Earth Day for Animals

It's that time of year again. Earth Day is here! While I try to do my best to be kind to our planet everyday (as I'm sure you all do), I'm dedicating this entry to my favorite planet Earth inhabitants - ANIMALS! Hopefully, after reading this you will be more inclined to take care of this planet we share with over 8 billion different species of animals. And more importantly, to be kind to animals.

The animal that continues to be the most near and dear to my heart is of coarse the elephant. They are probably the most compassionate, emotionally and socially intelligent animals, who studies have shown, are self aware. They mourn the loss of loved ones, they have complex social relationships and are probably the most beautiful and tender animal I've been lucky enough to encounter. 

The African elephant continues to suffer catastrophic declines in numbers due to poaching for the high price of ivory on the black market and the high demand for ivory from Asia. An elephant is killed every 15 minutes for it's ivory in Africa. That's 96 elephants a day that are violently murdered. Last year alone, 36,000 elephants were killed for their ivory. At this rate there will be no elephants roaming the wild in 2025. Not cool. I can't even imagine what a world without elephants looks like. 

There are however, many worldwide efforts trying to ensure that a world without wild elephants does not become our reality. On October 4th, the first International March for Elephants in support of the The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust took place in over 42 cities across the world. In NYC, we marched across all of Manhattan to the door of the United Nations. We had some fantastic speakers come all the way from the front lines of Africa like Sir. Iain Douglas-Hamilton of Save the Elephants in Kenya, and my favorite Sex and the City girl, Kristin Davis who is a huge supporter of Daphne Sheldrick's elephant orphan nursery in Kenya.

This weekend is also dedicated to elephants at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Run for the Wild at the Bronx Zoo. This year's race, like last year's, is dedicated to elephant conservation. I'm happy to report that this is my 5th year running this 5k race. I could use all the support in my fundraising efforts for our elephant friends that I can get. If you're unable to support financially, please show your solidarity by signing this petition to law makers demanding that they make ivory sales illegal in NY. I bet you didn't know that you can LEGALLY buy ivory in NY, did you? Crazy, I know. Let's put an end to it. 

I couldn't possibly write about elephants without mentioning a very special place in Thailand that rescues and rehabilitates Asian elephants from the abusive life of the tourist trade and logging industry. Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary is the home of about 11 happy and very loved elephants who were rescued by elephant superhero, Katherine Connor. It is an animal lovers dream to see these beautiful beings roaming and swimming and playing so happily and freely. I wish every animal in the world could have the good fortune of living as the animals of BLES do. 

It is however, very costly to run a non-profit sanctuary and care for eleven 5 ton animals. That's a lot of bananas!! And since the majority of the elephants at BLES were rescued from abusive conditions, they all have various medical ailments that require lots of time and money to care for. Please help Katherine and all the beautiful animals at BLES by donating what you can or better yet, adopt your own elephant! 

In other recent NYC animal news, I was happy to join PETA and NYCLASS this weekend to peacefully protest in front of Liam Neeson's Upper West Side residence for publicly criticizing Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to do away with horse drawn carriages in NYC. As an actor who has admired Neeson for years, in particular his role as the compassionate Oscar Schindler, I don't understand why he is using his star power to advocate such antiquated cruelty and abuse to such a graceful and soulful animal. I know you guys don't though, which is why you're going to show your solidarity to horses and sign this petition to ban horse carriages in NYC.

Another animal very close to my heart is the majestic and regal lion. (I'm a Leo and The Lion King is my favorite movie.) On March 15th, I was happy to join 70,000 people in over 62 cities worldwide at the Global March for Lions to raise awareness about the industry of "canned hunting." 

What is "canned hunting"? Canned hunting is big business. Captive breed lions are taken from their mothers at birth and hand raised by humans. They are put into petting zoos and earn money being petted by tourists, ignorant of their circumstances. Once they are too big to be pet, they await their fate - to be sold to trophy hunters. They are sold as guaranteed kills in enclosed areas with no chance of escape. Because they are "trophies" they are not shot quickly in the head but die a long and slow painful death shot up in their bodies. Their heads are sent back to the USA or Europe as trophies and their bones are often sold to Asia for bogus potions. I'm sad to say that the USA is responsible for 55% of these jackass "hunters" and it's completely legal to bring lion heads & parts back into this country. I can't think of a more unattractive thing a man can do than be a hunter. 

                                      

Please sign this petition urging the US Fish & Wildlife Service to protect lions under the Endangered Species act, thus making it illegal to import lion parts into the U.S. Let's put a stop to this barbaric and cowardly "sport" once and for all. 

And of coarse I can't write about animals on Earth Day without talking about NOT EATING THEM! Not eating animals or anything that comes out of an animal is the single best thing you can do to help the environment. 

It's hard to argue with these reasons, huh? The only regret I have is not going vegan sooner. I did it because I could no longer call myself an animal lover while I continued to support the cruel slaughter of  animals that are probably smarter than my dog (sorry Rocky.) I've never felt better, my hair is shinier, my skin is clearer, and I'm just happier all around. It makes sense now that I think about it. Animals on factory farms live lives full of fear, anxiety, sadness and depression. How can we think that eating them day in and day out won't have an effect on our well being? Think about it. 

So my friends, that's all she wrote. Have a happy, healthy and more importantly, compassionate Earth Day. Be kind to yourself, the planet, and to all sentient being on this planet. 

Much Love,

Sue

Make EVERY day EARTH DAY!

Greetings fellow Earthlings, and HAPPY EARTH DAY! Although yesterday was officially Earth Day, we should be celebrating and protecting this amazing planet we live on EVERY DAY! Mother Nature puts on an amazing show every day, and like many mothers, her hard work and love often goes unnoticed or appreciated. Every day the sun rises and sets, flowers bloom, birds sing, animals are born and oxygen is made for us to breath for crying out loud! Let's make a promise to ourselves and to our planet to do what we can to preserve it's health and beauty. It is after all the only planet we have!

There are many things we can all do that will have a positive impact on our planet. Many of them are following in the example of some of the greatest organizations and forward thinkers that fight to protect our planet. 

The National Resource Defense Council has been at the forefront of defending the health of our planet for 40 plus years and is America's most effective environmental action organization. From helping to enforce the 1970 Clean Air Act by directing cities to improve mass transit and reduce reliance on cars, to helping win protection for a hundred million acres of Alaskan lands in the 1980's, the NRDC is a global superhero! Here are a few things you can do to support their work and get involved.

One of my favorite organizations to support is Mercy For Animals, for inspiring compassion for animals and making people aware of the impact their food choices have on their health, animals, and the planet. Personally, I have never felt better by following a plant-based diet and forgoing all animal products, but to know that my food choices are making a difference in preserving the health of this planet makes all my kale salads, butternut squash soups, and tofu scrambles taste that much better!

Raising billions of animals to produce meat for our growing population requires massive amounts of land and water to grow their feed and results in high volumes of manure that pollute our water, soil, and air - all to produce food that every major health organization recommends eating less of. It's true, factory farming does more harm to the environment than all of transportation combined!

Fortunately for us, we have the ability to make better choices for ourselves and for the planet. Here are a few facts courtesy of PETA for you to think about the next time you sit down to eat. 

• If every American skipped ONE MEAL of chicken per week, the environmental effects would be like taking 500,000 CARS off the road.
• Every 6 SECONDS an acre of rain forest is cut down for cattle farming. That is 14,400 ACRES A DAY.
• It takes 2,400 GALLONS of water to produce 1 POUND of meat. That is more than 50 BATHTUBS worth of water.
• In the U.S. more than 30 MILLION COWS are raised for food each year. Their burps and farts comprise 20% of all U.S. METHANE-GAS EMISSIONS. And we breath all of that in. Gross.
• One of the top sources of WATER POLLUTION is the raising of animals for food. Animals raised for food produce more than 10 TIMES the POOP and PEE as humans do, much of which ends up in our water. Yummy.
• When we eat meat, the planet suffers. Make the connection, save animals and the environment. 

Mercy for Animals has reinvented environmentalism with their new campaign, The New 3 Rs. RETHINK your diet, REDUCE your meat consumption, and RESTORE the planet. Gone are the days when Reduce, Reuse, Recycle were enough to keep our planet healthy. If we want to make a difference, we have to make a change. And we can start every time we sit down to eat. Choosing a plant-based diet will have more of an impact on our environment then driving a fuel efficient car. 

I can't possible write a blog post about being environmentally conscious and kind to animals and the planet without mentioning Alicia Silverstone. It's because of her compassionate example and amazing book and blog, The Kind Diet and The Kind Life that I am a vegan, and continue to be inspired to take action for our environment and all it's inhabitants. It was an easy and fun transition, discovering new foods and learning about the small choices we can make that have a positive effect on the planet. Here are a few of my favorite tips from her Earth Day Challenge:

• Save Energy! Unplug your TV and other electronics when you're done with them. Turns out it's better for your health too!
• Take shorter showers and don't leave the water running while you brush your teeth. (I'm guilty of both of these! :-/)
• Walk, bike, or take public transportation instead of driving. It's free exercise.
• Start your own garden! Not only will you be helping environmentally by adding more oxygen into the air, but you'll know exactly what you're eating - no hidden chemicals! (I'm growing an herb and mushroom garden. I can't wait to use them to cook one of Alicia's delicious vegan recipes!) 

So my friends, let's all do our part to keep our planet healthy and beautiful, it's the least we can do to repay for all the destruction we've caused it. I know personally, much of it was unintentional, I was unaware that some of the choices I was making were bad for the planet. But now I know better, and now so do you. I know it's overwhelming when you watch the news and all you hear about is global warming crisis updates, mass pollution, and destruction of the rain forest. But every little bit of good we do will help, so let's show the Earth some much needed love!

Much Love,
Sue