All Dolled Up for our living room (100% recycled face fibers)

For the past few months, we’ve been making all kinds of fun decisions about our new apartment in New York. During the renovations and decorating process, our focus has been on making animal- and eco-friendly choices that reflect our personal style and fit our family’s day-to-day lifestyle.

Typical of a pre-war co-op, ours has beautiful hardwood floors; so the pups definitely needed some carpeted areas that wouldn’t be quite so slippery under their paws, and we wanted some areas that were warm and soft under our own feet, too. The challenge with area rugs is that most often they are made of handwoven wool. As I’ve written about before, I do my best to seek out wool alternatives (see my previous post, What About Wool?). Finding rugs for our new home was no exception.

I’m delighted to report that there are a variety of rugs now available in the marketplace, such as those using natural fibers like jute or synthetic fibers like olefin. Many make use of recycled materials. Again, for our own home I was looking for cruelty-free, stylish, and practical: while a jute rug can be a wonderful accent in the right room, I wanted something more cozy for my pups at nap-time (probably 60% of their day). My search led me to FLOR Carpet Design Squares.

Lace Bark for our home office

Design
FLOR rugs are comprised of squares roughly 19.7 inches in size; the use of squares lends itself to incredible versatility both in size and look. For an 8 x 10 area rug, you’ll purchase 30 squares. Need something a little smaller, or not quite standard? Just use fewer squares. Also, many of the squares that feature patterns have a random placement — that is, no delineated top, bottom, or sides. So your placement creates a wholly unique pattern. And, although we decided to go with one particular pattern in each area, a FLOR representative also will help a customer mix and match patterns, colors, and textures for a totally unique creation.

Installation
This is a DIY operation, but the squares are super-easy to install: using adhesive “dots” on the floor, the tiles stay in place (no padding underneath).

easy installation with adhesive FLOR dots

A perk of this DIY approach is that it’s as easy to remove or replace one square as it is to install it. If there’s a spill, it’s easy to lift just that one square, wash, and put back in place. What a great thing for families with canine kids and human kids alike! Also pretty handy if you tend to throw your fair share of cocktail parties, where it’s just a matter of time before someone’s vino winds up on the floor. And if one square gets damaged beyond repair, no need to buy a whole new rug — just purchase a replacement square (prices range from $12 per square to $28 per square).

Heavy Petal for our bedroom

Recycling Materials
FLOR does make some carpet squares with wool, but most — and the ones we chose — are made from alternative, recycled fibers. In addition to using recycled fibers, FLOR has a Return & Recycle program that allows customers to return old squares so they can be used to create new FLOR products.

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Other easy ways we went cruelty-free for animals & the planet in our home

• In our kitchen, new counter tops by ECO by Cosentino, just as pretty as granite but made from 75% recycled materials; also, energy efficient large appliances.
• For living and dining, furniture of sustainable construction when shopping for new pieces at Design Within Reach; and any cushioning or bedding is feather-free (see my previous post, Are You “Down” With It?). Not only are our sofa cushions and alternative down comforters/pillows more animal-friendly — both for the birds spared theplucking and in terms of holding up better with our canine kids making themselves right at home — but they also are more Sharon-friendly (allergies!).
• Throughout the apartment, LED light bulbs by Philips, which use less energy than most other types of lamps, are mercury-free, and each bulb will last approximately 22 years (reduced waste). Our new Smart TV also is LED.

Vegan Is Love
The newer of the two books, Vegan Is Love: Having Heart and Taking Action, begins: “How wonderful that, at this very moment, every person, big and small, has the power to create a better world!” This power comes from making everyday choices, ranging from the food we eat to the clothes we wear to products we use. For example, this page on Animal Testing not only illuminates the use of testing in everyday products like shampoo, but it also shows kids the logos they can look for that ensure they’re choosing cruelty-free:

Roth also covers the choice not to support the use of animals in entertainment — whether it’s at the zoo, circus, or racing. Keeping the emphasis on making positive choices and being sensitive to the young audience, Roth writes that, by making better choices, “our love reaches to the ends of the earth.”

That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals
Like Vegan is Love, Roth’s first book That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals features vivid illustrations that are bound to capture the imaginations of children as it encourages them to make connections between living animals who think and feel emotions (and pain) and food on the plate. The focus of That’s Why is more specifically on factory farming and its consequences. In this book, Roth’s approach is to first illustrate the beautiful natural behaviors of animals such as pigs and ducks; second, she explains how factory farming makes those behaviors impossible and inflicts upon animals lives of suffering and isolation. I like that Roth respects her young readers enough to tell them the truth but does it in a way that is age appropriate, with language and images they will be able to understand. Any child can understand the concept of “family” and will have a reaction to the notion that animals have families, too.

What Else Can We Do?
Both books end with a page entitled “What Else Can We Do?” Here are a few suggestions from Vegan is Love (feel free to discuss with the kids in your life):

1. Connect with Animals: Never buy animals from pt stores or breeders. Rescue, visit a wildlife sanctuary, or volunteer at a local animal shelter instead.
2. Home: Make your yard a sanctuary. Hang a birdfeeder or plant flowers for the bees.
3. Environment: To protect animals and their habitats from pollution, replace plastic with cloth bags and glass containers.
4. Shopping: Ask your favorite grocery and clothing stores to carry more vegan products.
5. Fun: Enjoy art, music, and theater shows starring people, not animals.

*Looking for more books (and movies) for kids as you get ready for summer vacation? See my previous post on Vegbooks — a great online source.

Our afternoon at Chantilly was Nicky’s first tea experience (although he’s been on board with the practice of removing the crust from sandwiches for quite some time). Nicky immediately was enchanted by the wonderland atmosphere of the tea house, loved the little teapots and cups and utensils — everything seems “kids’ size” — and he loved that he got to select his own teacup before being served.

We called ahead to ask that our “Duchess Tea” be a strictly vegan affair, and the chef was more than happy to accommodate. In fact, catering to our six year-old’s tastes, she added some tea-style PB & J to the first tier.

Our full vegan menu:

• sandwiches — PB & J on cinnamon-raisin bread; cucumber & nondairy butter with dill; carrots & scallions with nondairy butter; pecan-almond spread on cinnamon-raisin bread
• scones with strawberry preserves
• vegan chocolate cake, dark-chocolate nut clusters, chocolate dipped strawberries

Thanks so much to Chantilly for making my cutie-pie nephew’s first tea experience such a delightful one… for all of us!

This fun fabric is perfect for so many items, especially as summertime is approaching. I love the big tote bags — ideal for trips to the pool or beach. And the tablecloths that come in vibrant, bold designs would brighten up any patio dining or picnic table. Other products include cosmetics/travel bags and aprons. There are even some items for companion animals available: I love the food mats for cats (shaped like a fish) and dogs (shaped like a bone).

Jessica at Freckled Sage’s table at the Terminal Market

Fun stuff for the Pup

Large Tote Bag

portabella carpaccio, creamy horseradish, pickled cabbage, cornichons

hawaiian hearts of palm “cioppino”, trumpet mushrooms, fregola, fennel, peas

grilled seitan, swiss chard, smoked tahini, pickled turnips, za’atar

white chocolate panna cotta, served with black truffle elephant ear cookie and blood orange agrodolce

In addition to the small plates and entree plates we selected, Vedge offers a “Dirt List” –  a half dozen vegetable specials of the day featuring whatever is  available at the moment from the local farms. During our visit, we tried the Wood Grilled Broccolini cooked in smoky shitake dashi with crushed white sesame and the Brussels Sprouts served in a light mustard sauce that was out of this world (my fave of the night).

In other dessert news, there were several vegan ice creams and sorbets to choose from: at our table, spoonfuls of coconut and pecan pie sorbets and habanero (!) ice cream.

Vedge also has an impressive wine list and selection of cocktails. Celebrating my roots, I indulged in a wonderful glass of bianco from Sicily.

Tip: even during the week, this place is bustling — be sure to make a reservation.

Special thanks to friends on the Cruelty-Free Faves Facebook page who offered up suggestions.

Dinner

• Vedge
  Upscale, lively vegan tapas place. This place is such a treat, I decided to write a separate piece about the experience, just so I could include a bunch of tantalizing pictures from our meal. So check back at the end of this week for a full report.
• New Harmony
  All-vegan in Philadephia’s Chinatown. The atmosphere is casual, but the extensive menu (including mock meats) gets rave reviews. Once my husband Seth heard that there was a vegan dim-sum nearby, New Harmony became his destination of choice. Vegan pork buns, shrimp dumplings, sesame chicken. No surprise, I loved the steamed spinach dumplings.

Vegan Philly Steaks

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  Philly Steak, etc. at Hip City Veg

  Blackbird Pizzeria
  The first place we head to when we arrived — thanks to multiple suggestions. You can buy pizza by the slice here, and some of the combinations look absolutely delicious; but we were steered to the Seitan Cheesesteak and — what can I say? — it’s a must. I hear the Cubano sandwich is pretty amazing, too. We also sampled the chick pea “tuna” salad and cajun coleslaw, both delicious. Cupcakes from Vegan Treats available if you have room for dessert. Cool piece of trivia: the owner of Blackbird previously worked at Blossom in NYC.

• Hip City Veg
  Not far from Rittenhouse Square, Hip City Veg features an all plant-based menu. The burgers and sandwiches are soy and grain-based, but there are delicious salads on the menu, too. Of course, I had to try the Philly Steak — I loved all the grilled onions and tomato on Hip City’s version of the classic. Sweet potato fries with black bean chipotle and a vanilla shake (soy milk, soy ice cream) rounded out this highly indulgent meal. Thankfully, I’d been walking around all day… and did a lot more walking afterwards.

Lunch

• 

  Vietnamese hoagie at Mi Lah

  Mi Lah (Dinner /Lunch)
  This vegan restaurant has a very tempting dinner menu: African Peanut Stew in Tomato Curry Sauce. Brazilan Seitan Feijoado with Pan Seared Red Curry. Grilled Oyster Mushrooms on Brandy-Tequila Tomato Sauce with Vegan Chorizo. Or how about Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, and Potato Cashew Gratin in a Lemon Beurre Blanc? Next time I’m in town, I will be there for dinner. However, on this visit, I stopped in for lunch — an altogether different menu. I opted for the Vietnamese Hoagie with marinated tofu, chili vegenaise, carrots, cucumber, and cilantro. So good. And, if you’re up for ordering a side, I recommend the battered mushrooms served with agave mustard.

• Reading Terminal Market
  One of oldest (since 1893) and largest farmer’s markets in the country, this market should be on any visitor’s agenda. I spent a couple of hours in here just wandering around, taking in the abundance of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and crafts. You’ll also get a glimpse of Pennsylvania’s Amish, who are among the vendors here. Although this is an omnivore’s market, it’s still a great spot for a lunchtime with local flavor. Choose from places like OK Produce, Tootsie’s Salad Express, 12th St. Cantina  for a veggie burrito or tacos, or Kamal’s for a hummus or falafel pita. Old City Coffee makes a good cup of decaf.
• Maoz Vegetarian
  There are two locations of this falafel chain in Philly. I didn’t get to either, but I’m well-acquainted with Maoz, thanks to the NYC location just a couple of blocks from my apartment. So, if you’ve already tried a vegan cheesesteak, keep in mind this other great option for a quick bite. Never underestimate the possibilities of one pita, three falafel balls, and a mostly vegan “as much as you can pile on” fixins’ bar.

Snack, Take a Break, Recharge

• Grindcore House
  If you’re running around Independence Mall and all the nearby landmarks, you may want to take a break at this cool little vegan coffeehouse. Bonus: vegan cream cheese for the bagels.
• Soft Pretzels!
  I grew up with New York pretzel vendors, so sue me if I say that Philadelphia wins the soft pretzel award. If you’re looking for a snack while you’re walking your way through early American history, I highly recommend grabbing one at the Independence Visitors Center or at any one of the numerous local restaurants or food trucks that have them. A little mustard, and I’m good to go!

BUT the real wow was when I bit into one. The texture and taste is unbelievably spot-on. The “white” really is like an egg white in its consistency — I never thought I’d have that experience in my mouth again! Even more impressive: the taste of the “yolk” — the secret ingredient is the black salt. Kezia sprinkled some in the palm of my hand just so I could fully appreciate it. This salt tastes just like eggs. So, find it online or at a local Indian market and prepare to be amazed. We ordered the black salt as soon as we landed back in Tucson and my husband Seth made a batch of these “eggs” (success!) on Easter Sunday.

ingredients:

• 450 grams — about 2 cups — soy milk (unsweetened, unflavored)
• 2 tsp. agar agar powder
• 11/4 teaspoon black salt
• 215 grams tofu
• 2 tbl. Vegenaise
• 2-3 tbl. olive oil
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• 3/4-1 tsp. black salt
• 1/2 tsp. tumeric
• 1/4 tsp. parsley (optional)
• 2-3 pinches curry (optional – but Kezia uses it, and it’s delicious)

directions:

1. Whites: Combine soy milk, agar agar, and 1/4 tsp. black salt. Boil and pour into egg tray (using it as a mold); if you don’t have an egg tray, you can use a cupcake pan and fill each one about 1/3 of the way. Once cooled (about 30 minutes in the fridge), you’ll scoop out a bit of the center of each.
2. Creamy Yolk Filling: Mix remaining ingredients (including the remaining 3/4-1 tsp. black salt) in the food processor; using a pastry bag, pipe into the “whites.” To finish, we sprinkled ours with paprika.

*Kezia credits La Gusta’s as the basis for this incredible recipe.

our Easter Sunday “eggs”

This year’s US VegWeek, starting next Monday (Earth Day!), comes on the heels of a United Nations report urging the developed world to cut their meat intake in half in order to avoid continuing down a path leading to serious environmental damage.

It couldn’t be easier to give meat-free a try and feel good about making choices that make a difference. US VegWeek provides a fun and supportive opportunity for pledgers to explore delicious meat-free meals while receiving support, recipes, and tips via its web site.

And you will hardly be alone in the adventure. In addition to the thousands taking the pledge this year, several cities and counties also have expressed their support for US VegWeek through official proclamations including Washington, D.C., Tucson, Arizona, Montgomery County, Maryland, and Charlottesville, Virginia.

“Every time we sit down to eat, we can stand up for our health, the planet, and animals simply by choosing vegetarian foods,” says COK’s Executive Director Erica Meier. “And US VegWeek offers a fun and supportive way to get started.”

So what are you waiting for? Take the pledge and enjoy being a part of this awesome nationwide event.

While in Tucson, I served as student representative on the Executive Council of the State Bar of Arizona Animal Law Section. During that time, the section organized everything from social happy hours to animal law-focused CLEs and presentations at the annual State Bar convention. When it came time to organize my family’s return to Manhattan, I joined the New York City Bar Association as a recent law school graduate, specifically to connect with its Committee on Animal Law. I’ve already marked April 25th on my calendar: there will be a presentation and discussion at the House of the Association on 44th Street entitled “Sunset for Elephants and Rhinos in the Wild? Illegal Trafficking, Inadequate Enforcement, and Lack of Political Will.” This program is free of charge, open to all members and the general public.

To get a further glimpse into the kinds of issues such a committee tackles — and a look at what is currently happening in New York — here’s an excerpt from the March issue of the NYC Bar newsletter:

Consolidated Animal Crimes Bill
The Committee on Animal Law expressed support for A.775/S.1776 (the Consolidated Animal Crimes Bill), which would relocate many of the criminal provisions currently found in the Agriculture and Markets Law to a new Title Q in the Penal Law. The bill also re-defines statutory terms, creates new statutory terms, re-titles animal crimes offenses, reclassifies existing animal crimes, delineates sentencing provisions, and introduces various new animal crimes offenses and creates a hierarchy of offenses for charging, plea-bargaining, and sentencing purposes. The Committee believes such a change would clarify, modernize, and restructure the animal crimes law of New York State and promote greater enforcement and consistent interpretation of animal crimes.

Humane Education
In a joint report the Committees on Animal Law, Children and the Law, and Education and the Law expressed support for A.2484, which would require the Commissioner of Education to notify every school district of the existing requirement that elementary schools provide instruction in the humane treatment of animals, their importance in the environment, and the importance of spaying and neutering programs. The amendment also authorizes the Commissioner to appropriate grants to teachers for training, workshops, videos, and other resources used for humane education instruction and that all applicants for a teaching certificate or license complete two hours of course work or training in humane education instruction.

Sprinklers in Pet Stores
The Committee on Animal Law supports with recommendations A.972, which would require the installation and testing of fire equipment and sprinkler systems for animal housing maintained by pet dealers. As drafted, the proposed legislation would only apply to pet dealer facilities housing dogs and cats and would not cover pet stores that sell only birds, rabbits, and/or reptiles. The report therefore recommends that the proposed legislation be expanded to cover all companion animals housed by pet stores.

Animal Licensing Exemption
A.1123/S.1700 would provide that commercial dog breeders are only exempt from New York State licensing, vaccination, and control regulations where the breeder sells dogs exclusively to USDA registered research facilities and has obtained a certificate of exemption. The Committee on Animal Law expressed support for this legislation as it would close a loophole that currently allows certain commercial dog breeders to escape the licensing, vaccination, and other dog control requirements simply because the breeder is registered as a Class A dealer with the USDA.

Theft of a Companion Animal or Pet
The Committee on Animal Law expressed support for A.1643/S.2336-A, which would amend the Penal Law to provide for first and second degree felony offenses for the theft of a companion animal or pet. The proposed legislation would create a second degree felony offense where a person steals a companion animal or pet and a first degree felony offense where a person commits pet theft in the second degree and either 1) the stolen pet or companion animal is sold for scientific research purposes or 2) the person who stole the pet or companion animal with no justifiable purpose…intentionally kills or intentionally causes serious physical injury to such companion animal or pet with aggravated cruelty.

Unweaned Birds
In a letter to the Legislature, the Committee on Animal Law provided comments on A.738/S.1922, which would prohibit the sale of unweaned baby birds by pet dealers. The Committee supports the intent of the law, to protect unweaned baby birds and to protect consumers who may not know how to properly care for these birds, but expressed concern that as drafted the bill would not apply to many bird sellers. Under the proposed law only bird sellers who also sell dogs or cats would be subject to the law. The Committee recommends amendments which would keep the bill substantively the same but ensure that it applies to bird sellers generally. The Committee also suggested two other legislative approaches: establishing a fuller regulatory system for the sale of unweaned birds, and banning their sale altogether.

As you can see, State Bar Animal Law committees are such a positive force within our legal system. A wonderful means of bringing people together, all working towards more and stronger laws for the protection of animals.