8 Eco-Friendly Vegan Fabrics to Replace Wool - Without Plastic

"Innovations in textile development mean it's becoming much easier to ditch animal-derived materials and choose eco-friendly plant-derived options instead."

8 Eco-Friendly Vegan Fabrics to Replace Wool - Without Plastic

These half-billion-year-old creatures were animals—but unlike any known today

So-called Ediacaran organisms have puzzled biologists for decades. To the untrained eye they look like fossilized plants, in tube or frond shapes up to 2 meters long. These strange life forms dominated Earth’s seas half a billion years ago, and scientists have long struggled to figure out whether they’re algae, fungi, or even an entirely different kingdom of life that failed to survive. Now, two paleontologists think they have finally established the identity of the mysterious creatures: They were animals, some of which could move around, but they were unlike any living on Earth today.

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These half-billion-year-old creatures were animals

I Use Cruelty-Free Products

 

In my previous blogpost, titled, I'm an Animal Rights Activist, I mentioned how I now prefer to call myself an animal rights activist than calling myself a vegan, explaining why. In this similar blogpost, I want to mention that I also now prefer to say I use cruelty-free products instead of saying I use vegan products. Again, as mentioned in my previous blogpost, the word vegan is such a light, fluffy euphemistic word; it lacks the seriousness and power that the word cruelty-free has.

For instance, if someone offered me some ice cream, and I politely say, "No. I don't eat ice cream", they might say, "Hmmm. Since when? I saw you eating ice cream the other day." I could then say, "That was vegan ice cream; I only eat vegan food." Or I could make that statement more powerful in a social justice way by saying, "That was cruelty-free ice cream; I only eat cruelty-free food", bluntly making them realize (if they hadn't realized already) that ice cream is derived from cruelty.

See what I mean? 

We animal rights activists really should stop using--or at least minimize using--the word vegan. Vegan is a pretty word, but it lacks defined power. As a social justice cause, using words that defend animals should be as powerful as possible to make it perfectly clear what this social justice movement is all about. 

I'm an Animal Rights Activist

I like the name, "Vegan", I really do, and often in the past I have usually identified myself in the animal movement as a vegan, but the term is vague when it comes down to defining what this social justice movement is all about. Some people still look at me with a blank look on their face when I say I'm vegan. Therefore, from now on, I will rarely call myself vegan but instead, identify myself in a more straightforward way by saying I'm an...

Animal Rights Activist

It's a no-nonsense, well defined label. Plus, that name alone will cause people to think about how they treat animals. For instance, let's say I'm having brunch with someone for the first time. They order a meat sandwich and I order the only vegan sandwich on the menu. The person I'm having brunch with says to me, "Why didn't you order a meat sandwich? It's a bit too heavy to have so early in the morning?" I answer by saying, "No. I don't eat meat because I'm an animal rights activist."

So now they could think, 'Hmmm. I love animals too. Defending animals sounds like the right thing to do. But by eating meat that means I'm not being an activist for animals?'

See what I mean? If I had said, 'No. I do't eat meat because I'm a vegan,' they probably would not equate veganism with animal rights activism which both do mean the same thing, regardless of what some people believe. Veganism and animal rights activism may mean the same but the word vegan has become so bastardized and watered down to the point of tasting like water that most people when they hear the term vegan they think it as some sort of insignificant cult or club.

About a month ago, at work someone offered me some milk chocolate. I said to him, "No thanks. I'm a vegan." He said to me, "Oh, OK. Well, if you change your mind, the chocolate will be in the front in the lunchroom area."

Here I am, a staunch animal rights activist of 36 years and he has it in his mind that I will all of a sudden "change my mind" and stop being a vegan after 36 years! I told that to a meat-eating ex-boyfriend and even he was surprised at that co-worker's ignorance. People simply don't take the word vegan seriously.

Had I said to him, "No thanks. I'm an animal rights activist", do you think he would have thought I would immediately change my mind? I don't think so.

When choosing a term to represent yourself, choose wisely, as words speak volumes.

Cruelty-Free Travel

"There are plenty of vegan-friendly holiday destinations, but if you’re looking for a company to take the stress and strain of planning a trip away, but know that mainstream travel operators won’t cut it, then you could opt for a specifically vegan travel operator instead."

Cruelty free travel: 6 vegan tour operators you need to know about 

13 Literary Takes on the Lives of Animals

"Here’s a look at a dozen books that memorably explore the lives of animals — some to mysterious effect, some focusing on their interaction with humans, and some using them to counterpoint the foibles or challenges of humanity. They range in tone from the comic to the tragic, from the esoteric to the surreal."

13 Literary Takes on the Lives of Animals

"What Trees Teach Us"

Angel oak tree, South Carolina

"Trees can save your life, and make you happy and mentally strong, according to a new wave of writers. Lindsay Baker explores the rise of the literary tree hugger."

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What Trees Teach Us About Life and Happiness