PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door Contest

Yes, it’s that time of the year once again: Peta has announced the new contest for the sexiest vegetaria. This year the number of vegan contestants has increased, especially in the male section: there are so many and all damn hot that it’s a real hard decision to pick the favorite. Some of them have really nice bodies, the kind of perfect fit muscular, proportionate bodies you find on Men’s Health Magazine. They make the idiocy “but how do you get your proteins from?” sound so pathetic. It’s time to rethink the power of veganism at the gym. You’re obviously expected to vote at: http://features.peta.org/Sexiest-Vegetarian-2012/ (the first selection run ends the 16^th of April).

Filed under: Peta, sexiest vegetarian next door

Stella McCartney’s take on leather.

Listen to Stella McCartney explaining why she dropped leather and animal skins from her collections. Leather is a material which is not only cruel towards animals but environmentally devastating as well. Not to mention the health hazard it causes to people involved in the tanning process (or living near tanneries) given the high amount of toxic chemicals used to arrest the decomposing process animal skins have to undergo before being commercialized.  As amply demonstrated by studies around the world (Italy, Sweden and India to mention a few) leather is NOT AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCT despite the vegetable tanning process some companies tries to pass as such.

In Italy for instance, the area around Vicenza famous for its long tradition of tanneries registers one of the highest incidence of cancer due to heavy chemical pollution caused by chromium and other hazardous chemicals used in the tanning process. Here the land has been vastly polluted and its ecosystem destroyed by the sludge local tanning factories reverse into the environment, as shown in this pdf sposored by the Europena Geoscience Union in 2006 and carried out by Venice and Florence Universities.

The good news is that you can make a difference for animals, the environment and the unlucky people living or working near tanneries deciding to buy leather-free goods. Next time you are out shopping ask yourself the question: “Isit ethical? And what are the consequences of my purchase for animal welfare, the environment and the people involved in the production of this item?”.

Filed under: leather, Peta, chemical pollution, environmental pollution, hazardous chemicals, PETA, Stella McCartney

who’s your favorite?

Peta’s Sexiest Next Door Vegetarian Award 2011 is out: who’s your favorite? Boys and girls: when beautiful is ethical. Go on, show your friends that not all vegans are skinny hippies!

From Peta’s website:

At 12 noon EDT on April 11, 2011, voting will open to the public to help determine the finalists. We’ll announce the top 20 finalists—the top 10 vote-getters (five male and five female) as well as the top 10 “judges’ picks” (five male and five female), which will be determined by a PETA panel by 12 noon EDT on May 2, 2011. At that time, a new round of voting will begin in which people will vote for the finalists. The final voting round will end at 12 noon EDT on May 16, 2011

On May 23, 2011, the winners (one male and one female) will be announced!

PS: not all the contestants are vegan, some of them are vegetarians. Go and pick the one you fancy: funny enough the sexiest are vegan.

Filed under: Next Door Sexiest Vegetarian Award, Peta

Nu jeans + Joaquin Phoenix speaks up for exotic animals.

– Ever fallen in love with a straight pair of jeans?I did and its name is le Gèrard by NU: straight cuts, raw organic denim, nickel free rivets, button and zippers, production in accordance with strict ethical standards aimed at safeguarding both the labor force and the environment not to mention carbon neutral production. This is part of the NU philosophy. Nu is demonstrating that it is possible to manufacture jeans in an ethical and ecological way while proposing alternatives to consume more responsibility.

Not to miss is Nu’s 10 Commandments and the Limits and Frustrations of current production: yes, these guys are already thinking how to improve the label material (now in polyester), sewing threads, the dyeing process, transport and the 2% elastane these jeans are made of.

Le Gèrard by Nu

– Joaquin Phenix is telling about the horrors behind exotic animals’ skins trade in a video by Peta: listen to him, leave animals their own skin.

Filed under: eco-fashion, exotic animals, Joaquin Phoenix, NU Jeans, organic cotton, Peta, skin trade