Archive for April, 2009

Great Companies/Products that are kind to Animals

Saturday, April 4th, 2009

Charities:

Easter Seals, Helen Keller International, Children’s Burn Foundation, Miracle House.

Cosmetics:

Beauty Without Cruelty -
In 1963, Beauty Without Cruelty was founded in England by the trustees of BWC Charitable Trust, an animal welfare organization. Its goal was to manufacture and distribute natural, color cosmetics that were NOT tested on animals (as was the norm) and did NOT contain any animal ingredients. The driving force behind the project was Katherine Long, a dedicated, life-long animal welfare activist, a cosmetician, and a vegetarian.

ZuZu, Gabriel Cosmetics Inc – When purchasing Gabriel Cosmetics, Gabriel Skincare, Zuzu Luxe and Clean Kids Naturally you are choosing cruelty-free products. Gabriel products are made from 100% natural ingredients. No synthetic chemicals or animal by-products are utilized, and no testing is ever done on animals.  Check them out at:  http://www.gabrielcosmeticsinc.com


Fashion:

VEGAN DESIGNERS AND COMPANIES:
Stella McCartney – 100% Vegan, cruelty-free fashions.  She is a Vegan and every animal’s angel.

Moo Shoes

Bello Iris – This amazing company was founded upon values of beautiful styles and compassion toward all animals.  They have no fur and no leather products and vow never to use them.  100% cruelty free.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Pangea VeganStore.com                                                                                                                                                                                      matt & nat

FUR FREE DESIGNERS:

RED JADE – They are a Vancouver based design label who are vowed fur free and for that we compliment them immensely!  They have four retail outlets across Vancouver, Victoria and Winnipeg.  Check them out at:  www.wearredjade.com

Abercrombie & Fitch

American Apparel -

Banana Republic – Though PLEASE DON’T SHOP THERE as they are horrible to the grossly underpaid, and abused workers in their sweatshops.

BCBG Max Azria -  Again, these guys are notorious for treating even their American factory workers like crap, forced 12 hour days, not overtime pay, in 1999 they were sued by two immigrant employees for abuse.

Billabong

Burton Snowboards – Used to use animal fur but discontinued it in 2007 with no plans to bring it back.

Calvin Klein – Stopped selling fur in 2008.

Cole Haan – HSUS has received written confirmation that they will not sell fur again.

Cri De Coeur – These guys have some epically beautiful Vegan shoes.

Del Forte Denim – Has happily pledged to remain fur free.

Donna Salyers’ Fabulous Furs -  WHAT???  That’s right, if you are one of those totally style challenged folk that just want your fur, these guys have non-dead, moral fur garments of all kinds.  Now I don’t want to dis them,   just because I think that imitation roadkill still looks like crap, doesn’t mean everyone does.  For those who see beauty in the look of fur, but are repulsed by the oily, decomposing hair look of animal fur, these guys have some beautiful alternatives for you.

Esprit – They have a firm policy against selling any animal fur in their stores.

Forever 21 – They have stopped selling fur as of 2004.

Gap – They are fur free, but again remember humans are people too, and gap abuses them like crazy in their factories (whoa child labour!)

Hard Tail – They agree that fur is ugly as f*ck, and don’t sell any, animal or synthetic.  YEAH!

The Home Shopping Network – They created a policy in 2008 refusing to promote animal abuse through fur on their station.

Juicy Couture

Kenneth Cole – Has committed to not selling fur in all of its brands and licensees.

Lara Miller – Her lines are dam close to Vegan, tragically close.  The only thing keeping her off of the A++ list is organic wool.

Linda Loudermilk – is actually pioneering a type of organic cotton to be used as faux-fur.

Liz Claiborne Inc. – Do not use any fur, nor do any of their licensees which include:

  • Liz Claiborne New York
  • Juicy Couture
  • Kate Spade
  • Lucky Brand
  • Mexx
  • Dana Buchman
  • Mac & Jac
  • Kensie
  • Kensiegirl
  • Liz & Co.
  • Claiborne by John Bartlett
  • Concepts by Claiborne
  • Axcess
  • DKNY Jeans
  • DKNY Active
  • DKNY Men
  • Please remember though, the boycott of all DKNY products is still in effect as Donna Karen just can’t get enough fur into her product lines.  She lies pathologically, is a level 5 fur hag,  and I doubt will ever stop selling fur.

    Lucky Brand Jeans

    Mango – Signed onto the CFFS Fur-Free Retail Program

    Marc Bouwer – He issued an online statement that: “Fur belongs on an animal, not on a hanger.”

    Matt and Nat – These guys are great!  They are a completely Vegan brand featuring purses, diaper bags, briefcases and the like, all of which is extremely fashionable and pretty.

    Nature Vs. Future – Their designers have a major focus on natural, recycled or organic fabrics in their designs.

    NSF Clothing – They have never used fur and have vowed to never use any.

    Overstock.com – They do not sell any animal fur on their website.  Their CEO issued this statement regarding their decision to go fur free: “The Humane Society of the United States brought to our attention its issues about the fur industry…So we are going fur-free.” – Patrick Byrne, chairman and CEO

    Patagonia

    Paul Frank

    PrAna

    Scapegoat

    Trovata – They are a California based company that features mainly surf wear.

    Zappos.com

    Cleaning Products:

    Household -
    Amazon Premium Products
    Bio Pac – On their website they post full ingredient listings and also the comment:

    “Our products contain no animal ingredients and are never tested on animals.”

    Earth Friendly Products
    Heather’s Natural & Organic Cleaning
    Life Tree Products
    Method Products, Inc.
    Nature Clean
    SerVaas Laboratories
    Seventh Generation – Features Vegan ingredients and has never been tested on animals.  They have a solid record of social responsibility, however, we must remember that every huge company gets lost from it’s noble mission along the way.  (Take Whole Foods for example.)

    Live For Tomorrow -  This is a wonderful Vancouver based company.  A very small, successful company whose owners generally are present at all trade shows and product demonstrations.  They feature both liquid and powdered dish detergents, as well as liquid and powdered laundry detergents.  Their ingredients are entirely Vegan, they have never tested on animals, and even the cute little bunny on their signs is not from an exploitive entertainment company, rather comes from a preexisting graphic.

    Kitchen -
    Allens Naturally
    Amazon Premium Products
    America’s Finest Products Corporation
    Astonish Industries, Inc.
    Baby Girl Products
    Bio Pac
    BioKleen
    Citra-Solv, LLC
    Country Save
    Earth Friendly Products
    Good Home Company
    Green Forest
    Heather’s Natural & Organic Cleaning
    Lady of the Lake
    Life Tree Products
    Marcal Paper Mills
    Method Products, Inc.
    Mountain Green
    Nature Clean
    Planet
    Rivers Run
    SerVaas Laboratories
    Seventh Generation
    Sound Earth, LLC
    Sun & Earth, Inc.
    Whip-It Products

    Vegan Recipes

    Saturday, April 4th, 2009

    “Lobster” Spaghetti: *Delicious!*

    Ingredients:

    1 onion, finely chopped
    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
    8 ounces peeled plum tomatoes, pressed through a fine mesh strainer
    Salt
    10 ounces lobster meat [you can find this at T&T Markets or Veggie Favor at 17th & Cambie in Vancouver], cut into large chunks.  ** It comes frozen so it’s mcuh better if it’s thawed out before cooking.
    12 ounces dried spaghetti

    Method:

    Sauté the onion in the oil in a large frying pan for 10 minutes.

    Add 2 teaspoons of parsley and the tomatoes.

    Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the tomatoes have broken down.

    Season with the salt and add the lobster meat. Simmer for 10 minutes.

    Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and add to the pan.

    Serve in individual dishes and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of parsley.

    Vegan Celebrities

    Saturday, April 4th, 2009

    A

    Alan Donohue – He is a singer in the British rock band The Rakes.  He is a supporter of the AR group Viva!, an anti-factory farming group.
    Alanis Morissette – Talks about how she felt after making the transition to a Vegan diet:  “I feel very alive. … I have no more aches and pains, and my allergies are gone, too.”
    Alicia Silverstone -  This beauty says that her Vegan diet has made her “feel healthier than ever before.”
    Alyssa Milano – Says:“I turned vegetarian after 9/11. A friend of mine came back from New York and said that he couldn’t stand the smell of burnt flesh. It immediately reminded me of a barbecue.”
    Andre Tonelli – He is a guitarist, composer, producer, teacher, and all over beautiful man!
    Andre 3000 (Benjamin)
    Andrew G
    Andy Hurley
    Anoushka Shankar
    Anthony Kiedis – Lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, he shares his personal chef, Laura Dakin, with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.  She travels to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary each winter to cook yummie vegan food for the Sea Shepherds while they prevent Japan’s illegal slaughter of  the endangered great whales.

    B

    Benjamin Spock, M.D. – He went Vegan from the age of 88 until his death at age 94.   He said that after adopting the Vegan diet, he had a vigor and enthusiasm that he hadn’t experienced in years.
    Benjamin Zephaniah
    Bif Naked – She identifies herself as XveganX (Vegan Straightedge.)  She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband.
    Billy West
    Brian Bell – He is the background guitarist and vocalist for the band Weezer.  He has been nominated on PETA’s list of Sexiest Vegetarians.
    Brian Greene – He is a professor at Columbia University, and a highly respected Theoretical Physicist.
    Bryan Adams – This talented singer/songwriter/photographer/activist says that: “I love Japanese style veggie dishes of tofu and mushrooms…but I suppose I have to admit that I love the Elvis of all vegetables…the potato.”

    C
    Carrie Anne Moss
    Casey Affleck
    Casey Kasem – This successful host of American Top 40  says about his Veganism:  “What’s terrific today is the idea that as a vegetarian you are not only making a contribution to the animals, but also to your health and the safety of the planet.”
    Cedric Bixler-Zavala – He is the singer from The Mars Volta.  They feature animal rights as an undertone in their music.  He struggled with substance abuse until the drug related death of friend and band mate  Jeramy Michael Ward.
    Chrissie Hynde -  She recently began leading protests in NYC against the exploitive carriage horse industry.  She says that since getting married in one several decades ago, she has learned about and witnessed the neglect and abuse of the horses who spend their entire lives pulling tourists about.
    Coretta Scott King – Wife of the late Dr.Martin Luther King Jr., she went Vegan in 1995 after her son Derrek illustrated that it was the next logical step in her and her late husband’s struggle for non violence and equal rights.

    D
    Dan Piraro – He often incorporated Vegan and animal rights themes into his “Bizarro” comic.  He has also raised money for the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.
    Daniel Johns – He is the frontman for the rock band Silverchair.  He talks about his switch to a Vegan lifestyle: “Basically, the reason I’m vegan is because when I was about 16 or 17 years old, I began to understand that we don’t need to contribute to the killing and exploitation of animals to feed our bodies correctly.
    Danny Nova – He is a singer and champion of civil, animal, human and all rights.  He is very openly Pro-Veganism.  He is extremely talented and plays 10 instruments, non including his voice!
    Darren Boyd -  He is a British actor who starred in Kiss Me Kate and Saxondale.   While filming a scene in which his character was to be eating meat, he asked to props department to use a soy meat substitute because he “most definatley [won't be] eating meat and nor would I under any circumstances!
    Daryl Hannah – This beatiful actress joined the crew of the Sea Shepherd Conservation  Society in 2008 for part of their Antarctic Whale protection campaign.
    Davey Havok – This hottie McHottiepants is the lead singer of AFI.  PETA also named him the year’s sexiest vegetarian.    He is set to release a line of Vegan shoes in conjunction with Macbeth shoe company.
    Dennis Kucinich -  He is a United States Democrat and Member of the House of Representatives for the 10th District of Ohio.  He has served as Mayor of Cleaveland and a serious candidate for the 2004/2008 Presidential Elections.  He spoke at the 2009 AR Conference in Los Angeles, California.   He firmly believes that “all life on our Earth [is] sacred.”

    E
    Ed Templeton – He is a professional skateboarder from California who has been Vegan for nearly 20 years.  He says “Once you read about the meat and dairy industry and the things they do, it is hard to keep supporting them. I didn’t want to partake in the killing of animals or spend my money on the whole system.”
    Elijah Wood – Well, we think he is Vegan, there are plenty of sites that claim he is, but there is also a report of him just pretending to be because let’s face it, Vegans are hotter, smarter and cooler, but it’s just a jerk move to pretend to be, especially when it’s not exactly rocket surgery to just loose the meat dude!  If you have any info on Elijah’s eating habits, please comment below!
    Ellen Degeneres – This gorgeous comedian is a well spoken public Vegan.  She also manufactures a brand of nutritionally complete pet foods.  She has come under fire recently from the Vegan community since she became a spokesperson for Cover Girl cosmetics, which are tested extensively, and horrifically on animals in cruel, useless experiments.  Not to mention they have various types of dead animal parts right in each product.
    Emily Deschanel -  Has been Vegan for more than 15 years.  She says watching the film “Diet For A New America” opened her eyes and made her stop eating and wearing animal products.
    Emilie Autumn -  This rad lady describes herself as an ‘anarchist violinist.’  She went veggie at 11 after staring at a hamburger and thinking ‘why should I eat this, and not my horse?’  It doesn’t make any sense at all really.  Check out this wicked interview with Emilie:  http://www.peta2.com/OUTTHERE/o-EmilieAutumn.asp    Very cool lady!
    Erykah Badu – Beautiful, talented singer has been Vegan for over 20 years.  She is a BIG fan of Wheeler’s Frozen Desserts, a line of 31 flavors of Vegan ice creams…. Mmmmmmm  ( http://www.icecreamproject.com/ )

    F
    Fiona Apple –  She made a long, passionate recording in 1997 which PETA played as a phone message to Butterbakk Turkey killers.  In it she stated: “There’s no proper way to kill and cook these beautiful birds.”
    Forrest Kline
    Fred Mascherino

    G
    Ginnifer Goodwin -  Actress from “He’s Just Not That Into You” has been Vegan for a couple of years.  She became aware one morning of the oddity of consuming another animal’s milk.  This led her to question the whole concept of eating animal products, and become Vegan.
    Greg Cipes -  Vegan actor and musician.

    H

    Heather Mills – A passionate Vegan, Mills once made the logical point about ‘why is it that we find it acceptable to drink cow’s milk, but not rat’s, or dog’s?’

    Heather Small

    Howard Lyman – He is a former multigeneration factory farmer, who became extremely sick from the chemicals involved in modern animal raising/killing.  He now works diligently with Farm Sanctuary throughout the United States promoting a Vegan lifestyle.  He is a proponant of organic farming methods, and Veganism.  He got Oprah to renounce beef on her show in 1998.
    Hunter Burgan

    I
    Ian MacKaye
    Ingrid Newkirk – She is the founder and president of PETA.  At the age of 22, never having had a thought about animal rights, she rescued some kittens, and upon arrival at the local shelter, the staff immediately killed them all.  This even was so unforeseen and devastating that she took a job in that shelter and began cruisading to prevent further suffering to animals.
    Isa Chandra Moskowitz

    J
    James Cromwell
    Jason Mraz
    Joanne Rose
    Joaquin Phoenix – He released a film in 2005 called Earthlings.  If you are not yet Vegan then you are obligated as someone who believes in non-human suffering, to watch this film.  If you have a heartbeat you will be deeply effected by it.
    John Feldmann – He is the lead singer and guitarist for the totally epic band Goldfinger.  He is a strong Vegan and animal rights activist.  He is also an open, out spoken supporter of the Animal Liberation Front.
    John Peel
    John Robbins
    John Robb
    Jonathan Richman
    Jorja Fox

    K
    K D Lang – This immensely talented singer is a longtime Vegan, making the obvious point that:  “We all love animals.  Why do we call some “pets” and others “dinner?”
    Kevin Nealon
    Kurt Halsey- On his self named website, filled with his art work, he comments on Veganism:  ”Animals belong to themselves, not to us.  They should not suffer in our systems of food, science, entertainment and fashion.  Instead, they should live free of the tyranny we put upon them.  But they cannot claim this freedom alone.”
    Kyle Vincent – He has a memorial fund set up in memory of his rabbit Tofu:  http://www.rabbitsanctuary.org

    L
    Leonardo Da Vinci – He was certainly a vegetarian, and a profoundly brilliant man.  He has a quote in which he states: “Of the beasts from whom cheese is made, the milk will be taken from the tiny children.”  To me this seems to suggest that he understands that the consumption of cow’s milk is akin to stealing, and I imagine it would naturally follow that he would not consume it.
    Leona Lewis – She is working toward launching her own line of Vegan clothing.
    Linda Blair -  She founded the Linda Blair World Heart Foundation which rescues animals from ‘death row’ and provides them shelter and love.  She is the author of the wonderful book “Going Vegan.”  She became Vegan after reading about the ways in which farm animals are ‘raised.’
    Lori Petty
    Luke Cummo – This hottie, hottie, hottie pants is a successful UFC fighter, featured on the tv series The Ultimate Fighter.  He has adhered to a raw Vegan diet for the past 10 years.  He believes this diet gives him the competative edge over his opponants.
    Lynda Stoner – An Australian actress, and full-time Animal Liberation activist.

    M
    Mac Danzig – This guy, based solely on his bio, sounds like a pretty stand up fellow.  He has been Vegan since 2004, has a little daughter, is a semi-professional photographer, and animal rights advocate.  In all honesty, I’m a little turned on right now!
    Mariana Tosca
    Martin Shaw
    Martina Navratilova
    Masami Akita – He is the creator of the Merzbow “Noise Project” in Tokyo, Japan.  He is also a supporter of PETA.
    Michael Franti – He is a multi-ethnic creator and vocalist of Michael Franti & Spearhead.  His lyrics often speak about peace and social justice issues.

    Michael “Mickey” Madden – He is an advocate for Veganism, and the base player for Maroon 5.

    Moby

    Morrissey

    N

    Natalie Portman – Not only is she the most beautiful, talented and highly intelligent Harvard Graduate of all time, but she is a strong Vegan, and has even got a beautiful line of Vegan shoes!  Wow Natalie, will you marry me???

    Nellie McKay
    Nicole Lapin – She is the youngest news anchor for CNN (started there at 23 years old.)  She began her career working in Atlanta, which, she says, rather than being a barricade to Veganism, just challenged her to find new ways and places to eat.  For example when on the road, she can even find food in gas stations, like simple fruit and trail mix.

    O
    Ocean
    Omar Rodriguez-Lopez

    P
    Pamelyn Ferdin
    Pat Neshek
    Pat Thetic
    Propagandhi Band

    Q
    Quinn Allman – The guitar player from the band Used, he went Vegan after seeing a video made by John Feldman (of Goldfinger) depicting some of the horrific violence that occurs in slaughter houses, and dairy barns, etc.

    R
    River Phoenix,
    Robin Gibb

    S

    Saint David

    Sara Gilbert — Famous for her role as Darlene on Roseanne, Sara became Vegetarian in her teens, then announced her switch to a Vegan diet in 2008 on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

    Saul Williams
    Scott Jurek
    Sean Conant
    Seba Johnson
    Shane Sweet
    Shane Told – The leadsinger of  the Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein.   He says one of his favorite foods is “Qdoba vegetarian tortilla soup… To die for.”
    Sinead O’Connor
    Steve Kilbey
    Stic.man
    Summer Phoenix
    Supreme Master Ching Hai – She works diligently for peace and spiritual enlightenment.  She has brought the Quan Yin Method to immense popularity in the Philippines.

    T
    Ted Leo – He is an American Indie Rock singer who has been Vegan for more than 10 years and doesn’t shy away from talking about his passion for Veganism.
    Terry Geezer Butler – Original bassist for Black Sabbath.   Stopped eating meat at 8 years old!  Good job Terry :-)
    Thom Yorke
    Thomas Dekker – He spends his time with his two pugs, Noggin and Captain, and his rabbit Bella.
    Tobey Maguire – He cannot stand the smell of leather to the point where he insists that guests in his home remove all leather products before entering his home.

    V
    Vanessa  Williams – She says two of her favorite Vegan restaurants are Vegan Express in Westwood, LA and Madeline Bistro in Tarzana.
    Victoria Moran – A life coach and inspirational author, she wrote a book about a Vegan diet called “The Love-Powered Diet.”

    W
    Weird Al Yankovic – Everyone’s favorite parody artist went Vegan in 1992 after a fan gave him a copy of “Diet For A New America.”
    Woody Harrelson – He released a film in 2004 called Go Further, aimed at changing people’s eating habits and preserving the earth.