Posts tagged ‘Shopping Vegan’
This is some cool shit
I will preface this post by saying that I am a die hard iPhone lover. Die. Hard. I love my iPhone like other people love their kids. And I’m not the slightest bit ashamed to say that I’d probably take my iPhone over a kid any day- not ashamed one bit.
There’s a brand spankin’ new iPhone App that scans ingredient lists for animal products so you can avoid any hidden yucky stuff. Sweet! All you do is take a picture of the ingredient list and it’s checked against a database of animal products. You’re warned when an animal product is found.
I’m so excited I’m gonna pee my pants, I’m not even joking. I have been saying that I wanted something like this for forever now, I’m super stoked that it came to my iPhone. I can’t wait to use it. Oh, right. I can’t use it. And neither can you unless you have an iPhone 3GS. Which sigh, is something I do not have. I have a 3G. Ah, but there is a bit of good news- you can search the database even if you don’t have a iPhone 3GS. So there’s that anyway. I’m still excited to get the App and test it out.
Have you noticed it’s getting easier and easier to know what you are consuming? The general public is learning to read labels and question ingredients. More and more people are doing research before they purchase a product. And, more and more people are choosing animal and cruelty-free products. I’ll bet it scares the shit out of the ones who profit from killing animals. There is a lot of power in education- we should use it whenever we can.
Learn about the real price animals pay for our goods at Commercial Street, once you’ve been you won’t be the same. Then, join the vegan evolution. Send your friends to Commercial Street, put a spiffy button on your page- anything that helps spread the word that we choose vegan.
UPDATE: Ha ha, I’m brainless today. The name of the App is Vegetarian Scanner. You can get more info about it at iTunes Preview.
Down with down comforters and cruelty!
You know that animal rights issues are becoming more well-known when you read folks asking advice columnists about ethical problems related to buying down comforters. Diggity!
The problem with products that come from animals is that they can be generally deceiving. The general perception is that “the animal wasn’t killed for it’s feathers/eggs/milk/honey etc.,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. These products are still intertwined with the factory farming industries, it just isn’t as apparent. Such is the case with duck and goose down.
Goose and ducks used for down production are plucked alive – four to five times in their short lives. The birds legs are tied over their backs, or held between the legs of the “Ripper,” the person who removes the feathers. The birds are scared, struggle and sometimes strain their muscles and/or break limbs trying to get away. One large producer of down, Hungary, estimates that 50% of the down it exports contains 40% – 45% live-plucked feathers. That’s a lot of cruelty.
Did you know that geese normally live in small family units? They also mate for life- something even many humans have a hard time doing. The average life span of a goose is 20 years, although “commercially produced” geese will live just 4 – 5 years.
But back to the question at hand- rather the answer at hand. The columnist Umbra offered up some advice for our questioning compassionate by saying:
“It would be nice to think there’s just a flock of quiet farmers who wait patiently for the down to fall out on its own. However, here’s the real deal, according to the USDA: When the birds are slaughtered, they are first stunned electrically. After their throats are cut and the birds are bled, they are scalded to facilitate removal of large feathers. To remove fine pinfeathers, the birds are dipped in paraffin wax. Down and feathers are then sorted. Gosh, that doesn’t sound comfy at all.”
Nope, she’s right. Sure as hell doesn’t, does it?
(PS. Umbra – there is no such thing as “humanely harvested wool.” Treating an animal better before taking away their life is not humane. And with so many great alternatives (such as- doubling up on blankets), there’s no need to use animals any further.)
via grist.org
additional information via USDA
Want to learn more about the animal ingredients in the products YOU buy? Visit YDV’s Commercial Street and learn the real costs to life for the products we buy.
Olsen Haus is Now More Vegan Than Before
Olsen Haus is using recycled TVs in the new Fall/Winter 2010 collection, in the effort to phase out petroleum-based faux leather.
Even greener and more vegan than before. Sweet as hell, I say. Waiting will be a bitch, though.