Blog Posts

Tips for Raising Humane Kids by Zoe Weil

2/1/2012

I'm honored to introduce this next post by Zoe Weil, co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education. Zoe is a leader in her field, and an inspiration to those who seek to make the world a kinder, more sustainable and just place for all (including animals). In this post she offers useful tips on how to raise a humane child in challenging times. A great post to share with other parents and educators.

Guest post by Zoe Weil, co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education

When asked about their deepest hopes for their children, most parents don’t mention elite colleges, the best outfits, high SAT scores, athletic prowess, or future prom queens. Above all, most parents want their children to be happy and kind. They want them to have abiding values that will carry them through life and enable them to be good, hard-working, successful people whom others like and respect. They want them to make healthy and wise choices and put their talents and skills into practice in meaningful ways. In a word, they want their children to be humane, embodying the best qualities of human beings.

Raising a humane child is challenging in today’s world. Parents are often raising their children in opposition to cultural norms. While today’s society promotes materialism, junk food, myopia, and endless competition, many parents want their children to experience wonder, to be healthy and wise, and to learn to collaborate. These parents are often trying to inculcate awe, compassion, gratitude and respect for self and others (including the natural world and other species), while their culture is busy producing ever more entitled,“screen-addicted” teenagers. It’s not an easy task to raise children even within a culture that supports one’s values, but it’s much harder when one’s deepest values are contradicted daily, in school, through the media, and within mainstream culture.

What’s a parent to do?

By utilizing the tools of the humane educator, parents can challenge cultural norms and raise their children to embrace those values their family holds dear. Humane educators rely on four key elements to teach children how they can be conscientious choicemakers and engaged changemakers and to put their deepest values into practice in concrete, practical ways. They are:

• To provide accurate information (in age appropriate ways) about the challenges of our time
• To foster the 3 Cs of curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking
• To instill the 3 Rs of reverence, respect, and responsibility
• To offer positive choices and the tools for problem-solving

Finally, humane educators seek to model their message for their students by cultivating the 3 Is of inquiry, introspection, and integrity so that they, themselves, are lifelong learners who seek out knowledge that will allow them to live more humanely, who self reflect to understand where the confluence of their new knowledge and their actions lies, and who live with integrity to the best of their ability putting their values into action.

Parents can do this, too. By choosing humane products and foods, going outside in nature instead of to the mall, living consciously and conscientiously, they will model their own message of humane living. The next step is becoming their children’s first humane educator and teaching them about the challenges of our time. While it’s very important that parents don’t expose their young children to atrocities, by nurturing their reverence for others, human and nonhuman as well as the natural world, and by slowly introducing information in age appropriate ways, fostering their critical and creative thinking about that information, and offering them opportunities to make a difference, parents can raise their children to be humane.

Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times by Zoe Weil

For those parents interested in learning more about how to do this, I invite you to read my book, Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times and to register for the Institute for Humane Education’s online course for parents, “Raising a Humane Child.”

Editor's Note: If you are an educator, please sign up for Teaching for a Positive Future - a 6-week online course for only $135 to learn skills, tools and insight for teaching students critical and creative thinking about social justice, environmental ethics and animal protection. It's money well spent.

I've read both, Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times and Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life by Zoe Weil and they are both excellent books. They will inspire you to change your way of thinking, and you'll look at many things including current systems, industries, products and habits/traditions in a new light. I highly recommend these books for individuals, parents and educators who want to make the world a better place for all.

You can follow the Institute for Humane Education's blog: Humane Connection.

Zoe Weil is the president of the Institute for Humane Education, which offers online graduate programs in humane education through an affiliation with Valparaiso University, online professional development courses, Summer Institutes for educators, and free, downloadable activities and lesson plans at its awarding winning resource center on its website: www.HumaneEducation.org. Zoe is the author of The Power and Promise of Humane Education; Nautilus Silver Medal winner Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life; Above All, Be Kind:Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times, and Moonbeam Gold Medal winner for juvenile fiction, Claude and Medea, which follows the adventures of 12-year-olds in New York City who are inspired by an eccentric teacher to right wrongs where they find them. She has given an acclaimed TEDx talk, “The World Becomes What You Teach” and blogs at www.zoeweil.com. Zoe holds master’s degrees from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. You can follow her on Twitter at ZoeWeil and become her friend on Facebook.

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Finding Vegan Products for Your Family

1/25/2012

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Looking for vegan food, personal care products, household cleaners, and more? Then read this next post! Vegan dad, Jeff Repanich, founded the Vegan Product Guide-- a database that includes a long list of products from A-Z which are all color-coded as vegan, not vegan, or debatable. This is a great resource to share with your friends and family!

Guest post by Jeff Repanich, founder of Vegan Product Guide.
Finding vegan shampoos and baby bath used to be arduous. We’d surf the web until we found a list of products that weren’t tested on animals, then hit a discussion forum to find some chatter about whether they were vegan. Often, we’d double-check the ingredients from the manufacturer’s website with a list of ingredients derived from animals. And then we’d go to the store …sometimes only to find out that the product we’d decided on was out of stock.

I knew there was a better way. We always found out about the good stuff from our vegan friends. The problem was, no one ever wrote it all down. And, I thought, wouldn’t it be even better if we had the opinions of even more vegans?

I launched the Vegan Product Guide to make information about great vegan products more accessible.

The Vegan Product Guide is a user-driven database that allows users to vote on whether a product is vegan, leave comments, and make shopping lists. Whether your family is new to veganism, you’re simply trying to live a more plant-based lifestyle, or you’re veteran vegans with friends and family that aren’t so good at reading labels, the Guide is for you.

To get started, create an account. This will allow you to vote on products, leave comments, add tags, and make your own shopping list. Next, search for your favorite products if you want to leave feedback to help other vegan families or look for new foods, personal care products, fashion accessories, or home cleaning products by browsing the site or using the search box.

Are your children’s teachers befuddled by what snacks are appropriate? You can direct them to the Vegan Product Guide and have them search for “green” products, which have been voted to be genuine vegan. Have a relative or friend who isn’t so good at reading labels? Create a shopping list of holiday candies, or favorite snacks, and print out a copy next time you visit.

The Vegan Product Guide is intended to make following a vegan lifestyle fun and easy. I hope you’ll join us and share your favorite vegan products.

Jeff Repanich is the vegan dad behind Vegan Product Guide. Ever since he built his first website to share a vegan waffle recipe, he has enjoyed web development. He makes outrageously delicious Swedish pancakes and is prone to add Daiya cheese to just about everything else.

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The Power of Getting Together With Other Vegetarian/Vegan Families

1/18/2012

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Celeste Hill is an organizer of Vegkins, a Minnesota-based vegetarian and vegan families group. In this post, she shares her insight on the importance of getting together with other parents who are raising vegetarian or vegan kids. Parents can share recipes and ideas, and offer advice and support to one another, and kids can participate in animal-friendly events, and simply play with other kids who share their same lifestyle. So seek out other veg parents in your community today!

Guest post by Celeste Hill, organizer of Vegkins
Way back before Vegkins came into existence, my husband and I lost touch with the vegan community. There was no Facebook back then. Hard to imagine I know.

Once our son was born, we became cognizant of this missing part of our life. Having children has a way of bringing your beliefs, whatever they may be, into sharp focus. Thus began our search for fellow vegan parents.

After meeting a few local vegan families like the one from These Little Piggies Have Tofu, we were lucky enough to run into Dallas Rising from the Animal Rights Coalition (ARC). She was collecting names to start a vegan/vegetarian family group. We were simply ecstatic. It is all history from there.

Vegkins is a program of ARC, for parent(s) of vegan and vegetarian kids. It meets on a monthly basis within the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The activities include story hours, playground play dates, holiday parties, vegan soft serve meet-ups, a visit to a no-kill animal shelter, waffle parties, puppet shows, music classes and potlucks.

As a parent, I've found it endlessly helpful to provide my children with a supportive vegan/vegetarian family community. What kid wouldn't enjoy a vegan Halloween party or a waffle party?

What you can't see on a web site or fan page are the friendships which have blossomed from ARC's Vegkins. Many families attend each other's birthday parties and get together socially outside of Vegkins.

Frankly I can't tell you how much it means to our kids to interact with vegan peers. The supportive nature of the group has been amazing. We share advice on handling difficult situations, school activities, as well as recommend books and movies to each other.

Each year, more families join our group and find that niche they've been seeking. It is an integral part of helping our children maintain their veg lifestyle, as well as normalize it. They know other kids out there who are thriving, as they are too.

Lastly, I'll end with a book recommendation, which my young kids love. It is called Happy, Healthy, Vegan Kids. There are beautiful pictures of rescued farm animals living happy and peaceful lives at sanctuaries. My kids are apt listeners when we read this story. It also contains some simple veg recipes. We appreciate the focus on positive pictures since the kids are still young.

Editor’s Note: As Celeste mentions above, it is really important for vegetarian, and especially vegan parents to meet other parents who are also raising veg kids. You can learn so much from eachother, and kids can meet and play with other kids who share a similar core value. Check your local community to see if a veg group already exists (if you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, join Vegkins, and if you live in the NYC area, join NYC Vegetarian and Vegan Families Meetup) and if not, start your own! Make flyers, run an ad in the newspaper, coordinate it through your child’s school or day care center, or approach a local veg restaurant for help getting the word out. Read my “Start a Group For Vegan Parents and Kids In Your City” blog post on Girlie Girl Army for some inspiration.

Celeste Hill has been vegan for more than a decade and is the proud mother of two vegan kids, as well as an assistant early childhood family education teacher. She has a serious cookbook collection addiction, in fact she won the VegNews Holiday Cookie contest, so definitely check out some of the recipes on her website, Growing Up Veg--a wonderful resource for vegan parents.

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Where Little Hearts Can Sing- Catskill Animal Sanctuary a Welcome Haven for Human Animals, Too!

1/10/2012

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In this post, Kathy Stevens, director and founder of Catskill Animal Sanctuary (CAS) tells us why it's so important for kids to meet farm animals. She encourages families to come visit the cows, pigs, horses, chickens, rabbits, turkeys and goats living at the sanctuary. If you are raising your kids vegetarian or vegan, visiting CAS is a must. Starting in March they will have accomodations on site, so you can stay right at the sanctuary!

Guest post by Kathy Stevens, founder and director of Catskill Animal Sanctuary
It’s seven in the morning. Kathy Keefe, Catskill Animal Sanctuary’s (CAS) farm manager, is stacking dishes on a cart inside the main barn’s spacious feed room. The pig dishes are piled and overflowing with broccoli, apples, tomatoes, beans, and pumpkin; the horse dishes are each different from the other, depending on the nutritional needs of the Sanctuary’s resident equines, and the same is true for the chicken dishes. Heavy broiler chickens who struggle under industry-induced obesity get a low-calorie diet, while others get calorie-dense sunflower seeds and cracked corn mixed in with their grain-based diet. All the chickens get leafy greens, too, and even the broilers get to snack on an occasional grape or banana slice. One dish gets glucosamine, another an iron supplement, electrolytes in a third and Omega 3’s in a fourth. That’s the level of individual care the animals at Catskill Animal Sanctuary receive.

The notion that whether human or hen, we are all individuals and should be treated as such permeates every aspect of CAS, and I believe it’s the main reason families flock to us.

When you bring your kids to CAS, for instance, you’ll find that there’s no such thing as a “standard tour” at our 110-acre farm animal sanctuary. Instead, your family is apt to be greeted in the parking lot by a member of the Underfoot Family-- a pig or chicken, turkey or goat who, for one reason or another, is happier roaming freely than living among members of his/her species. So be forewarned, a human may well walk out to greet you, but so might Rambo the sheep, Mike the rooster, or Arthur the goat.

Next, you’ll find that your tour guide will want to know the names of your children, how old they are, and whether they’ve ever kissed a pig or napped with a cow. There’s no “script” at CAS, so I can’t promise that these will be the exact questions; but what I can promise is this: that from the moment you arrive, your child will be actively included in the experience of visiting Catskill Animal Sanctuary. In fact, when tour groups are filled with families with young children, they often don’t move too far and definitely don’t move too fast. Why? Because kids need to sit on the ground, eye to eye, with Ethel the turkey. Because kids need to walk slowly into the rabbit enclosure and sit quietly (“Pretend to be a rock,” we say) as the shy creatures inch closer, perhaps sniffing a knee, before hopping away. And because kids need to lie on their bellies, heads in their hands, watching the pigs do what pigs do: root, flop down in the pond on a hot day, press their cool wet snouts through the fence to say hello.

When you’re raising vegetarian/vegan kids, or moving along that path, visiting places where food animals are happy and right there, in your face, reinforces all that you’re doing at home. When children have had the chance to be kissed by a cow, choosing a different meal simply affirms their innate kindness and deepens their bond with our animal friends.

We recently received an e-mail from a proud mom. Her son Henry, now ten years old, has attended our children’s day camp, Camp Kindness, for two summers in a row, and has since become a passionate and committed vegan. Henry and his family were recently out at dinner with family friends, and Henry was questioned by the grown-ups about his diet. According to his mom, after very eloquently listing several animal, health, and environmental reasons for his decision, Henry looked at the grown-ups and said, “So I think that the question shouldn’t be about why I’m vegetarian…the question should be about why you aren’t.”

Camp Kindness vegan bake sale

Come share the love. Catskill Animal Sanctuary in Saugerties, NY is open for tours Saturdays and Sundays April through October. The Homestead, our four-room inn, will be open year-round, seven days a week, beginning in March so you can plan your trip and stay right at the farm! Camp Kindness, which holds week-long sessions in July and August, will begin registering children in April. We hope to see you soon!

Note from Editor: My husband and I visited CAS a few years before our daughter, Charlotte was born, and can attest to the fact that it is truly a beautiful haven for rescued farm animals. The animals who live there receive so much love and attention. We can't wait to bring Charlotte this summer! The sanctuary is located within 1/2hr of the historic town of Woodstock. So make a family vacation out of it; visit the sanctuary (sleep on site), go hiking, go tubing down the Esopus River, take a train ride on the Catskill Mountain Railroad, shop, and eat at one of the many vegetarian restaurants in the area.

Kathy Stevens is the Founder and Director of CAS. Kathy moved to Boston for graduate school, and after a decade of teaching high school English, she was asked to head a charter school. Instead, one year later, she opened Catskill Animal Sanctuary, one of the country's leading havens for farm animals and a center for raising public awareness of their sentience and their suffering. She is the author of two critically and popularly-acclaimed books, "Where the Blind Horse Sings" and "Animal Camp", a regular blogger on farm animal issues for the Huffington Post, and a frequent contributor to books and articles on farm animals, vegan living, and related issues.

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CARRIAGE HORSES: No Voice and No choice

1/3/2012

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Elizabeth Forel, president of The Coalition to Ban Horse Drawn Carriages is leading the fight to shut down the horse-drawn carriage industry in NYC. Read her post below to find out how you can help get these sweet horses off the streets...

photo by Elizabeth Forel

Guest post by Elizabeth Forel
If you live in New York City, most likely your exposure to horses is to the “famous” NYC carriage horse.They are famed more for being a contrived icon, reflecting past times when people did not think so much about how the animal felt but rather how they felt as they fantasized they were one of the wealthy riding in a horse-drawn carriage -- maybe riding on a snowy night. How lovely and romantic … but not for the horse. Times are different now, and there is no need for horses to pull people around, especially in one of the busiest cities on the planet.

Many people are much more aware of animal cruelty and suffering nowadays and do not want to be a part of it. Carriage horses never have a nice day. They do not have the option of saying yes or no.Pulling tourists is their job - a job that was forced on them. As prey animals they are conditioned to protect themselves against potential threats - real or perceived - and to react quickly. That is why we often hear of horses spooking and bolting into traffic to get away from their source of fear, which can be a loud noise or even a rustling leaf. They are massive in size and strength, and as they gallop down a congested street they can cause injury and death to themselves and others.

Horses don't belong on loud, busy city streets. (photo by Donny Moss)

Working tightly restrained between the shafts of the carriage and wearing blinders, horses are denied their most basic instincts, even the ability to scratch an itch. By law, they may work nine hours a day, seven days a week. They are supposed to get a 15- minute break every two hours but this law is not enforced.

During the holiday season, the horses are worked till they drop from exhaustion as one did on December 4th on 59th St. This was the fourth in a series of incidents that began on October 23rd with the death of Charlie Horse who collapsed and died on West 54th Street (pictured below right). Charlie's death was followed a week later by a horse who spooked and bolted onto Central Park South, running scared through traffic until he finally crashed his carriage on Seventh Avenue. On November 4th, a horse named Luke collapsed on West 60th Street. This slew of recent incidents has brought needed attention to the cruelty in the carriage-horse industry, and more support for a ban.

Charlie collapsed and died on West 54th Street (photo by Matthew Miller)

Horses forced to pull carriages have a rough, miserable life. After pulling heavy carriages for hours on end in all weather extremes the horses go back to their stables on the far west side of Manhattan-- there are four stables. Their stalls are generally on the 2nd floor, accessed by a very steep ramp. The minimum stall size by law is only 60 sq. ft. which is less than half of what experts recommend, which is 144 sq. ft for standardbreds and 196 sq. ft. for the larger draft breeds. This is barely enough room to lay down. For these poor horses, there is no pasture to graze in the grass.The next day, they are pulled out of the stables and put on the job again -- wearing blinders and heavy tack, between the shafts of their carriages. This is truly a miserable existence.

There are many alternatives to riding in a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park in NYC. Depending on the season, consider walking through the beautiful park, renting a bike, having a picnic, renting a boat at the Boathouse, or going ice skating on Wollman Rink (or just watching the skaters). If you want an interesting, fun ride around the park and city, consider taking a pedicab ride.This is an open rickshaw type vehicle, pedal driven by the driver.The people who drive these vehicles choose to do this work unlike the carriage horses. So choose an activity that you and your family can be proud of, one that doesn't involve animal cruelty.

There are two animal sanctuaries, both about two to three hours outside of New York City, that are a must see. If you have kids, take them, they will love it! Many rescued horses live out there lives in peace, comfort and are treated with love and respect at the sanctuaries.

1) Equine Advocates in Chatham, NY has about 80 equines, which include some adorable donkeys, a couple of grumpy Llamas, pygmy goats and a host of horses rescued from all kinds of horrible situations. Some worked in the Premarin industry where their urine was used to make hormone drugs for women. Others came directly from the kill auctions, break downs from the racetrack. These animals now get to live out their lives in a natural, safe environment allowing them to socialize with each other, something so necessary for herd animals as horses are.

2) Catskill Animal Sanctuary is the other heaven on earth in Saugerties, NY. They have several horses at Catskill, but you can also meet pigs, goats, sheep, chickens -- and you can do a farm tour with president, Kathy Stevens. They also host many fun events throughout the year so check the calendar!

Check with both organizations first before going there since they close during certain seasons. But it is absolutely worth the trip. Kids will love it and they get it.They are introduced to animals in a natural environment and the respect and understanding comes naturally.

It is hard to learn respect for animals when one sees them in bondage in such cruel conditions. They appear like automatons with little expression or spirit. They are commodities used to make money. Most of the driver/owners consider the horses beasts of burden with no needs or desires of their own. To them, they are just “work horses” - a means to an end. But in a natural supportive environment, these horses will blossom...as evidenced by the picture below.

Bobby rolling when he first got off the trailer (photo by Jim Craner)

Did you know that horses are vegetarians … actually vegans? Technically, they are considered herbivores, consuming grass, fruits, vegetables, oats, grains and barley. Yes, equines are very cool. Prey animals by nature, horses are gentle, sensitive beings. Carrots and apples are like candy to them. Many even like peppermints and beets although heir steady day- to-day diet consists of grains and hay. But they never, ever eat other animals. It is just not in their peaceful nature. This along with their size and strength is why the horse is the most abused domestic animal.

Since 2006, The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages has been campaigning to shut down the inhumane and unsafe carriage horse trade in New York City. It has been a long hard struggle but it is getting more and more attention and support. Other major cities including London, Beijing and Toronto, to name a few, do not allow the commercial carriage trade. In Oxford, England, the local Council recently voted to deny the carriage business the right to work

Please visit us online at the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages and sign our petition to support legislation that is in the State legislature.

Also check out Donny Moss's documentary, Blinders for a behind-the-scenes look into the horse-drawn carriage industry.

Let’s all stand up for these horses. They deserve it.

Elizabeth Forel is a longtime animal advocate and president of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.

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Help Animals With This New Year’s Resolution

12/30/2011

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Hey animal lovers....looking for a meaningful 2012 New Year's Resolution that will help animals? Make this the year that you really put your beliefs into action. Read on for some suggestions...

People everywhere will be ringing in the New Year by celebrating the memories of the past year and creating hopes and resolutions for the coming year. This year, how about creating the ultimate resolution to help animals, and I mean really help animals….by leaving meat, dairy and eggs off your plate, or at least reducing your consumption. If you are already a vegetarian, push yourself further-- consider a vegan diet to help end even more cruelty. Involve your family in this resolution-- kids will love being part of something big, and they'll be excited to participate and contribute.

In a society so saturated with meat, dairy and eggs, it’s easy to understand why people are so reluctant to change their eating habits. Most of us have grown up eating animal products, so it’s what we’re used to and comfortable doing. And most of us have never questioned it; it’s the norm. We can’t underestimate the power of habit and tradition-- it is perhaps the greatest deterrent to change. But it’s a new year….and you’re looking for a meaningful change, right? You can make a change for some animals who desperately need an ally, while also helping the environment and even your own health. It's a win-win (and win!).

New Year’s Resolutions guaranteed to make a positive difference for animals:

Meatless Mondays: Give up meat (and dairy and eggs) just one day a week. Check out the official Meatless Monday website for tips, resources, support and recipes. In addition to individuals, many hospitals, restaurants, K-12 schools and universities are participating in Meatless Mondays, including all 14 of restaurateur, Mario Batali’s restaurants across the country. Sign the pledge.

Swap out: Swap out a few animal products in your kitchen for vegan products. For example, switch out your Land O’ Lakes butter for Earth Balance which is sold in most mainstream supermarkets. Switch out cow’s milk for soy milk or almond milk; many brands actually contain 50% more calcium than cow’s milk. I also highly recommend the Boca chik’n patties which are also sold in most supermarkets.

Go Vegetarian: Don’t waste time remembering which days you can eat meat, and which days you can’t. Keep it simple and just ditch meat entirely to help animals every day. You can also download a Vegetarian Starter Kit online, or order one through the mail. Read through this list of 101 Reasons to go Veg for inspiration.

Go Vegan: Be the person that doesn’t want to be connected to animal cruelty in any shape or form; the person who refuses to buy products that contribute to animal suffering. Drop meat, dairy and eggs from your diet. It’s easier now more than ever… there are tons of meat alternatives that taste just like the “real” thing, and there are also substitutes for milk, butter, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and cheese. And when you focus on veggies, grains and other plant-based food, a whole new palette of flavors will be waiting for you. Check out this post I wrote for Girlie Girl Army about stepping it up; it also includes suggestions for common food substitutes.

21-Day Vegan Kickstart: Want to test the waters first before diving right in? Then sign up for The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine’s (PCRM) free 21-Day Vegan Kickstart. You’ll receive a meal plan, tips and recipes. There is also an online community forum to connect with others, get support, and have your nutrition questions answered by PCRM experts. You can also download the free iPhone app that compliments the online program. There’s really no good reason not to try this, especially if you call yourself an “animal lover.”

The American Dietetic Association (ADA), the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals has given the stamp of approval not only to a vegetarian diet, but also a fully vegan diet. In their own words … It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases…well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.

It’s always easier to do this with a buddy, so encourage a friend or coworker to join you. Or involve your whole family and make this a special, fun mission that your kids will be excited about participating in. But if you can’t find anyone to join you, be strong on your own, and consider the animals you are saving to be your “buddies.” You’re doing it for them, afterall.

Here are a few vegan recipe sites to get you started: VegWeb, VegNews, PCRM, All Recipes, Vegsource, PETA, The Kind Life (Alicia Silverstone), Post Punk Kitchen, and Meet the Shannon’s who are veganizing The Betty Crocker Cookbook!

There are also tons of vegan blogs filled with every recipe you can imagine, so google until you find what you’re looking for. To get started, kick off the New Year with this amazing vegan mac & cheese. It doesn't contain any cheese (real or fake!). It's healthy, and soooo delicious. I make it for my family on the holidays, an everybody LOVES it!

Don't forget to pick up a copy (or order a subscription) of VegNews: the leading source for all things vegetarian/vegan.

You may also want to stock up on some items to make it easier for you. So check out these two great online vegan websites: Pangea Vegan Store and Vegan Essentials. They sell food, vitamins, personal care, home products, cruelty-free cosmetics, books, bags, shirts, gifts and much more.

Remember, this isn’t about perfection. It’s about making a positive difference for animals whenever and wherever you can. It’s about voting with your dollars. If you “fall of the wagon” get right back up again and don’t give up on yourself….or the animals.

Happy New Year…may it be filled with compassion and respect for all!

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How to Teach Compassion to Your Children by Michelle Carr

12/26/2011

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Attention parents....and educators! Michelle Carr from PETA gives us some tips and ideas for getting kids involved in helping animals. Order free materials and get started right away!

Guest post by Michelle Carr from PETA
Kids have the desire and the power to create an animal-friendly world. However, the mistreatment of animals, from factory farms to the circus, makes it challenging for them to understand the importance of compassion. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has an entire website dedicated to kids, and it's packed full of animal-friendly games, contests, and ways to help animals. You can also sign up for the PETA Kids E-News so that we can send you tips and suggestions on how to incorporate activism into your child's everyday life.

Kids naturally don't want to see animals get hurt, but how can kids get active for animals? The best way to help animals is simply to stop eating them! From chicken-free nuggets to soy grilled cheese, there are so many vegan options out there that kids will never miss eating animals! Need some more ideas? There are a ton of resources for cruelty-free eating that you can find here. Yum!

A FEW IDEAS FOR GETTING KIDS INVOLVED IN HELPING ANIMALS:
1) If you live with an animal companion, take your dog out for a long walk with your child and show him or her how to respect Fido by giving him the care and attention that he deserves.
2) Passing out leaflets also helps animals. You can make your own or order some from PETA.
3) Set up an information table outside your local mall or library with your child, and hand out leaflets about cruelty to animals. This fun activity will provide you with the opportunity to bond with your child while standing up for an important cause!
4) Join a local protest against the circus or some other animal issue that kids are interested in.

ORDER The Kids' Guide to Helping Animals

Are you or anyone you know an educator? PETA has a humane-education division, TeachKind, which is a great resource for teachers, administrators, and librarians who want to help teach children respect for all animals. TeachKind offers free lesson plans as well as free materials such as books, DVDs, posters, coloring pages, stickers to K-12 and college educators that will help put empathy and compassion for animals in the classroom.

Teaching children respect for all animals will create a kinder world, and with these two great resources, PETA Kids and TeachKind, you can help animals live happy lives.

If you are a parent or educator, please visit our website and order materials so we can help you get your kids involved in helping animals!

Michelle Carr is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a Bachelors degree in Sociology/Social Psychology. Michelle currently works for PETA and is the founder of No Animals Harmed (http://noanimalsharmed.com/), a blog dedicated to compassionate living. Michelle resides in Los Angeles, with her rescued companion dog, Callie.

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Peppermint-Flavored Vegan Christmas Cookies

12/19/2011

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Want to make traditional vegan christmas cookies? Check out this recipe below for roll-and-cut sugar cookies from "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar." They are fun to make and taste delicious!

Charlotte and her cousin, Pike spent a cold, December evening all cozy inside making Christmas cookies with Grandma and Grandpa. Flour dusting the kitchen floor (and the kids' hair and clothes!), Charlotte cramming chunks of batter in her mouth at record speed, Pearl the dog licking the table, sugar sprinkles flying through the air, and elbows pushing one another to get to the cookies. Complete chaos! But in the end we had some very happy kids and a delicious batch of peppermint-flavored cookies to show for it! And that's what it's all about!

Flour-covered table

Roll-and-Cut Sugar Cookies
- Recipe from the book, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup margarine, slightly softened (like Earth Balance "butter" sticks)
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract (you can also use almond, maple or any other flavor)
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder and set aside.

In a larger bowl, cream the shortening, margarine and sugar with electric beaters until the mixture gets all soft and fluffy, for at least 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything mixes in. Now beat in the vanilla and lemon (or other) extracts and the soymilk to combine. Beat in half the flour mixture until moistened, then carefully mix in the remaining flour mixture to form a soft dough.

Divide the dough into two discs about 1 inch thick. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a large, clean work surface. Roll the dough to a 3/8in. thickness and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. If the dough seems too stiff to roll or cracks too much, let it rest at room temperature for 10min, then try rolling again.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until the cookies have just started to turn golden brown around the edges.

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for five minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of your cookie cutters.

Peppermint-flavored Icing:
- from Vegetarian Times

3 cups confectioners' sugar
3 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. vanilla soymilk
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract

Mix all together and decorate with sparkling sugar or sprinkles.

I especially liked the peppermint extract in the icing-- it really gave the cookies a seasonal flavor. They tasted like candy cane cookies!

ENJOY!

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My Favorite Vegan Mac & Cheese

12/15/2011

Want to try a mac & cheese that is not only healthy for you and your family and delicious, but also one that doesn't contain ingredients that contribute to animal suffering? Then try this delicious prize-winning recipe below from Gretchen Primack. You'll love it, and everyone you serve it to will too!

While perusing facebook I came across this recipe for vegan macaroni & cheese. There are lots of recipes out there, but this specific recipe caught my eye because it said that it won 3rd prize in a mac & cheese contest, and the judges had no idea it was even vegan! So in other words...it beat out others that contained real cheese! I knew then that I had to try it. So I did, and loved it. So did my daughter (see picture below). This is now a staple at family holidays, and my family LOVES it...and they're my most honest critics!

Charlotte eating mac & cheese for dinner

Here is Gretchen’s Velvet Vegan Joy Mac n Cheese which she tweaked from a VegNews recipe. Vegan or not, you will love it! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
- 8 oz macaroni
- 3 slices of bread torn into large pieces
- 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp. + 1/3 cup Earth Balance
- 2 Tbsp. chopped shallots
- 1 cup peeled, chopped potatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped carrots
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sliced onion
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp paprika, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1/4 -1/3 cup nutritional yeast* (highly recommended, but optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Serves 4-6.

1) Cook the macaroni in plenty of salted boiling water just until al dente. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2) In a food processor, whir the bread, garlic powder, and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.
3) In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, 1/3 cup onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
4) While those are simmering, fry the 1/2 cup sliced onions in olive oil. Set aside.
5) In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, rest of the margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and their cooking water to the blender along with the nutritional yeast and process until perfectly velvety smooth.
6) In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a casserole dish, top with fried onions, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top is gently browned.

* In case you don't know about this wonder food, nutritional yeast is a cheesy, flaky/powdery condiment that is packed with protein, B vitamins, calcium, and other minerals. (It's often in a shaker at cool movie theaters because it's so great on greasy popcorn, the flavor is wonderful when it's mixed with fatty stuff.)

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Looking for a New Year's Resolution? Dump dairy (yes, including cheese)! Start by making this recipe. Your body will thank you for it... and so will the animals. Need more convincing....read my post on PETA.

Post written by Robyn Moore

The Cruelty Behind Dog Racing

12/13/2011

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Greyhound racing is a cruel "sport" in which animals are forced to race around tracks for the sake of entertainment. The wonderful Christine Dorchak, the President of GREY2K USA is raising awareness about the abuse that these dogs endure in the dog racing industry, and is fighting on the front lines to end this cruelty. Read her inspiring post below to find out how you can help.

Guest post by Christine Dorchak, President of GREY2K USA
My name is Christine Dorchak and I am a dog lawyer. That’s right, I went to law school just so that I could help dogs. As President of GREY2K USA Education Fund, my specialty is greyhounds. Every day, I work to pass laws to end dog racing and save the gentlest dogs in the world from lives of terrible cruelty.

At racetracks across the country, greyhounds are kept confined in warehouse-style kennels, inside small, stacked cages which are barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. If you can imagine being in a small elevator for 20-23 hours a day, then you will know how a greyhound feels all the time.

When let out of their cages to race (and for people to bet on), these poor dogs face the risk of terrible injury. They suffer broken legs, they break their necks, and they also experience paralysis, seizures and heart attacks. There are twenty-two dog tracks in the United States, and thousands of dogs get injured each yeah while racing. And sadly, a dog who is injured may not be adopted.

I know what it is like to get hurt because when I was younger, my dog Kelsey and I were run down by a speeding train. I hurt my back and could not get up by myself for a long time. I had to learn to walk and talk all over again because my injuries were so severe. Kelsey broke her hip and actually had it surgically replaced. Boy, did we need help!

Unlike many greyhounds, we were given a second chance, something which we really appreciated. That is why we decided to dedicate our lives to ending dog racing. We want all greyhounds to live like other dogs, in loving homes with adoring families, and not be killed when they no longer make money. You can see my story and meet my dogs Kelsey and Zoe here.

If you would like to join our team, please watch our video and then request one of our activity kits. We will send you a poster, magnet and coloring book!

Also, check out our wonderful new books about greyhounds. Pele’s Forever Home tells the story of an adopted greyhound and Daisy’s Great Escape describes the cruelties of the racing life through a greyhound’s eye. You can order these online right here.

Lots of kids have been working to help greyhounds and you can encourage your kids to help too! A wonderful group from the Prospect Academy in Cambridge, Massachusetts even made a movie! Watch it now.

Although my dear Kelsey passed away at the age of fifteen, she lives on in the work we do at GREY2KUSA and the GREY2K USA Education Fund. Today, Zoe and I and the whole greyhound team work each day to fulfill Kelsey’s promise to give greyhounds the second chance they deserve.

Thank you to Christine and the rest of her team at GREY2K USA for shining a spotlight on the suffering of greyhounds in the dog racing industry.

Editor's Note: Read my review of Pele's Forever Home at Vegbooks.

Christine A. Dorchak is the President and General Counsel of GREY2KUSA. She has worked as Research Director for the New
England Anti-Vivisection Society and is a former manager of the Ellen Gifford Sheltering Home for Cats. In her free time Christine hosts a local community television program and enjoys spending time with her four cats and greyhound Zoe. A long-distance runner all of her life, she has competed in six Boston Marathons to date.

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Tips for Raising Humane Kids by Zoe Weil

Finding Vegan Products for Your Family

The Power of Getting Together With Other Vegetarian/Vegan Families

Where Little Hearts Can Sing- Catskill Animal Sanctuary a Welcome Haven for Human Animals, Too!

CARRIAGE HORSES: No Voice and No choice

Help Animals With This New Year’s Resolution

How to Teach Compassion to Your Children by Michelle Carr

Peppermint-Flavored Vegan Christmas Cookies

My Favorite Vegan Mac & Cheese

The Cruelty Behind Dog Racing

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