Happy Autumn!

Autumn is a time for Harvest, Farmer Markets, jumping in leaves, enjoying the fall foliage, and looking forward to the Holidays which are right around the corner. 

But do you really know what you are buying when you buy ‘organic’?  The truth is – it is only slightly better than conventional, the extra money you pay goes mostly to pay for all the bookkeeping involved.  The best produce is VEGANIC, not organic.

Veganic agriculture is a form of sustainable agriculture which uses no animal inputs for soil fertility.  Instead it uses green manures.  This is a method of farming which employs crop rotations, cover crops, veganic compost, and imaginative and creative uses of green manures.  Some are plowed under, some are killed and left on the surface of the soil for crops to be planted into, and some are planted between rows.  Different green manures offer different benefits to the soil. 

Soil fertility is key to nutritious food since crops take their nutritional value from the soil.  Tasteless fruits and vegetables indicate that they have been grown in depleted soil.  Soil that is depleted cannot product crops that have vitamins, minerals, and taste. All elements found on the Periodic Chart of the Elements are needed for the human body.  All except a few are found in soil.  The other few are in the air.  You cannot have good health unless you have healthy soil.

Minerals such as lime and phosphorous are added to amend the soil.  Veganic farming uses no manure, blood, or bone meal from factory farms and slaughterhouses as is typically used in organic farming.  There is e-coli and other deadly organisms in organic as well as conventional agriculture, but not veganic. 

Pests are managed first through crop rotation.  Then the philosophy, “Know your Enemy”, involves diagnosing the pest or disease.  Its life cycle is analyzed to find the vulnerable point.   Next the philosophy, “My Enemy’s Enemy is my Friend”, is employed, and a predator is found that can control situation at that vulnerable point.  This eliminates the need for toxic pesticides, even the “natural” poisons used in organic farming.  Veganic farming relies on the use of harmless soaps and ashes for pest control.     

The end result of veganic farming is produce that is loaded with vitamins and minerals, and has no toxic or poisonous pesticides, no hormones or antibiotics from animal manures and inputs as used in conventional and organic farming, has a light carbon footprint, is globally sustainable, and is totally cruelty free.

Peace On All levels

“Peace on all levels” was a comment by Kevin Martin, Founder of Peace Action, the nation’s largest grass roots peace organization.  Mr. Martin made this comment as a panelist during the UN NGO Annual Conference in Mexico City.  I was the moderator of the panel.  Drawing on this thought, it is a logical conclusion that peace be extended not only to countries and populations, but also to the environment and our fellow travelers on spaceship earth.

Recent findings have left no doubt that the warming of the climate is directly linked to human activity.  Of all the causes, the livestock sector generates the most greenhouse gas emissions according to a U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization report.  The massive amount of animal feces produced in factory farms is the largest source of airborne methane in the United States.  Methane traps heat in the atmosphere much more effectively than carbon dioxide does.  Animals raised for food in the United States produce 130 times more excrement than the entire human population does – 86,000 pounds per second.  A typical pig factory generates a quantity of raw waste equal to a city of 50,000 people, but without the sewage system.  The runoff from factory farms pollutes rivers and lakes more than all other industrial sources combined.  Chicken, hog, and cattle excrement have polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated ground water in 17 states.

Of all agricultural land in the U.S., nearly 80% is used to raise animals for food.  More than 260 million acres of U.S. forest have been cleared to create cropland to grow grain to feed farmed animals.  Twenty times more land is required to feed a meat-eater than to feed a vegan.  Raising animals for food consumes nearly half the water used in the U.S. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef, but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat.  More than one third of all the raw materials and non-renewable fossil fuels used in the U.S. are required to raise animals for food.  More importantly, these flesh and blood, sentient creatures are killed in ways that would horrify any compassionate person.

There will be no Peace in the world until it is experienced on all levels, including the treatment of our fellow travelers on spaceship Earth, our beloved animals.

Overcome Heart Disease With A Vegan Diet

We are all concerned about heart disease because it is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States today.  Heart disease results when the coronary arteries which bring blood and oxygen to the heart start to narrow, pinching off blood flow, and threatening the viability of the heart.  Arteries narrow due to the growth of small raised areas, or little bumps, on the inside of arteries.  These bumps are plaques composed of cholesterol, fat, and cells over growing from the artery’s muscle layer. 

Cholesterol is a raw material made in the cells of all animals and humans.  It is used to make cell membranes and hormones, among other functions.  Animal products are the only significant source of cholesterol in the diet.  It is in chicken, fish, and beef.  Chicken has essentially the same cholesterol as beef.  A single egg has 213 mg of cholesterol.

Saturated fats are sometimes called “bad fats” Their name comes from the fact that the fat molecule is completely covered with hydrogen atoms - that is - ‘saturated’ with them.  If it is not covered with hydrogen atoms, it is called unsaturated.  Saturated fats stimulate your own liver to make more cholesterol, which unsaturated fats do not.  Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, like cooled bacon grease.  Vegetable oils are liquid at room temperature showing they are unsaturated fat.  All fruit, vegetables, whole grains and beans are very low in fat overall, with absolutely no saturated fat or cholesterol. 

The only scientifically proven way to reduce your risk of heart disease, or to reverse it once you have it, is with a vegan diet.  There are no animal products on a vegan diet – no meat, fish, or chicken, and no dairy products – no milk, cheese, yogurt, or eggs.  Therefore, it has no cholesterol or saturated fat.  Vegan diets include fruit, vegetables, salad, sprouts, whole grains, legumes (beans), and tofu. 

Why Not Leather?

How many people do you know who would never think of eating meat (and maybe dairy) but love to wear leather?  Maybe you wear leather!  Here are some facts to consider before you purchase your next leather article.

Slaughterhouse production lines move at breakneck speeds, so workers routinely skin and dismember fully conscious animals to produce leather.  Much of the leather sold in the U.S. comes from India, where workers beat and torture tired, thirsty cattle to keep them marching endless miles to slaughter.  In Asia dogs and cats are cruelly killed for their skin.  They are simply labeled ‘leather” and show up in products all over the world.

 

What about shoes, belts, and handbags?  Being leather free can be fashionable.  Products abound that are leather free.  Markets respond to consumer desires, so more choices are constantly becoming available as we shop for them.   For example, there is the vegan leather free Moo Shoes, that are very popular.  Payless Shoes has leather free shoes that are very popular.  If your taste is designer quality, consider Stella McCartney, daughter of Sir Paul McCartney, and one of the world’s top designers.  She makes designer leather free items.  When I shop,  I often ask salespeople if a handbag is leather .  I make sure they are aware I want a cruelty-free product.  Their response is always positive as they assure me no animals were hurt to make this product.

Would you wear your dog or cat?  Shop compassionately!   Visit www.CowsAreCool.com for more ideas and to find everything from pleather pumps to synthetic biker jackets.  Enjoy your new faux leather goods.  Your friends the animals will thank you for it!

United Nations Global Call To Climate Action Focuses On Vegan Food

ActNow (www.un.org/en/actnow) is the United Nations’ global call to individual action on climate change. The campaign is a critical part of the UN’s coordinated effort to raise awareness, ambition, and action for climate change and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Primarily an online and social media campaign, ActNow will educate and encourage individual actions, mainly by adjusting consumption patterns. By changing our habits and routines, and making choices that have less harmful effects on the environment, we have the power to confront the climate challenge.

The United Nations’ ActNow Climate Campaign aims to trigger individual action on the defining issue of our time. People around the world will be engaged to make a difference in all facets of their lives, from the food they eat to the clothes they wear. This year, we will be focusing on two mini campaigns around food and fashion.

What we eat has major implications for climate change. The destruction of rainforests to create land for agriculture, along with growing demand for meat, are major contributors to the increasing greenhouse gases which are taking a significant toll on climate and global food security. To top it off, we waste about one-third of the food that is produced. But more people are taking a closer look at what they are eating and the impacts of their diets on their health and on the environment. More and more chefs and other food suppliers are focusing on local and organic produce and shifting away from meat-heavy meals and fast food. They are joined by a growing movement of people changing the way they cook and eat. The UN’s ActNow campaign aims to inspire even more people to enjoy sustainable, climate-conscious and delicious food.

ActNow has invited people around the world to share their individual contribution to sustainable food consumption. The challenge: cooking up dishes that are not only delicious but also good for the planet and good for us– reducing meat and emphasizing diverse vegetarian ingredients instead. Leading chefs will provide inspiration by presenting their own creations, and kicking off a global wave of culinary creativity as people share their favorite recipes and photos on social media.