PETA

There's this new video from PETA called Whose Skin Are You In?

Now, I warn you, it's very graphic but it's the horrible and disgusting truth.
I can't even look at leather without wanting to barf. Before, I just had a hate for it. Now, it literally makes me SICK. There's some really horrible images in it, but people need to see what they do to animals in order to wear leather or fur. I used to tell myself that leather wasn't as bad because they use the animal for meat and for glue.. But I watched this video and now I completely changed my mind. Leather is just as bad as everything else! I can't believe that I own a leather jacket (THAT MY MOTHER BOUGHT ME FOR CHRISTMAS, THAT I NEVER WORE!!!). I'm totally giving it away at my earliest convinience. It haunts me in my closest.

There's also some facts about the downsides of the fur fashion. OTHER THAN THE ANIMAL PAIN OF COURSE!!! Like, the 800 thousand tonnes of waste that tanning leather alone creates every year! Or the fact that animals will chew off their own legs to get back to their babies.

It also goes on to mention that leather processing makes river water poisonous, killing children who bathe and drink from it all over the world! I bet you didn't know that processed leather lasts longer than you do, due to the harmful chemicals?

Just a few fun facts for you.
So please, don't wear leather, or fur, or any exotic skin!
Or any skin other than your own!!!


OH! AND WATCH THE VIDEO. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTZQnQeAPJc

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

How Green is your Dorm Room?

Feel free to read the article from WWF.
Here's 8 ways to make your house/ dorm room/ appt/ wherever you live, more eco-friendly. :)
1. Use florescent lightbulbs.
2. If you need in-room appliances, go energy efficient/ Energy Star. Either a microwave, toaster oven or 3-in-1 microfridge.
3. Save money and reduce waste by using reusable kitchen ware.
4. Unplug TVs, stereos, computers and other electronics when not in use!
5. Keep AC use to a minimum! Use a fan or open a window. [Check out my previous blog on keeping cool this summer for more tips]
6. Choose an FSC-certified bed frame!
7. Use a water filter or refillable water bottle. We're drowning in plastic.
8. Try organic cotton! Much softer and no chemicals!

Stay green!
The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

The Top 10 'Ditch Exotic Skins' Campaign

Hello readers. :)

PETA has many Top 10 Lists, Top 10 Animal-Friendly Superheroes and the Top 10 Patriotic Ads of All Time, and now they have the Top 10 Ditch Exotic Skins Campaign. Theres a list of billboards and such from around the world and some really cool photo attachments. Here's my faves.The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

Bear Cubs

I just wanted to update you on some bears that were admitted into the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at PAWS.

They're so cute and uber sweet. I love bears. <3

Anyways, so there's a total of four cubs.

The first two are brother and sister and their mom was hit by a car on the highway in Washington State. :( Both cubs are okay though, so that's good.

The third bear is a girl, who's mother was shot by a hunter. Her sibling fled and couldn't be found, but this bear was found clinging to her mother. Isn't that sad? She had swelling on the left side of her head, her snout and in her throat and some broken teeth. Fortunately, her teeth weren't her adult teeth so those should heal nicely. But the swelling worsened and both sides of her head were swollen --> Picture. Fortunately, a few days later, she was feeling much better. I feel so bad for these cubs, it's just so sad for them to be orphaned due to human stupidity. I wish there was something I can do to help. Please, if you can, donate some money. To any charity really... I just feel so bad. It almost makes me wanna cry. They're so young, and depend on their mothers for survival. A lot of orphans go unfound and need to survive on their own. And, usually, they can't because they don't know how. Have you ever seen an orphaned bear in real life? It's a really sad scene to witness. They're just there, calling out to a mother that will never come back. Okay, now I'm tearing up. It's just that sad. I know that I can't bear it. How can the people who kill the mothers?

Anyways, another bear cub joined the above three. He had gotten lost from his mother and was tranquilized so he could be relocated, but he climbed a tree to escape. He ended up falling and breaking his jaw, poor thing. The vets fixed him up good and say he'll heal nicely. All four cubs will spend the next couple of months at PAWS, healing and growing until they go into hibernation. When they wake up, they'll be released and kept from contact with humans so they don't get used to human contact. I'm happy for them. Even though its quite a shame that they have to go through the loss of a parent.

Orphaned bears, I'm with you in spirit and I love you. <3

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

Animal Testing

Animals all over the world die due to animal testing and it's really annoying. A lot of products are tested on humans, and don't need to be tested again but are tested on animals anyways! It's just cruel. They shouldn't even be tested on animals in the first place, because animals are NOT humans. Why would we test on animals?



More than 100 million animals—dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, and others—are caged, tortured, and killed in laboratories in North America every year.



If you donate money now, every dollar will be matched! So, donate today! Save animal's lives. And make sure you buy animal-friendly products!



The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

US of A only

Some quick links for all you US readers.
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw_united_states/get_involved/take_action/index.php
http://www.greenjobsnow.com/
https://secure.wecansolveit.org/page/contribute/oilandcoal
https://secure.hsus.org/01/disaster_relief_fund_2008/nHdAq6TFqfJxA?qp_source=gabhdg

Links for saving endangered species, donating to the Humane Society of America and stoping the Oil Generation. Please help. The Earth, in all her shining glory, will thank you. :)

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

Great Cause

Just a little inspiration for you all.
To donate her hair to a charity, and raise money for Annex Cat Rescue in Toronto - this girl with hair thats FIVE FEET LONG is shaving her head. Support her, and be inspired.
I'm not saying cut off your hair, but you get the point. :)

Btw, on Friday the 12th, I decorated my locker with PETA posters and some from the http://www.infurmation.com/ contest. I had extra posters so I gave three away to my friends, decorated my friend's neighbour with four or so and a few people even asked about it. :) All in one day, so I'm proud. Why not decorate yours?

Also, for all the vegs out there reading, my friend gave me this totally awesome website about the pros and cons of eating vegetarian. http://thinksimplenow.com/health/eating-our-way-to-death-literally/

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

SARAH PALIN!

Sarah Palin. She's running for the US Vice President.
She also brutally MURDERS wolves. Some people like her, but this is more than just politics. This is animal cruelty. I don't care where she stands on her political views, I care that she doesn't care about the ecosystems, the environment, the animals, the living world, and she's clearly incompassionate. Check out this article from Friends of Animals. http://www.friendsofanimals.org/news/2008/september/vicious-sarah-palina.html
Read that and then tell me that you'll vote for Sarah Palin. It's absolutely horrible and disgusting that somebody would nominate her, let alone that people are actually considering voting for her! CMON PEOPLE! She's cruel and wanted to put a bounty on the head of wolves! This is going to backfire majorly and totally screw up Alaska's ecosystem more than it already is.

So, don't vote Sarah Palin. :) The wolves thank you.

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

Snakes Skin

We all know the horrors of fur, but other animals like snakes and crocodiles are also being killed for their skin. Now, it's not just the fur industry we're against, it's the use of 'exotic animals' for their skin, for their scales or for their fur.
Please, save the exotic species.
Go to http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/exotic_skins_pledge?c=pfb today. :)

Also, with all the hurricanes this season, IFAW is down there at rescue shelters. They're helping whatever ways they can. You can donate money or just check up on their blog, http://www.animalrescueblog.org/?msource=DR080904001

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

SAVE THE WHALES!

GUYS. There is a secret meeting going on that is held by the International Whaling Commission that might lift the ban on commercial whaling! (Taking place the 15th to the 19th)
We need at act and act NOW to save the whales!
Whales aren't endangered because they asked to be; they're endangered because they are IN DANGER. Cmon, save the whales!

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

some cool facts

A few cool facts that I get daily from Team TreeHugger and obviously.ca.
Sign up for newsletters, they are really cool and most of the articles I won't be posting.
K, todays random cool facts are:
There's this new rubber that can be made from dandelion root for cheaper. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/dandelion-rubber-could-be-alternative-to-tree-rubber.php

A really good educational video about polar bears and climate change from WWF. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIy2XniVIuw

There's a lot more, but I can't put everything on here. Sorry guys, I lead a busy life but its never too busy to post some key points.

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

US of A

K, for the USA readers there are two issues that I want to quickly blog about.
1) Congress will consider energy legislation this week. This website will give you more information and a number so you can call your Members of Congress and tell them that you want a clean energy future. If you support oil drilling, then billions and millions of dollars will be lost, more than 100, 000 new jobs will be lost for 2009 and the world will have more pollution and it will harm the earth. Please call.
Support CLEAN ENERGY USE.

2) In Alaska, there is a policy where if you see a wolf, you have permission and are ENCOURAGED to shoot it! Now, wolves are endangered - it's a horrible fact. These beautiful and majestic beauties who never hurt anyone should not be shot unless it's literally killing you - and in that case, WHY DID YOU AGGREVATE IT?! Anyways, the woman who is governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, is a menace. Read the article. At the bottom, if you look through the comments, I stole this quote:
'Everything, every plant, and every animal, human included, were placed upon this earth, we call Turtle Island, with a purpose in mind, and together, each living thing respected form a very perfect balance, when there is harmony, and when one does not take from the other in any way. Man has gone down a wrong path, and interrupted this balance, and man is now sorry, so he continues to fix the problem. When in fact, leaving things alone, they will fix themselves. Men have forgotten the true purpose the Creator put them here for, and that is to look over, protect, and keep the land, the animals, and all of life. Man became greedy and has acted to change these things for his own gain. Instead man is finding out that he has in fact interrupted the perfect flow of life, the great circle of unity and balance, and man himself is now in danger by his own hand. Mankind must change now, and pray it is not too late to bring back the harmony and balance to the great circle.'

Anyways, please... Read and help. The earth and wolves will thank you.

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

VMAS & Circus Animals

Kind of late, but I'm sure many of you watched the Video Music Awards 08. And I'm sure that many of you watched the pre-show. So, I'm SURE you noted how bad it was for all those stars to show up in all those stretch limos, and how bad all those gas emissions must be. I was very proud of Paramore for showing up in a smart car. Another reason why we love them. And I'm also, ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE, that you noticed someone (sorry, I forget who it was and just remembered that I wanted to blog about it) arrived on an ELEPHANT with the circus.

Now, I don't know about you, but I was seriously pissed off that something like that kind of award show, something THAT huge, an award show that is watched by THOUSANDS, if not MILLIONS, of people would allow and advertise the circus! I was seriously outraged. I did not forget lightly (I've just been too busy to blog) and the next day at school when everybody was talking about the VMAs, it was a great chance to spread the word about the horrors and cruelty of the circus. So, at least I got some listeners.

Now, you can click the link mentioned, and sign a petition to get rid of the usage of animals in circuses.

I realized something as I was writing this, a lot of stuff I assume you know about - like the horrors of the circus, the fur industry, etc. But you may not. I'm really sorry, but its just SO horrific that its hard for me to say the words over blog. However, for animal rights, you can go to www.peta.org or www.peta2.org for more details and for eco stuff, I recommend www.wecansolveit.org, www.obviously.ca, or www.wwf.com for more details.

Please, save the circus animals. Thanks. :)

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

ELECTION!!!

Hey dudes and dudettes.
Now, whether you live in Canada or the US there is a huge federal election going on. Linked above (and http://petitions.takingitglobal.org/powervotecanada) is a pledge that says that you will make climate change a top priority in this election. Now, it's a Canadian pledge, but please sign it anyways and see if you can find anything like it for the US. (If you do, please comment and leave the link). If you can't vote, then encourage your parents to vote green. :) I do frequently. If you can vote, THEN VOTE!! Even if you don't vote green (YOU SHOULD VOTE GREEN!) you should still vote. Please.

Vote green, loves.

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

happiness isnt a smoking gun

Happiness is a smoking gun. Lies. Peace allover the world. :)
Happiness, is actually, seeing eco-friendly materials in grocery stores.

I went shopping at Costco today and I'm very happy to report that I saw a LOT of eco-friendly materials. Like, detergent, washer fluids, car fluids, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. I also saw, finally!, a vegetarian option on the Costco mini-restaurant place. Now, not veg, but I was happy for all my vegetarian friends. :) [HEY!] Anyways, just wanted to spread the joy. :)

So, clearly more people are starting to care.. Hopefully more people will buy eco.
Look for the green products and CONVINCE your parents to buy them.


The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

some quick updates; MEGA BLOG!

K, here are some quick updates that im combining into one huge MEGA BLOG because theres just too much to blog about.

Note: These are in no particular order.



International Hug A Vegetarian Day!!! September 26th. :) So, hug every vegetarian you know and give every vegan you know an extra-special hug. :) [http://www.peta2.com/feat/hug/index.asp?c=923f]



Dolphins are being slaughtered!!!! Every year, approximately 23,000 dolphins and whales die each year in Japan. Schools of the mammals are driven in a cove and have no where to go. There, they're killed by the fishermen in cruel ways and the water turns red with there blood. It's really horrific. The picture to the right, not editted at all. That's completely all dolphin blood - ISN'T THAT HORIBLE?! So, you can go to the site and send an email or letter or fax to some important people and hopefully these will helps. SAVE THE DOLPHINS. http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/p2_save_dolphins/?c=923f

URGENT: BEFORE SEPTEMBER 15TH, in the US is planning to set up DESTRUCTIVE oil rigs around the coasts. there won't be any benefit to these rigs, and many animals and marine wildlife will suffer. Now, go to https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1167&s_einterest=C3C4&JServSessionIdr012=ua69guiie4.app26a and read about how you can help, BEFORE SEPTEMBER 15TH!!! Please. There's a time limit so I hope you guys get on it, ASAP. Also, oil rigs aren't needed. There's plenty of RENEWABLE energy like the wind and sun and water. Why can't we use that?! Try to include that small point in your letter. :) Merci beaucoup, muchos gracias. :)

There's this really cool dog in the Nature Conservancy that can find endangered plants and animals. It's a pretty cool video and not really anything to do with activism but I thought you guys might enjoy it. It definately made my day when I watched it - knowing that we are making advances and that we are trying harder to save endangered species. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SLUwbWv4FE

If you guys have Facebook, you can become friends with all these organizations - which is where I get a lot of the info - and get all these cool applications that really help. Like Greenbook. :) There's lots actually, and it gives you the chance to find out about lots of new organizations and stuff. There's this cool new application called Stop Climate Change. http://www.blogger.com/ Enjoy loves. :) Here's a few more: http://www.blogger.com/ and http://apps.facebook.com/iamgreen/home.

Documents seen by Greenpeace show that French nuclear company Areva is failing to implement vital safety procedures in the troubled construction of its prototype European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR) in Olkiluoto, Finland. On top of being 2-3 years behind schedule, 70 per cent over budget, and experiencing 1,500 construction defects along with a damaging fire, the reactor’s safety cannot be guaranteed.The full story:http://weblog.greenpeace.org/nuclear-reaction/2008/08/breaking_news_safety_procedure.html

The arctic ice is melting faster than we expected. Now, small islands in the Atlantic and the Pacific are in an unsafe situation because their coastal borders are being.. overtaken by water as sea levels continue to rise. It's a risk and they've notified the UN. Hopefully, this will help to show people that actions need to be taken. http://www.avaaz.org/en/sos_small_islands/50.php

For all the people in the US, sorry, but I probably won't be posting stuff where you can send emails/letters to US Senators. It's just because I'm Canadian.. But feel free to check out the US charities and organizations and the home pages which will give you more stuff you can do. Also, later on - once I get a bit more organized - there will be a huge list of websites that you can check out.
Stay updated & once again, thanks for caring. :)

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

being a bit hypocritical

Now, I may be posting a lot today but I'm a bit behind on some VERY important issues.
I know this is being a bit hypocriticial, since I'm a meat lover and I truly wish I wasn't, but going vegan is the best way to help stop climate change. Go to the website listed above, and to the right [http://www.peta2.com/meatsnotgreen/index.asp] and watch the informational vide. Now, as I watched this and every time I eat meat, my conscience just falls because I think of all the cruelty that I'm doing to the animals and to the earth. I have excuses I use to convince myself, the world would be overpopulated, its less methane, why waste lives if their already dead? et cetera et cetera.

BUT, I strongly encourage it. :) Now, you may be thinking, what a bitchy hypocrite. I'm not a vegetarian, but I eat as little meat as possible and only eat beef, chicken, and pork. Not horse, not deer or moose or rabbit, or anything else! ESPECIALLY not lamb.
To all those people who eat meat, don't worry about it. Just, please, try to convserve. I know it's hard if you weren't brought up and you've been living with meat your entire life. And to all those people who think I'm a huge hypocrite right now, feel free to comment and make me feel guilty. Please, guilt trip me into being veg. :) [And sorry if I offend anyone. ]
The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

animal birth control

okay, to my readers with pets.
are they neteured?

if no, then SHAME!
PETA has released a new campaign about your ABC's, aka animal birth control knowledge and its something that more people should know about. every year, many innocent babies are strays or are given away or are unwanted simply because people didnt take the time to spay or neuter their pets. its just one viscious cycle.

you get a pet. dont neuter it. has puppies/kittens/babies. you leave the babies on the streets as strays. it has more strays. then the stray population just grows and grows, meaning that theres a harsher life for strays - harsher than it already is - and theres more animals without homes.

now, heres some facts about the ABCs.

• One stray dog and her offspring can produce up to approximately 67,000 strays in SIX YEARS! Imagine if thats just six years, and thats just one stray and her offspring. That doesn't include her grand-offspring or anything like that. Just one stray. It's horrible.
• It only takes seven years for one cat and her offspring to generate more than 400, 000 new kittens! That's worse than dogs!
• Every day approximately 70,000 new puppies and kittens are born. Why are we still buying from breeders when there are plenty of animals to choose from at shelters?!
• Pets in petstores are bred and raised in puppy mills
• Each year, 6-8 million cats and dogs are brought to shelters
• Half of the pets in shelters have to be killed each year.
• At "no-kill" shelters, animals are forced to sit in their cages for years, or turn away animals that are in desperate need to welcome new ones and let them die slowly.

How you can help:

For one thing, you can buy animals or new pets from shelters - it is one less pet that dies. Every time you buy from a breeder, there is at least one dog that dies in a shelter.

If you are getting a pet, GET IT SPAYED! It can be spayed (or neutered) once its 8 weeks old. And, a lot of shelters will give you some kind of rebate when you get it spayed. Its really sad that it takes insentive for people to care! We should be caring because we want to help, not because we're greedy. But if it helps, I guess it helps.

DO NOT BUY FROM PET STORES! You may think that you're saving the pets that are brought up in puppy mills from the cruel owners, but you're just giving the owners more money to breed more cruelty. ADOPT FROM SHELTERS.

Don't buy from breeders either. They may not have puppies in puppy mills, but then animals at shelters die. Really, there is no good breeder.

So, to summarize: spay and neuter your pets, buy from shelters, boycott petstores and breeders, and go to http://www.peta.org/ or http://www.peta2.org/ for more information!

Please, spay and neuter your pets.

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.

Love,

TreeHugger

PS: All dogs are created equal. Fight breedism.

hello readers.

hello readers.
if you're reading this blog from antiprincess's original blog then welcome to my focused blog.
this blog will be more focused on issues that i really feel strongly about and that i really want to change. like: animal cruelty (animal testing, the circus, vegitarism, fur, poaching, endangered species, etc) and the green movement (what people are doing, how you can help, other blogs and such). id also really like world peace, but im more geared toward saving the earth before saving its citizens, in a totally uncruel way. im a nature lover.

im also going to post rants about how arrogant and ignorant people are when it comes to activism, some inspirational stuff about how its all connected and maybe even some arguments that i use frequently.

also, there will be other sites that you can go to that are probably more informational and factual than my blog [proof im not lying or making stuff up], some cool articles that you can read, and other blogs that you can check out.

*Note: Not really about activism below*
now, i will still be posting some activism stuff on www.onceuponthisdisastercalledlife.blogspot.com (my original blog) but its mostly going to be short, sweet and straight to the point and more of my thoughts and less of the facts. also, my daily life updates will be there and updates on the fanfics. to read my fanfic, go to www.itsabouttimemeganwroteafanfic.blogspot.com, yeah. i know. all my sites are LONG.

also, gio got her blog taken away so for now she'll be using mine, but she's getting a new one soon. ): hmm?? what else can i say??




To all the new readers, welcome to my blog. :) I hope that you enjoy it and it's not too biased or weird or whatever for you. Hopefully, you found this because you want to help in some small or a quite large way. I hope I can help you do that. And thanks. :) Before the world can be saved, people need to want to save it. So thank you for taking the first step.

I realize how cheesy that was, but I'm a cheesy person so... :D

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger