Category Archives: Animal Welfare

My Swanky Anniversary Dinner. Jason Mraz. Big Biz Update.

Written on August 23, 2011 by in Animal Welfare, Women Entrepreneurs

This is an unusual post. Little (personal) and big (biz) updates for you today!

First, my husband and I just celebrated our 3 year anniversary. I planned our dinner reservations after hearing insanely rave reviews about a high end vegan Japanese restaurant in NYC called Kajitsu. We had a little mess up with the reservations and had to wait almost an hour (my fault!). Despite the fact that I was STARVING, I convinced my hubby it’d be worth the wait.

I so wanted to love this place – fancy vegan Japanese, sounds perfect. You needed reservations 2 weeks in advance. The reviews were just amazing – even our non-vegan friends had raved about the food. It is crazy expensive, we absolutely could not afford it but we decided to throw credit-card-debt-caution to the wind and indulge. And so we ordered our 7 course meal (you only get 2 options, 5 or 7 courses). We salivated with anticipation as we whispered to each other – this place was quieter than my old law school library, whispering was a must.

Then the food came. Man, what can I say… We just did not get this place. The food was either so incredibly bland or completely covered in pickles. With each bite of a new course we sighed with disappointment. Ramen noodles in cold water, pickles upon pickles for a main meal, a soup and salad that tasted like something we could have made at home. We were sad campers as our wallets laughed at us.

I decided that the problem couldn’t be this 2 Michelin stars rated restaurant. It must just be us, we were simply not sophisticated enough for a meal of this caliber. There were fancy veggies I’ve never heard of – I’m sure they were flown in from somewhere special and I’m sure each dish was incredibly complicated to make. The fact that it’s vegan, people RAVE about it, the service was wonderful, and it’s clearly booked every night is amazing. It honestly must just be us…

So I went home and read more reviews online. It seems they change the menu every month so you should always check the reviews for that month. Perhaps we would have loved it in September… I spoke to a friend who had recommended it and we compared the dishes we received. Hearing what she ate made it pretty clear that we kinda got screwed. My friend was never served anything even remotely close to cold ramen noodles and a plate of pickles. Everything she ate sounded amazing. Sigh…

From now on when we’re treating ourselves to something high end we’ll have to stick with Pure Food & Wine, as I could eat that mouthwatering healthy raw food every night.

Despite our disappointment we laughed the whole night and glowed like we were falling in love for the first time. And my husband gave me Jason Mraz tickets so I can finally see my favorite artist perform live. And so, it was all sooo perfect…

We felt inspired to sneak in a little video of our dinner while our waitress was gone if you feel like checking it out – see the end of this post.

Now for much more serious stuff…

BIG BIZ UPDATE!

They say clarity comes through action, not thought. I can’t begin to tell you how true that is.

I can’t say much yet, as things are just beginning the transformation process, but some stuff is going to change with my business in unexpected ways that I’m super stoked about. The new website will be taking a twist I could never have anticipated if I hadn’t taken all the actions I have over the past year. Just the thought of it’s new format brings me peace and happiness and I can already feel it fitting like a glove.

I’ll still be booking travel of course and the focus will obviously still be animal welfare, but it will have some other stuff going on and a slightly different formula. I know that’s vague, I’m still working through it all, but if you’ve been with me for awhile I have a feeling you’ll say, ‘ahhh that makes sense Liz…’ I hope so anyway!

So please excuse me if I don’t blog for awhile. I’m going into a creative bubble to get this done as efficiently as possible. I’m still booking trips, I just may not blog much until the new website is a bit further along.

I just want you to know how much I appreciate you and all the support you’ve shown me since I launched this business. The new stuff I’m concocting will ultimately serve you better and that’s what’s most important. Thanks so much for being here with me.

Enjoy the transition from summer to fall, my absolute favorite time of year, and I’ll be in touch soon :)

xoxo,

Liz

P.S. Here’s our silly video as mentioned above (solely for your entertainment!)

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A Horse Whisperer that Touched My Soul

Written on August 7, 2011 by in Animal Welfare, Self-Growth

“Your horse is a mirror to your soul, and sometimes you may not like what you see. Sometimes, you will.” Buck Brannaman

My dad recently took me to see an amazing documentary called Buck, the story about the real “horse whisperer”, Buck Brannaman.

If you love horses or animals in general, you will be as moved by this documentary as I was. Buck is a true cowboy with a gentle soul but a tragic past. His father used to beat him and his brother mercilessly when they were young boys. He suffered this abuse continuously until his football coach saw his young beat up body in the locker room one day after practice. With one look at the bruises that covered Buck’s entire body he promised him that he would never be hit by his father again.

Photo courtesy of Diane C. Nicholson of Twin Heart Photo Productions

At a young age Buck learned what it’s like to constantly fear for your life. He grew up around horses so that fear and sensitivity fostered an emotional connection to and understanding of these animals that most people never experience so deeply; it seems as if he can literally see into their souls.

Horses are large strong animals but if you’ve ever spent time around them you know just how easily spooked and sensitive they are. And as you probably know, to train a horse people traditionally would “break their spirit” by using extreme force until the horse learned to submit to commands out of fear.

 

The practice of “breaking” an animal is barbaric and cruel and does not demonstrate how advanced man is, but instead shows how shallow, impatient, uneducated, abusive and oppressive we can be. Watch Buck Brannaman with his horses for 2 minutes and you’ll see there’s a better way. Buck now travels the country all year to teach horse owners how to properly train and treat their animals. The result is better behaved more trustworthy and gentle animals who love, trust and draw strength from their human companions.

Buck’s story is one of the many examples of someone using something bad in their life and turning into their strength. He uses his past not to change horses but to change humans, to show them a more compassionate, well-thought out approach to raising any animal. His tortured past showed him that abuse is never the answer. There is always a better way. A “bad” animal is often merely a reflection of it’s guardian. It’s up to us to work on ourselves so that we can be the best we can be for the people and animals in our lives.

This movie touched my soul and I’m sure it will touch yours.

We should all walk through life with the grace, gentleness, compassion and awareness of Buck Brannaman.

Here’s the trailer. If you see it I’d love to hear what you thought.

Photo of Buck Brannaman courtesy of http://brannaman.com. Andalusian stallion photo courtesy of Diane C. Nicholson of Twin Heart Photo Productions.

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Gorilla Tracking in Rwanda & Uganda. How We Can Help This Endangered Species.

Written on July 21, 2011 by in Animal Welfare, Safaris, Travel

Gorillas are the largest of the primate species. They are highly intelligent gentle creatures who live rich emotional lives, feeling things deeply. They play, laugh, grieve, and develop strong family bonds. They think about the past and the future, remembering things for years. They smile, chuckle, and purr. They care for their young with great affection and patience. They make and use tools. They have at least 25 distinct vocalizations. They live in groups and even develop their own varying group cultures. Some researches believe they even develop spiritual or religious feelings. Other than two chimpanzee species, they are the closest living relatives to humans, sharing 95 – 99% of our DNA. Needless to say, they are magnificent creatures.

Tragically, like so many species, gorillas are endangered due to human activities - intense poaching for the bushmeat trade, trophy poaching, and habitat destruction. Man is a 500 pound gorilla’s only predator.

However there are areas where the gorilla’s land is protected and you can see these magnificent animals in their natural habitats. The two best places to see gorillas are the mountains of Uganda and Rwanda where you can go on gorilla tracking safaris. Mountain gorillas are the most endangered of all apes, with only about 700 individuals remaining.

Gorilla trekking is highly regulated for both the protection of humans and gorillas. Only 8 people may visit a gorilla family group on any given day and can only stay for a maximum of one hour (less if the gorillas get nervous). This is to minimize behavioral differences and exposure of the gorillas to human-borne diseases (if you are sick with a cold or flu, you may not participate).

Gorillas are gentle creatures (despite how Hollywood portrays them) who eat a vegetarian diet. They will likely absorb you and your movements with interest as you’re absorbing them. While you’re there you never know what you’ll witness: gorillas feeding, playing, interacting, moving through the forest, etc. The range of emotions you’ll feel seeing these animals in the wild is a life changing experience.

In Rwanda, gorilla tracking takes place in Parc des Volcans, Rwanda’s acclaimed national park. You’ll hike up one of the six Virunga Volcanoes, passing through bamboo forests and rainforests, in search of gorilla family groups. You can also visit the grave of famed primatologist Dian Fossey, who dedicated her life to the conservation and protection of these animals.

From Rwanda you drive to Uganda, a birdwatcher’s paradise, where you’ll have another opportunity to go gorilla tracking in Bwindi National Park, seeing gorillas in a completely different environment. You’ll be able amazed at how differently these gorillas are from the ones you saw in Rwanda. You’ll also see a variety of other primate species such as the back-and-white colobus monkey, red-tailed monkey, blue monkey, baboon, etc. Bwindi National Park is home to almost half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas and is the only place on earth where gorillas and chimpanzees live in the same habitat.

During your safari you’ll not only have the opportunity to track different gorilla family groups but you’ll also learn about the cultural heritage of each country. When you’re not trekking for gorillas, you’ll visit national museums, participate in cultural activities, interact with locals, and explore each country’s mountainous terrain, enchanting swamplands, lakes and national parks. You’ll observe countless other animals found in each country, including elephants, lions, buffalo, and hundreds of bird species. If you’re lucky you may even spot a mysterious tree climbing lion while in Uganda. All the while you’ll be staying in beautiful lodges amidst natural surroundings.

We don’t live in a perfect world. Endangered animals are hunted and their land is destroyed unnecessarily. Without tourism, the habitats of wild animals succumb to the needs of impoverished communities. In many cases, tourism is the only thing protecting these animals in a sustainable way.

How you spend your tourist dollars is important. Show the countries you visit that you care about the well-being of the animals that inhabit each country. Use your tourist dollars to see animals in the wild, never in captivity. In doing so you help protect the land the animals live in and provide jobs to the local people so there is less need and less opportunity for poaching and land destruction. You also end up having a once in a lifetime experience.

Tourism has already contributed greatly to saving the gorillas, but the future of these magnificent animals remains uncertain.

If you like this post please ”Like” it and share it with your friends and family. Also leave me a comment letting me know what you think of gorilla tracking safaris and our role in protecting these amazing animals.

If you’re not on my newsletter list, please sign up here and you’ll receive 3 free guides and stay up to date on all of the unique animal-friendly adventures you can go on.

Contact me at info@yourtimetravels.com if you’re interested in going on a gorilla tracking safari.

Photos courtesy of hjallig, dbking, nailbender, and belgianchocolate.

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My first travel exhibit, and dreaming…

Written on July 19, 2011 by in Animal Welfare, Travel, Women Entrepreneurs

I had my very first travel exhibit this past weekend at the Humane Society of the United States Taking Action for Animals (TAFA) conference in Washington DC. I did a little video documentary of my weekend below.

One of my earliest blogs was of my experience attending TAFA last year. I was months away from launching my business and just beginning to enter the animal welfare world, leaving my law firm life further and further behind.

I remember dreaming of one day having my own table at a conference like this. That dream used to feel so distant…

It’s funny, as you fulfill your dreams bit by bit, you replace them with new and bigger ones…

Happy dreaming.

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Cruises for Wildlife Lovers: Expedition Style

Written on July 12, 2011 by in Animal Welfare, Cruises, Travel

I don’t know about you, but the idea of boarding a cruise full of casinos with thousands of passengers on a ship so big you hardly know you’re on water, doesn’t fully appeal to me. I’m sure it would be a great time but I prefer things a little less commercialized, a little more authentic, and if you’ve been reading this blog, you know it’s gotta be immersed in nature and wildlife.

If you’re here you’re probably a bit like me in these respects so I wanted to let you know about the amazing expedition opportunities offered by LindbladExpeditionsand National Geographic.

Lindblad was founded in 1979 by a man named Sven-OlofLinblad, whose father, Lars-Eric Linblad, has been nicknamed as the father of eco-tourism.  In 2004, Linblad formed a strategic partnership with National Geographic to offer responsible travel expeditions to exotic destinations in North America, Central and South America, the Antarctic and Arctic regions, Europe and Egypt.

Lindblad is defined by a passion for providing educational and adventurous expeditions that foster a deep appreciation for some of the most exquisite natural wonders of the world.

These expeditions are not typical cruises. They are for people interested in wildlife, marine life, conservation, photography, history, culture, and/or navigation and who want to venture off the beaten path without sacrificing comfort. They are for people who don’t want to go to zoos to see exotic animals but who want to observe them in their natural habitats.

These trips are about discovery, exploring fascinating and often inaccessible regions, traveling in harmony with the environment, and learning from renowned experts who know each destination intimately.

Here are some differences between big commercial cruise lines and wildlife expeditions like these:

1. Size Matters. A “small” ship in the typical cruising world holds 500 passangers and larger cruises are like floating cities with over 3,000 passengers (you’ll barely know you’re on a cruise). Lindblad’s ships are small – 42 to 148 guests, offering you easier access to off-the-beaten path places and a more intimate experience.

2. Getting Off the Tourist Path. Unlike typical cruises, on an Lindblad expedition, off-the-beaten-path shore excursions are the main event (and are included in the price). You won’t just hop from one popular crowded tourist spot to another. You’ll have intimate, authentic adventures, such as taking a Nile voyage accompanied by a leading Egyptologist or having afternoon tea with a farming family in Scotland’s Orkney Islands.

Instead of passively appreciating a destination, with expedition travel you are an active participant.

3. Values.Lindblad understands the importance of maintaining natural resources and learning the cultural backgrounds of indigenous people. These values are often lost on big cruise ships. To ensure the integrity of areas visited, Lindblad invests substantial resources (personnel and finances) to support a wide array of conservation projects worldwide. Additionally, the food they provide on board is made with fresh, local and sustainable products from each region.

Linblad knows that travelers will experience a greater appreciation of and care for environments they have intimately explored.

4. Education. Instead of a cruise director making random announcements in multiple languages over a loud speaker, on these expeditions there is a naturalist, scientist, historian or other specialist for every 10 – 15 passengers. Their knowledge and personal experiences, as well as state of the art technology, will bring the places you’ll see to life. Small expedition ships, Zodiacs, sea kayaks, bow cameras, remotely operated underwater vehicles, underwater cameras, hydrophones, and video-microscopes facilitate intimate connections with your surroundings in previously uncharted ways. There are even experts trained specifically to provide enriching and engaging activities for your children if you are traveling as a family (there are no age limits).

The knowledgeable staff on board all share a passion for exploration, adventure travel, conservation, and scientific discovery.

5. Like-Minded Travelers. If you’re still reading this, you probably dig this kind of travel. On these expeditions, you’ll be traveling with small groups of like-minded travelers, so you’ll be with your people!

Instead of being lost in a sea of thousands of strangers, you’ll be having in-depth experiences and conversations with people who share your values.

6. Scheduling. Unlike a typical cruise with a very strict schedule, expeditions cruises are flexible and will adjust to capture special experiences, like spending extra time watching a family of whales or dolphins that happened to swim by.

7. Adventure (& Leisure). You won’t find a casino or a Broadway show on these cruises and tours but adventure and thrill-seeking are core components of all Linblad Expeditions. There are countless adventure activities from hiking to kayaking to jumping into a Zodiac (a 10 to 12 person motorized landing craft) to see something the boat can’t get to (like a polar bear!). That being said, there is also ample time for leisure including relaxing in the lounges, indulging in spa treatments, or exercising in fitness centers. The atmosphere on board is laid-back and relaxed, travelers are encouraged to enjoy the casual and comfortable pace of life at sea.

So if cruise casinos aren’t your thing and you’d rather watch playful sea lion pups on the beaches of the Galapagos or the inquisitive white-faced capuchin monkeys playing in the trees of Costa Rica, or cruise to Alaska to see glacial ice thundering into the sea, or watch dolphins chatter as they playfully swim alongside your Zodiac, or even island hop through Greece as you learn about Greek gods and mythology, Lindblad Expeditions likely has something for you.

Anyone can go on a vacation, but not many choose to go on a life changing experience.

I’ll give you more information on individual expeditions in the future, this is just a general overview to introduce you to this style of traveling. Hope you enjoyed it!

If you’re interested in booking an expedition cruise, contact me at info@yourtimetravels.com. I’d love to work as your agent to find the perfect expedition for you!

If you like this blog post please “Like” it at the top and share it with your friends and family!

Here are some pics from various expeditions…

Lindblad is a leader in environmentally responsible travel and has received countless awards including Travel & Leisure’s 2009 “World’s Best” and “World’s Best for Families” awards for small ship cruise lines and ForbesTravel.com’s 2009 “Best Adventure Cruise” award.

All photos are courtesy of Lindblad Expeditions. Copyrights held by: Stewart Cohen, Stefan Lundgren, Ralph Lee Hopkins, Sven-Olof Lindblad, David Vargas, Michael S. Nolan and Cindy Manning.

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No Dog Is Bad. Raising Cujo.

Written on June 29, 2011 by in Animal Welfare

So my dog used to bite… EVERYONE. He bit friends, family members, neighbors, and passersby who dared to share the sidewalk with him. He’s a handsome fella so people would run up to pet him and things would usually happen in slow motion… his mouth would open, teeth would bare, a quick snap… I try to forget the rest.

He never did serious harm, but he did break skin. The worst offense, he bit my neighbor in the stomach, ripping his tee-shirt and drawing blood. I could tell you how my neighbor asked for it by swearing he could reform my dog with his savvy (cocky) know-how and Cesear Milan pack leader presence (despite me pleading that he was making my dog (and me) extremely uncomfortable as he tried to take the leash from me), but alas, I won’t place the blame on him, my dog should not have been biting anyone…

Mind you, my dog is the sweetest angel you’ll ever meet. It wasn’t that he wanted people to die, he was fear biting. It was a reflex. He was scared of strangers. People in his “inner circle” could do whatever they wanted to him, pick him up, tickle him, roughhouse, anything. If you weren’t in the inner circle and you approaced the wrong way? Blood.

I can’t tell you how many people said things to me like “wow, I can’t believe you haven’t taken him back to a shelter”. Those comments made me angry, my dog was an ANGEL. His intentions weren’t bad, they were based on fear. Do you stick your children in a shelter when they don’t behave? No, you find a darn solution (or at least try to).

I learned a ton about his breed during this time (Note: In NO way do I think a breed determines everything and the fact that my dog no longer bites goes to prove that). But he is part Chow Chow and has a full Chow personality - insanely loyal to his guardians (I swear this loyalty goes beyond most dogs but perhaps I’m biased…) and very cautious of strangers. No matter what his breed, it was our fault that he was biting and it was up to us to fix it.

How to Fix a Biting Dog… Love, Determination, PATIENCE, and Taking Some Risks

1. Hire a Trainer. Fire a Trainer. So we found a local trainer and began a few sessions with her. She handed us a pamphlet on why Cesar Millan is the devil and came with a million cookies. For the life me I don’t understand Cesar haters, the man can reform extremely dangerous dogs using exercise, appropriate levels of discipline, and love. I’ve watched his show a thousand times and I’ve never been offended by his methods. After a few sessions of her feeding my dog endless cookies for doing nothing and there being zero improvement in his behavior, she told us that he will always be this way and we can never have him around people. I fired her dumb ass.

2. Hire a Good Trainer. Recognize that It’s YOU Who Needs to be Trained. I found a Cesear Milan equivalent and he gave me, my husband, and our dog the butt whipping we needed (without there being any actually whipping of course). He did not give up on us or our baby. He told us from the start that our dog may never be the dopey slap happy retriever that goes jumping into every strangers lap, but we can teach him to simply duck his head away when he doesn’t want to be pet. And so using both positive enforcement and negative enforcement that’s exactly what we did.

3. Positive Enforcement. The usual, ENDLESS praise and treats when he lets someone pet him without digging his teeth into them. We had brave friends come over for these lessons. We put their hands in ski gloves and wrapped their arms in endless layers of clothes to protect their body parts (although they were still scared outta their wits). And then we had them walk over and try to pet him. When he didn’t bite, we acted like he won the Noble Peace Prize.

4. Negative Enforcement. Negative enforcement is not always necessary and while it may be negative it must NEVER be abusive. Our situation was severe, he was biting everyone. Our negative enforcement began in the form of loudly shaking a water bottle with coins in it when he acted aggressively. Later, after many more bite attempts, we had to get a remote controlled citronella collar. Our trainer trained him to recognize that he’ll get sprayed with citronella immediately after we make the collar beep. In total, he was maybe sprayed 8 times. After that, as soon as he heard the beep he stopped in his tracks and we never had to spray him again. The beep was his discipline.

5. Take Smart Calculated Risks. Socialize Your Anti-Social Pup. I knew my dog was pure of heart. I knew he meant nothing bad, he was just scared. So instead of keeping him from people, I brought him EVERYWHERE. I was determined to socialize the bejesus out of him. And so I did. It was scary but I had methods. I knew exactly how he liked to be pet, so I’d take him all over Brooklyn (where I used to live) popping in and out of boutique clothing stores who all had dog cookies waiting (even though my dog usually won’t take cookies from strangers…). The ladies working there would come over to pet him and I’d tell them exactly how to do it and then smoother him with praise. I called those our “shopping” days, even though I never bought anything. We took him to every dog run, off leash park, friend’s house, and outdoor restaurant we could find. There was no way I was keeping him away from people, instead we drowned him in them! Best decision we ever made.

6. Most Important – EXERCISE!!!! You may think I’m crazy for risking the untorn skin of so many strangers with tip #5 above, but here’s the key to that tip: before I’d embark on these little journeys, I’d run him. 45 minutes to 1 hour jogs. An exercised dog is a happy, well behaved, too filled with endorphins to bite dog. No exercise = Cujo. Exercise = Angel.

I can now proudly say that my dog no longer bites, EVER. After months of implementing these tactics something clicked and he just stopped biting. He now loves EVERYONE and the gentle soul he always was fully shines through. And like our good trainer promised, when someone comes along that he doesn’t want petting him, he ducks his head down and to the side like the snake dance move from the 80′s. I’m a proud mama for sure.

If you have a dog with behavior problems, just remember… where there’s a will there’s always a way. There’s no such thing as a bad dog.

Now how about some family photos where Cujo is the main subject?!

This is Knish a/k/a Nishy a/k/a Cujo

My brother

My Dad

My hubby

Big baby...

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And the winners are…!!

Written on May 20, 2011 by in Animal Welfare

Hi folks!

The judges have voted on the top 7! I again just want to say that you are all winners, seriously.

But after counting up the judges votes, here are the top 3:

1st Place:  The Giving Tree Band

2nd Place: Dan and Christopher of Dun-Well Doughnuts

3rd Place: Gail Frydkowski

Nichole, Stephanie, Natalie, and Valarie, your entries were amazing. You will receive 2 special gifts for being in the top 7: (1) a $150 travel voucher and (2) a copy of Wayne Pacelle’s new amazing book, The Bond.

Myself and/or my assistant, Pat Romain, will email you all to coordinate the prizes!

Thank you all so much for participating in this contest and for sharing all the amazing ways you put your skills to use for animals! You are all such an inspiration!!

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE AMAZING JUDGES AND CONGRATS TO THE WINNERS!!!

I’ll leave you with a few lovely quotes from the judges:

“Anyone can use their skills and talents to speak up for animals, and we don’t need to uproot our lives to make it happen. Creative activism can be anything from incorporating provocative animal themes into your artwork, to baking a batch of vegan cupcakes for your office once a week and sharing the recipe (along with a “Why Vegan?” brochure), to working with your university to start an animal studies class. Not only can we easily insert this kind of activism into our lives, but with the death machine that is animal agriculture (286 chickens are killed in the U.S. alone, 24/7), it’s absolutely necessary that we do.” Jasmin Singer of Our Hen House, which is THE place to learn about how you can use your skills to help animals!

“Anyone can make a difference to help better the lives of animals. Whether you enjoy baking (donate desserts to a local bake sale!), running (enter a race and raise money for your favorite charity), or eating (support your local veg restaurant), we can all do something to help animals each and every day.” Colleen Holland of VegNews.

“It’s time we make the connection between our pets and our plates. The very best thing you can do for animals is to eat a plant-based diet.”Kris Carr of Crazy Sexy Life.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,

Liz

photo credit

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The Inconvenience of Compassion…

Written on May 17, 2011 by in Animal Welfare, Vegan

Convenient: Suited to personal comfort or easy performance.

Inconvenient: Not convenient especially in giving trouble or annoyance.

The word inconvenient has such a bad rap. It’s always being touted around as an excuse for not doing something or another.

We’ve become a lazy nation. How could we not, everything is at our finger tips at all times. Cell phones are no longer just phones, they’re mini computers that can do our banking, run our businesses, and entertain our children. Why go across town to visit a friend you haven’t seen in awhile when you can just do a quick scroll through their facebook posts to catch up. Why teach your child math when there’s a YouTube video that can do it for you? We want what we want when we want it and we usually get it. We are spoiled to pieces, inconveniencing ourselves is sooo yesteryear.

I had dinner with a friend of mine recently. We were discussing veganism and got into a heated discussion about how hard it is for meat eaters to find humanely raised meat. She explained how passionate she is about food politics, she’s read extensively on the subject, she’s watched the undercover investigations, and she wished there was more being done to regulate the horrors of factory farming. She said this as she gobbled down her beef negimaki.

When I pointed out the irony she explained that while she passionately wished factory farming would end, she didn’t have the power to change the system herself and was not willing to give anything up in the meantime. Her appetite still reigned supreme. She explained that there are no farmers’ markets where she lives and even if there were, she would not want to pay more for her meat. Giving up meat all together was not an option.

After I dived further into all the reasons why factory farmed meat is bad for her health, the animals, the world and the environment, she said “I complete agree, you’re preaching to the choir.” But, finding humanely raised locally farmed alternatives was still too inconvenient.

I often have heated food discussions with people but with her it seemed we were totally on the same side; same beliefs, same hopes. The only difference lied in the actions we were willing to take in response to those beliefs. The big ole “inconvenience” was the dividing line that separated us (well, that and the fact that I no longer have any desire to eat animals…).

If even people like my thoroughly educated and passionate friend aren’t willing to inconvenience themselves for their beliefs, then what hope is there for change?

This blog post isn’t about my friend as an individual, whose attitude is far more compassionate than most, it’s about a way of thinking. Someone saying they are passionate about food politics on the one hand but that they won’t make changes that are burdensome on the other was a reflection of just how high the majority of our world values their appetites of convenience. Even people who care about these issues aren’t willing to add an inconvenience to their lives to reflect their beliefs.

Inconvenience is starting to feel like an evil little monster that’s there to prevent us from being the best we can be. It’s like the PR rep for all factory farms. Sneaky little bugger.

So what if we changed the definitions of convenient and inconvenient. How do these defs work for you?

Convenient: Falling prey to greedy corporations that make their low quality junk so accessible your values fly out the window.

Inconvenient: Something that’s so darn essential you take extra steps to achieve it because doing what’s convenient is totally lame.

Works for me! So next time you’re about to do something that doesn’t feel like the right thing to do, but happens to be the most convenient thing to do, ask yourself which definitions of convenient and inconvenient you want to live by. Remember, the best things in life aren’t always easy.

So, how have you compassionately inconvenienced yourself lately?

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The Top 7 Contestants!!!

Written on May 6, 2011 by in Animal Welfare

First, I want to let you know how difficult it was to narrow down your entries to just the top 7. I read your essays and watched your videos multiple times and they were all amazing. Contestants included artists, jewelry designers, lawyers, law students, music bands, techies, bakers, teachers, state pageant winners, volunteers, writers, photographers, poets, and more.

Reading all the unique ways you give your time and lives to help animals was inspiring, heartwarming, emotional, and educational. If the world were only full of hearts as compassionate as yours, it would be… indescribable.

There is so much work to be done for animals and you each make up such important puzzle pieces in creating a brighter future for our beloved friends. Thank you so much for sharing your stories, skills, talents, interests and compassion. You are all winners.

But choosing the top 7 had to be done so here you are (this is in no particular order):

1.  Dan and Christopher of Dun-Well Doughnuts: Just watch their upbeat and entertaining video about how they use doughnuts as a “positive ambassador” for veganism and animal rights and try and argue that they don’t deserve a sugary sweet spot in the top 7! Their doughnuts are certainly “dun-well”. Thank you Dan and Christopher for your positive and uplifting message!

2. Nicole Capobianco: Nicole uses her own story of abuse and survival coupled with her extensive sales background and adept negotiation skills to rescue animals from abuse — even if that means trying to bust dog fighting rings to persuade gang members to surrender their injured dogs. Nicole, your entry was beautiful, thank you for your bravery in sharing your story.

3. Stephanie Mattera: Stephanie uses her excellent communication skills in both her video and in her career to help animals! She’s the volunteer spokesperson for the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s animals, a coalition of 150 rescue and shelter groups. She uses her degree in public relations and corporate communications to help animals on a broad scale. Stephanie, your communication skills came through loud and clear, thanks for using them to help animals!

4. Gail Frydkowski: Gail is a teacher who incorporates animal welfare into all aspects of her teachings. Her students research anything from puppy mills to marine life to vegetarianism to factory farming to the seal hunt. And she does this in a way that prepares them for their Regents exams. Now, as co-chairperson of the UFT Humane Education Committee, Gail holds workshops to educate other teachers how they can make humane education a part of their daily teachings. Gail, thanks for giving humane education such a large focus in our school system!

5.  Natalie Norcross: After rescuing (and then adopting) a day old kitten left to die outside in the freezing cold, Natalie became an expert at rehabilitating infant kittens and giving them the proper care they need to survive. Natalie has since then raised and adopted out over 100 rescued kittens. She now trains other volunteers and rescue organizations on how to properly care for infant kittens. Thank you Natalie for being such a good mama to all those kittens!

6. Valarie Kobrovsky – Miss South Carolina: Valarie entered the Miss South Carolina pageant as a vehicle to promote animal welfare. She uses her power as a pageant winner to support animal shelters and charities and as a humane educator in elementary schools where she speaks with students about the importance of animal welfare. She has now partnered with a compassion education program called Healing Species to further her work with children. Valarie, thank you for using the your title as Miss South Carolina as such a powerful platform for educating both adults and children on animal welfare!

7. Cara/Erik Fink of The Giving Tree Band: This is an all acoustic 7 person band that travels the country performing hundreds of concerts a year. Their entire band is vegan and they use their music and tours to promote veganism in countless way. They are vegan down to their guitar straps! Erik and the rest of the band, thank you for spreading such a unified message of compassion for animals!

Honorable Mention: I’d like to give an honorable mention to someone I had chosen as one of the top 7 contestants but had to disqualify due to a pesky contest rule requiring that all contestants be U.S. residents. This honorable mention goes to Bob Timmons who I believe lives in Canada.  Bob is an amazing painter who uses his artistic talent to bring awareness to the plight of the ocean and the slaughter of its creatures. This work led him to a life of fearless and devoted advocacy and he now does work for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Bob, your entry was amazing. The link to the additional rules requiring U.S. residency was easy to miss. I will email you with a small token of my apologies for not making that clearer since you would otherwise have been in the top 7.

Like I said above, you are ALL WINNERS… so everyone who entered the contest will receive a $100 voucher off their next trip abroad booked through Your Time Travels to any of the countries we’re offering at the time of your booking (minimum trip cost of $1,000 per person, not including flights). Please email my assistant, Pat Romain, at info@yourtimetravels and she will send you your voucher! And if you haven’t yet signed up for my list, please do so as I’ll have some new freebies coming out for you soon!

I am now sending the top 7 contestants to our AMAZING JUDGES for their votes. Once I have their votes I will announce the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners! Expect the announcement early in the week of May 16th!

Thank you again for all your beautiful entries!

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Vérité Catering: New Vegan Catering Company!

Written on April 27, 2011 by in Animal Welfare, Raw Food, Vegan

Hi veggie/animal/all-things-chock-full-of-nature lovers!

I’d like to introduce you to Vérité Catering, a brand new vegan catering company that I simply adore. Vérité Catering was started by two amazing women, Cassie Karopkin and Daphne Cheng. I’m giving you the dish on this veggie catering co. because I absolutely love meeting entrepreneurs who are willing to challenge the status quo to produce something that is kinder and more compassionate to nature (and all its inhabitants) and our bodies. This is a message I believe in more and more each day as I constantly challenge myself to be a better human!

Vérité’s website opens with the words “Taste Truth” with the big ole gorgeous piece of broccoli you see above. This simple beauty sums up their services completely. Vérité means truth in French and this name was chosen to symbolize the ingredients they use – fresh organic plant based ingredients. They combine these ingredients with adept culinary skill to make mouth watering concoctions that are so decadent even steak lovers will hardly notice the food is vegan. In fact, they’ve catered for several omnivore clients without ever needing to reveal their strictly vegan principles.

The mission of Vérité Catering is to create dishes that are both simple and elegant, daring and familiar. They believe that human well-being is completely intertwined with that of the environment and the fellow animals that inhabit it. They use foods that are kind to our bodies and to the planet, using as many local, organic, and sustainable ingredients as possible. To top it off, their sophisticated food presentation is impeccible.

These young ladies have soul, skill and wisdom that are far beyond their years. As if their food wasn’t enough, Cassie and Daphne happen to be the nicest, most down the earth, easy to get along with ladies you could ever want to work with. I admit, I am a sucker for people of their warmth and sincerity, my kinda peeps.

So if you’re looking for vegan catering contact them for your next event! They have offices in all major metropolitan areas including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Fracisco and Miami (they may even go abroad for you too!). Whether you need event catering, wedding planning, personal chef services (romantic dinner for two maybe?), culinary lessons, or nutritional counseling, they can deliver. They also offer services in colonic hydrotherapy and food photography.

If you’re in New York and you want to make some new friends over a night full of delicious food, join their next “Dinner with True Friends” (I may be there and would love to meet you too!). The next one is Sunday, May 22nd, you can see date announcements on their website here: www.veritecatering.com. They only take 12 people per dinner and they donate 50% of the ticket price to different charities, chosen by the dinner attendees at the end of each dinner.

I had the pleasure of dining with Vérité Catering at their last Dinner with True Friends. Below are the goodies they produced for our five course meal. The food was amazing and the dessert was quite possibly the best, most sinful vegan dessert I’ve ever had.

Veggie cooking classes with these classy ladies are part of the 1st & 2nd place prizes in our Your Skills for Animals Contest – a $400 value each. Enter by Friday and you can not only taste their outstanding food but you can cook alongside them as they teach out how to make food compassionately delicious.

Grilled daikon vichyssoise soup garnished with parsley chiffonade

Roasted beet and zucchini ceviche

Rice and carrot angel hair pasta with sautéed shiitake mushrooms in watercress consommé

Honeydew lemon sorbet intermezzo

Dark chocolate covered graham cookie topped with marshmallow fluff

Some of the above photos are courtesy of Vérité Catering.

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