The Summer of 2011 is almost over and there is only one week left
to help 200 Fresh Air children find a loving host family!
This institution is looking for families in the following areas to host before this summer ends:
Hosting Area Map
More than 65% of all children are reinvited to stay with their host family, year after year.
More information at: http://www.freshairfundhost.org/
Posted in Uncategorized
When you eat organic, don’t just picture the healthy food you are putting in your body, picture the healthy ecosystems which produced that food, the workers who are safer from chemicals, the land, water, and air that is being protected, and the wildlife that is being allowed to thrive. Organic vegetables, fruits, grains, and juice, (and don’t forget the organic wine and beer), are grown and processed in ways that support healthy people and a healthy planet.
(While you may not be able to find or afford organic options for everything you need, certain fruits and vegetables are more pesticidy than others.) For details on the meaning of organic, see the USDA Organics homepage.
Fair trade certified food ensures a proper wage and working conditions for those who harvest and handle it. But fair trade is green for the environment as well. TransFair, the only fair trade certifier in the U.S., has strong environmental standards built into its certification process that protect watersheds and virgin forests, help prevent erosion, promote natural soil fertility and water conservation, and prohibit GMOs and many synthetic chemicals. TransFair claims that their environmental standards are the most stringent in the industry, second only to USDA organic certification.
Buying seasonal, local food is a boon for the environment for a lot of reasons. Since most food travels many miles to reach your table (1,500 miles, on average), locally sourced food cuts back on the climate-change impacts of transportation. Local food also generally uses less packaging, is fresher and tastier, and comes in more varieties. It also supports small local growers and lets them get more for their produce by not having to spend so much on packing, processing, refrigeration, marketing, and shipping. The best way to track down local food is at farmers markets or through community supported agriculture (CSA), which often offer home delivery.
30 percent: Increase in both fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions caused from shipping a pound of apples from a farm in Iowa to a market in Washington, compared to shipping those apples to a local market in Iowa.
5: Number of countries the average U.S. meal comes from.
1500 to 2500: Number of miles food travels between farm and market. That’s 25 percent farther than it traveled two decades ago.
958: Liters of water it takes to make one liter of orange juice; 958 liters of water for irrigation, 2 liters of fuel for tractors, water-pumping, pesticide spraying, and the occasional electric heater to ward off frost.
8000: Kilometers worth of travel required to gather all the ingredients to make strawberry yogurt in Germany.
Instead of buying foods that come in extensive packaging (most of which is petroleum-based plastics) look for unpackaged or minimally packaged foods, experiment with bringing your own containers and buying in bulk, or pick brands that use bio-based plastic packing. And of course try and recycle or reuse any packaging you end up with.
Greening your meals isn’t just about the food that winds up on the plate: it’s the entire process, the whole lifecycle shebang. Composting leftovers will ease the burden on the landfill, give you great soil, and keep your kitchen waste basket from smelling. Apartment dwellers and yardless wonders can do it too! And yes, a composting toilet can be part of the miraculous cycle as well.
In the garden, in the greenhouse, in the window box, or something fancier. Even urbanites can get quite a bit of good eats from not much space.
Just as buying locally grown food cuts on “miles per calorie,” buying from local sellers cuts back on emissions, fuel consumption, and unnecessary traffic.
Put some extra planning into the amount of food you cook will cut back on waste. If it’s something that will spoil quickly, try to avoid making more than you or your family can eat. If you’ve got extra, make a friend happy with a home cooked surprise. If it’s a bigger affair, give the leftovers to those who may need it more.
Many people swear by the benefits of eating raw. Whatever the health advantages may be, preparing raw food consumes less energy and because raw food is usually fresh by definition, it is more likely to be locally grown.
Stop consumption of meat can be the single most green move a person makes. Producing meat requires huge amounts of water, grain, land, and other inputs including hormones and antibiotics, and leads to pollution of soil, air, and water. A pound of beef requires around 12,000 gallons of water to produce, compared to 60 gallons for a pound of potatoes. Going vegetarian or vegan is a profoundly meaningful environmental choice.
From Treehuggers, edited, graphics added.
Posted in Environmental issues
Tagged go green
The designers and fashion houses apparently innocently call this fur “astrakhan” this season, but in reality is the the fur of premature foetal (unborn) Persian or karakul lambs about two weeks before birth. The Karakul is usually black, shiny, and so tightly curled that it forms smooth ridges. The fur noticeably loses luster over the next ten days, and uncurls and lightens in color rapidly within the first two or three days after birth. The younger the lamb or fetus, the more valuable the pelt, and many unsuspecting buyers are purchasing these items unaware it is actually fur, because it resembles watered silk or crushed velvet. It looks man made.
More worryingly, a reporter with the Daily Mail in London recently talked to a fur dealer in Frankfurt, Germany, who said that he sells karakul coats under the “Kara-Cool” label, which, according to the journalist, “appeals to the younger shoppers. The new processing techniques and the new colors mean we are appealing to a younger customer”. Another fur dealer told the Daily Mail. “We used to say that all you could make out of karakul was a black coat fit for a funeral, but not anymore.”
Kara-Cool, astrakhan, broadtail, and Persian lamb are just a few of the labels under which the fur of newborn or fetal lambs could be sold; others include swakara or krimmer. It would seem clear that designers and retailers will continually find a way to repackage and remarket karakul and broadtail fur to an unsuspecting public, a public that has no idea how ugly the slaughter of lambs (and their mothers) can be.
On a farm near Bukhara, in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, pregnant ewes were routinely slaughtered for fetal pelts. Graphic videotape shot at the farm showed a pregnant ewe held down, her throat slit, and her stomach slashed wide so that a worker could remove the developing fetus the “raw material” for coats, vests, and other broadtail fashions. A local quotes: “Basically, the sheep is killed with a lamb still inside it. It’s a very old practice in Uzbekistan. I remember in Soviet times that karakultcha was very fashionable among Communist Party leaders and their families. In those days, we would fatten and then, over several weeks, kill about 50,000 pregnant sheep to obtain the pelts from the unborn lambs.”
Karakul and broadtail fur can turn up in coats, skirts, vests, linings, accessories, and trim. Designers who use this fur include Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce & Gabbana; Gabbana, Miuccia Prada, Christian Dior, Valentino, Carolina Herrera, Givenchy, and Claudio Merazzi.
One way to stop the killing of infant and fetal lambs for their fur is to stop buying the products made from their pelts. Read labels closely and look for words such as Kara-Cool, astrakhan, broadtail, Persian lamb, swakara and krimmer. And tell your friends to do the same. Lobby these designers, this is a the most distressing story every to come out of the Fashion world.
Please sign this petition now to stop this barbaric trade in the name of Vanity!
I WOULD RATHER GO NAKED THAN WEAR THIS FUR!
Petition link:
Stop the use of Karakul lamb Foetus fur in fashion
Posted in animals, Fighting animal cruelty
Tagged Carolina Herrera, Christian Dior, Claudio Merazzi, Dolce & Gabbana, fur, Givenchy, Gucci, Karakul, Karl Lagerfeld, Miuccia Prada, Ralph Lauren, Valentino
Bullfighting has been banned in the UK since 1835 and is illegal in many other European Union countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands. However, the European Commission is using people’s tax money to subsidies the breeding of bulls for bullfights.
It is estimated that bull breeders who provide bulls for bullfighting receive around 30 million Euros a year in subsidies through the EU. These subsidies are dispensed through the Common Agricultural Policy, to which the UK contributes billions of pounds each year. I know you agree with us that bullfighting is an appallingly cruel and totally outdated ‘sport.’ Bullfighting is a dying industry, but these subsidies are helping to keep it alive. And it’s YOUR money that’s keeping it alive.
We need your help to send a strong message to European decision – makers that bullfighting has no place in a modern, civilized society. Please join campaigners across Europe and take action now.
Catalonia’s recent decision to ban bullfighting is further evidence that this ‘sport’ lies in the past. The European Union must respect the wishes of its citizens and stop subsidizing cruelty.
Posted in animals, Fighting animal cruelty
Posted by: We Are All Connected
Dear Friends:
Social Compassion in Legislation is pleased to announce an upcoming milestone in the fight on puppy/kitten mills and a big step in animal welfare protection. On Monday, the West Hollywood City Council will consider passing an ordinance that will ban the sale of dogs & cats in pet stores (except shelter animals)! This will eliminate an outlet for mass breeding cruelty!
Click here for more information from WeHoNews.com
If you would like to send an email in support, please send it to the West Hollywood City Clerk, Mr. Tom West at: twest@weho.org, and he will distribute your emails to the Mayor and Council Members prior to the vote Monday night.
Here is a sample email:
| To: Mayor Abbe Land and City of West Hollywood Council Members:Jeff Prang, John Duran, John Heilman, and Lindsey Horvath.Subject: Ordinance to ban dog & cat sales in pet storesDear Mayor and Council Members,
I support the ban on pet store sales of non-shelter animals. Virtually all pet store animals currently come from cruel, large scale puppy and kitten mills. I applaud the continued leadership of the City of West Hollywood in the protection of our companion animals. Over half a million animals die in California shelters every year costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars annually. These pets deserve a home first. There is no reason to sell animals bred specifically for sale, when there are so many loving animals already waiting for homes. Thank you for your compassion and leadership, (Your name, address and group name or affiliation if applicable) |
This is just one of the exciting projects SCIL has been working on. The projects include the upcoming launch of the much anticipated California Spay and Neuter License Plate, and also several pieces of legislation that we will be telling you about soon.
Thank you for your participation in helping California’s animals.
Best regards,
Judie
Judie Mancuso President, Social Compassion In Legislation (SCIL)
A 501(c)(4) non-profit organization focused on reducing pet overpopulation through legislation.
Posted in Pro-animals
Tagged ban sale of cats, ban sale of dogs, pet stores, puppy mills
On Wednesday 1st, February 1995, 31 year old protester Jill Phipps was crushed to death under the wheels of an export truck carrying baby veal calves into Coventry Airport. Despite the fact that nearly 100 officers were on duty that day, 10 of the 33 protesters present had broken through police lines and attempted to bring the lorry to a halt by sitting on the road and attempting to chain themselves to it.
Jill and the thers mistakenly assumed that police officers and the lorry driver would respect human lives a little more than those of the animals being sent to their deaths, sadly they were wrong. The police on duty allowed the export lorry to continue making progress, despite the clear safety problems, and the vehicle was only halted once Jill had been crushed beneath the wheels. The Crown Prosecution Service decided there was not enough evidence to charge Stephen Yates with Causing death by dangerous driving.
Jill Phipps brother Zab commented, “Jill was crushed and died on the way to hospital. Our mother, Nancy, was with her. The driver has not been charged, not even with driving without due care and attention”.
A protester at the scene commented “Jill died after police waved on the lorry carrying the calves despite the fact that protesters were still occupying the road the lorry was to go down. Despite their public claims to the contrary, Warwickshire police were so keen to protect the business of this filthy firm that they had made little effort to ensure the way was clear”. Assuming the road to be clear after the police had signalled him to move on, the truck driver moved off at speed, knocking Jill down and crushing her under his wheels.
www.jillphipps.org.uk/jillsFund.htm
The Jill Phipps Fund was formed to help finance Jill’s Day 2005 but it is also as an ongoing way of raising money for campaigning and sanctuaries. Any amount of money you can donate would be very much appreciated, so please consider making a donation in Jill’s name and help keep up all the great work that Jill’ s fund does to remember her life and honour her beliefs.
CLICK BANNER FOR JILL’S MEMORIAL PAGE & INFO ON OTHER AR MARTYR’S:
Posted in Fighting animal cruelty
Tagged Jill Phipps, martyr
Dog is considered Man’s best friend but it is proving to be the reverse in this case. The picture that you see is a specific incident that took place in Meerut, India. You can follow this link http://meerut-incident.synthasite.com/ and see the entire horrific incident that took place there. But it is not only Meerut; it happens all over India. In Kerala hundreds of dogs were culled before the president arrival. And they were beaten to death. The torture of the dogs is endless. This petition tries to raise the awareness. Your voice and your signature is their survival. The more you sign and the more you ask people to sign can put an end to this. LET’S BRING A CHANGE.
India is the only country in world that provides in its Constitution for mercy and care of the animals BUT here’s proof that the Meerut administration has unleashed shocking brutality on the stray dogs in the area to protect & shield the ILLEGAL CATTLE SLAUGHTER HOUSES.
For the government of Uttar Pradesh state, India and its functionaries it seems like a perfect solution that people are venting out their anger by killing ALL and INNOCENT dogs. It suits the bureaucracy as it does not to bother the SLAUGHTER HOUSES and STOP the EVER FOURISHING TRADE OF Illegal CATTLE MEAT INDUSTRY in Meerut.
In a tragic incident, a five-year-old boy who had gone out in search of his mother in a field, has been attacked and bitten to death by a pack of street dogs at Kazipur, Meerut. As a result the villagers are eliminating each stray by brutally killing them.
They are ostensibly ‘remedying’ the situation that led to death of two children in village Kazipur, Meerut, allegedly due to stray dog attacks. In fact, there is an illegal abattoir in village Kazipur, which is violating every possible norm – pollution control, animal waste disposal, etc. Apparently, 5000 animals, mainly cattle, INCLUDING COWS are slaughtered in the abattoir every day – and then, the animal parts that are not used, and blood, bones, etc., are all allowed to flow into an open nullah adjacent to the abattoir, that flows through village Kazipur and beyond. The strays of the area feed on these animal remains as a consequence ; or attacked children who ventured too close to the nullah that is their food source.
THIS IS THE REAL CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.
THE ADMINISTRATION TURNS A BLIND EYE TO THIS WHILE PEOPLE TAKE LAW IN THEIR HANDS. PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING THE ACT OF KILLING DOGS AS AN ENTERTAINMENT FOR THEM (see pictures).
In any event, what has followed, and continues to unfold every single day, is murder, and cruelty beyond belief. They are caught, they are cornered, many have been viciously beaten to death. The dogs are caught in the most brutal manner possible, kept without food and water for 2 – 3 days until a sizeable number are ‘collected’, and then – mainly released into the forest, or surreptitiously put down or beaten to death AS NO LAW AND ORDER IS RESPECTED IN MEERUT anymore.
INCLUDING THE POLICE, D.M., MAYOR, or U.P. GOVERNMENT, no one is bothered to stop/ control people from taking the law in their hands and brutally slaughtering dogs using innovative methods, which also includes use of arms and weapons.
All this despite the SUPREME COURT of INDIA has put a STAY AGAINST ANY KIND OF KILLING OF DOGS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
Series of photographs are attached, forwarded by Jeev Karuna Sanstha, Meerut. Some of them are 15 – 25 days old, and some as recent as 3 – 5 days.
The Animal Welfare Board of India has written thrice to various functionaries within the administration. They have advised the administration regarding the correct method of controlling stray dog population. They have apprised them as to the law – the PCA Act, the ABC Rules, etc. They have offered help and guidance, for setting up the requisite sterilization, immunization infrastructure within Meerut. Eventually, they have threatened legal action, but to no avail.
PLEASE lets all write to them & Let them know that we know what is going on and we condemn the government and their functionaries for loosing the control over law and order in their state & one small city and for protecting an ILLEGAL SLAUGHTER HOUSE of CATTLE.
Chief Minister of UP,
Kamini Chauhan, the D.M., Meerut ;
Municipal Commissioner ;
Mayor ;
Meerut Police ;
Rakesh Jolly, the S.P., Meerut ;
Mr. Alok Ranjan, who is a Secretary in the U.P. Government, probably in charge of urban development or urban affairs in U.P.
Their e-mail address are:
D.M. : dmmee@up.nic.in
Mr. Alok Ranjan is : aranjan78@up.nic.in
IG Zone Meerut: igzonemrt@up.nic.in
DIG Range Meerut: digrmrt@up.nic.in
Superintendent of Police Meerut: sspmrt@up.nic.in, ssp_meerut@yahoo.com
CHIEF MINISTER of U.P.: cmup@up.nic.in
The Prime Minister of India (to contact him you can go to the following link: http://www.pmindia.nic.in/write.htm. )
OR copy paste following in BCC and send your emails :
dmmee@up.nic.in, aranjan78@up.nic.in, igzonemrt@up.nic.in, digrmrt@up.nic.in, sspmrt@up.nic.in, ssp_meerut@yahoo.com, cmup@up.nic.in
We can also simply address letters to the
Municipal Commissioner,
Nagar Nigam,
Meerut,
U.P.
India
Fax : 01212663676
or
Shri Rakesh Jolly,
Superintendent of Police,
Meerut,
U.P.
India
or
Mr Snajya Krishna
Fax: 0121665809
Hopefully a worldwide protest will put an end to this open torturous killing of innocent animals and will also shut down the illegal slaughter house, the main cause of the problem.
Posted in Fighting animal cruelty
Tagged dogs, India, petition site
Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. We as rescuers do our best to save every life we can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes. My point to all of this DONT BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE! Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into a shelter and say I saw this video and it made me want to adopt. THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT.
Sherry Kidwell/ Kidwell Productions
“The Gage Foundation”
www.justiceforgage.com
Posted in animals, Fighting animal cruelty
From: Donna Loves ALL Animals
Posted in Fighting animal cruelty, Pro-animals, Vegan
Tagged animal cruelty, go vegan
From: We are all connected
The cruel “tradition” of bullfighting does not display any form of courage or bravery. This murderous “tradition” only shows the true art of cowardice and cruelty. Unfortunately, many people believe that bullfighting is a form of traditional art and culture. This idea is false and derived off of ignorance. Bullfighting is animal cruelty and torture. For those who do not fully understand the true extent of cruelty within bullfighting, we will explain the “traditional and cultural art” of cowardice and cold ruthlessness.
A cowardly picador slams a spear into a bull from relative safety on top of a horse. The bull attacks the horse, believing it be the source of his torment. The horse is used as a living shield by a thug who doesn’t know the meaning of integrity, bravery, or a fair fight.
A bull in obvious physical distress can do nothing but stand and bleed, with several decorative tags still hanging from his mutilated body. During it all, sickeningly festive band music plays for the crowds.
Crowds cheer as a mutilated bull named Bright Eyes falls to the ground once he’s too weak to stand. Several matadors stand around waving their capes trying to look useful while the bull collapses.
A matador approaches the fallen bull Bright Eyes from behind and knifes the animal in the back of the neck. The bull falls over with eyes bulging in shock and terror. The matador continues to cut the still conscious animal, while children run over to see the gore and blood close up.
After being tortured beyond imagination, the fallen bull Bright Eyes has to endure one more atrocity as his ear is cut off for a trophy. Blood runs down the skull and pools under the animal’s head. Bright Eyes is somehow still alive and conscious, feeling every cut and jab. The crowd continues to cheer and whistle, fully aware of what has just happened.
A matador drives a sword between the shoulders of a bull. As usual, the sword does not kill the victim, and the thugs run around the bull to make him move, so the sword will cut up his insides.
Stabbed in the lungs, and spewing blood from his nose and mouth, a bull is run in circles by the killer thugs. This causes the sword to cut up the victim’s insides.
Bulls are rarely killed by the thrust of the sword, and this victim was no exception. As he lowers in agony and complete submission, a coward approaches him from behind. Even now the “bullfighter” has no courage.
Still conscious, but paralyzed from being stabbed in the back of the neck to mutilate his spinal cord, the bull is dragged from the bullring by ropes tied around his back legs. He was butchered alive.
Bullfighting is not a cultural or traditional form of art or sport. Bullfighting is the sadistic torture and slaughter of an already injured and frightened bull whose fate will ultimately end up in death. No living creature deserves this cruel and painful fate. Please help stop this massacre from taking any more innocent lives. Bullfighting must be stopped and these innocent animals need our voice to speak out for them and against this cruelty. Please contact any country officials that are allowing this bloodbath to occur and continue to take the lives of innocent and frightened animals. These animals are suffering and they need our voice, our involvement and our help. Please be their voice.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us and we will respond as soon as we are able. If you need the addresses to contact Mexican and Spanish embassies to urge them to stop the cruelty of bullfighting, please contact us and we will provide you with the addresses so that you can write them and demand that they end bullfighting and all its horrors.
Support animal rights
Olivia
Posted in animals, Fighting animal cruelty, Pro-animals
Tagged animal cruelty, bull fighting, Bullfighting