganic trash retains its weight, volume, and form for at least four decades |
| PAPER BAGS AND NAPKINS | It is estimated that 17 trees are cut down for every ton of non-recycled paper |
| PLASTIC BOTTLES, FORKS, WRAP | U.S. citizens discard 2-1/2 million plastic bottles EVERY HOUR |
| STYROFOAM | U.S. citizens throw away 25 billion Styrofoam cups EVERY YEAR |
My big mistake was the aluminum foil! I always think about that. :) Tupperware is the solution. I realize aluminum seems much easier because you can throw it away with no clean-up, but what a waste for a few minutes of manual labor or a few seconds if you own a dishwasher. Plus for me, I just remembered I have a super-fresh lunch box I got as a gift awhile back, now all I need is a job to go to!!!
My Super-Fresh Lunch Box
Another tip I read somewhere is when you are ordering delivery make sure to tell them you don’t need any disposable utensils. No one ever uses them really and then they end up either in the garbage or in a drawer for a few months until you finally decide to clean that drawer where you keep all your unwanted plastic utensils…or is that just me?
Waste Free!!!
-Cara
Eating green…sounds good. I have always been a big fan of changing and incorporating a defined structure to my diet. I am already a vegetarian, was a vegan for years, sustained myself on a raw diet for a hot second, and also lived on a macrobiotic diet, so I figure how hard can this green diet be?
I found some great tools to aide in establishing a greener diet in my life on cspinet.org. First, the Eating Green Calculator calculates how what you eat impacts the world, ecologically. Then, on this site, you can also discover how your diet scores on nutrition, the environment, and animal welfare. Lastly, you can take a tour of how food supply of non-organic food ends up at your house. It is super fun and education. :)
The website is promoting and selling a book, Six Arguments for a Greener Diet,
“A diet based more on plant-based foods than meats and dairy can lead to extra years of healthy living. This very same diet reduces environmental damage and farm animal suffering. CSPI’s new Eating Green brings to bear the science on a greener diet and its impact on the environment.
Six Arguments for a Greener Diet. CSPI’s new book provides thoughtful advice to consumers and policymakers alike on moving to a plant-base diet. ”
Maybe I’ll pick up this book and see what it is all about.
Eat green!
-Cara
The Day After An Inconvenient Truth 
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