Think Outside The Cage

Level the economic playing field

2009-10-19T16:58:00.001-07:00

Currently, the prices of animal products are being artificially lowered by a combination of factors, including:

1. government subsidies in the form of direct payments to farmers who grow food for animals to eat (plants grown for human consumption are not significantly subsidized)

2. government subsidies in the form of government purchases of animal products, which are then distributed to schools, which also prevents schools from affording healthier options.

3. animal exploitation, seen especially in battery cages for chickens, and confined animal feeding operations for pigs and cows. animals suffer through hormone and antibiotic treatments, living conditions which lead to antisocial behavior, and slaughterhouses that run at such a pace that animals are often conscious while their skin is ripped from their bodies.

Each of these factors pushes down the cost of animal products, creating the choice at the grocery store between:
1. "unhealthy, bad for the environment, and cheap" for meat
2. "healthy, a bit more expensive" for meat alternatives
3. "healthy, cheapest, difficult to prepare" for vegetables

We are making progress on reducing the animal exploitation factor, as laws in California and Michigan have banned some practices. Though there is a long way to go on this, as the operations will simply move to other places, although the cost will adjust some amount for the added transportation.

Subsidies are very significant, not just in the cost, but in creating social pressures to make unhealthy eating choices in children. We must put pressure on our representatives to end these subsidies. Only the least healthy and most environmentally destructive foods are being subsidized, and even those who choose not to eat them are footing the bill by paying taxes.

If the prices were more realistic, animal products would be an order of magnitude higher than their alternatives. People would choose vegetables, which would lower their price and increase quality and availability.

Works in progress

2009-10-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

The last post I put here was a post I had accidentally posted to another one of my blogs, and when I moved it over here I accidentally posted it here (instead of saving as draft). Double oops. The post was not finished, and so lacked some of the context I would consider necessary for a public post. I've taken it down until I polish it up a bit.

Eating on the Edge

2009-09-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

Vegans are eating on the cutting edge of culinary development. Pushing the envelope of eating. New food products are being developed that take into account ethics and the environment, in addition to flavor and texture and nutrition.

Vegan cheese and meats are being refined, and the more people choose these alternatives, the better the quality, availability, and price will become.

protein in perspective

2009-09-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

A picture with frames, each frame containing a quantity of food containing recommended daily amount of protein. Example frames: Frame 1: fried chicken, Frame 2: tofu stir fry with rice, Frame 3: nuts and fruits, Frame 4: beans and vegetables.

There are two points to this. One is to illustrate that it takes less animal flesh to supply a day's worth of protein than most people eat. Two is that there is a good amount of protein in vegetables, whereas many people have the misconception that protein is only found in meat and beans.

Subtitles may include a warning about the effects of eating too much protein, although serious athletes will want to take in more protein to build muscles. Or something along the lines of "choose wisely"

class: vegan food appreciation

2009-08-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

learn to break free from the cultural negatives associated with vegan foods and be able to enjoy a variety of vegan foods. class will begin with philosophical approach to the aesthetics of taste and texture to allow for better appreciation of all foods and discussion to encourage an open minded approach to trying vegan food. next, a tasting session including vegan foods in regional styles from around the world. some suggestions for simple substitutions for common non-vegan foods are offered (such as soy milk, veggie cold cuts/burgers/dogs, egg subs)

Going vegan for the economy

2009-05-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

How can going vegan help revive the economy? By putting money into everyone's pockets! American families are spending lots of money on food, more than they need to. In days of yore, families would have meat on the table only on special occasions, because it was expensive, and it still is expensive to put meat on the table. Families can save money by learning to cook using inexpensive vegetables. Dry bulk beans and grains, produce from the farmer's market, home made breads, oatmeal for breakfast. These can save money, allowing families to afford their mortgage, put money into savings, and spend on their local economies.

There are even bigger long term savings on health care expenses as these kinds of foods are healthier too. Without looming health problems and costs people will also be more productive and innovative.

EPA protecting environment from cows?

2009-05-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

I was just watching The Daily Show and Lisa P. Jackson, head of the EPA, was the guest. They were talking about regulating carbon dioxide and Jon said 'I emit carbon dioxide..will I be regulated?' funny, she said 'EPA is not looking to reach down into individual lives and change individual livestocks(?), nor are we going to regulate cows, that's a favorite one too' that was the only mention of animal agriculture, but I was thinking, huh, if cows were polluting the environment, you'd think the EPA would have the authority to regulate them. The factory farm, confined animal feedlot operations, produce loads of waste which ends up in our water from runoff or overuse in agriculture. The vast amounts of land it takes to produce their feed at home and worldwide has pushed animal agriculture above the entire transport sector in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA could go a long way in reducing and reversing global warming by placing environmental costs into the cost chain of animal agriculture.

Exercises in imagination and empathy

2009-05-09T15:13:00.001-07:00

Imagine how a dog experiences the world. Sniffing with so much sensitivity, they can tell much about their environment through their nose. At their height everything must appear quite tall. Meeting eyes with humans who sometimes shy away, sometimes look with love, sometimes look with disdain.

Imagine yourself as a new born calf, standing on wobbly legs for the first time. Seeking the comfort of mother. Seeing the first sunset over plains of green grass. Learning to use muscles by playing with other calves.

Remember your experience as a baby, or imagine how it might have been to be so vulnerable, so loved and comforted. Fumbling hands and sounds as you push the envelope of possibility and attempt to mimic those you see.

Man as a natural hunter

2009-03-31T02:10:00.000-07:00

Nature isn't really what's important here, nor is history, what's important is living healthy right now. Being Vegan is healthier.

History may have been built on bloodshed, but that doesn't mean we are incapable of changing when we realize the stakes of our steaks.

It takes a magnitude greater quantity of resources to produce the meat that seems so happily sitting around. Our freshwater, arable land, rain forest are becoming scarce. People can change and conserve, or they can create more violence.

Job Growth in Nutritional Advisors

2009-02-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

A great source of new jobs in the next few years could be in nutritional experts who could be employed by schools, restaurants, military, individuals, athletics, senior centers and anywhere else you might be planning meals. In this occupation they would plan healthier meals which could be more custom designed for the needs of the people they are serving.

In particular, I think there could be a great potential in offering nutritional planning services to individuals and families. With a medical checkup and an interview about preferences, activities, and capabilities, a custom meal plan could be produced for the family which would offer to bring down weight, improve cholesterol and diabetes, and improve long term health.

These meal plans should be offered as long term lifestyle changes, not short term diets, because to create lasting good health, permanent lifestyle changes should be needed.

They aren't even necessarily vegan diets, although vegan would be the ideal for everyone, and certainly having a custom vegan meal plan might be especially helpful for people with conditions that may limit them from many of the foods that most vegans depend on (such as gluten or wheat). Just getting people who want to eat healthier and improve their health access to custom meal planning is generally going to create a commitment to less animal flesh and more vegetables, and could certainly introduce people to the many healthy alternatives to animal products.

I have mentioned things to this effect before (I think) as I have been inclined towards a nutritional science degree for a while, but if anyone is interested in this type of work, it will certainly require years of college.

As far as getting this into a job-creation stimulus package, well it's going to take some organization.

Universal Health Care in an Unhealthy America

2009-02-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

Everyone deserves to get treatment for health problems, just as everyone deserves police and fire protection, and every child deserves an education. Hospitals already use triage, where the people with the most dire problems get treated first. What happens after treatment is either people get back to their lives, or they go bankrupt from hospital bills, this is the difference between universal health care and our current system. Some people don't even get treatment, such as the man shown in Michael Moore's Sicko, who lost two fingers in an accident and had the option of sewing them back on at a cost of $10,000 for the middle finger and $12,000 for the index finger, he couldn't afford both, so he had to choose which he would get reattached.

This is all background for universal health care, which I hope we can agree is a good thing for society. It certainly works well in other countries around the world.

There is a problem for universal health care that I've been pondering, and that is how unhealthy many Americans tend to be lately. It seems that the people who would be using the health care services the most would be those who sat around eating junk food until their arteries start bursting. The tax burden of universal health care is equal, but the people who live unhealthy lifestyles would be using the greatest share of the health services.

This is why there needs to be reform in the health care system first, specifically, instead of doctors getting kickbacks for prescribing cholesterol drugs, doctors need to focus more on preventative care, telling patients to adopt healthier lifestyles earlier.

The consumption of meat and dairy creates so many health issues, and these issues are well known, so perhaps the solution is to make treatment of illness related to these unhealthy lifestyles something that wouldn't be covered under universal health care. This is a measure that really shouldn't have to be taken, but given the current state of health in this country, I am beginning to think universal health care wouldn't be so great after all.

Perhaps a good first step is to only guarantee coverage for accidental or non-preventable issues. Breaking a leg or cutting a finger off shouldn't bankrupt someone, and the injury should certainly be fixed, so the person can get back to their life. Diseases relating to genetics should be covered, but there's certainly plenty of questionable areas. Liver disease in alcoholics? STD's? It would really be easier just to give everyone the health care they need, but with so many people who seem so determined to eat themselves to death, it doesn't seem like something we can afford.

Update: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2009%2F03%2F17%2FED3K16FAI8.DTL this is a similar and excellent article.

food source maps

2009-01-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

maps comparing food sources, vegan would use small local gardening, in vegan winter areas canning and a larger seasonal area is used

factory farmed animals would have arrows from huge swaths of corn to animals to slaughterhouses to cities, grass fed animals arrows would be short in a few areas

unused areas would provide ecosystem services,

smaller arrows for light transport, larger arrows for polluting transport

show current arrow map for a city, compared to the map for the same city with vegan sourcing

how marketing destroyed the planet

2008-12-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

it was marketing that introduced people around the world to the fast food diets of america, marketing made it easy and cheap to have this novel meal every day, marketing, information, it's not harmless, because marketing is driven by profit, expanding as far and fast as it can. there is no restraint and no consideration of future, only win win win.

the voice of reason that says 'your diet is destroying rainforests' 'your diet is giving you diseases and cancer' simply doesn't have the money and marketing to have that global reach. so i'm blogging about it, who will that reach? who can peta reach? word of mouth takes time to spread. and marketing is quick to counter, with money, glittery commercials, paid actors, total ignorance of harm.

news: africa food shortage

2008-12-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

Increasing food supply by eating vegetables directly would easily provide food aid to end hunger problems in africa. There have been riots, migrations, nation-state failure, and people are killing monkeys for food, and this is bringing exposure to another potential pandemic disease.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/12/08/pip.zoonotics/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

There is more than enough food for the world, it's just being used inefficiently to feed animals. Saying that animal rights people should stop worrying about animals when there is human suffering going on have got it backwards. Animal eaters are hurting animals and humans.

vegan 401k

2008-11-25T18:59:00.000-08:00

I've got a small 401k account, and I was thinking, I don't know what companies that fund is invested in! I could be invested in hot dogs! Gah! I've got to figure out how to move my 401k to turtle island, then maybe I'll get discounts on tofurkey =D

Anyone know anything about a vegan 401k? I suppose it takes some research into the companies to start something like that. And law degrees and stuff. Garsh!

Ideas at change.org

2008-11-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama has started a website which is a sort of forum for collecting ideas. The site is: Change.org. There's an animal rights section and an agricultural policy section which I think we may have some things to say about. Anyone can post an idea, comment on ideas, and vote for ideas.

I posted one today here:
http://www.change.org/ideas/view_idea/stop_subsidizing_animal_industries

Convincing people to change

2008-11-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

It may be difficult to accept when someone tells you about veganism, because you don't want someone else telling you how to eat, especially when it's being stigmatized with large support from the meat industry. You can do it, you can change, be the world you want to see.

Methods of introducing this information in a way that is convincing, as people often want to ignore ideas which are contrary to what they have believed, there is cognitive dissonance, and it's easier to ignore or dogmatically refute than to change. It is especially difficult for someone to change at the suggestion of another, so some methods will have the person suggesting the change to themself instead of suggesting that they change. This can work by asking questions or suggesting the opposite, which will lead the person to defend your position. Change sticks well when a person feels that they own the idea and convinced themselves, not that someone else convinced them.

In this political season we saw a great acceptance of change, a change in government which should reflect our modern civilization, moving away from the corrupt, violent, greedy politics of the past. This want for change should be brought to individuals as well, forgoing the shallow, selfish, isolating ways of the past for the creative, communal, peaceful ways of a modern society.

I happened upon some star trek, really an idealistic vision of the future. I wish shows like this were more popular, by focusing on how things can be, we can plan our way to that future.

What is natural/herbivore vs omnivore vs carnivore

2008-11-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

It's only because of the invention of fire that humans can survive on animal flesh, and survival only goes as far as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes will get you. Any herbivore can survive on the kind of cooked flesh diet that most humans eat today [citation needed].

It's not about what's historical, it's about what is best for us and our fellow earthlings now. The rate of consumption of resources is unsustainable, and the industries producing meat from the flesh of animals are oversubsidized, overpolluting, and overconsuming resources to produce an inferior source of nutrition. And why should animals suffer when we have a healthy alternative.

Think about the news: cholesterol drugs

2008-11-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

So, today in the news, a study has suggested that everyone should start taking cholesterol drugs, because you're going to get heart disease eventually and these drugs will stave off the inevitable. No mention of diet of course. It could have been more accurately written as: If You're Eating Animal Flesh, Your Diet Will Kill You Unless You Take These Pills. The meat industry has got to love this, the consumers of their "products" can now live another day to eat another animal. Next they'll be injecting cholesterol drugs directly into the meat.

Link:
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0939180520081109

My secret love affair with tofurky

2008-10-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

I've got to admit, I'm in love with tofurky sausages. There's nothing like a tofurky beer brat with saurkraut and some nice spicy mustard and some grilled peppers and onions and a cold beer mm mm! After a long bike ride, this is basically my nirvana.

I've been thinking lately though, that when people see me enjoying a tofurky sausage, they won't know I'm eating a vegan sausage, and they may feel inspired to eat a sausage made from dead animals =[ When I eat my vegan meat products in public, it's kind of advertising eating meat, since people won't know that I'm vegan. I've thought about this when I'm eating a sandwhich or veggie burger at school.

So now I buy bananas instead of veggie burgers at school, and I eat my sausages in secret.

Not really, I think that at some point the people that know me some at school will be pleasantly surprised when I tell people that I'm vegan. If I was eating some obviously vegan food like..a raw block of tofu nom nom..it wouldn't be much of a surprise then would it?

hurt

2008-09-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

why would you hurt an animal when there's an alternative which costs and tastes about the same, and is healthier for you and the world?

Animal eaters lack imagination

2008-09-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

They cannot imagine the life and death of the animals they buy. If they could they would certainly change their purchasing habits or be wracked with guilt and cognitive dissonance.

advertising an amendment

2008-08-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

At Burning Man this year, they will have amendment proposals on display:

Everyone can participate in this Interactive social forum! Post your AD for amendments to the US constitution, Burning Man's Ten Principles, or any other document in existence! ALL WEEK you can affix your typed up or handwritten amendments to the ADamendment display @ the CENSUS camp! Participants can also interact & add comments to each AD on display! Burning Man is a participation oriented social landscape, any and all options and statements are invited!

I'm going to make one relating to animal rights, and another relating to the debate between the relative cuteness of kittens and puppies (studies show kittens are cuter). As for animal rights, I'm interested in how others might write an animal rights amendment.

The way this is worded is important. For instance it could legalize ideally the beneficial relationship between non-human animals and humans. Or it could extend the protection given to humans to animals. Or it could make violence against animals criminal. Terms should be defined.

I'll write it up later!

interview with a veganpire

2008-08-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

There's a web quiz/interview right here:
https://secure.einterview.org/lifestyle/
It's a nice platonic approach to challenging lifestyle choices by asking questions.

Think about the news: dementia

2008-07-28T18:06:00.001-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7524816.stm
"Statins 'may cut dementia risk'"

'Statins' are a class of drugs which reduces 'bad cholesterol' levels. Statins are taken by millions of meat eaters to prevent their hearts from solidifying from all the cholesterol they eat. Reducing the plaque on the arteries prevents heart attacks.

Except for rare genetic disorders, vegans don't have cholesterol issues, because the body manufactures all the cholesterol it needs, and a vegan diet has 0 cholesterol. Animals manufacture cholesterol for themselves and for their young, just like we do, so it's found in animal flesh, eggs, and dairy. Bad cholesterol results from an imbalance of HDL and LDL levels, which is due to consumption of cholesterol.

Now a study has shown that taking Statins prevents dementia, because apparently that bad cholesterol can also build up in the arteries in the neck, reducing blood flow to the brain, which can lead to dementia, Alzheimers, and stroke.

It would be more accurate for this article to be titled: Statins may cut dementia risk in those with high cholesterol. Or: Dementia risk associated with high cholesterol. Or: Eating meat may lead to dementia, Alzheimers, and stroke.

I wonder if cholesterol buildup is reducing blood flow to the brain and impairing cognitive abilities in small amounts in all pre-dementia meat eaters. This, might explain why they have such a hard time making little dietary changes that could really improve their lives.

Custom vegan literature generator

2008-07-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

A webpage which will create and print a custom 1 page vegan literature sheet. Something a little more personalized and interesting to give to your family.

Interest checkboxes:
[] Health
[] Environment
[] Ethics
[] Christian
[] Senior
[] Children
etc

Recipes:
[] American
[] Mexican
[] Italian
etc

Enter a city name/zip for local restaurants/markets:

[] Black and white or [] Color

[Preview] [Print!]

Charting Suffering and Economics

2008-07-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

I'll be taking economnomics next semester and so my focus on environmental impacts of animal use for the environment class will shift to economic considerations. I just realized that I've written about economics in previous posts and I should find plenty of animal use issues to raise in the econ class.

Today I imagined presenting a chart comparing the prices of some similar animal and vegetable products (burgers, etc) to the very animal dependent middle class, who often uses the extra cost of buying a box of veggie burgers to justify never even trying one.

Maybe in terms of how many animals and acres of rainforests would be saved by spending a few bucks extra on veggie burgers. Maybe even include the offset for long term medical costs and you'd end up saving some money. If you could include lost productivity from an early death I'm sure the figures would come up ahead for vegetables.

And of course if we could get the whole agricultural subsidy situation fixed, that would go a long way to straightening out why a beef patty which took the resources to make like 20 veggie patties somehow costs less.

Annual Costs: (TOTALLY ESTIMATING HERE)

Product:	Vegan Burger (1/day)	Beef Burger (1/day)	Chicken Patty (1/day)
Retail Price:	$900	$700	$700
Animals Killed:	0	2	30
Water Used:	1400 gal	100000 gal	10000 gal
Land used:	1 acre (local)	100 acre (80% rainforest)	4 acre (80% rainforest)

Rows to add: medical cost, greenhouse gasses, disease/epidemic potential
Columns to add: milk/soymilk

Run you pigeons! It's Robert Frost!

2008-07-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The Myth of Unprocessed Animal Meat

2008-07-03T14:23:00.001-07:00

So I've heard meat eaters say that they don't want processed meats, as a way of excluding vegan meat products that resemble processed meats, such as Tofurkey deli slices, veggie dogs, soy crumbles, etc. They would prefer a more pure meat, such as fried chicken, or a turkey carcass on their table. Well, let's consider what meat means to be processed.

The flesh of animals will quickly rot and decay on store shelves, so to extend shelf life, the bodies are processed with preservatives and chemicals which make it look, smell, or taste fresh. Processed meats have been linked to increasing rate of cancers on top of the normal cancerous properties of cooking meat. I can see why anyone would want to avoid these.

On the other hand, when vegetables are processed into products that resemble processed meats, they have little need for the harsh chemicals to prevent the rotting that animal flesh goes through. A little salt is often enough.

When animals are not processed in a factory, they are not considered processed meats, such as a Thanksgiving turkey. But to call this 'unprocessed' would be ignoring a large part of what brought that animal to the table. That is, the birth, growth, and life of the turkey before it was killed. The turkey had all sorts of bodily processes going on, respiration, digestion, immune systems, learning, mating. These processes are a magnitude greater in complexity than the processes that a plant goes through to produce vegetables.

Most importantly, the plant is producing vegetables for the mutualistic purpose of feeding animals, so they can spread the seeds. Plants grow delicious and nutritious vegetables intentionally! When a human consumes an animal, the bodily processes must be stopped, by killing, and it must go through further processing by fire in order to make it "safe" to eat.

Take a class

2008-07-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hello, I've been busy with college classes for the past couple weeks. One of the classes I'm taking is:
BIOL 120 The Environment of Man
This is an introductory course that examines the immediate and long-range causes and effects of air, water, and land pollution on the environment and human health. The course also explores basic concepts of ecology, overpopulation, natural resources, and the sustainability of the environment and its biodiversity. The study of positive solutions to the ecological dilemma is addressed.

It has been interesting, and it has been a great outlet for expressing my concerns about food sources and their effects on the environment. This is an online class and participating in forum discussions are a required part of the class. The forums are full of active and intelligent discourse, and scientific citations are more highly regarded than subjective opinions. The semester project is to create a (powerpoint) presentation detailing an environmental problem, it's solutions, and the pros and cons of the solutions. I am planning to focus on the environmental benefits of reducing the use of animals for food, with data from 'Livestock's Long Shadow'. The presentation is something I will further publicize here. The presentation is likely to be viewed and commented on by my classmates, giving it easy initial exposure and refinement. The first tip I can give is not to procrastinate posting if you want people to see and comment on what you've written. The earlier it's in the forum, the more people that will see it.

Even if you aren't a regular college student, taking an online course such as this can be a good way to increase your understanding of the issues, and a way to improve your ability to discuss these issues persuasively. You might even enjoy college and persue further studies and degrees that will give you a broad scientific basis for discourse on animal issues.

Human Dairy

2008-06-23T09:32:00.001-07:00

Well, if you really want to have dairy so bad, here's two ways to have your milk and cheese without exploiting animals!

Method 1: make a baby. girls only.
step 1: get pregnant.
step 2: deliver baby.
step 3: pump your breasts to extract milk, just like milking a cow.
step 4: enjoy your dairy!
note: your baby will probably want that milk, so you might have to give up your baby so you can enjoy all your milk, nothing that a cow wouldn't do!

Method 2: hormone treatment. works for girls and may work for guys too (aka: manmilk)
step 1: take hormone pills daily to cause body to divert nutrients into lactation
step 2: pump breasts to extract milk
step 3: enjoy your dairy!
note: hormones will probably be in milk, causing anyone consuming the dairy to possibly lactate as well. hormones may have harmful side effects. hormones will also be in urine causing lactating fish and the dreaded White Sea Syndrome as well.

Good luck and God help us all

Paying meat-eaters to eat a vegan meal

2008-06-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

I saw this post at Meat Peeps, a creative blog about the strange ways of meat-eating folk:
http://meatpeeps.blogspot.com/2008/05/17-quitting-before-they-start.html

It gave me the idea that if someone told me they could 'never be a vegan', I would be prepared and offer them a five dollar wager that they would enjoy a vegan meal. I would take them out to a local vegan eatery and buy them a meal and tell them about veganism while they ate. Chances are they would become more informed and would enjoy the meal or lie and get five bucks out of me, but they'd get the info and exposure to good food either way.

This also has me thinking, well if a meat eater was willing to eat a vegan meal on my dime (who wouldn't take a free meal) then maybe if vegan meals were always available for free, they would be vegans. Of course, this is a costly idea. There's 'Food Not Bombs' who provides free vegan food to the homeless, but that's food for people who can't afford food. Maybe there could be a 'Food Not Cruelty' that could give away free vegan meals around a suburban food court. Of course, these places are usually designed to make it easy for them to kick out unwanted vendors, so maybe just handing out coupons for free meals at a nearby vegan eatery.

I have had the dream for many years to buy a roach coach, a big kitchen on wheels, to make and either sell cheaply or give away vegan foods. It's like opening a restaurant but without location limitations, and probably cheaper rent.

Animal welfare economics

2008-06-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

I decided to split my previous post into two posts on similar topics. This is part two.

Animal welfare legislation is helping to abolish the use of animals in at least one way: Money. When the animal handlers have to provide more space for the animals, this will cost them money, which will either cut their profits, or more likely, raise prices. This will reduce demand, further destabilizing prices.

Why else would the egg industry be spending so much to stop the animal welfare legislation in California? They don't care about ethics, they're a business and this cuts into their bottom line.

When animals are given the freedom to live as they would naturally, as most people want them to have, it becomes more expensive/less profitable for those that exploit them. As people can, unfortunately, ignore ethical arguments about their purchases, when the tofurkey slices are cheaper than the animal stuff, people suddenly decide being ethical isn't so bad.

Once the vegan alternative food products are cheaper than their animal-based counterparts, the markets will shift. Why aren't they already cheaper? It takes more resources and labor to raise and kill animals. The answer is in subsidies, volume/market share, and competition. When vegan products sell in higher volume, the prices will go down as mass manufacture and competition rise.

There is a concept called 'true cost economics', which was created because most products are sold at the price of getting the product to the consumer, without regard for costs incurred after purchase. Oil is sold below 'true cost' because the environmental and health issues from burning the oil are not included in the purchase price. The same is true of animal products. Animal handlers are not cleaning up rivers or land polluted by the animals they raised, and they certainly aren't footing the medical bills for the millions dying from heart disease every year. This would be another good piece of legislation. Businesses must be responsible for the messes they make, instead of putting burden on the public.

Legislative approaches to abolition

2008-06-09T09:52:00.001-07:00

The government is of the people, by the people, and for the people. Where our tax dollars go and how businesses are regulated is up to us, through government representation, or through public service in a political position. Our government should reflect our values and make informed decisions.

I think a good first step here is to speak with your representatives about veganism and all of the issues. We have one vegan in the United States congress, Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, let's see if we can't talk sense into a few more!

The next step is to become politically involved. Run for office. Get employment into relevant departments. I'm going to be taking classes in nutrition in college to get involved with the FDA in the future.

Animal welfare legislation is raising public awareness of the ethical issues of animal handling. The animal welfare legislation should continue going state to state, and as more people hear, talk, and think about it, they may just bring it to the national level, and the more this discussion happens, the more people are going to be exposed to the cruelty on their plates. Some people may return to ignorance, but the dollars won't lie, sales of animal products will decrease as alternatives rise.

Another legislative approach to cutting the profits of animal industries is subsidies. The government gives billions of dollars to animal slave drivers so that Americans can put cheap beef on the table. Talk about taxation without representation. It's also anti-competitive against the alternative food products.

Also, as I said in a previous post, public schools buy huge amounts of animal products with our tax dollars to provide our children poor nutrition. This and the FDA's food pyramid and nutritional education in general needs to be changed.

Raising animals for food is hurting America

2008-06-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this without a political or monetary agenda, I honestly believe my country, The United States of America, is hurting itself severely by making poor dietary decisions. This is a plea to Americans to stop hurting America by eating animals.

Heart disease is killing more Americans than any other cause, and it is preventable and reversible by eating a plant-based diet. Obesity, diabetes, many cancers and diseases that reduce the quality of old age and eventually kill are also reduced by eating less animals and more plant-based foods.

Animals also eat most of America's grains, which could feed all Americans with enough left over for exports and to make ethanol to reduce the amount of oil we import and reduce the cost of gas substantially. Plants also absorb pollution, while raising animals is creating pollution in America's air, soil, and water. Animals consume many times more water per pound, which is crucial as America faces drought.

The billions of taxpayer dollars that go to subsidizing the animal farming industry could be returned to Americans, through tax cuts. Long term costs in health care, disaster relief, and other segments due to improved American health and environment would further improve the American economy.

[info on plant-based faux-meat traditional American foods]

Children deserve better

2008-06-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

The salty, sugary, cholesterol laden, and dangerous foods in school cafeterias should not be there. Children should be given their start with the best nutrition possible, and not have their dietary norms be foods which cause heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. There are vegetable based alternatives that are similar in taste and texture, and are healthier for the body and mind.

Switch a hamburger lunch to a vegan burger and most kids will likely not notice or mind the difference, yet they'll be eating healthier, helping the environment, and protecting animals; all essential values for kids to learn.

Infomercials

2008-06-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

Vegan infomercials like:
"you've heard that vegans don't eat meat or dairy and they just eat plants, (show black and white footage of salads and dreary music)
"well look at the vegan foods now! (sparkles with color footage of a wonderful vegan thanksgiving type spread, other traditional dishes, people enjoying vegan dinners)
"vegan foods are now similar in taste and textures to animal meat while offering better nutrition, fighting heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and never needing to kill an animal. (show footage of calves playing in meadow)

the product (there's always a product in infomercials!) could be a vegan starter pack, maybe 19.95$ for a box of sample foods and a guide to local vegan restaurants and grocers or get the guide free on the website.

Doing it for health and enjoyment

2008-06-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Abolitionist vs Welfarist debate threatens to divide the animal rights movement!

Well let's not forget that some people have been turning vegan selfishly for years, because the best nutrition for any lifestyle and for a long active life is a vegan diet.
And because we also need clean air and water and to stabilize the climate, the pollution absorbing vegan diet is far better than the pollution producing animal industry.
Less health and environment problems in the future means more time to enjoy life!

That animals shouldn't have to suffer is a nice benefit, animals want to enjoy a free life, just like us.

a memorial for the animals

2008-05-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

So that we can honor the countless animals who have suffered as humanity rose to greatness, a memorial is created to the animals that lived in human captivity, and to the people that worked to bring the cycle of violence against those animals to an end.

Thought one: infoporn

2008-05-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Infoporn is something I first saw in Wired magazine. They would have a few pages of their magazine with lots of pretty graphs and numbers. Here is a random example I just found:
http://www.wired.com/culture/culturereviews/magazine/15-07/st_infoporn

So. The idea I've had is to compose one page of pretty graphs that simplifies the material aspects of various food production methods. The graph I have in mind should use representative units like a blue cube for a cubic acre of water, green cube for an acre of land, bean pod icons for the vegetable input, brown cubes for poop, etc. And at the end there would be a burger icon for some thousands of beef or veggie burgers.

So a pair of food lines might look something like:
10[water]+1[land]+10[soy] -> 1[cow] -> 3[polluted water]+3[greenhouse gas]+1[burger]

1[water]+1[land]+1[greenhouse gas] -> 1[soy] -> 1[hamburger]

There are other elements that might fit into here as well (energy, factories, human labor, nutrition). Perhaps other lines as well (cows from factory farms vs grass fed cows). It should be simple and it should be easy to find the solid numbers for all this. Of course, this ignores all the unquantifiable aspects of animal cruelty that occurs on farms, but this is for a particular demograph of people who ignore anything based on unquantifiable aspects. Ideally getting this into something like Wired would be a great way to introduce lots of people to the ecological damage and resource waste they could avoid just by switching to a different hamburger icon.

I'll make a mock up of the diagram I have in mind, and if anyone with graphic design skills or is knowledgeable about the numbers I've proposed wants to contribute, just post a reply.

Update: this page has some of the stats I'm looking for:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/an-environmentalist-who-eats-meat/

Think Outside the Cage

2008-05-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hello, the purpose of this blog is to provide a space for me to put my random ideas on improving the lives of the animals that are suffering needlessly for the human appetite. The ideas may not be fully thought out or may be incomplete, and I welcome any comments and criticisms so that they may someday be used to inspire wider audiences to make informed and compassionate decisions.

I would also encourage anyone who thinks of or hears about any other novel approaches to reducing suffering to send me an e-mail so I can post it here. I may link to posts I read on other blogs as well. There is a link to my e-mail and links to some of the other blogs I read on the side of this page. Replying to a post here is a safer way to ensure that I read your message, as spam filters can sometimes prevent legit messages.

Thanks, I hope you find some inspiration from my writings. Those in cages can't express their suffering, so it is up to us outside of the cage to help them.