From their FAQ: What does Raw Rev mean?

(Raw Rev’s founder) Alice lived in NYC in the early 1990’s during a RAW food revolution! People were soaking raw organic cashews in bathtubs and hosting basement plant-based potlucks in secret Gotham locations! During this time her entrepreneurial mind started dreaming up the beginnings of her first product line appropriately named: Raw Revolution. 

While the Raw Rev website makes it clear the bars are a not a “raw food” product per se, the company has remained true to Alice’s original vision of a bar based on the wholesome nutrition of nuts and seeds. 

The flagship Raw Rev Glo line was designed with a specific philosophy in mind: radiant health starts from within. Here’s why they stand out in a crowded market:

• High Fiber, Low Sugar: Most bars rely on sugar alcohols or syrups to stay tasty. Raw Rev uses prebiotic fiber to keep net carbs low while supporting gut health.
• Clean Protein Sources: You won’t find mystery “isolates” here. They utilize a blend of pea protein, brown rice protein, and hemp protein to provide a complete amino acid profile. 
• Healthy Fats: With a base of nuts and seeds (like cashews, sunflower seeds, and flax), these bars provide sustained energy and satiety without a sugar crash.

Rooted in Values: Woman-Owned, Family-Operated, and Plastic Neutral

Unlike many of the companies behind your go-to snacks, Raw Rev isn’t a faceless corporation. It is a woman-owned business and remains family-operated, ensuring that every bar produced meets the standards set by its founders. Furthermore, when you choose Raw Rev, every bar is proudly made in the USA.

As well as being 100% vegan, non-GMO and free from palm oil, Raw Rev ingredients are minimally processed, keeping their production less energy-intensive than highly refined alternatives.

Raw Rev’s Plastic Neutral Commitment

Sadly, protein bars tend to come wrapped in multi-layered plastic films that are notoriously difficult to recycle. While Raw Rev continues to search for better packaging solutions, they’ve taken measures to offset their footprint by partnering with rePurpose Global. For every pound of plastic Raw Rev uses in its wrappers and shipping materials, they fund the removal of an equivalent amount of plastic waste from the environment. This funding specifically targets “nature-bound” plastic—waste that is at high risk of ending up in oceans or landfills, often in regions that currently lack formal waste management infrastructure.

Through this partnership, Raw Rev’s contribution helps to remove over 2,500 pounds of plastic waste every single year, as well as providing:

1. Stable Income: Professionalizing the work of informal waste pickers.
2. Fair Wages & Safety: Ensuring workers have protective gear and a dignified, living wage.
3. Women’s Empowerment: Many of these local waste-management initiatives (particularly in places like India and Indonesia) are led by or predominantly employ women, aligning perfectly with Raw Rev’s status as a woman-owned business.

Alongside these offsetting efforts, they also:

• Use SFI and FSC® Certified Cartons (sourced from responsibly managed forests).
• Work with packaging vendors that utilize wind energy to power their production.
• Actively pressure suppliers to develop high-barrier, fully compostable or recyclable films that don’t compromise the freshness of the bars.

Flavor Profile: Which Is Your Match?

The Raw Rev lineup offers something for every palate:

The Verdict

Whether you’re fueling up for a hike, surviving a long afternoon at the office, or looking for a post-exercise recovery snack, Raw Rev delivers. They prove that a bar can be vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, kosher, and socially responsible, without losing the pleasure factor.

“Eating well shouldn’t be a chore. It should be a revolution.” — The Raw Rev Spirit

“I had always felt like non-human rights were intrinsically tied up with the fight for human rights and everything else. As a feminist I am often appalled at how blatantly exploitative and degrading this world has become for anything feminine in nature. With your eye-opening look into the dairy industry and everything it includes, it is too obvious that it is not just an attack on feminine humans that we are dealing with, but the feminine itself in every way conceivable.

I am very happy for this eye-opener because I really needed it, and because it shows that everything we deal with really is part of a larger picture. Injustice is injustice, and there are no excuses or validations that can be made for that. We often think of animals as dumb and as ‘less’ than us because they don’t show consciousness the way we think they should. Yet I wonder how any being is supposed to show ‘consciousness’ when the life is being relentlessly attacked and drained out of them? Also, even when those obvious examples of consciousness are shown (which in reality never go away and are always present, we are just trained to ignore them) we do in fact ignore them completely and act like we didn’t just see proof of the divine intelligence in another form.

So in some way this has been a really empowering discovery for me. In reality this is a feminine earth we are gifted with life through, and we don’t respect her. We act like any femininity is an invitation for exploitation, abuse and disrespect. We forget that the feminine and masculine as part of the divine principles are here for themselves, to enjoy their own lives and be self-sovereign.

Oh and its worth saying that I will now be going vegan. I have been a vegetarian for years, but seeing the appalling and gruesome system that beings go through, I am going to be giving up animal ‘products’ for ever.”

Rooted in Vegan Values

Founded in Glasgow in 1992 and now based at the Drimlabarra Herb Farm, the SSHM has been a pioneer in promoting a vegan organic way of life. The school’s core philosophy is a direct reflection of its founder’s values, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human health, planetary well-being, and a deep respect for all life. This isn’t just about a plant-based diet for personal health; it’s about a world outlook that extends to how we grow our food and medicine, and how we interact with the natural world.

The farm describes itself as a “vegan sanctuary and retreat center,” where students and visitors can immerse themselves in a growing environment that’s free from animal-derived inputs. This commitment goes beyond the dinner plate and into the very soil where the herbs are grown, creating a truly nonviolent and sustainable environment.

Veganic Growing Standards

The SSHM is a proud member of the Vegan Organic Network, and its Drimlabarra Herb Farm operates on veganic and stockfree principles. This means that the farm’s cultivation methods are entirely free from animal inputs, including manure, blood meal, and bone meal. Instead, the school focuses on creating on-site soil fertility through a rich tapestry of plant-based methods. These include:

• Cover-cropping: Using specific plants to protect and enrich the soil
• On-site composting: Transforming plant-waste into nutrientrich humus
• Live mulches: Using living plants to suppress weeds and maintain soil moisture

This veganic approach fosters a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem. The farm is dedicated to researching planetary health, and its veganic standards are a core part of this mission. By demonstrating that a vibrant, productive herb farm can thrive without the use of animal products, the SSHM provides a powerful model for a more sustainable future.

Educational Offerings that Cultivate Connection

The school offers a range of educational programs designed to connect students with plants on multiple levels—intellectual, practical, and intuitive. Their curriculum is known for its rigor and its emphasis on a holistic, energetic approach to herbal medicine.

• Distance Learning Course: The one-year correspondence course is a flagship program that allows students from around the world to delve into the principles of herbal medicine, combining ancient wisdom with a contemporary, contemplative science approach.


• Practical Courses and Apprenticeships: For those who wish to get their hands dirty, the school offers immersive short residential courses and an apprenticeship program on the Isle of Arran. These programs provide hands-on experience in identifying, growing, harvesting, and processing herbs.


• Goethean Science Methodology: This approach encourages students to engage with plants through a seven-step process of deep observation, moving beyond mere intellectual understanding to a more intuitive and experiential connection with the plant’s character.



The Scottish School of Herbal Medicine is a beacon for those seeking a holistic and sustainable path in herbalism. By combining a deep commitment to veganic principles with a rich and rigorous educational program, the school is training the next generation of herbalists to be a part of healing not just individual people, but the planet as well.

the alphabet book made no mention of meat.

But “Eat your lamb, it’s so delicious,”

made my young mind quite suspicious.

Surely it’s not really a dear young creature,

that our Sunday meal has as the feature?

“But you must eat your meat or you will die,”

my mother repeated the well-worn lie.

So like many others I became complicit,

in a system where violence is implicit.

And when I later saw how animals are abused,

my heart was heavy and my mind confused.

As in my vet studies they’d clearly said,

“Without meat and dairy we’d all be dead.”

So often was this lie repeated,

the truth was hidden, and I felt defeated.

But then I chanced upon a woman, clearly alive,

who said “Without animal products we can thrive.”

She looked not sickly, but healthy and strong,

and I already knew animal use was wrong.

From that day on to my beliefs I became true,

the products of animal use I’ll always eschew.

Like us, animals want to live their own lives,

and not end up on our forks and knives.

So for many hours I studied human nutrition,

as part of my plan for total abolition.

I wanted to kill that convenient lie,

that on animal products humans must rely.

To take away every single excuse,

that people make for animal use.

I vowed to be both clear and strong,

in helping to right a terrible wrong.

I’m vegan for life because it is in my soul,

and liberation for all—my ultimate goal. 

It started out of necessity, paired with a desire for creative change. So many of us in Auckland’s animal rights scene were emotionally exhausted. We felt we were doing everything we could, but carrying the weight of so much suffering can wear you down. We needed somewhere to process it all—a place where we could feel recharged and reset with positive clarity that might help us strategize our next events.

That “somewhere” became a friend’s living room, where we began to gather for weekly sessions of guided meditation focused not on the present pain of the world, but on the possibility of a better one… a far gentler one. A meditation practice rooted in deep compassion and the wellness of all beings.

Vegan Meditation blends traditional mindfulness with ethical visioning. Rather than focusing solely on the breath or internal sensations, practitioners are guided to mentally and emotionally enter a world where humanity has already adopted veganism.

Participants visualize peaceful, thriving ecosystems; animal sanctuaries instead of slaughterhouses; and communities grounded in empathy, justice, and sustainability. The goal isn’t escapism—it’s restoration. No, it’s not about pretending suffering doesn’t exist. It’s about remembering why we fight for change and giving our minds a place to reconnect with that purpose by allowing ourselves to feel the way we would if all of our efforts had already been actualized.

Having been trained in yoga and meditation since 2016, I had the proper foundation to guide meditative states. Of course, those practices on their own can help to encourage inner peace, but Vegan Meditation offers something more. Not only does envisioning a healed world calm the mind, it also gives us a clear vision to help us formulate new ways to make it real. There is no formal doctrine, no required beliefs—just a shared longing for a more compassionate humanity; one that has the potential to create the kind of peace on Earth we have all dreamed about. It’s that much-needed sigh of relief that says, “We did it. We’re here. We live in that world now.”

Addressing the emotional cost of advocacy is vital. Burnout among activists, especially those working in animal rights and environmental causes, is well documented. Repeated exposure to cruelty, systemic injustice, and public resistance can lead to fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Vegan Meditation offers a much-needed remedy—one that can shift us from reaction mode into a more intentional, heart-led space. From decreased stress levels to increased clarity and resilience in advocacy work, combining the power of imagination with stillness and intention is a powerful recipe for change. It seems reasonable, then, to consider that inner change and outer change must go hand in hand.

Research on visualization and mental rehearsal has long supported its power to shape behavior and perspective. That said, I believe that consciously imagining a vegan world helps not only to sustain activists emotionally, but also to influence how they communicate and organize. If we can’t picture a peaceful world, how will we build one? If we can’t come from a place of peace within ourselves, how can we expect others to receive us openly?

It starts with us.

How to Practice

Those curious to try Vegan Meditation don’t need to wait for a group. Here are some suggestions:

• Find a quiet space and sit comfortably.

• Close your eyes and focus on slow, steady breaths.

• Visualize a world where nonhuman animals are no longer farmed or used for human purposes, where ecosystems are allowed to regenerate, and where humans live in balance with nature. Ask yourself: How do humans relate with our fellow animals now?

• Imagine yourself in that world—not separate from it, but part of it.

• Tune in to how it feels to be there. Allow the feelings of peace, purpose, and clarity to settle into your body.

Even just 10 minutes a day can begin to shift one’s mindset and recharge the emotional batteries so often depleted by advocacy and current-day reality.

Vegan Meditation is a quiet but powerful revolution—work that holds space for what we already know is possible. In a world where urgency often overshadows imagination, Vegan Meditation offers something radical: a return to the heart. A way to soften without surrendering. To envision and then embody the change. We’re not just visualizing a vegan world… we’re remembering that it’s within reach; that our co-creative energy can collectively shift reality through elevated feelings of compassion.

In short, let us see a vegan world within ourselves first, so that we can create it together here on Earth.

May all beings be free.

]]> https://gentleworld.org/the-vegan-mauis-first-vegan-restaurant/ Thu, 01 May 2025 01:31:10 +0000 https://gentleworld.org/?p=37614 The following is excerpted from a post that appeared on Maui Vegan Life.

Vegan restaurants started appearing on the mainland in the mid-seventies. Maui was late to the party. The first documented vegan restaurant here was established by Gentle World in 1989 or 1990.

“When we got to Maui, you could open a restaurant in a little town, and so we had the first vegan restaurant on Maui,” recalled Light in a 2023 interview. “We had a sign over the door like the one McDonald’s has saying, ‘A billion served,” but ours said, ‘A million saved.’ On every table, we would have all these quotes of famous people. We were trying to turn people on to veganism.”

Located at 115 Baldwin Avenue in Paia, “The Vegan” featured Hummus Salad, $4; Vegan Burger, $3.95; Smoothies, $2.75; Tofu Veggie Lasagna, $6.95; and organic and herbal beverages. (In more recent years, the vegan Fresh Mint and vegetarian Maka by Mana restaurants operated at the same address.)

(Along with the mouthwatering dishes that are Gentle World’s claim to fame, customers were served the vegan message in the form of educational materials and inspiring quotes on every table.)

As pleasing as The Vegan must have been, Maui now has many more options. Eight vegan cafés, food stands, and trucks, as well as vegan items at farmers’ markets and grocery store deli sections, offer many approaches to vegan cuisine.

That’s progress!

A Mission Rooted in Sustainability

Ethique isn’t just about pretty packaging (or lack thereof!). Their mission is to eliminate plastic waste, one bar at a time. Every shampoo bar, conditioner bar, and face cleanser they create is a testament to their commitment. They’ve already saved over 37 million plastic bottles and 20 million liters of water – that’s a serious impact!

But their dedication goes beyond just the environment. Ethique is a proud Certified B Corporation, as well as being 100% vegan. And because their products are highly concentrated, a little goes a long way.

Saying “No Thanks” to Animal-Derived Ingredients

While many conventional cosmetics sneak in animal-derived ingredients, Ethique firmly says “no thanks.” You won’t find any beeswax, carmine, lanolin, collagen, guanine, or animal-derived glycerin in their products. Instead, they harness the power of plant-based oils and butters, waxes, and other wholesome ingredients to create effective and ethical beauty solutions, including mineral-based shimmers and pigments. This dedication to vegan ingredients means you can enjoy your beauty routine knowing that no animals were harmed in the process.

The Ethique Story: From Kitchen to Global Impact

The mastermind behind Ethique, Brianne West started experimenting with formulas in her kitchen in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her passion for sustainability and ethical self-care fueled her vision, and with the help of a successful crowdfunding campaign, Ethique took off. Today, they’re making a global impact, proving that beauty care can be gentle to both your skin and the planet.

Making a Difference, One Bar at a Time

By choosing Ethique products, you’re joining a community of conscious consumers who are making a positive difference. And to top it off, they plant a tree for every order, further solidifying their commitment to a greener future.

So, ditch the plastic, embrace the vegan goodness, and join Ethique in revolutionizing the beauty industry. Your skin and the planet will thank you.

There is no more important task for all of us who seek a cause greater than ourselves, and who obey the feelings and direction of their conscience. The animal holocaust we are trying to end is still going on all over the world. We, the vegans of the world, can’t stop until the cruelty that animals of all kinds suffer is eradicated from the face of the earth, along with the cruelty that people also suffer all over the world. These two beliefs are conjoined. Cruelty itself should be abolished as a practice and even as a word in our language. There is no valid argument in favor of torture, cruelty, and killing.

Veganism is a rare panacea — good for the animals, and the people who prey upon them. It’s good for the environment (such as with methane and other greenhouse gases) as well as being good for our health, and good for otherwise starving humans whose food is being taken away to be fed to the animals we eat. It’s good for your self-esteem, and an antidote to depression because you are dealing with a life choice bigger than your own self, and you are damn proud of yourself for becoming a hero to every sentient animal on the earth.

We must not despair over the fact that so many people still don’t see such an obvious truth. That is indeed extremely frustrating. But we must always keep in mind that ahimsa and veganism are ideas whose time has come, and there is nothing that can stem the tide of an idea whose time has come.

I am more confident in the victory of light over darkness. I’ve lived from when even the word (let alone the practice) was totally obscure. And now today, pretty much every person I meet, from all walks of life, has heard the word, even if they don’t necessarily know its true meaning. If they’re open to it, we can be knowledgeable, and confident, but we must also be kind and gentle, as no other behavior will meet the desired ends.

]]> https://gentleworld.org/how-a-high-speed-blender-can-supercharge-your-vegan-kitchen/ Wed, 12 Mar 2025 01:59:45 +0000 https://gentleworld.org/?p=37502 Becoming vegan can open up a world of culinary creativity, but sometimes, achieving perfect textures and consistencies can be a challenge. That’s where a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix can become your kitchen’s best friend.

More than just a blender, a Vitamix is a powerhouse that can transform raw ingredients into creamy, decadent vegan delights. From silky-smooth nut butters to velvety vegan cheeses and frozen desserts, a high-speed blender can unlock the full potential of plant-based ingredients, elevate your cooking, and make it easier and more enjoyable than ever.

Creamy Vegan Creations

• Nut Butters and Milks: Imagine crafting your own almond butter, so smooth and rich it melts in your mouth. A Vitamix’s powerful motor effortlessly pulverizes nuts, releasing their natural oils and creating a creamy texture you simply can’t achieve with a standard blender. Forget the additives and preservatives found in store-bought versions; homemade nut butters are pure, wholesome, and customizable to your taste. You can also create cashew milk, oat milk, or any nut milk you desire, and control thickness and flavor.
• Vegan Cheeses: Vegan cheese has long been a challenge for home cooks, but a high-speed blender makes it surprisingly simple. By blending soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and spices, you can create a smooth, creamy base for a variety of vegan cheeses. The Vitamix’s ability to create a consistent, smooth texture is key to achieving a truly satisfying vegan cheese experience. From a tangy spreadable cheese, to a pourable cheese sauce, to a block that’s both firm and sliceable, the possibilities are endless.
• Frozen Desserts: Creating vegan ice cream and sorbet is a breeze with a high-speed blender, requiring no ice cream maker. Simply blend frozen fruits, plant-based milk, and sweeteners for a creamy, decadent treat. The Vitamix’s high-speed blades can even turn frozen bananas into “nice cream,” a healthy and delicious alternative to dairy-based ice cream.

Expanding Your Culinary Horizons

• Soups and Sauces: Transform your soups and sauces from ordinary to extraordinary. The Vitamix’s powerful motor can blend vegetables, herbs, and spices into a velvety smooth consistency. What’s more, the friction created by the blades can actually heat soup directly in the blender jar, making it a convenient one-step process. You can also create vibrant raw soups that retain all their valuable nutrients.
• Dips and Spreads: Elevate your snack game with homemade dips and spreads. From classic hummus to vibrant pesto and chunky guacamole, a high-speed blender can handle it all. Control the texture to your liking, whether you prefer a smooth, creamy dip or a chunky, rustic spread. The Vitamix makes it easy to experiment with different flavors and ingredients.
• Smoothies and Green Drinks: While the motor in an ordinary blender can fail under the pressure of blending leafy greens, the powerful blades and motor of a Vitamix can break down even the toughest greens, like kale and collards, into a smooth, drinkable consistency. This ensures you get the maximum nutritional benefit from your fruits and vegetables.
• Flours and Meals: The versatility of a Vitamix extends beyond blending, allowing you to grind grains into fresh flours, creating gluten-free alternatives like oat flour or rice flour.

Investing in Your Vegan Future

• Durability and Longevity: The right high-speed blender is an investment that will pay off for years to come. Known for its durability and longevity, a Vitamix is built to withstand the rigors of daily use. With a robust motor and high-quality components, it’s a reliable kitchen companion. Vitamix also offers generous warranties, providing peace of mind.
• Versatility: Beyond its blending ability, a Vitamix is a multi-functional kitchen appliance. It can handle a wide range of tasks, from grinding grains to kneading dough (with certain models). This versatility makes it a valuable asset in any vegan kitchen. Different container sizes also allow you to create everything from small single servings to large batches.
• Health Benefits: Creating homemade vegan alternatives allows you to control the ingredients and avoid processed foods, which often contain unhealthy additives and preservatives. A high powered blender can also increase the bioavailability of the nutrients contained within your food.
• Cost-Effectiveness: While a Vitamix may seem like a significant investment, it can actually save you money in the long run. By creating your own nut butters, milks, and other vegan staples, you can avoid the high prices of store-bought products. You can also reduce food waste by using up leftover fruits and vegetables in smoothies and soups.

A Vitamix is more than just a blender; it’s a transformative tool that can elevate your vegan cooking to new heights. By investing in a high-speed blender, you’re investing in your health, creativity, and the ability to create delicious, restaurant-quality vegan dishes from the comfort of your home.

Whether you’re a seasoned vegan or just entering the world of plant-based living, a high-speed blender can be a valuable asset in your kitchen, making it easier and more enjoyable to explore the endless possibilities of vegan cuisine. Consider the Vitamix as a key ingredient in your vegan kitchen, unlocking a world of flavor and texture that will inspire your culinary creations.

Such thinking can, and often does, give rise to “fatalism”: a kind of giving up – giving up on the fight against injustice; giving up on the fight for a better world, for better lives for ourselves and for others within our sphere of influence. Fatalism, in other words, is a kind of acceptance; rather than fighting for change, a fatalist simply accepts things as they are, regardless of how horrific they might be. A related though distinct response to pessimism is that of “quietism”, which is also a form of acceptance, but perhaps one defined less by a defeatist surrendering to doom and more by a composed embracing – or at the very least, toleration – of the way things are.

In an interview conducted in a war-torn neighbourhood of a deeply patriarchal society, a woman was once asked: “How do you manage to remain so optimistic?” Her response? “I cannot afford to be pessimistic”. Unquestionably, pessimistic conclusions can be and are reached by people in all contexts. What’s not satisfactory to those hoping to survive threatening predicaments, however, are pessimistic responses – those of fatalism and quietism. Such responses are the luxuries of those fortunate enough to be living free from war, oppression, exploitation, and other hellish realities; fatalism and quietism, in other words, are privileges of those safe enough to be resigned to the way things currently are.

Fatalism and quietism may bring comfort to those who are (currently) safe, but they do nothing for the billions of individuals trapped inside farms, slaughterhouses, scientific labs, zoos, aquariums, and other institutions of exploitation, oppression and death. Whilst some likely cease resisting and retreat into a detached endurance of their grim fate, countless nonhuman animals in said institutions tirelessly fight for their freedom, their dignity, their lives, and the lives of those around them. When all possible power to create change has been stripped from you, giving up is a comprehensible response to injustice. But for those of us with even the slightest potential to create change, fatalism and quietism in the face of injustice amount to acts of abandonment, and therefore betrayal.

Those of us with the privilege of choice regarding what we consume and otherwise support – financially, politically, behaviourally – owe to those who do not have a choice in their suffering our best efforts to bring about change. Statistics on the consumption of nonhuman animal flesh (meat) illustrate an ever-increasing rise in the human exploitation and oppression of nonhuman animals. Pessimism is understandable in the face of such realities, but fatalism and quietism are not justifiable responses to this pessimism. To resign into fatalism and quietism – to accept, even if with regret, the way things currently are – is to wallow in our privilege; the privilege of being human in an anthropocentric world, the privilege of being an oppressor and not the oppressed, the privilege of giving up on another being’s suffering.

I speak as a pessimist myself, but my commitment to those less privileged than I am necessitates in me an unwavering commitment to veganism and vegan advocacy – a veganism rooted in opposition to all forms of oppression; for the sake of all beings (nonhuman and human) who suffer as a result of human behaviours, institutions and belief systems that render them marginalised, objectified, exploited, and oppressed. We cannot allow pessimism – no matter how seemingly justified – to develop into fatalism and quietism, for to do so is to lose sight of our human privilege and to ultimately turn our backs on the oppressed. We owe our fellow earthlings a lot more than this.

Before his death in 490 BCE, it was Pythagoras, one of the most famous of the ancient Greek philosophers, who said “As long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other.” Over 2,000 years later, the great Leo Tolstoy reiterated: “As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields.” 

These two great thinkers knew that we will never see peace until we learn to practice peace, starting with recognizing the incommensurable oppression of the innocent victims of our own actions.

Billions of sentient individuals live their lives as slaves to our appetites until death is delivered on the killing floor. Handing off the dirty work to those with fewer options, human consumers pray for peace while paying for the imprisonment and captivity of the beings whose bodies generate the products they purchase.

Innocent and vulnerable souls are deprived of their rights and dignity so those with power over them can engage in habits that are not only unnecessary, but deleterious in a myriad of ways. Their individuality and innate worth is ignored not only by those who benefit financially, but also by those who buy what their bodies produce.

As Will Tuttle explains in his groundbreaking book, The World Peace Diet: 

Our inherited meal traditions require a mentality of violence and denial that silently radiates into every aspect of our private and public lives, permeating our institutions and generating the crises, dilemmas, inequities, and suffering that we seek in vain to understand and effectively address. A new way of eating no longer based in privilege, commodification, and exploitation is not only possible but essential and inevitable. Our innate intelligence demands it.

We owe the animals our profoundest apologies. Defenseless and unable to retaliate, they have suffered immense agonies under our domination that most of us have never witnessed or acknowledged. Now knowing better, we can act better, and acting better, we can live better, and give the animals, our children, and ourselves a true reason for hope and celebration.  

In a world where lives are simply viewed as expendable, innocent life will be cast aside whenever someone with enough power stands to benefit, whether the lives in question are those of nonhumans, soldiers, civilians, women, children or the elderly.

We watch our world leaders order young men and women to be mown down in war after war after war, read the words of journalists describing battle zones as “abattoirs” where soldiers are hurried to their graves like “cattle sent to slaughter,” and hear the men and women whose existence impedes the aims of the powerful described as “animals.” As though the very word itself describes those who have no right to life. As though the word does not describe those who bleed, those who feel, those who hope and fear. As though the word does not describe us, ourselves.

Until we begin to respect the force which animates every being who fights for his or her life, we will continue to disregard it in human form.

Or, put another way:

As long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other.

As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields.

In the hopes that our response might be helpful to others, we have reproduced both letter and reply.

I am eternally proud of my Grandpa; escaping Russia and coming to Alberta, living in a dirt-floor house, learning to read and write and becoming a successful farmer. Being a vegan in Alberta breeds contradiction.  This perfect place filled with endless prairies constantly flicking within all boundaries of the rainbow. This sacred place with clear skies and clean air is a grave for all with four legs.

I metaphorically wrap myself in our blue flag with pride, even as I hate the people that go and cheer for the grown men terrorizing baby calves. Why? I should burn this fucking province down. Why do I stay in this place full of ‘MMM Bacon’ people? The most awful kind of hipsters ever. My Grandpa was a kind man with gorgeous blue eyes and a slight accent. He made his living raising cattle and selling them to die. He loved God. He loved me. As a Volga German, he had also been born to die. He witnessed family members being shipped off to the Gulags. This did not stop him from enslaving others and destroying bovine families. How deep and clawed into us is this carnivorous brainwashing?  

I see all the cattle he was responsible for in Valhalla… perfect and happy. I imagine him now knowing how wrong he was. I can’t explain if it was naivety or denial that allowed me to be so complacent in torture for so long. I remember going to the barn at night to hold little calves in my arms, kissing their foreheads gently. My rationality was blurred by love and tradition. I baste in guilt that I take solace in the cow lives he can no longer harm. The sad thing is that there are always others to replace him.

I love this land of wild skies and black earth with such intensity that I have to believe things will get better here. If I can’t do something to make my home a more vegan place then what is the point of being here?

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

At age 41, I became vegan all of sudden, after witnessing the killing of fish by a restaurant, though without knowing about veganism. There was always a voice within, as most humans get, but generally parents, guardians, elders, and friends push to forget; ignore as a sign of non conformity with man-made society. After going vegan, I regained my positive thought attraction, strong will power, able to focus on my vision, found compassion and empathy for others, as well as maintained health without exercise.

I have found the power within to be simple, to create positive events, to be the change, to align with nature, to trust, have faith in the universe through the vegan way. I hope to unite with dignity to face questions (if any) until my last day of this human form.

I did not know the whole man-made system of education, health, fashion, entertainment, economy was based on the abuse of animals. I have stopped using wool, silk, animal-tested cosmetics for my family, and have no business of such, nor do I intend or dream of doing it again in worst case scenarios. 

I have traveled 25 countries; most divided by color, race, religion, region, but found vegans uniting the world and giving hope, peace, and harmony to the world. Thanks to all of them.

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

As with many consumer products, candles aren’t always vegan by default, and as they often don’t boast an ingredients list on the package, it can be easy to overlook the hidden animal products that were used to manufacture them.

While paraffin wax overtook animal fats such as tallow or lard as the dominant type of candle on the market in the late 19th century, sustainability and health concerns around the burning of petroleum has led to a resurgence of interest, sadly, in candles made from rendered animal fat. In addition, even candles made primarily with paraffin can still contain stearic acid (which is made from tallow or lard) to harden the wax and improve burning performance.

Beeswax, a product of honey production, is often used in “natural” candles, such as those sold in health food shops or gift stores, because it burns cleanly without releasing chemicals into the surrounding air. However, just as is true for honey itself, beeswax isn’t vegan, as it’s produced using the labor of bees.

The following are some other, less-obvious animal ingredients that can be found in candles:

• Goat’s milk: Goat’s milk is sometimes used in candles as a hardening agent and to provide opacity.
• Carmine or cochineal: Carmine and cochineal are red pigments derived from animal sources that are sometimes used to color the wax in candles. They are not vegan, as they are derived from crushed beetles.
• Fragrances: Some natural scents are derived from animal secretions, such as civet or musk deer. However, there are also synthetic musk scents that are vegan.

Thankfully, there are vegan candles available, such as the extensive range produced by GoodLight candles, which uses vegan wax and dyes, pure cotton wicks, and botanical scents, as well as environmentally responsible packaging.

As with any search for vegan products, when looking for vegan candles, read the ingredient list carefully, if there is one! Look out for animal ingredients such as beeswax, stearic acid, goat’s milk, carmine, cochineal, “natural colors or fragrance” or musk scents. Look for candles that are labeled “vegan,” and buy from brands that are open to answering your questions (even if you have to call or email the company to find out.)

And for those who are crafty, you can also make your own vegan candles at home using plant-based waxes, such as soy wax or coconut wax.

A piece of Art is made with emotion, with passion to either describe oneself or to create awareness of what and how we see our world. It expresses our dreams and desires of the kind of future we want and are willing to fight for.

I began painting at a young age and my works reflected my own personal struggle as a female born into a world and age where even though progress had been made in terms of equality, we were – and still are in many cultures – viewed as inferior in regards to our fellow male partners. However, I got to the point where I felt that my work was empty, I needed to refocus and redirect the message I was attempting to let out. It was not until I got more involved in veganism from an abolitionist perspective that I understood that this social problem had deeper roots. We have inflicted so much pain and suffering on other beings in the belief that they are inferior, that we have accepted to do so to one another. It was this understanding that helped me regain the motivation I needed in order to work for a greater cause.

Art is universal; an image without words or the barriers of language can get through to any person. The message I choose to deliver is for a better world for every single being on this planet.

This is why I am a vegan artist.

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

Compassionate to readers’ needs and well-versed in the common challenges associated with transitioning a dog companion to a plant-based diet, the author offers a variety of tips and strategies for those bravely facing the gauntlet of misinformation surrounding modern day food systems. With this in mind, The Plant-Powered Dog gently guides the reader through complex evidence-based research, presenting seemingly endless data in support of the efficacy of a well-balanced, nutrient-dense canine vegan diet. The Plant-Powered Dog touches on everything from the genetic evolution of canines to the causal effect of diet on cellular inflammation. It also breaks down harmful myths propagated by the mainstream dog food industry and gives practical advice on how to be a more conscientious consumer.  

“Animal ingredients cause damage to cells and we see that with canine chronic diseases skyrocketing. I knew there had to be a better way to help my canine clients achieve better health and move the world in a kinder direction. I found that better way with plants… As I further investigated the connection between toxins in ‘food animals’ and all the chronic inflammatory diseases I was seeing in my canine clients, I came to the logical conclusion: The best way to reduce and avoid the bioaccumulated toxins rampant in meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy is to eat low on the food chain. And this means a whole-food plant-based diet.“

~ Diana Laverdure-Dunetz

An unexpected advantage to reading The Plant-Powered Dog is that many of the health and wellness resources in the book are relevant not only for our canine companions, but also for ourselves and our human families. For those readers who are less scientifically-inclined, the book even goes as far as to break down high-level scientific terminology and offers practical tools like goal setting mechanisms, meal planning resources and plant-based recipes. These tools make the idea of transitioning your canine companion to a plant-based diet feel much less daunting, while empowering the reader to make ethical choices that both support their dog’s health and honor the inevitable impact of those choices on one another and planet Earth.  

The Plant-Powered Dog’s breadth of content, helpful tools and extensive recipe section make it a worthwhile purchase and a useful resource for any home library or kitchen. We also recommend this book as a starting point for researchers as it contains 75 pages of studies and other cited works in the field of canine nutrition.

In future iterations of The Plant-Powered Dog, we hope to see specific information included about the inflammatory properties of seed oils in the multiple (and otherwise very informative) sections dedicated to added oils. As seed oils come hidden in many foods we think are healthy, an explanation of their risks to dogs would be especially helpful for those who aren’t aware of these highly inflammatory ingredients. It was encouraging to see that the author does take seriously the question of added oils, explaining in significant detail the differences between them.

In addition, we feel it important to acknowledge the challenges around accessing healthy food experienced by human caretakers residing in “food swamps.” In an effort to make the book more inclusive and accessible to a greater proportion of the population, we’d love to see the author incorporate tips and suggestions for caretakers who face these barriers to access. 

One of the curses of designers is that we can value image above most other things. I’ll spend hours agonising over positioning a single bead, just to make sure my design looks perfect. Another characteristic is that we work far too hard and don’t look after ourselves, so seven years ago, when I was working in a marketing role, the drive-through dinners after leaving the office late started to catch up with me. I got a little pudgy, so my solution was to become vegetarian… but only because I wanted to fit my skinny jeans again. There, I said it. I was the vegetarian that every other vegetarian hated. Admitting to my diet would always be followed with “… but I’m not like… a hippie.”

Yeah, I was a jerk.

Then, later on, I started to learn a few things about the fashion industry. Aside from the well-documented human rights issues, I learnt about the huge environmental impact the textile industry has. It’s the second largest polluter on the planet. I was disgusted, and I seriously considered walking away.

This led me to wonder what the number one polluting industry on the planet was, and its animal agriculture. I spent the evening reading about the horrible mistreatment of animals in factory farming environments, antibiotics used in meat production, and the fact that vast percentages of our land and water are used to produce animal feed for meat production while millions of people go hungry every day.

I wouldn’t call it a light-bulb moment. It was more like a niggling doubt that snowballed and swelled into the realisation that my lifestyle choices had far reaching consequences. I became vegan overnight, and funnily enough, those 6+ years of being a ‘vegetarian-for-the-wrong-reasons’ made it a really easy process for me, especially as I didn’t receive much support from family and friends.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is the path to living a vegan life doesn’t always start out the right way, but the planting of any seed can grow into something big: in my case, waking up every day with a clear conscience, and working on my sustainable and vegan fashion label.

I refuse to be part of the problem.

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

With dozens of other fantastic vendors (including plant based food, vegan entrepreneurs, artists, farmers, and animal rescuers) Gentle World’s vegan education booth provided a unique opportunity for attendees to “talk story” (as they say here in the islands) with multi-decade vegans who were living that way before anyone even knew what the word meant!

What a great celebration of veganism it was!

As described by the organizer, our friend and fellow vegan-maker Alessandra Weber-Rupar: “So much beauty and hope, kindness and hard working determination to make a difference and Be the change -it was overwhelmingly sweet and a ray of bright light, co-created by all!! “

Other cool happenings at the event: The surprise appearance of Robert Cheeke, who just happened to discover the VegFest while enjoying a relaxing vacation in Hawaii, and the attendance of Big Island Mayor Roth, who has recently turned his health around with the adoption of a plant-based diet.

Creating art can be both tedious and exhilarating. Inspiration may sometimes become overshadowed by trying to achieve good technique, pleasing people and the challenges of making a living. Ultimately, I desired my artwork to have some special meaning and purpose… not to just be decoration.

For years I had admired animals. I was vegetarian for 30 years, worked with a veterinarian and animal communicator, was a caretaker, and photographed and painted them. But my experiences had been limited to the usual companion animals and zoo exhibits. In 2010, my life was jolted by unsettling events and relocation, but with it came some wonderful gifts. In my new situation, I had the privilege of getting to know “farm animals.” With them, I feel so completely at home, so peaceful and more inspired than ever. My curiosity and awareness grew – urging me to face and consider their experiences… and to change my choices and habits. In 2012, I became “vegan” and embraced the role of sharing my art, photography and graphic art skills to advocate for all sentient beings. With my new label, I had finally graduated into genuinely embodying the true meaning of “animal lover.”

This was the turning point in my creative path. My art seemed to quickly evolve as I more deeply connected with my inspiration. Creations were not only about how animals looked – but how they felt and what they had to say. Being a “vegan artist” is more than choosing cruelty-free supplies, eating plants and painting animals. For me, it is about expressing the love I feel for life. It’s about honoring and celebrating my relationships with my Earth Family. It’s about making art that communicates on a heart level – hopefully inspiring others to see, know and consider animals in new loving ways – building new traditions based on respect, kindness and compassion.

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

The beginning of my learning journey began with professors; they provided me with an array of literature and facts, historical or fictional, impactful or otherwise. With such an expansive amount of information tossed in my direction, I began to develop a system for what I allowed to remain and flourish in my mind. I used my empathy. Though it made me a bona fide failure at mathematics and certain sciences, using empathy to decide what holds importance and worth led me to becoming vegan.

This method originated when a professor provided me with literature pertaining to the sympathetic imagination. My heart told me this was worth remembering, while the “rational brain” of others told them it was idealistic nonsense. And just like that, using my empathy led me down a path of eye-opening understanding.

Learning to place myself in the being of another was both painful and enlightening. I was taught to understand and truly feel what the other was experiencing. Unfortunately, this meant the agonizing pain and suffering numerous species endure, all at the hand of humans’ greed. And thus, this lesson led to a new one; I came to acknowledge all forms of life and give them equal importance, rather than putting the human species above the rest.

As my intellectual journey continued, I found myself gaining insight in the most unexpected of places; from the birds that traveled above me, the ants that crawled below me, my loving dogs that lay beside me. They became my new teachers, showing me the power of endurance, strength and the ability to truly love another. I continue to learn from them lessons that no human can convey into words.  

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

But now, having shed the chains of indoctrinated consumption, I feel a light shining, deep inside me, in the knowledge that I can walk through the forest, and gaze at the river, and know that I harm no living being, directly or indirectly, and thus, I have taken my destined place within the circle of life. What an epiphany it is, to be able to practice the wise and ancient path of paganism, and really see the wildlife around me as my sisters and brothers! I’m tied to them, body and soul. And I know in my heart that I am truly one with the natural world: an herbivore that can tread peacefully and without regret.

Being a vegan pagan covers all of man’s concepts of love, compassion, justice, honor, integrity, environmental healing, and animal guardianship. There are no toxic things in the world of a vegan pagan. Not unless we look outward, to the rest of humanity’s activities. There be dragons. My rituals include visualizing a blanket of awareness over the entire planet, in hopes that people will awaken and begin to gather together in healing communities where inflicting suffering is a distant memory.

And now, when I call the four quarters, the Elements, the God and the Goddess, and invite Spirit into my circle, I feel the flow of energy so intensely, so divine, and I am at once aware that all mankind would follow me… if they could only see with these eyes.

Where are my wool-free fluffy socks; oh yes there they are. Can you believe, I am the only child in my whole school without leather shoes. I am gobsmacked by that, are the students not aware that leather is cruel? I do not want to carry the poor innocent cow’s skin with me everywhere. I love and respect animals therefore I do not kill them.

I squeeze the last bit of my vegan toothpaste out of the container. Vegan toothpaste is extremely difficult to find in South Africa – still this does not stop me from using it. Innocent animals are used to experiment whether the toothpaste is safe to use or not. Toothpaste and other products are smeared on them – often the product is harmful and burns or even kills the poor animal.

It is time to greet my lovely friends – six rescued cats and five rescued dogs. I know that they will be joyful when I return this afternoon. How do people hurt animals when they are so loving and loyal? Still people will ask me why I am a vegan; is it not a straightforward, obvious choice? Just think how many animals would be hurt or killed for just one person in a morning if they are not vegan.

Therefore, I am proudly vegan.

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

The seven ingredients in the salad were chosen for their nutritional value, as well as for their ability to be grown on a spacecraft, using minimal space and water, and producing minimal waste. Made of only soybeans, poppy seeds, barley, kale, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and sweet potatoes, the salad was also designed to take into account “psychological value,” considered especially important on long voyages where astronauts might be faced with lengthy periods of monotony with regard to their food choices. With color, taste, and texture all considered in the salad’s design, one of the taste-testing crew even commented that they “wouldn’t mind eating this all week as an astronaut.”

According to Astronomy.com, nutritional requirements in space are different than on Earth, meaning astronauts on long-duration trips need nutrient-dense foods to offset some of the detrimental health effects of space travel:

“The human body experiences physiological stresses in space, where it’s exposed to unusual conditions like microgravity and increased cosmic radiation for relatively long periods of time. Microgravity, for example, causes bone loss, which means that astronauts require more than the usual amount of nutrients like calcium and vitamin D.”

Plant-based diets are increasingly being acknowledged as suitable for individuals with greater nutritional demands than the average, such as athletes, and women during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

For those who might be concerned about meeting all their nutritional requirements with just plant foods, rest assured that even the mainstream and conservative Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association, self-described as “the world’s largest organization of nutrition and dietetics practitioners”) confirms that you do not need to eat animal products to maintain your health.

“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.”

Perhaps soon they’ll add astronauts too.

My parronthood is perhaps more important to me than anything. I have cared for many types of animals, and adored them all. However, there’s just something about a parrot.

In 1993, my then boyfriend brought home a cockatiel we named Tweety. Tweety’s behavior was so interesting and mysterious, like a magical little fluffy dinosaur alien. He sang, flew, and even managed to say some things that sounded an awful lot like English words, such as, “little tweety bird”. Soon after, we got him a girlfriend, whom we named Girlbird. (I now know it’s wrong to purchase animals).

Cockatiels cannot be spayed or neutered, which makes family planning tricky. Many cockatiels later, I learned how to gently curb their reproduction. I now live with seven cockatiels, some of whom are rescues (cages are all open). Tweety is now 22. I’ll always keep rescued cockatiels. I cannot imagine a life without their sweet fluffiness.

Meanwhile… in 1996, I adopted a Lesser Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo. I immediately fell in love. He was five and sweet, but as parrots mature, they become more difficult. As it turns out… cockatoos scream, bite, chew anything they can get their beaks on, and require an unimaginable amount of attention. Parrots are not domesticated. They aren’t meant to live in cages, alone and bored. In the wild, a bird like Mr. Peepers, my cockatoo, would spend the day with his flock, foraging, socializing, preening, and playing. Capturing these highly intelligent animals to stick in a lonely cage, is profoundly cruel. It’s my responsibility to make Mr. Peepers happy. Every morning I’m awoken with a delightful, “hi baby!” I cannot even remember my life pre-cockatoo.

While it may not seem that my parronthood and veganism are related, they are actually poignantly connected. In 2008 I read a book called Of Parrots and People by Mira Tweti which discusses keeping parrots as pets, and why it’s wrong. That book may have been the beginning of expanding my consciousness in a very vegan direction, as its message is certainly a vegan one. As I read her words of respect, love, and freedom for parrots, I knew what I was reading to be true… they are not ours. The message of veganism is the same: respect, love, and freedom for all the nonhuman animals whether in a slaughterhouse, marine park, laboratory, or pet store.

They are not ours.

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

At 18 years old, I read a pocket-sized book called Arnold Ehret’s Mucusless Diet Healing System. The book explained what animal foods do to the human body, and it convinced me to make the change to vegetarian. This was so inspiring that it infused me with energy that sent me off jogging for a thirty-mile run: something I had never done in my life. 

A year later, in 1973, I was visiting my cousin in Miami, which I didn’t do very often. While I was there, her roommate’s best friend drove up with her new husband, on their way to Guatemala. I took a short walk with her husband Herb, a tall, strong, deep-voiced man with a big beard. We had a great connection and he gave me his phone number, inviting me to contact him if I was ever in California. I took that piece of paper and put it in my pocket. 

After leaving that day, I met someone in a bookstore who eventually brought me to New Mexico to be part of an interesting project. When the project ended that summer, I got a ride to Los Angeles. After being there for two weeks, I knew that environment wasn’t for me. I found out that I had an uncle and aunt not far away, so I decided to hitch-hike to them. 

When I reached into the pocket of the overalls I was wearing, I found the piece of paper with Herb’s name and phone number, from a year ago. I called him from my aunt and uncle’s, letting him know that I was there in California, and he invited me to his place. 

When I arrived, I noticed a sign on his gate that read, “The Temple of Life.” Approaching the small house, there was a 4×6 index card on the sliding glass door that said, “No leather allowed on these premises. If you’re not going to put it in you, then don’t put it on you.” 

My years in college had included a period of working with leather artistically, and I was standing there with knee-high leather moccasins I had worn to protect me from the cactus and rough terrain in New Mexico. When Herb came to the door, he looked at me, looked down at my feet, and said in the same deep voice I remembered from our first meeting, “I’ll be right back.”

When he returned, he handed me a very nice pair of LL Bean sneakers, saying, “I think these will fit.” 

I took off my moccasins, and tried on the shoes. They fit perfectly. Herb then said, “Come with me, and bring your other shoes.” We walked into his back yard, dug a hole, and buried my leather moccasins. Herb explained his belief that laying the material to rest would allow the spirit contained in the skin to reunite with the rest of the animal. 

I believe this was my first introduction to veganism, although the word was never mentioned. 

For the next two weeks, we shared good food, good music, and good vibes. Herb also shared with me a small, mimeographed booklet, called The Cook Brook. The introduction to that booklet described people who had chosen not to eat flesh or drink blood, or kill animals, and it described clearly the difference in this way of thinking. For me, it really hit home in my heart. Once again, the word vegan was never mentioned. 

When the time came for me to head back to Florida where my family lived, Herb said to me, “You need to go and meet Light.” Herb explained that Light (and his wife Sun) lived with a group of people in the middle of the state. They had written The Cook Brook together, and it was Sun who had written the introduction that was so inspiring to me. 

I was headed in that direction, so I bought a car for $300, and drove for three days. When I pulled into their driveway, it happened to be breakfast time. I had been practicing being a raw foodist, but when I sat down at the table filled with freshly-baked cinnamon raisin muffins, oatmeal, sunflower seed milk, and fresh fruit, I departed from my raw food diet and enjoyed the experience of sharing food with everyone. 

Little did I know that was the beginning of what has become 49 years of my veganism and my service as a volunteer. It was the idea of freeing the animals that was at the foundation of their veganism, and I was thrilled to have found such a purposeful goal and effort to be a part of.

After meeting the group that would eventually become known as Gentle World, I returned to my parents’ home in Miami, and filled a knapsack with all my leather items, which included a pair of leather pants from my brother, my father’s leather suit jacket, my baseball glove, and other sentimental items. When my neighbor asked why I was digging a hole in my parents’ backyard, I explained what Herb had said about allowing the spirit of these items to be reunited with the rest of the animal they came from. 

In my close to 50 years of service with Gentle World, I have tried to honor Herb’s influence in my life, and carry on his legacy by providing vegan shoes to replace the leather that visitors to Gentle World frequently arrive with. My background with the material gives me the ability to recognize it in shoes, belts, and other garments, even with no label present.

I will always be indebted to Herb as the angel messenger that changed my life. If my visit with my cousin hadn’t coincided with him, or if I had lost the piece of paper in my pocket, I would never have found this destiny. Looking back, I can see how magic was at play, and how it was meant to be for me to find the incredible leadership of Light and Sun, and friendship in the group of people who decided to join together and serve this incredible purpose of freeing the animals. 

While most people tend to buy the supermarket or health food store version, crackers are surprisingly easy to make, and this recipe is especially so. No special equipment is needed, and most ingredients (with the exception, perhaps, of tapioca flour) can be found in your typical vegan kitchen.

Variations to experiment with include the addition of finely chopped nuts such as macadamias, or finely chopped onion for a softer, more flavorful bite.

Basic Recipe:

1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons tamari

Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir. Batter should be on the dry side. Add a tablespoon or two of water if necessary, for mixing. 

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Turn batter onto paper and then cover with a second piece of parchment paper. Roll out (using a rolling pin) and cut lightly into pieces around two to three inches on each side. Crackers will remain connected, but will break apart easily once baked.

Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. Crackers should be turning brown and crispy. Keep a close eye to make sure they don’t start to burn.

Naturopathy, as taught in the London College, is a comprehensive 4-year medical course, giving students a thorough grounding in anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, nutrition, gynaecology and paediatrics, and with two years of clinical experience. As naturopathy embraces different types of treatment, including osteopathy, many of my patients over the years have presented with acute spinal and joint problems. Treatment of the presenting symptom always includes a prescription for dietary change. Removing all animal products in the patient’s diet is an essential component of my naturopathic regime, and gives amazingly fast improvement in the topical presenting symptom. For non-osteopathic patients, many of whom present with long-time pathologies, the change to a vegan diet always has a positive outcome.

Knowledge of metabolism and organ function is imperative, and various therapies to work on the liver, pancreas, heart, kidneys, lungs, and colon, work towards improvement in circulation and function. General well-being is a measurable outcome of a professionally prescribed vegan diet.

 There is no ONE perfect vegan diet for all patients. Differences in age, fitness, and genetic types all require specific focus for a prescribed diet, as well as consideration of season and climate. In a plant-based diet, consideration of seasonal variation is very important. Now that most plant-food types are available all year round, with imports from around the world, many patients have developed food intolerances due to year-round use of certain fruits, vegetables and nuts. It is noticeable that the vegan emphasis on soy, as an excellent source of protein, is a point of contention amongst orthodox practitioners. A balanced plant-based diet is not dependent on soy, and all nutritional requirements are supplied by a wide variety of plant types.

Human health and fitness is so important in advocating veganism. Although for vegans this is the ethical and rational choice, we have to show that we don’t just get by without animal products, but are distinctly healthier and fitter on a plant-based diet. This is my role as a vegan naturopath.

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

I was the son of the owner of a resort hotel about 85 miles north of Manhattan. I was a Maitre D’ of that hotel in that year. I was 28. My future wife was 24. We were both trying to figure out our lives: where they were going, and what we should do about it. 

I had done a short stint at UCLA law school in the earlier 60s. If I took anything away from that one year, it was the “rational man” theory. That would be my mantra, and guide for my future. I decided that when a conflict arose in my life, I would do my best to take the position of the rational man. 

This commitment made immediate sense to my future wife Merle (who later chose to adopt the name Sun) and she elaborated on that idea by saying, “we will search for the truth, but we won’t only search. We have to live the truth when we find it. The latter is the more difficult part.” 

I realize as I write that those words were our secret wedding vows. 

It was around this time that we went to see a movie — I believe it was called Mondo Cane (A Dog’s World.) It was a kind of documentary-type film that depicted the myriad of insanities in the world. One scene showed a gigantic bull, surrounded by four men holding sledgehammers, and wearing huge fishing boots. These men proceeded to bludgeon the huge beast with the sledgehammers, swinging as hard as they could at the animal’s head. The poor animal, big and strong, and screaming in terror, took many blows before he went down. 

It was a window into reality that changed both our heads forever. On the spot, outside the theater, we stopped eating meat, and we have since been vegetarian for 53 years and counting. 

We didn’t think anything of dairy. Dairy was Elmer and Elsie — nothing to consider there. Then, one year later, we were married and living in Upstate New York, a short distance from a family dairy. We decided to visit to see what went on there. After being shown around by their PR guide, where everything was neat and tidy, we snuck around to look behind the scenes, to see what wasn’t on the official inspection list. We were immediately confronted by a cow who was bawling and bellowing. When we asked a worker the reason why, he told us that her baby calf had been taken from her. We realized that her milk (intended for her baby) would instead go to profit the business. He said, “you get used to it. And besides, she stops after a few weeks.” 

We looked at each other, wanting to scream along with the poor mother. There was another blatant truth for us to live. We have not touched dairy or its by-products in over 50 years. 

We didn’t know of the word or concept of veganism. But before long, we decided to devote our lives to spreading the word about the plight of not only the so-called “food animals,” but all sentient beings. My wife and I founded a commune of people who saw this truth as we did. We called our group of 35 people “Gentle World” as that was our goal then, and still is our goal today. 

In September after summer camp, I saw the film: “Bless The Beasts and the Children.” It’s about boys freeing bison who were to be killed the next day. The boys were trying to save the bison from extinction. That same month, after watching Bless The Beasts and the Children, I learned to play the song Dona Dona on the guitar. It’s an Israeli song about a calf mournfully going to slaughter.

All three of these things inspired me to stop consuming meat. Still, I ate dairy and fish, not seeing the connection.

As an athlete, I had psoriasis, arthritis and migraines. At 19, I had cancer cells burned out. At 21 I finished college and went to visit my mother’s vegan sister, my Aunt Glory. While staying with her, I learned to eat vegan and  I started to juice fast. This was in May of 1981. Aunt Glory and her son were living with her best friend, Heart Phoenix and her kids. I learned a lot. After six weeks of living with them and mostly fasting, I lost weight and felt great. For my first year of being vegan, I mostly fasted eating raw vegan almost exclusively between fasting.

I never had cancer cells appear again. Migraines were gone. Pounds dropped off. My psoriasis lessened dramatically.

I’ve been vegan ever since.

Through my Aunt’s friend Heart Phoenix, I learned about Gentle World. It was Gentle World’s founder Light who had convinced my Aunt Glory so long ago, to “please not eat his friends.”

I’ve been involved since 1981, and while I hope the world quickens its pace towards veganism, I’ve seen veganism grow tremendously. In 1982, Dr. Michael Klaper visited and joined forces with us. What a game changer for the world! Gentle World published two books written by Dr. Michael Klaper: Vegan Nutrition: Pure and Simple, and Pregnancy, Children and the Vegan Diet — the seminal works on vegan nutrition.

The Gentle World team of volunteers has also written and published two recipe books (The Cookbook For People Who Love Animals and Incredibly Delicious, Recipes for a New Paradigm) as well as producing two vegan Celebrity Banquets, and operating a vegan restaurant on Maui, Hawaii. Over the years, we have also rescued and saved many animals; flown banners; given countless seminars and cooking demos; demonstrated and marched for animal rights; taken on the role of executive chefs at Animal Rights conferences; taken over hotel and restaurant kitchens for catering; and consulted for other vegan restaurants.

In Gentle World, visitors can see the wealth of information that exists with people who have been vegan for over 50 years. I am happy to be part of an organization that has been trying since the late 70’s to veganize the world! 

In my 41 years as a vegan, so much has changed. And we’re just getting started. Join us!

In this mellifluous, 211-page unassuming paperback, Chef Laura touches on more than just vegan recipes. As if lovingly speaking to her younger self, she imparts a wealth of knowledge about ways to cook and shop more intentionally for the health and well being of oneself and the planet. Jazzy Vegetarian touches on everything from how to cook with anti-inflammatory spices used in Ayurveda, oil-free cooking, human rights concerns regarding the cacao industry, and even the importance of purchasing products in recycled packaging. Jazzy Vegetarian weaves together vegan cooking and lifestyle tips in a unique way, encouraging the reader to practice not only new ways of cooking, but also of being.

The 112 breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and drink recipes in this book use basic ingredients easily purchased at any grocery store, proving that variety doesn’t demand complexity and healthy vegan cooking does not require access to an expensive urban health food store. Jazzy Vegetarian is rounded out by a collection of mostly simple, uncomplicated recipes, encompassing a variety of cuisines, including Italian and Southwestern-inspired recipes. Ever present is Chef Laura’s keen awareness of the ongoing modern day struggle to create work-life balance. With this in mind, Jazzy Vegetarian features helpful cooking advice or “jazzy tips,” a glossary of vegan ingredients, a table of equivalent measures for easy reference, and best of all, 12 pre-set multiple-course themed menus complete with accompanying music selections for entertaining guests!    

Our favorite takeaways from Jazzy Vegetarian are the delectable Reuben-Style Sandwiches and Summer Peaches and Lemon “Cream” Tart recipes, Chef Laura’s themed menus for easy entertaining, and the clean eating tips sprinkled throughout the book. We hope that future iterations of Jazzy Vegetarian include more raw vegan recipes and explicitly state the time commitment required to prepare and execute each recipe. We also hope to see references to local vegan organizations doing work on the ground so that readers can connect with mentorship opportunities and learn more about initiatives to combat human and non-human animal abuses.

Recognition of the seasons and the best times for planting and reaping; soil types; composting, and seed-saving, and no-dig techniques, have all been an integral part of understanding plants in their living environment in the garden. Veganic principles of soil care prove to be as efficient at maintaining mineral levels as are conventional animal manuring practices, without the negative risk of bacterial contamination which can so often lead to gastro-intestinal disorders from eating unwashed produce.

The veganic garden, even a small plot, can be a ‘land-of-plenty,’ and provide a vast selection of seasonal food for the discerning vegan. A wide range of vegetables including roots, stems, leaves, and fruits can be produced all year round (in New Zealand) or with small cloches for protection. Tree crops including macadamias and walnuts provide excellent protein foods for the vegan diet, and soft fruits and stone fruit can be espaliered when space is at a premium. I use only rain-water in my garden, and my plants thrive and provide more than enough food for family, friends, and visitors.

I count my blessings as a retired vegan gardener.

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

However, it was not until I came across animal rights issues that it finally struck me and altered my worldview. My struggle for gender, race and even social equality suddenly changed. I was no longer the victim, nor was I on the side of the oppressed. At that moment I understood and finally accepted that I was the oppressor. Every day, through every single action and choice made, I was inflicting far worse pain on someone else than I had once felt. I was paying others to exploit, abuse, imprison and kill someone else for the sole reason that they were “just” animals. I was a speciesist.

In addition to the billions of land animals slaughtered for food each year across the world, there are millions more who are shot by hunters, killed in shelters, used and eventually destroyed in laboratories, victims of fashion who die only so that a human can wear their fur or skin, and those starved to death by irresponsible humans who only see them as an accessory for their home. In total (not including marine animals) more than 150 billion individuals are slaughtered each year worldwide. An appalling number, right?

What does veganism have to do with women’s rights and human rights? The answer is as simple as the understanding that no one has any right over anyone else. We do not own other sentient beings, so we have no say in regards to their freedom or their lives; we can only respect their existence and the fact that they are born with an inherent right to life. As long as we cannot understand that, we cannot presume to be evolved beings, and the fight for social justice will remain a dream.

I have chosen veganism for life because I believe in freedom, social justice, and equality. Most important, I respect the life of all sentient beings. I will do whatever I possibly can to help this message spread and get through to all people, so we can finally evolve and live free from harm. We are all earthlings sharing a moment in time and the desire to live and love.

Since I’ve been vegan my sporting performances have improved – most emphatically in athletics. As I get older, when logic dictates that I should be slowing down, I’m running further and faster than before. But performance is one thing; recovery is another, and how quickly I recover from an endurance event – a marathon, for example, as a vegan, compared to when I was a non-vegan – is out of this world. As a vegan, I’m fine the very next day, ready to run again after resting for just 24 hours. As a vegan I can run two marathons in the space of a week, something I could never have done as a non-vegan. 

I enter endurance events because I like proving to doubters that it is every bit as possible to perform well as a vegan as it is as a non-vegan. Inevitably, the questions come. If someone asks about how it is to be a vegan sportsperson, I usually respond that I don’t know – and they eventually put two and two together and work out that my performance speaks for itself. I want them to think that if he could do it, then so too can they. When we go out to eat as a team, I’m noticing increasingly more team members are eating vegan meals. 

The kids that I coach ask questions too, and I don’t hold back on telling them what I think, because I want to be a positive influence in their lives. Once a kid came to a coaching session eating a KFC burger. “Get that crap out of my sight,” I told him. “It’s not cool, clever, or funny. It’s not okay to eat (or use) animals. They have brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. How would you like it?” Children often understand these issues clearer and are more open, because they haven’t been subjected to the years of detrimental effects of advertising and other pressures that adults undergo. 

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

After one particularly loud Fourth of July here at our Hawaii center, one of our neighbors reported her dog having suffered from a life-threatening stroke. After a full night of paralysis, the vet was on his way to put the poor boy to sleep. It was a miracle when her canine friend recovered just in time to be spared receiving a merciful lethal injection. It’s hard to imagine how heartbreaking that night must have been for the dog’s caregiver. 

There have been some years when our neighborhood has sounded like nothing less than a battle zone, and the psychological assault has gone on for many hours, well beyond midnight. The disturbance of the peace can be a tremendous strain on some humans, especially certain elderly folks, and our veterans who suffer from PTSD.

In addition to the impact it has on certain humans, it’s simply devastating for nonhuman animals, who have no understanding of what’s causing these terrifying sounds and vibrations. This is true for the free-living animal population, as well as those who live in our homes, or on our land. 

From S.L. Prewitt, Dog Psychology Expert:

“​The biochemical response releases a flood of stress, fear and anxiety hormones: testosterone, adrenaline and cortisol.

The surge of this cocktail of hormones increases blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates, triggering one or a combination of the following behaviors: flight, fight, freeze or submit. In all cases the animal experiences traumatic stress injury to the neurology of the brain and central nervous system, resulting in the following:

Flight: desperately trying to flee the noise source
Fight: standing ground and barking towards the noise
Freeze: going into shock and unable to move
Submit: collapsing to the ground

In extreme cases some animals may suffer seizures or heart attacks. The specific behavioral response depends on a combination of the individual animal’s genetics, environmental influences and life experience, but all suffer traumatic stress injury.

For those among us who do have dogs and cats in the house, it’s important to make a plan beforehand so that you can be prepared in advance, rather than waiting to see how your friend responds to the sounds. If this isn’t their first time, you’ll have an idea of how he or she reacts, so you can plan accordingly.

We have found that our dogs respond best to a kennel or crate (covered with a blanket or towel) in the most noise-insulated room of the house. If you don’t have a kennel or crate, finding a way to mimic one is another option, such as by hanging a blanket over a desk or table. Covering the windows or finding another way to limit their view of the flashing lights also seems to be necessary. We add some gentle music and a fan to help drown out the sounds. We also use a small amount of melatonin to help our girls stay calm, but it’s important to know the correct dose, so we suggest asking your vet if you want to use that approach. We have found that we need to use ALL of these strategies in combination, otherwise our girls are terrified from the first ‘boom’ until well after all the noise has quietened down.

Many experts also suggest vigorous exercise earlier in the day to burn off excess energy that might later convert to anxiety, and some suggest covering your dog or cat with a blanket, and/or providing a durable chew item, as some animals find that it provides an outlet for their anxiety.

Some products on the market that can help:

• CBD: Give pets CBD chews or oil before the fireworks start. CBD products made specifically for dogs and cats can help generate a sense of calm. We suggest using an organic brand whenever possible.
• ThunderShirt: This product fits like a snug T-shirt and uses gentle pressure to encourage calm. Different animals respond differently to the ThunderShirt, so it’s best to teach them to wear it during a non-stressful time. Some will never get used to it, and some just pull it off with their teeth!
• Calming music: You can purchase calming CDs and collections that use soothing music and sounds to help ease anxiety. Through a Dog’s Ear is one company, but there are also tracks on YouTube that last several hours. Try searching for ‘calming music for dogs.’

When fireworks start, some animals immediately seek out a hiding place. You can help them to find a dark, windowless place to wait out the noise. Providing comfort can help, but if they ignore your attention, it’s best to let them be alone. Some prefer to simply hunker down, and if that’s the case, you should check periodically to make sure they’re okay.

Some have success with desensitization and counter-conditioning, using CDs of fireworks, thunderstorms or city sounds that create fear and anxiety. These types of CDs are available from Through a Dog’s Ear. YouTube is also a good source. You begin by playing the CD softly and then gradually increase the volume. Providing a long-lasting, enticing treat while playing the CD or video can help generate a more positive emotional response to the noise.

For those who have a severe reaction to fireworks, some find success by enlisting the help of a relationship-based dog trainer or behavior consultant.

Even if your animal doesn’t show any signs that let you know they are suffering it’s possible that these animals are simply internalizing the stress, which can also have devastating effects in the form of physical disease and post traumatic stress disorders.

Here in Gentle World, our animals suffered for years until we eventually discovered the approach that we outlined above, so we know that there are methods that can help! Whatever your friends’ reaction is, finding a way to minimize the impact of fireworks is an essential part of caring for the nonhumans in our lives.

Wishing all our readers a safe, happy New Year, and a peaceful celebration with those you love.

As a vegan I do not consume any animal products or secretions, nor wear or use any animal products such as leather, silk or wool. I do not use any products that contain animal ingredients or have been tested on animals. In addition I avoid using any products associated with any animal-testing company. I do not engage in any activities that exploit animals. I live this vegan lifestyle and adhere to these rules as much as humanly possible; I do not find it difficult to live like this as these are my values and beliefs; I feel better knowing that I do not actively contribute to animal suffering.

I’m an abolitionist as my ultimate aim and desire is to end the incarceration of all non-human beings. I would like to end all farming of animals. Animals want to be free from incarceration; they do not want bigger cages or more space, only to be killed for human pleasure. Females do not deserve to be forcibly impregnated in order to produce young and have them stolen from them so humans can drink their milk, or for their young to be brought up in the same horrific conditions as their parents. They do not deserve to have chemicals injected into their bodies, put on their skin or in their eyes to try to cure human disease. Animals are not ours to use for pleasure, entertainment or for the vile act of hunting.

I do not understand the disconnect people have with non-human animals; this is a foreign concept to me. Decisions I make in my everyday life are made with consideration for whether that decision would impact negatively any sentient being. This is the way I live my life now, I do not find it inconvenient or difficult and it is part of my normal everyday living.

I am a passionate person who will keep fighting for the rights of all animals, I am their voice and for that reason I will not give up.

_{Special thanks to Butterflies Katz for including this in her compelling essay collection highlighting diversity amongst vegans:
I’M A VEGAN: One Movement, Many Voices.}

I recently heard that the website of Gentle World was set up in 2009, so I must have come across it soon after I became vegan in 2008. How I first came across it I am not really sure, but I do remember that I was looking for sources of clear, honest, antispeciesist, animal rights education that also promoted veganism as the most natural thing and the least we can do (I was not calling all that “vegan education” as I do now) and that was one of the very few sources I found after an extensive search. Thank goodness for that, as that meant I could have a vegan education source that would create true vegans, I could improve as a vegan and a person, and this also helped me greatly in being optimistic that creating a vegan world is possible up until today.

The essays of the Gentle World residents were like water that sprang from the rocks of Truth, and I knew that as long as there were people who perceived life and other animals this way, and consequently talked about justice in its true form, there was hope in this world for other animals. I have always associated Gentle World with feelings of justice, empathy, peacefulness, affinity for everyone and all nature, respect, dignity, integrity, solidarity, love, oneness with animals and nature, beauty, light, and even something from eternity. In other words, everything I regard as being most important in life.

Later, I came across some Gentle World residents online, whose “Gentle World dignity, honesty, and respect for all animals” unsurprisingly shone through their advocacy. Now, I feel like I had a glimpse into how humans in a vegan world will be some time after we all become vegan if we keep improving as humans.

At Gentle World, they don’t pretend that life is only happiness and good things. I believe they know well that, especially nowadays, life if full of suffering, and that is why Gentle World was created in the first place; but they are able to rise above it because they can see that what’s really important in life (empathy, justice, respect, love, equality, connection with animals – nonhuman and human – and nature) is what’s right and true, and can create a better world if only the ones who can and are in a position to do that decide to do it. They see this hope, they live it, they breathe it, and they want to give it to the rest of the world in order to heal it, by first of all ending the inconceivable harm we cause to our fellow travelers in life, the nonhuman animals, as a necessary first step and a moral minimum. They created Gentle World because they saw veganism as the door to enter a life of real values, and Gentle World was the realization of those values. Because it’s only after you are vegan that you can experience reverence for life and you can align your life along with it – and I believe that the people who created Gentle World were some of the first people who perceived it and fulfilled this truth in its purest form.

What more could we wish for this world, than to become a Gentle World world?
A world where doing the right thing is more important than doing the conventional thing.
A world where everyone will feel respected, no matter now different.
A world where all will feel safe from humans as well as with humans.
A world where we can look every living being in the eye and see ourselves as well as wonders.
A world where truth will be recognized and lived instead of fabricated and scorned.
A world where the world’s harmonies will he heard as well as lived.
A world restored to how it should have always been.

About one year after I first went vegan, I was thinking to myself, “Wow, this last year I have felt a happiness I had never felt, a sense of peace inside that was never there before.” The more I learned, the more excited I became, because I now knew I was able to make a difference. I had been fortunate enough to come out of my ignorance. I was able to see other people change before my eyes, not because I forced them to, but because they saw the light in me, and they wanted to be a part of it.

Veganism is not a label or a hip trend that you only follow because it seems like it’s the cool thing to do (even though it totally is). Being vegan is not strictly about what you eat. Being vegan is a way of life. Yes, changing your diet is where veganism generally begins, but it also awakens your soul and makes you more in tune with every aspect of this earth.

Isn’t being vegan hard? What about protein? Where do you get your calcium? What about cage-free eggs? Why not dairy, they don’t hurt the cow. How do you eat out? What if you were stranded on an island and had to kill an animal to survive? Doesn’t peanut butter have butter in it? What about fish, you can eat that right? Do you ever miss or crave anything? We have been eating animals since we were cavemen, you know? We’re at the top of the food chain. What about plants, they have feelings too. What does vegan really mean anyway? 

The list could go on forever about all of the questions I get in my everyday life. But honestly, when people ask if being vegan is hard, I say no, because nothing feels hard about doing the right thing.

We humans like to live in denial and we wonder why so many people suffer and can’t find happiness or peace within. If we keep lying to ourselves, we can never be set free. If we keep putting into our bodies tortured souls who only knew stress, fear and anxiety, we are going to keep feeling stressed, scared and anxious.

I could write hundreds of pages of why veganism is fun, or how the animals are treated or how you can get all of your nutrients from a plant-based diet, but that’s not what this paper is about. Veganism changed my life’s path, and showed me the light that we all have burning inside us. My journey does not stop there; every day I learn something new. Every day I work on something I can do to better myself, so I can better help the people around me. Every day I think about what I can bring to this world to make it a better place. The root of all of these desires is truly from opening my eyes and making the first step in becoming vegan.

Open your eyes and see what is really going on in our world today, not just with animals, but with every lie we have been told. Your light will shine brightly, and you will be radiating that light outward to everyone who may cross your path. I want every person in my life to feel how I do. Truth is not about proving people right or wrong. Truth is about finding out what you believe, and practicing that every single day, hoping the people around you will slowly start to see what you see.

Courtesy of the folks at Hempz, our reviewers had the chance to test out their Triple Moisture Herbal Whipped Body Creme, as well as the Original Herbal Moisturizer and their Sweet Pineapple and Honey Melon variety. The consensus is that these are some of the best we’ve ever tried. And we’re big fans of body lotion, having had the chance to try out dozens of them over our years of vegan product sampling.

As the Hempz website says, the secret is in the seed:

“Nothing hydrates quite like hemp seed. The oil format delivers powerful moisture, vitamin E acts as a natural emollient, and omega fatty acids help strengthen the skin barrier. Using hemp seed oil in all our products isn’t a gimmick. It’s the most effective way we know to get softer, smoother, and healthier-looking skin.“

The folks at Hempz pride themselves on formulating all of their products with non-toxic, plant-based ingredients, and that’s a philosophy we’re confidently on board with:

“Whether we’re using pomegranate extract to help calm inflammation or shea butter to condition hair and skin, our favorite ingredients come from nature, not a test tube.“

Why Hempz Uses Hemp in Body Care Products

According to the Hempz website, hemp seed oil is composed of 23% essential fatty acids, including linoleic omega 6 and omega 3. These essential nutrients regulate oil production, soften and soothe dry, irritated skin and hair, and minimize signs of aging. Hemp seed also contains other nutrients that benefit hair and skin, such as magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamins E, C, B1, B2, B3, and B6.

As many true believers will attest, hemp is also a sustainable product whose cultivation helps the environment in numerous ways, such as by re-establishing soil fertility.

The beautiful and high-quality products from Hempz contain no THC, and they’re free from parabens and gluten, while also being 100% vegan. As well as moisturizers, they offer hand creams, body butters, body washes and scrubs, sunscreen, soaps and hand sanitizers, hair care, cleansers and toners, lip balms, and even a line for our non-human animal friends.

If I believe that every living creature has the right to dignity and safety, how can I turn a blind eye to the brutality of the meat industry? If I believe that material goods should never be valued the way emotions and connections are, how could I ever support a company that tests on animals? My existence does not warrant the destruction of other lives. My experiences should not cause pain and loss, or destruction of land, and place burden onto others. I have value, but I am not worth more than the beauty of the planet. 

When I look into the eyes of another animal, I see curiosity. There may be fear of a stranger or the excitement of encountering a new friend. I can hear the cry of a mother who has lost her child, or see the wonder of experiencing the first snow. Sharing these common, powerful moments makes us equal in so many ways. Grief and love are not just universal bonds for humans, but universal bonds across species. I can feel my heart wrench when I place myself in their shoes. I cannot imagine ever saying that they deserve the suffering that is inflicted upon them… but is that not what I say when I look away? Is my silence not giving approval to these practices?

I want to live with intention. I want my movement in this world to have purpose and my time here to have meaning. Just as I savor the sun on my face and look to build bonds, I want to know I seek out ethical choices and actively recognize my impact on those around me. My best self is not passive or stagnant and I know that it is not infiltrated by dissonance. 

I will always stay vegan because I believe that feeling comfortable in my skin is everything.

Sherry F. Colb hits controversial topics such as why there is a strong need to transition vegetarians to vegans, as vegetarianism is actually not a harm reduction model. I, unfortunately, never fully understood the vegetarian contribution to the meat industry and I am disappointed in myself for not recognizing this vital connection sooner. I could never do a summary that gives these chapters the justice they deserve, I can only speak highly of them and suggest that if this area of animal rights intrigues you, you should check it out immediately. She fluidly makes comparisons between heavily debated subjects such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, anatomy between humans and carnivores, impact on relationships with others, and analyzes the ethics of supply and demand culture, all in the context of veganism. 

She leaves no stone unturned and allows vegans to build confidence in their responses (and perhaps beliefs!) She focuses on clear, concise arguments and dissects her own thoughts to make sure they are logically sound. I was sucked into the book and couldn’t put it down because it was so straight-forward and personal – she knew exactly what I was experiencing. I applaud how many topics she encompassed in the book as I am sure each topic could have a book of its own dedicated to it. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to anyone already vegan looking for validation, as well as vegetarians who feel they’ve “done their part,” those considering veganism who haven’t committed, or family members that seem to be consumed with questions on why I am vegan.

I do want to issue a warning that there are graphic details in parts of the book that might not be suitable for all ages, but there is an important take-away for everyone within this book.

The pie uses a traditional Italian cream underneath a topping of sliced seasonal fruits. It was super-easy to veganize, and we’re sharing the recipe with you here…

Enjoy!

Crust
1 1/2 cups flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup vegan sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter
3 Tbsp soy milk

1.  Combine sugar and butter.
2.  Pour the flour all around the outside of the butter mixture, then make a well in the very center and place the milk inside it.
3.  Mix the ingredients together, handling the dough as little as possible.
4.  Place dough in the fridge for 30 minutes, and preheat oven to 350°F.
5. Oil and flour a pie plate (or line it with baking paper).
6. Flatten dough into the pie plate and prick it a few times with a fork.
7. Add some weight (such as half a cup of dry beans, scattered over the crust) to stop dough from rising during baking. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Vegan Crema Pasticcera
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1.5 Tbsp vegan margarine
2 Tbsp flour
grated zest of half a lemon (or more, to taste)
a little sugar, to taste

1.  Gently heat milk in a small saucepan.
2.  In a separate pot, melt the margarine on low heat, then add flour and a little milk.
3.  Slowly add the rest of the milk, stirring mixture with a whisk to make it smooth.
4.  Bring mixture to a boil and let it boil for 7-8 minutes, until it thickens.
5.  Add lemon zest and sugar, to taste.
6.  Allow to cool.

Once crust and cream have both cooled, pour cream into crust and then top with sliced seasonal fruits. We recommend strawberries, blueberries, and stone fruits such as peaches and nectarines!

Four years ago when I told people—good friends, even—that I had decided to become vegan, some replied with a shocking bitterness that bordered on resentment. “Well, I guess you’re perfect now,” I heard more than once.

Needless to say I am far, far—far from perfect. It hurt me that people I thought knew me so well would think that of me; that I had placed myself on some self-righteous pedestal and now looked down on them. When I thought past my own hurt, it occurred to me that committing to being vegan is such an obvious force for good and that most people know this even if they’re not ready to take it on themselves, so they tend to be defensive. If I had those moments to do again, if I wasn’t so caught off guard, I might reply (albeit maybe a little cheekily), “You could be perfect, too! It’s fun and easy! Come on, join me.”

The truth is, I do feel enlightened. But not in a holier-than-thou sort of way. I know and understand the world in a way that I didn’t before, but much of that awareness is heartbreaking. The abject cruelty of factory farming, medical and cosmetic testing, fur farming, and more, has seared in my mind images of defenseless animals punished by unspeakable suffering. What I’ve learned about the far reaching health and environmental repercussions of these industries of pain, I can’t forget.

Rather than make me feel better about myself, this knowledge serves to remind me how flawed I am, and how flawed we all are, as well as what dark things we are capable of, and how much work there is to do. Knowing, I cannot forget. Seeing, I cannot close my eyes. Opening my heart to all creatures, I cannot stop it beating. There is righteousness but it comes at a cost, and the only way to repay that debt is to live a life of kindness and compassion.

Fortunately, that part is easy and fun, a joy to do! I have no illusions of becoming Tolstoy, living a life of ascetic privation. I have never lived so abundantly and gratefully as I have since becoming vegan, for now I revere and celebrate not just my own life but the lives of all animals, solaced by my choice to ease the world’s suffering in my small, flawed way.

When I was 19, at a Millennium festival in New Zealand, I attended a workshop facilitated by the founders of Gentle World. They described veganism as ‘the keystone’ in the foundation of their belief system, and pointed to their commitment to shared principles as a reason for the group’s longevity, as they were still living and working cooperatively long after many of the communes from that same time had been left in the dust of disappearing sixties ideals.

Even now, after more than 20 years of being a part of this vegan intentional family myself, I distinctly remember my impression of these two inspiring figures at our first encounter: They belong to a place where they feel safe. I want to go where they come from. 

A few months later, I visited Shangri-La, Gentle World’s 454-acre secluded haven in the Far North. This visit turned out to be the precursor to my decision to join the community – a move I made around six months later.

I didn’t realize it at first, but at the time of my visit, the fields and rivers had only recently been liberated from shackles of barbed wire fencing. This was a reminder of the land’s former life as witness to an (albeit bucolic) animal slavery operation, and it had all been lovingly removed, one post at a time, and the barbed wire banished in a gigantic burial.

I was beginning to learn that this remarkable band of dedicated and hard-working individuals was deeply committed to the ideal of nonviolence. I was told that along with the (literally miles of) barbed wire, they had also made it a top priority to dismantle the structures left over from the land’s animal harming past. By the time I had the chance to lay my eyes on the sites where they once stood, ‘The Wool Shed’ and ‘The Not-OK Corral’ had been transformed into orderly piles of re-useable lumber; scraps of life-as-it-once-was that might one day be used to help build life-as-it-should-be. Some of the finest pieces had been used to construct a simple but beautiful fireplace mantle in the communal house – a fitting symbol of the hope to be found in somehow exorcising the terrible history of these materials by using them at the center of something so new and promising.

My mind was beginning to open up to the idea that there just might be a better way to live; not only in my imagination, but in reality.

At the end of the same year, I found myself visiting Gentle World again, this time at their educational center in Hawaii. I was part of the volunteer team for an event where one of the founders was delivering a powerful presentation, and I remember clearly that I felt my perception change in an instant. She said one thing that I will always remember the essence of: ‘I can’t stop the animal industry from killing and torturing and enslaving animals… But I can stop myself from being a part of it. They’re not doing it for me.’

All of a sudden, something in me shifted. The false beliefs I had been holding on to: that I already understood who animals really are, that I already knew what veganism was and that I had already reached the understanding I needed… it all just dropped away, to be replaced by a feeling of such relief, such freedom, and such gratitude for the realization that I actually had the power to liberate myself from the guilt and confusion that had been stopping me from moving forward.

Since that day, I have been more committed to the goal of building a vegan world than I have ever been to anything. As the years go by, I continue to be humbled by new realizations that allow my understanding to deepen and expand, and with every day that passes with the animals still in captivity, my determination gets even stronger to do the very best I can to help bring about their liberation.

It remains a tremendous privilege to spend my time and energy helping others to have the Gentle World experience, whether in person or through our online portal, through which we try to open the minds and hearts of all who might find themselves wandering through.

As we look into the future, impatient and anxious, yet always hoping that emancipation might just be closer than we think, my wish for those of us who call ourselves vegan is that we are able to somehow become even better at reaching out to those who are yet to be convinced, yet to be awakened to the profound truth of what veganism really means: for us, for the animals, and for life as we know it.

I believe we must always be striving to reach the next turning point, the next new horizon in our worldview, for so many are depending on us. And for them, for the sake of the innocent beings who remain unrecognized by a world blind to their true value, we must be the very best that we can be. Only then will we be capable of doing the very best that we can do.

Since I became vegan I have seen many more animals suffer and die than ever before; not in videos or in photographs, but in reality. I have seen thousands and thousands of chickens, cows, geese, pigs, and turkeys imprisoned, for consumption of anything from their glandular secretions to their very corpses.

Many of them were lying among their kin or in trash bins, already dead; the others doomed to be murdered. Yet I was not able to free more than a few dozen birds (mostly hens) and even fewer mammals—a raccoon from a box in an allotment garden, a cat who lived in a birdcage, a horse one day before he would have been sent to the slaughterhouse, dogs, foxes, guinea pigs, minks, rabbits, and sheep. Speciesists who regard animals as property call it larceny.

What impacted me most was a cow who was killed before my very eyes when I had only been vegan for three years, and just had started my abolitionist activism which led me to an abattoir. This traumatic event made sure that, unless subjected to a lobotomy or my brain attacked by alien brain suckers or zombies, I will always be vegan.

To replace the captive bolt gun, the slaughterhouse managing director (who happened to be the supervising veterinarian of the slaughterhouse and an animal welfarist), tried to introduce a new “animal friendly” electric stunner. They used it on several sheep, a bull, and two cows.

This cow was hanging, from a chain tied around her hind limb, seemingly unconscious. A stream of blood as thick as my wrist poured from her throat. Then she regained consciousness. She opened her eyes; opened them wide in fear and pain. Standing a few feet away at her side I looked into her left eye while she looked into mine. She raised her head for a moment and the fountain from her throat grew even thicker. It seemed like she tried to scream; a silent scream from someone whose throat was cut, which led to a death rattle. There was nothing I could do to help her. That was some twenty years ago, but these images are burned into my brain; I will never forget that glance she darted at me.

I’m a vegan. I’m vegan because I must be. I’ve been on this path since the end of my twenties, when something finally clicked and I realized my goal of doing the least harm possible logically meant ceasing the exploitation and use of animals. I’ve been vegan for almost six years of consuming countless books, documentaries, podcasts and blogs, of visiting farm sanctuaries and vegfests, of eating vegan meals at home and in my travels.

I’m a vegan writer. Most of the writing I do these days is informed by my veganism. My editorials allow me to wield my vegan voice in a way that I simply cannot do out loud. Public speaking terrifies me, but furious typing ignites me. I thought I would be a journalist when I went to college almost twenty years ago. I took a different path, but I am in some way, in fact, a part of the press. I am the part of the press who wants to end animal exploitation.

Writing gives me confidence, and ethical veganism is something that I am confident I was meant to ascribe to. These two facets of who I am come together in a way I’d never have expected; they complement each other. I could no more picture myself as a non-vegan than I could picture myself putting down my pen.

It’s a privilege to be able to speak for the voiceless billions of animals we raise, eat, test on, skin, cage, and force to perform. I only wish I had made the connection sooner. I only hope that my voice will reach far and wide.

I am grateful for other vegan writers, speakers, and activists. Raise your voice. Someone needs to hear it. Tell your story. Someone will relate to it. Pose your question. We’re in this together, and we will find an answer.

On the dairy tour, cheery music played as the farm workers walked us through the milking process, taking us through the buildings that housed the separated cows and calves. Being born a girl on a dairy farm was “lucky,” they told us, because the newborn boys were sold off for “other purposes.” 

I didn’t think about how strange it truly was until I was older. Why were we drinking the milk of another species? Why did non-human animals have to serve a purpose for us at all?

Seventeen and a vegetarian, I started watching vegan YouTubers who made recipes and filmed what they ate everyday. I couldn’t help but be captivated. Their lives and food seemed so vibrant and abundant. Full of life. Led down a spiral, I started researching what it was to live vegan and how animal products actually came to be. 

Then the next day, and every day after that, I was vegan. Once I knew, I couldn’t not know. And that’s why I always will be. 

It was a no-brainer. How could I claim to love animals while participating in their exploitation… When I saw the brutal reality of animals behind closed doors? When I watched the suffering of another being and sobbed as if it were my own?

If I wouldn’t want it to happen to me, I can’t support it happening to them. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” So, I must be vegan. I have to align my actions with my ethics. 

Animals are not ours to eat, wear, or use. Although we look, act, and speak differently, humans and other animals are similar in the ways that matter; we are both capable of feeling joy and pain. I believe non-human animals are here to live out their lives in the natural world, or by our sides in harmony. That is why I will forever and always be vegan. 

It’s an endless circular prison. You try to stretch; as I write I can feel your limbs seeking, hen. But there is barely room to turn around. Your feet shift on sloping steel bars, grimly searching for earth they will never feel. Your heart yearns for something, but you don’t know what. So you stretch uncomfortably, lifting wings that will never fly, shredding useless feathers against unforgiving bars, laying eggs. The prison becomes your mind; your mind becomes a prison. I am writing your prison. Putting your head through the bars you tilt your head to one side.

An ancient song echoes on the edges of existence, I can hear it too, hen, it calls from my words. Rustling leaves, tinkling sunlight, gurgling water. Just out of your mind. Out of existence and out of your mind. A long night arrives, your feathers fall like leaves, your skin bleeds in tiny streams, your eyes turn dull like a dank pond. You stop laying eggs, hen. A death sentence.

The song dims. Crouching and huddled. Then someone lifts you. I wrote them in to your story, hen, I am sorry. Desperately you claw at the cage. The ancient song has now stopped completely, you cannot hear it, and you do not know it any more. You are yanked from one prison and into another. Briefly, you glimpse the sun; feel the air as you are loaded on a truck. The song begins again, I hear it too, hen. A slight hope is reborn. Your wing hurts; I feel it hen, I can, it is broken. I broke your wing with my words.

Then you are hanging upside down, shackled. The knife slices your throat and blood now runs in a stream of pain, coats my written words. You flap your broken wing. The song of death is sweet, I can taste it hen, its melody is the dripping of the blood, forming rivulets, free at last. 

But the audience don’t hear it, hen. They are dead too.