September is for THE COVE.

Hi loves. I want to share this video and information with you. In summary, I found out about this injustice through one of my best friends… The same friend that sent me Paul McCartney’s video that turned me into a vegetarian and now vegan. This friend of mine is so passionate about dolphins she flew all the way to Japan to support Ric O’Barry’s cause, The Dolphin Project. Most of you might not know but Ric O’ Barry was the trainer of the five dolphins behind Flipper! That you might have heard of, right?? Who didn’t love Flipper? It made all of us happy and opened our hearts to the cuteness of dolphins, but that 24/7 smile we see on dolphins is just an illusion. What’s going on in the dolphin industry (captivity, training, and meat sale) is so hard to digest and accept that Ric O’ Barry made the transition from training dolphins in captivity to combating the captivity of these beautiful and intelligent creatures.

In 2009, The Cove was released to show the reality dolphins are facing in Japan where about 22,000 are killed per year for the sale of their meat, which is labeled as “fish meat” in Asian markets. The “fortunate” ones to survive are sold to dolphinariums where they will face years of slavery for human amusement. I don’t know about you guys, but this is the peek of cruelty. We have officially lost our humanity. When did we conclude that animals are here to be exploited? They were in this world long before us! So what makes us think they are beneath us… worth less than us?

The slaughtering of dolphins in Japan begins every year on September 1st and lasts until March/April of the following year. I urge you to please watch this trailer and -if you have the heart, which I know you do if you are taking the time to read my blog posts- watch the movie. The Cove, my friend “the dolphin advocate”, and the fact that whales, sea turtles, dolphins and more sea animals are captured and killed during net-fishing practices are the reasons why I gave up seafood for good.

Please watch, share and be the voice. More links below. XOXO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8JC_239vnc

http://dolphinproject.org/about-us

http://www.thecovemovie.com

Speechless. Doesn't happen often! Cowspiracy is a MUST!

Ok. Cowspiracy. Where to even begin? We’ve all seen documentaries about the meat industry. Most of them leave us heartbroken and frustrated through their tough depictions of the inhumane torture towards animals, but this documentary is different. It’s probably the only one that filled my brain with powerful and useful information rather than stuffing my heart with emotions.

Maybe it’s just me, or maybe I didn’t know much about the negative effects of the animal industry on our planet, but after watching Cowspiracy I became more proud than ever about my choice of lifestyle. Being vegan took another perspective. I realized that being vegan is not only about your compassion towards animals but it’s also about sustainability. It’s about helping stop one of the most destructive industries facing our planet today: factory farming. This “animal-exploiting” industry is one of the leading causes of global warming, water pollution, deforestations and dead zones. Try visualizing this: it takes 220lbs of water to produce ONE hamburger while it only takes 1lb of water to produce one orange. Did you know all this? Pretty eye-opening isn’t? And that’s nothing compared to all the information this documentary throws at you. In short, this documentary is a must for anyone who cares even a little about our planet’s future… And especially for all the environmentalists who love preaching about global warming but haven’t realized yet that the only solution to the earth’s problems is a plantbased diet. Watch it, share it, LIVE IT! 

Xoxo

ND of course, click here to get your tickets and to read more info on Cowspiracy. 

Furry animals. To let live or not to. Is that really a question?

Whether you are a 105% animal-lover and answer "To let live" or a fur coat addict and answer "not to let live", here are a few facts I want you to know so you have the right information to defend your point of view, or attack others (not judging!), during discussions about veganism. 

To my fashion-loving fur coat & leather booties wearers: I used to be one of your own. To be honest, I had more pairs of leather boots than I could count. And yes, I had a fur coat too!! But, that all changed when I saw… Paul McCartney!!...or something like that! :p Four years ago one of my best friends sent me an email with two sentences and a link. Her words were: "You love animals so much you have to see this. Make it your new year's resolution. Happy New Year! Love you!" And there it was... a link to Paul McCartney's documentary with a title that said it all. "If slaughterhouses had glass walls we would all be vegetarian." BAAM! My first slap in the face! Little did I know I would receive a few more slaps and even a HUGE punch in the stomach after watching it. For those who’ve had the strength to watch it entirely, HIGH FIVE!!! I finished the documentary in fetal position rocking myself on the floor next to an empty box of Kleenex! That was it for me! Bye bye Wendy's combo. So long McDonalds Mcnuggets. Au revoir homemade "churrascos" (I guess the proper word in English would be “bar-bi-qiu”).

As the months passed by I decided to read more about vegetarianism and veganism so I went to my can't-live-without-you boyfriend, Google, and typed "vegan- Peta- animals". BAAAAAAMMM, PSSHHHH, PIU PIU, POONG and all the crashing sounds you can think of! Arrivederci leather boots, Tschüssie furry coats, Adios cruelty-full products!! There is so much cruelty going on in all industries that use animal parts (no better way to put it) that the shocking learning process really never ends. All I can suggest is to take it one day at a time!! And with that being said, today is your DAY ONE.

Fur coat industry 101… China has become one of the leading suppliers of fur garments to the USA. It doesn’t matter if the fur coat you are wearing is labeled as “Wild animal” or “Farm raised”, that exotic animal is not only dead but it also endured hours of pain. This was proven in an undercover research that showed raccoons, beavers, minks and other animals being skinned alive by humans. Oh, and if that is not enough, dogs and cats are included in that list too. Yeap! China sells dog and cat fur, which are labeled as “fur”. See the difference in the label? There is none. So that fur coat you have in your closet might just be a dead dog. This puts the “Love One but Kill the other” quote in a different perspective, doesn’t it? Below are a few links with more information. Be careful. The pictures are graphic! Good luck with Day One guys.

PS: I don't like to finish stories with a tragic ending so, the good news are.... There are vegan options to fur!! YAY!!! I will share those with you through the "Outfit of the day" posts. :)

To my vegan siblings from another mother: All blog posts now have a Facebook share button so spread the love!!!

Xoxo

Vale.

Reality-sucks LINKS:

Paul McCartney's If Slaughterhouses Had Glass Walls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_UpyY2MIOc

China Fur Farms: http://features.peta.org/ChineseFurFarms/

Animals skinned for fur: http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/fur/animals-used-fur/

The Fur Industry summarized: http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/fur/

Between Love & Reality.

Today’s post is very hard for me to write and even worse to meditate on. I own a dog myself and have loved animals since I was old enough to hold one in my hand. My love and fascination towards animals ranged from having a little white mouse as a pet, to loving frogs and picking up and healing little lizards that had been attacked by cats. It’s in my essence until this day. I normally don’t like to write about things that can turn our days gray but this is something that breaks my heart and I would like to share it with everyone.

If you look at the picture below these words, what do you see? What does it make you feel? Happiness? Love? What about realization? Or compassion? Let’s face it; whenever we see a picture of a dog, we melt. We smile, say “ahhh so cute”, run home to hug our own dogs, or think about getting one (if so, please adopt!). But there’s so much more behind that picture that we don’t take into consideration. Unfortunately, we live in a world where short-term gains come before health, humility and humanity.  Yes, you read right. HUMANITY! To make this a little more realistic (maybe dramatic? People seem to react better to drama than reality), I want you to stop what you are doing right now and follow these instructions. Ladies, take your cosmetic bag out of your purse and read your cosmetics’ labels. Gents, if you are home, run to your bathrooms and look at the products you used this morning. Shampoos, shaving lotions, etc… Now, ladies and gents, besides all the hard-to-pronounce toxic ingredients on the labels, what else do you see? Do you see a pink bunny logo, or words that say “cruelty-free”, “vegan”, or “no animal testing”? If your products show that, you are freakin’ awesome and I love you! Your conscious buying is shaping this world for the better. If your products don’t show that, here’s a reality check. According to research, 60-74% of personal products and 80-95% of household products have been tested on animals. Now, here’s the biggest reality check of all. The word “animals” does not only include rats and mice, but also rabbits, monkeys, birds, DOGS AND CATS. So now that it’s out there, what can we do about it? Nowadays, it’s not enough to love our dogs and cats if every dollar we spend puts the life of other living beings through torture and fear. All animals that go through product testing experiments never get to see the light of day, or step their paws on green grass, or know what a tender genuine touch means. Half of those animals die within 2-3 weeks after being tested on. Sadly, this is the world we live in but the decision to stop it or support it rests on our hands. So please, next time you go shopping read labels carefully and share this knowledge with the ones you love. Compassion should be the only language governing this planet.

With love, Vale.

For info on cruelty-free products, go over my instagram and blog posts. I’ve shared so many already. 

If you would like to read more about animal testing, click here.

Peta.org recently showed the cutest video about beagles being freed from labs and taking their first steps on beautiful green grass. <3 Click here to watch it.