Quarterly Digital Magazine

// Spring 2015

Spring 2015issue 2

editing/designMaggie Fleetwood

public relations/outreach/supportSavannah Hayes

special thanks toeveryone who contributed;photography, illustration & writing

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MF Collective aims to share thought provoking essays, articles and ideas by way of animal rights(abolitionist & pro ALF), intersectional feminism and straight edge living. We emphasize on how these movements intersect, and could bring us all together for positive social change.

In this issue we discuss animal testing, stories on becoming vegan, #whatveganseat, myths about travelling solo, spring time, labels, straightedge and vegan bands, favorite poems, health and reviews on new vegan events.

pages of content: 48 File size: 10.4 MB

contributors

Chloe is a 17 year old high school senior living in the Washington, DC area. She became vegetarian when she was 9 and vegan when 13, started a vegetarian club at her high school, and founded the non-profit,

VegYouth, which is dedicated to engaging and empowering teens to become vegan and activists in

the vegan movement.

Chloe Falkenheim@vegyouth

Bea Rue

The pursuit of my happiness usually involves the jazzy croons of Ella Fitzgerald amongst the turning of verdurous green & things into sensory delights that fill the aching bellies of those around me. Blessed with a hearty appetite for pure and fresh foods, I can spend

twelve hours in the kitchen without so much as a yawn. From the Bronx, but currently residing in Puerto

Vallarta, Mexico.

@bearuebearue.wordpress.com

Kristin Lajeunesse

Kristin Lajeunesse is the founder and writer of the award-winning website Will Travel for Vegan Food. In

September 2011, the New York native, began traveling throughout the U.S. in an effort to eat at and write about every single all-vegan establishment she can find. Eighteen of those early consecutive travel months were spent living out of a renovated sports

van named Gerty. Almost immediately after beginning her journey, Kristin discovered a deep passion for nomadic and unconventional living and has since chosen to maintain a mobile lifestyle, indefinitely.

@wtfveganfoodwtfveganfood.com

Kelsey Depenhart

I’m a freshman at Georgia southern University majoring in Nutrition and Food

Science. My love for animals has always been there but has been growing more and more

every day. I began my journey to veganism in 11th grade. I suffered with an eating disorder

prior, but everything changed one day in American History. My teacher showed the class, Food Inc., I immediately began researching and became a vegetarian. My plans for the future is to become a vegan Registered Dietitian and be

a founder of an animal sanctuary.

@s0ulful_vegan

Savannah is a blogger, deep thinker, and creativity addict. When she’s not writing or reading, she is

usually content to curl up near the closest heat source with a cup of warm coffee.

Savannah also manages Public Relations and does consulting work for MF Collective Magazine.

Savannah Hayes

keepcelebrating.wordpress.com

@srosehayes

Riane Human

leahhaniiphotography.weebly.com

@poisonpatrol

Riane is a self-taught photographer, specializing in portraits and creative photo

projects. She is also a passionate vegan, and enjoys writing about how her love for music,

veganism and photography overlap.

Grace Park

Grace has a passion for all things vegan & gluten-free. She believes food is a form of art

and explores all sorts of media to create healthy, wholesome eats. If not in the kitchen,

you can find her at farmer's markets or the gym.

@carrotsandbeanscarrotsandbeans.wordpress.com

Marc Bernstein

Marc Bernstein is an eleven year old vegan. He went vegan when he was

eight due to the positive experience at and positive influence from VeganCamp.

org. Marc is an active leader and participant in VegKids.org. Veg Kids also has a Facebook group other veg kids can

join www.Facebook.com/Groups/VegKids/.

Sarah McCartanveganontherun.org @sarahkmccartan

In addition to serving as a full-time freelance writer, Sarah doubles as an avid long distance

runner, and vegan foodie.

Her blog, Vegan on the Run, was born out of the design to bring her vegan, writing, running, health-focused and wanderlust-filled worlds

together under one roof.

Dee Purcell

Dee Purcell, a Vegan, Licensed Child Psychologist and Holistic Nutritionist.

She graduated from UCLA but is originally from Texas.

I am currently taking a break from the working world and staying at home to raise my 3 year old. I am still helping other people through my blog Yummy

Yummy Baby. By blogging and sharing nutritional Vegan Recipes and

Remedies, I hope to support and inspire other parents in their quest to

raise Vegan kids and teens.

YummyYummyBaby.com

Isabella Strother

Avery Muether

Vegan Illustratorlocated in Northern Illinois. She

creates informational works about subject matter that she is really

passionate about.

The subjects include plant based diets, animal rights and music.

You can contact Avery by email at: averyamuether@gmail.com

averymuether.comaverymuether.tumblr.com

Bio: Izzy is a 15-year-old girl living in a small port town on New Zealand's coast.

She eats plant-based, listens to good music, and likes to make art out of anything.

@vegan_geek

table of contents

Travel:

Veganism, Food & Health:

Culture:

● How I Became Vegan - Chloe Falkenheim● Carrots&Beans - Grace Park● #whatveganseat - Isabella Strother● Wild Fermented Sourdough Bread - Bea Rue● 5 Things To Spring For This Spring - Sarah McCartan● Are Kids and Teens Drinking Enough Water - Dee Purcell● Animal Testing Needs To Stop - Kelsey Depenhart● Road To Vegan - Kelsey Depenhart

● 5 Paralyzing Myths About Travelling Alone - Kristin Lajeunesse● Vegan Street Fair in LA - Marc Bernstein

● Hippie or Hipster? - Savannah Hayes● Straightedge and Vegan Influences in The Vans Warped Tour

Letter From The Editor

Hi again, everyone! Glad to see that you decided to pick up our Spring 2015 issue! :)

I’m so happy to have had such a positive reaction to our first issue of MF Collective! Thank you to all of the contributors and fans, I’m so glad that you all enjoyed it.

In this second issue of MF Collective, while we may have less content than last time, I feel like our contributors provided content that you will enjoy reading.

Personally, I had a number of things going on these past months, so I wasn't able to pull together as many contributors as last time. However, I am back, and we’ve already started reaching out to hopeful contributors and putting together an amazing third issue!

If you are interested in contributing, please email the lovely Savannah Hayes at savannah.mfcollective@gmail.com

Savannah has been helping me out with finding contributors and giving them details about the magazine and what we’re looking for submission wise. So email her, and she can give you all of the info you need. :)

Together, we’re trying to plan our future issues out and grow the magazine. And eventually have printed versions. We’d like to find more contributors, and cover more feminism and human rights-related subjects in addition to veganism and animal liberation. We’re still trying to work out the technical side of the mag, as well as defining our style. But we do have our mission in place, and really just want to spread inspiring stories and pieces that will educate people on issues we think are really important.

I hope you enjoy the Spring 2015 issue! Though it may be later than planned, everything is still applicable, and you will love it just as much. :)

xx Maggie

My story dates back to when I was three years old. I had just finished watching the movie Chicken Run and came to the shocking revelation that chicken indeed does come from chickens. This thought resurfaced when I was six years old, when a book of fun facts about pigs sparked my love of all things pigs. I read Charlotte’s Web, fiction books about pigs, and one where the main character was a pig who did not want to be slaughtered, as well as many other pig books and movies. So at the age of 6, I decided never to eat pork again. Since my family is Jewish, we never ate pork anyway, so this childhood decision did not really change my eating habits. But I like to say that I became an activist when I was six because I cried whenever anyone even talked about eating pork and even wanted to start a pig appreciation club at my kindergarten.

Throughout the next few years, I slowly started making the connection that all meat came from animals with lives just as precious as a pig’s. I remember declaring at one dinnertime that I could not eat dead cows anymore, and that was that for meat for me. I was nine. I am lucky to have parents who were supportive of my choice and cooked for me, although they did not go vegetarian themselves. As the years went on, I became a very passionate vegetarian; researching about the many reasons to go vegetarian, getting into passionate arguments with friends and writing speeches about the topic for school projects and even my bat mitzvah.

Meanwhile, I slowly become aware of the dire state of our planet. I first learned about climate change during science class when I was nine years old, and I felt helpless when facing the crisis at hand. When I was eleven, I participated in a school debate about fossil fuels, learned about deforestation and pollution, and how environmental problems affected the poorest communities. I became desperate to find a solution to our gigantic environmental problems.

Then at age twelve, I came across a description of what happens to cows on dairy farms. I learned that dairy and eggs were cruel. At the time, I still thought that going vegan would be too extreme, but just like I slowly stopped eating meat after learning about pigs, I slowly stopped eating eggs and milk. It eventually came to a point where I only ate animal products when they were hidden in another food, like in bread or cake. At the time, I was a fan of the TV show Glee, where the main character and actress Lea Michele, was vegan (she’s not vegan anymore). I read more about her veganism and was inspired to try the same thing myself. I would like to say that I learned about the many reasons to go vegan and was so inspired to do something that I became vegan. But it just wasn’t like that. I only wanted to try veganism to see how it was. I was 13 at the time, and it stuck.

I wanted to do more, so I started a high school club and then a non-profit dedicated to helping teens and young adults go vegetarian and vegan.

How I became vegan by Chloe Falkenheim

Here are some tips I give people who want help going vegetarian or vegan! These could be helpful whether you’re going veg yourself or helping someone else go veg.

* Start by eating a vegetarian or vegan breakfast every day. Then add a plant-based lunch, and then snack, and then dinner.

* Start by eating vegetarian or vegan one day each week. Then eat vegetarian or vegan two days per week, and then three, until you eat vegetarian or vegan seven days a week.

* Go vegetarian or vegan for thirty days. After thirty days, you can decide to continue the diet, or go back to the way you ate before.

* Eliminate one type of animal or animal product from your diet at a time.

* Eat vegetarian or vegan at home, but be flexible when eating out. Or eat vegetarian or vegan when eating out, but flexible at home.

* Always have delicious food with you. You can take a granola bar, fruit, chips, or another snack with you. If you’re vegan, during dessert, have a chocolate bar in your bag, so that when you crave dessert, you can eat the chocolate.

* Find new recipes for your favorite non-vegan dish, so you still have the familiar tastes.

* Plan ahead. If you're going out to eat a restaurant, look up their menu online first, so you know what items are vegan.

* Try vegan versions of cooking staples like almond or coconut milk, vegan mayo (Just Mayo is my favorite), Tofurkey hotdogs or sausage.

Check out the VegYouth website under the Choosing Veg section for even more tips, eating healthy, dealing with friends and social situations, and ways to talk to your parents!

This story illustrates why I am so committed to veganism! In my next piece in this lovely magazine, I will discuss how to deal with tricky situations as a vegan, such as social outings, family dinners, and non-supportive parents.

CARROTS&BEANSalways vegan | sans gluten

A small compilation of vegan food and its artistic value, through the lense of Grace Park’s cruelty free instagram feed. @carrotsandbeans

#WhatVegansEatPhotos & Food by Isabella Strother

A vegan Mexican pizza, with tomato sauce, black beans, peppers and onions, and

avocado.

Three salads-Top Left: Spinach and citrus with spicy peanut

sauce. Top Right: Carrot, onion, and cucumber with vinegar and

salt. Bottom: Iceberg with caramelised onions and walnuts

with tomato, and avocado.

Green tea soba noodles with tomato sauce

Brown rice with lime, bean sprouts, green beans, soy beans, and avocado with soy

sauce.

Wild Fermented Sourdough

Bread

By Bea Rue

This recipe harks back to the traditional way of making bread prior to the commercial production of yeast that occurred in the late 19th century. You couldn’t always walk into a supermarket and snag a few packets of Fleischmann’s dry active yeast… Here we will harness its naturally occurring, biodiverse form that surrounds us constantly in the air we breathe. It’s everywhere, and so anyone can make this bread. All you need is flour, water and salt. It’s that simple!

Wild fermented sourdough bread is much healthier and easier to assimilate than most other breads. As my guru Sandor Katz says in his famed book Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition & Craft of Live-Culture Foods, “Wild fermentation gives the dough a chance to really ferment, breaking down hard-to-digest gluten into more easily absorbed nutrients, and adding B-vitamins.” Personally, I feel my body digests it very easily, where as most commercial breads weigh me down big time.

To begin, you need starter. This is simply a reserve of yeasty batter, comprised solely of flour and water. A starter can last

a lifetime and be passed on for generations, all the while contained in the same unwashed vessel.

Here’s how to make your own starter (according to Sandor Katz):1.Vigorously stir together 2 cups each of flour and water (fresh spring water is best) in a large jar or bowl. Feel free to add

organic unwashed grapes, plums or berries to lend their chalky film of yeast (aka “bloom”) to speed up the process.

2. Cover with a cheesecloth or dishtowel to allow air flow while guarding from critters.

3. Store your batter in a warm spot, ideally 70° – 80° F, with good air circulation. Stir your batter at least once a day with

a wooden spoon to distribute the yeast evenly.

4. Once you notice tiny bubbles surfacing on your batter (not ones caused by stirring!), usually after 3 or 4 days, it’s ready

to feed. If this is not the case, try moving it to a warmer spot or adding a teeny bit of packaged yeast.

5. Strain out any fruit and add 1 – 2 tablespoons more flour to the batter every day for 3 days, always stirring vigorously.

Though the starter will thicken, you want it to remain liquid in form, like pancake batter, so feel free to add more water if

necessary.

6. Your starter is ready to use when it’s nice and bubbly and active. Pour out what you need to bake a loaf of bread, and

store the rest in an airtight glass or ceramic jar in your refrigerator to slow the yeast’s activity while keeping it alive.

7. Make sure to always replenish your starter after each use! To do so, simply stir in equal parts flour and water to the

amount you poured out. SO, let’s say you used 1 cup starter to bake a loaf. You should then replenish your starter batter

with 1 cup flour and 1 cup water, stirring vigorously. If you like a strong sourdough flavor, you can leave your

replenished starter out to ferment for 4 – 8 hours. Otherwise, simply replenish and refrigerate!

8. Make sure to feed your starter a tablespoon or 2 of flour each week that you don’t use it to keep it fresh. If you’re

planning a trip, you can keep your starter unfed in the fridge for a couple weeks, or in the freezer for longer.

“If you neglect your sourdough, it may get very acidic, then eventually putrid. Up to a point, sourdoughs can be easily

revived by feeding them fresh flour. Other organisms dominate after the yeast has consumed all its nutrients. But the

yeasts remain present and can usually return to dominance when nourished.” -Katz, Wild Fermentation

1. Pour starter into a large glass or ceramic mixing bowl. Add water and salt and stir. Dump in all your flour and stir

until well combined. Consistency should be thick and porridgey.

2. Let your batter sit in its bowl covered with a dish towel (so no flies get in) overnight or for at least 8 hours.

3. Scoop your batter out onto a floured surface and shape by pulling the edges in towards the middle of your loaf,

constantly rotating. If it’s easier for you, simply roll between your palms (while still on the counter) into a ball.* There is

no need to knead this bread!

4. Grease your glass or ceramic bowl with olive or coconut oil (or any preferred fat) and sprinkle with cornmeal. Plop in

your loaf, and let sit in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 hours, covered. Airtight is best.

5. Preheat your oven to 425°. Grease your dutch oven (I use a cast iron pot, but enamelware works wonderfully as well)

& sprinkle with cornmeal. Put your pot in the over for 20 minutes with the lid on to heat through.

6. Flip your bread into the dutch over, preferably so the loaf is upside down. I like to pinch and swirl the middle to

create a little nubbin. (You can see the end result clearly in my photos!)

7. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on.

8. Reduce heat to 350° and bake for another 20 minutes without the lid.

9. Let the loaf rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it.

1/3 – 1/2 cup starter

11 oz. luke warm water (not hot!!)

2 cups organic unbleached flour

1 cup organic sprouted whole wheat

flour

1.5 – 2 teaspoons sea salt

Bread flour is of course your best

option, but all purpose flour is great

too! My baker friend Eliza who

taught me this fool-proof recipe

prefers King Arthur Bread Flour. I

personally love sprouted whole

wheat flour.

5 Things to Spring For This Season

By: Sarah McCartan

Spring is a season filled with abundant green. It’s also a season that promotes fresh starts, and new growth, making it the prime time to clean up your plate, and revamp your routine. Here are five things to consider springing for this season, to promote a healthier, happier you.

1. Spring for Salads

A salad can be overflowing with tons of leafy greens, but it doesn’t have to be,

especially if leafy greens aren’t your thing. A salad can easily be crafted using

whatever local fruits and veggies you have on hand in your fridge at any given

moment in time. Here’s a quick recipe for a recent spring salad I mixed up.

INGREDIENTS• 2 sliced cucumbers• 1 sliced apple• 1 handful of sliced strawberries• ½ block tofu sliced• ½ cup apple cider vinegar• 1 spoonful of tahini• 3 pinches of salt• 2 dashes of pepper• 1 pinch of thyme• 1 pinch of celery seed• 1 squirt of Sriracha

If you happen to have some dill on hand, throw it in!

PROCESS: Simply combine the above ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Allow

the mixture time to sit to soak up the juices. Then combine with cooked quinoa

and enjoy. TIP: Best enjoyed outside in the yard.

2. Spring for Smoothies

As fun as it is to incorporate seasonal produce into your salads, it is equally fun to blend produce into your smoothies. With the weather warming up, these delicious, nutritious beverages can boost your vitamin intake, and your spirit, while cooling you down. Here’s a simple, sweet green smoothie treat, with a peanut butter protein boost.

INGREDIENTS• 1/4 cup Vanilla Almond Milk• 1/4 cup orange juice• 1 banana (fresh or frozen)• 2 small kiwi (or 1 large)• 1 cup greens (baby spinach, spring mix, broccoli, or select greens of choice)• 2 Tbsp. peanut butter• Handful of ice cubes

PROCESSCombine the almond milk, orange juice, banana, kiwi, greens, and ice in your blender. Blend on high, until blended completely. Depending on your blender’s power, you may need to gradually add the ice, 1-2 cubes at a time. Add the peanut butter and pulse on low until blended thoroughly. Select your vessel, grab a party straw, and sip away.

3. Spring for Outdoor Time Whether you’re choosing to walk or bike to your destination instead of driving, or planning an intentional outdoor active session filling with hiking, running, or perhaps yoga in the park, spring is an inviting time to get outdoors. If you find yourself stressed on time and wondering how to get the fill of Vitamin D your body needs and your spirit hopes for, consider eating your lunch outdoors, or taking a leisurely walk for coffee during a lunch break.

4. Spring for Day Trips While a full-length journey might not always be timely or economically feasible, day trips offer a way to escape, and give your stress levels a decrease, while nurturing your creative mind. Day trips could mean visiting a locale a few hours away, or exploring an area closer to home, maybe a dog park you’ve never visited before, just outside of town, or an uncharted bike path that leads you to a neighboring community. Regardless of where you’re off to, before you embark,do a bit of research to see what plant-based options exist in your selected destination. This can add an extra sense of adventure to your experience, and maybe even introduce you to a new favorite restaurant.

5. Spring for Less Distractions

Spring is an optimal time to assess what your ultimate focus is, and identify excess items that are getting in the way of you meeting your goals. Excess in your life in need of cutting out could look like material possessions, unnecessary activities, or simply obligations that are overly demanding, and not deserving of your time. I’ve found making a list of things I want more and less of in my life has tremendously helped me recognize where my attention is going, versus where I want it to be.

Spring Forward…

Regardless of what you decide to spring for this season, I encourage you to take an overall approach of springing for better health (of body, mind and spirit), by adding more local, plant-based options to your plate, and by clearing off things that are taking up too much room on your life plate, so you can spend more time being active, and feeling alive.For more plant-based, active-lifestyle inspiration, visit veganontherun.org.

*Recipes included in this piece originally appeared on veganontherun.org. All images courtesy of/property of Vegan on the Run.

Are Kids & Teens Drinking Enough Water?

By Dee Purcell

Today, Nephrologists (Kidney Doctors), report that more than ever, there is a high demand for Pediatric Nephrologists (Kidney Doctor for Kids & Teens). This is due to kids being diagnosed with PAINFUL Kidney & Urinary Stones, which are often caused by a lack of water and junk food! Today, kids & teens have so many drink choices, why should they drink boring old water?

● Every system in our body depends on water & helps youngsters thrive!● Water helps the brain function & will help detox their kidneys, liver & other vital

organs.● Water carries nutrients to their cells & helps them digest food.● Water provides a moist environment for their ears, nose & throat systems.● Water is our primary chemical component & makes up 60% of weight.

How much water do kids & teens actually need?

General Guideline for Drinking Water:

Symptoms of Dehydration:

● Dry Skin

● Dizziness

● Headache

● Dry Mouth

● Constipation

● Increased thirst

● Few or No Tears

● Decreased urine output.

● Urine is dark yellow instead of

clear/light yellow.

● Feeling Tired & Drained even after

sleeping well.

Hydrating Thoughts:

● Researchers have similar but varying ideas about water amount we should drink.

● Pay close attention to your child’s symptoms, activity level & climate you live in.

● Your child loses water by simply breathing, perspiring, urinating & pooping.

● Kids must replenish water by consuming foods & drinks that contain water.

● If severely dehydrated, provide real coconut water to replenish electrolytes.

● Speak with a health professional if dehydration symptoms persist.

8 Tips to Help Kids Drink More Water:

1. Always have clean & fresh tasting water on hand!

2. Infuse water with Organic Fruits, Veggies & Herbs!

3. Place a 16 oz water bottle by their night stand.

4. Have child drink 8 oz (1 cup) before sleeping.

5. Have child drink 16 oz (2 cups) upon awakening.

6. Have them drink 2 cups, 1 hour before each meal. (48 oz total)

7. Model behavior so your child will watch & learn.

8. Buy your child a sports bottle they can keep with them at all times (at school,

during lunch, after recess)!

The chart above may seem like a lot of water, but it really isn’t. Remember, 60% of your

body is made of water, so it is critical that children’s water is replenished on a daily basis.

Can a child be drinking too much water? It is possible for someone to drink too much water

(hyponatremia), but it is very rare, and mostly happens to people who are extreme athletes.

The above chart is only a guideline, it is important you adjust your kid’s water consumption

if you live in a very hot/humid climate, if they are athletes or have a medical condition. This

Organic fruit & herb infused water recipe is a great way to always have great tasting water!

ORGANIC STRAWBERRY, LEMON, CUCUMBER, MINT INFUSION:

♥ ½ Cup Sliced Lemons

♥ ½ Cup Sliced Strawberries

♥ ¾ Medium Cucumber, Sliced

♥ ¼ Cup of Mint Leaves

♥ 1 Quart of Fresh Spring Water

♥ USE ALL ORGANIC FOOD

Instructions:

♥ Prepare & Slice Fruits, Veggies, Herbs

♥ Place Your Mix at the Bottom of Jar

♥ Pour Your Water over the Mix

♥ Chill in your Fridge or Serve at Room Temp.

♦ Optional: Use a wooden spoon to squash fruit at the bottom of jar before adding water.

Important Final Notes:

1. On average, food can provide about 20% of total water intake. Watermelon & Spinach are at least 90% water weight.

2. Pregnant or breast-feeding women need additional fluids to stay hydrated.3. Pineapple, Orange, Ginger is another great infusion for the family.

5 Paralyzing Myths About Traveling Alone

By Kristin Lajeunesse

If you told me 4 years ago that I would soon choose to quit my job, sell or donate almost everything I owned, and spend 18 consecutive months living out of a renovated van, in an effort to eat at every single vegan restaurant in the country; I would have spit out my almond milk mocha, from uncontrollable laughter.

To-date I’ve spent roughly 3 years traveling full-time, mostly by myself. It didn’t start out that way though.

When I’d made the decision to begin a project in 2011 that I called, Will Travel for Vegan Food, I was driven entirely by a deep and unfamiliar desire to completely rehaul my life. And it was utterly terrifying; though I never led on that that was the case, at the time. As a result of that fear setting in: that I was about to undo all I’d done in my 28 years to get to where I was, simply for food and travel and some desire I couldn’t yet define, I clung to the first person who wanted to share in that journey with me.

Despite having set the intention to go on the journey alone, I somehow managed to welcome a near-stranger into the van with me before setting out on the trip. We only made it a few months before driving each other nuts. But do you know what the absolute nuttiest thing about it was?

After we’d parted ways I found myself sitting in the same booth, at the same restaurant, in the same city where we had started the journey together, nearly six months earlier. It felt like the Universe had “set” me back at the Start of the journey. As if to say, “Kristin, you intended to do this alone. It’s time to try again; fears and all.”

It was one of the most profound moments of my entire life at that point. To feel that I had been given another shot at this grand adventure that I was destined for.

Therefore, I’d like to share 8 paralyzing myths about the fear that I—and I’m sure many other new solo-travelers—experienced; and how to overcome each one.

1. The world is a scary place; everyone is out to get you.Having grown up in a very small, one-traffic light town, surrounded by dairy farms, and schoolmates whose parents had too grown up there and gone to the same school—never leaving the area much if at all; it’s safe to say that hearing things like “Everyone is out to get you.” and “Always look over your shoulder, don’t trust anyone” was never in short order.

Now take that mindset and place it in the likes of someone who thinks they’d like to travel outside of a safe neighborhood they’d grown to know well. A place where everyone knew everyone else.

It’s scary, for sure. And I know I’m not alone. Regardless of where one grows up—with all the violence and sadness that is shown on Television and across social media these days—it’s no wonder many are too scared to venture out; let alone by ourselves.

But here’s the truth: Most people are good people.

Look, I spent a solid 2 years living entirely off of donations, most of which came from people I’d never met (and still haven’t!). While traveling I was gifted meals, places to sleep and shower, even repairs to the van; all from people I hardly knew. But many of these people turned out to be so kind, generous, and well-intentioned. Do you know that in the 18 months I lived out of the van I had not a single instance of feeling threatened or being put in a precarious situation? Yes, I know that this is not always the case. And I’m not saying absolutely everyone is sound of mind and kind hearted. But what I am saying is that if we assume everyone is out to get us, we’ll never do anything or go anywhere.

I was fortunate to have nothing but positive experiences while traveling. I am more open and trusting than I’ve ever been. Does it mean I don’t listen to my gut if something feels off? Of course not. I’m always in-tune with what my instinct is telling me. And most of the time it’s telling me that people are good and want to be kind to one another. I’m also a believer in the law of attraction. What this means is, if we’re constantly worried something bad will happen, then it will. Because we’ve drawn that experience to ourselves. Conversely, if we go into a situation with positive energy, believing that things will work out and be fine, then that certainly sets the stage to be true.

2. Women are more at risk when traveling alone.

While there may be some parts of the world where yes, in fact it would be unsafe to travel alone as woman, the reality of it is there are more places we can visit and feel safe.

I’m of the party that we should teach others NOT to be cruel and violent instead of teaching women how to dress or what to wear in order to avoid scary situations; traveling or not. Therefore, on this point I will simply say this:

I’ve felt extraordinarily safe traveling alone as a woman. We are stronger and more capable than other people—and even ourselves—give us credit for. We are capable of listening to our gut and being smart about the places we go and our interactions with others. We are capable of defending ourselves and acting with caution if need be.

Regardless of gender, when people ask for travel advice, I say the same things: Plan ahead, know where you’re going, move with confidence, be smart, and trust yourself.

3. You will get bored and be lonely.

Admittedly I’ve always been a bit of a hermit; happy to spend most of my time by myself whether I’m working, relaxing, or whatever else.

Having said that, I can attest to the fact that there is ALWAYS something to do, to see, to eat, to venture into no matter where you are! Don’t let being alone be an excuse for not exploring your surroundings, treating yourself to a fancy dinner, going on a guided hike, or out to the movies.

Even if you are more a social butterfly at home that doesn’t mean all the things that come with solo experiences lose value or excitement. In fact, I tell everyone that they should travel alone at least once in their life. I’m not talking about taking the bus across town, I’m talking about flying to somewhere totally knew; preferably where you don’t know anyone. It is that kind of health-based fear that can make us stronger, more self-reliant, and resourceful individuals.

I’m certainly not saying I don’t enjoy having company. But when you’re free to choose where to go and what to do solely based on your own desires and not having to take into account what others might wish to do; it can be quite liberating!

4. It will be embarrassing to eat at restaurants by yourself.

Speaking of taking yourself out to a fancy dinner. Trust me, as someone who has dined at more than 500 restaurants by herself, I can tell you that dining alone is not in any way embarrassing.

In fact, there were a number of times I ended up meeting really cool people because they too were dining alone. We sparked up conversation (something I would have never done in my pre-travel life, or if I was in the company of a friend), enjoyed conversing, and then parted as newly acquainted friends.

It’ll only be embarrassing if you feel embarrassed. And you’ll only feel embarrassed if you choose to. It’s a classic case of worrying too much about what others think or making assumptions about what others are thinking. Who knows, maybe someone is jealous that you get to dine alone while they’re overwhelmed by the chatter at their table. You never know, and it’s not worth your time to worry about it. If you’d like to go out and eat, even get dressed up for yourself, then why the heck not?! The people around you are likely way more engaged with whatever they having going on at their table rather than noticing what’s happening at yours.Truth be told, the most embarrassing part might be when the host or hostess says, “Only one for tonight?” But you’ll have brushed that off your shoulders before you even sit down. :)

5. You must be an extravert in order to enjoy traveling alone.

As I eluded to in myth #3, I’m actually quite introverted. I was painfully shy as a child and kept to myself in school. I rarely, if ever, went to parties or social gatherings in high school, and even spent one year in college in my own single-room because I was tired of having roommates and feeling like I had to always go out and do stuff with them.

Today I like to describe myself as an introvert with extroverted tendencies. I am comfortable in social settings, I can chat up a storm when need be, and dance around like a crazy person just for fun. But most of the time I’m alone. I work from home, locked away in my room much of the day. Sometimes I venture to coffee shops just for a change of pace but bring work or a book with me as to stay in my own space. My closest friends live in other parts of the country and we’re only in touch intermittently.

All these characteristics you might say would make for a terrible solo-traveler. But it is precisely because of solo travel that I’ve come out of my shell. When traveling alone you ARE forced to talk to strangers more than you might if traveling with others. And while it can be uncomfortable at times—for introverted folks like me—it also creates wonderful opportunities for growth and courage.

You will learn, as I did, that there are no singular characteristics of a successful or good solo-traveler. But more so the choices that you make for it to work or not. It’s entirely up to you.

From nine-to-fiver to lifestyle-designer, Kristin Lajeunesse takes her background in marketing and communication and applies it directly to her personal passions: food, travel, and helping others learn how they too can turn their passions into profitable careers.

Kristin Lajeunesse is the founder and writer of the award-winning website Will Travel for Vegan Food. In September 2011, the New York native, began traveling throughout the U.S. in an effort to eat at and write about every single all-vegan establishment she can find. Eighteen of those early consecutive travel months were spent living out of a renovated sports van named Gerty. Almost immediately after beginning her journey, Kristin discovered a deep passion for nomadic and unconventional living and has since chosen to maintain a mobile lifestyle, indefinitely.

As of July 2014, Kristin met her goal of visiting and eating in each of the 50 states. A self-employed business clarity coach and strategic marketing strategist, Kristin now works with small business owners and entrepreneurs seeking clarity around their business models, income streams, and passion projects. She is also the founding member of the Vegan Weddings HQ website and the Unabridged Addiction podcast. Kristin has a Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communication from Emerson College. Follow her travels and business adventures on wtfveganfood.com and kristinlajeunesse.com.

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Vegan Street Fair in LA Makes History

By Marc Bernstein

Never before has there been an event like this. Never before has there been a vegan crowd like this. On March 1st, the vegan community of Los Angeles held the first ever Vegan Street Fair. The streets of Bakman and Weddington in North Hollywood were closed off. Months in advance city permits had to be filed and approved to be able to do this.

Over fifty food vendors were arranged and set-up early that morning. The Board of Health and the Fire Department went through and inspected after set-up. The DJ started blaring music. Crowds were waiting to enter the streets. At 11:30am food ticket booths opened and at 12pm food stands began serving which they did non-stop doing for the next six hours when the event ended at 6pm. The event began with a crowd, and it never seemed to shrink throughout the six hours of the event despite Mother Nature.

Mother Nature decided to visit this event in full force. She must be vegan and wanted to celebrate with us. The rain came and went with major downpours. That was so un-LA especially for March. Even more extreme than that, though, was the hail that then came down. The hail pellets were like lentils pouring from the skillet in the sky. Some people complained, but some of us danced and sang in the rain and hail.

Why does the vegan world, though, seem to have so many negative people? Instead of appreciating the precipitation that LA so needed, some whined and complained about it. Some people, therefore, left, but no matter how many left that many more seemed to still come. The complainers were outnumbered by appreciators about 100:1.

Some people also complained about the crowds and some even bashed it online and telling others not to go, but still the crowds came and came. Most of us really appreciated it. How amazing it was that about ten thousand people packed the streets for the first ever Vegan Street Fair especially in LA where people are usually afraid of precipitation of any kind.

Still, so many people packed the streets. Not everyone, though, who went was vegan. That was great because even non-vegans enjoyed the totally vegan foods and stuck it out through the crazy weather. They enjoyed tasting and learning about being vegan. The event was right by the Orange and Red Metro Lines, and people heard and saw something going on and came to check it out.

Also, some of the non-vegan restaurants brought in non-vegan customers to try their new vegan foods. According to Veg Kids, about half of the families who stopped in the Kids' Area were not vegan. At least they were vegan open and vegan curious. They had plenty of opportunities to learn there. This was a great event because of the outreach and growing the vegan world.

Credit also goes to Andy Mars, director of Camp Exploration entering their 23rd summer of vegan camps (www.VeganCamp.org) and of Veg Kids (www.VegKids.org) who helped put this amazing Kids' Area together.

It is hard to say whether the best part of the event was the crowd, the food or the games. In the Kids' Area, there were activities for kids who need to move, activities for kids who want to create, and activities for kids who like to think.

The kids' area had air hockey, animal origami, chalk-in, conscious coloring, cool comics, friend or food, giant twister, guessing jar, healthy info, hexagonal hockey, hopscotch, peace banner, tic tac toss, vegan jello, and word games.

Beyond that, the vendors included AFC Soy Foods, Azla Vegan, Beet x Beet, Best Gumbo in the Hood, Blöde Kuh Artisan Tree Nut Cheese, Bramble Bakeshop, Broke Hungry Vegan Catering, Charlie's Brownies, Clean South, Divine Dips Vegan Ice Cream, Donut Friend, Doomie's Home Cooking, Follow Your Heart, H.O.P.E.- Healthy Organic Positive Eating, Health 'n' Spice, Herbivore, Hugo's Tacos, Hummus Republic, Ihsan's Falafel, India Jones Chow Truck, Jones Soda, Joni Marie Newman, Just The Food, Karma Baker, Le Beaux Chocolats, Life is Sweet Bakeshop, Luscious Organic Desserts, Main Squeeze Lemonade Truck , Mud Hen Tavern, Om-Brosia, One Veg World, Organix, Plant Food For People, RawFiv5 Rachel's Cosmic Cuisine, Rabbit Hole Cafe, Ridiculous Baking, Sage, Shugah Mama, Southern Fried Vegan, Sub Zero Ice Cream, Sun Cafe Organic, Vegan Pizza, Vegans Rock, VegeTaryn, Vegucated, Vromage, Whole Foods of Glendale.

Not all the vendors were vegan businesses, but everything they had at this event had to be vegan. It was good for some people to see that they can get vegan food even at non-vegan places. It was also really good for the non-vegan places to see how many people want vegan food. Maybe some of them will expand their vegan menus. But some of the vegans attending only wanted to support the totally vegan places, and there was plenty there for them to enjoy. [www.veganday.info/restaurants.html has the list and a map of the totally vegan places around LA.]

Credit goes to Jessica Shay and Ken Schoech, who dreamed up this amazing Vegan Street Fair (www.VeganStreetFair.com) and made it a reality. It took a lot of work to make this happen, and they deserve a lot of credit.

We are pretty lucky to be vegans living in LA where being vegan sometimes seems so common and normal. It is the way the world should go, and it is the way the world will go. Hey, we had close to ten thousand people packing the streets of The Vegan Street Fair to enjoy the variety of vegan foods!

One of the things that made the Vegan Street Fair so great was that it was made like a real New York style street fair and the vendors were not allowed to charge more than $3 for any food item (but there were surcharges on buying tickets and that brought some food items to $4). That made it so that we could each try a bunch of different foods from different vendors. Smaller prices made it more affordable, and smaller portions made it more possible. But to quote my cousin Ben, I was "an eating machine." I bought $32 in tickets and got to eat beefless skewers, chickun drum stix, a chocolate truffle, a corn dog, creme brulee, a donut, fried ravioli, a ham and cheese croissant, a pizza bagel, porridge, a slider, and smoky nut cheese. Some people complained about the lines, but I had no problem getting to eat from ten different vendors. Everything I had was really excellent except I felt I wasted money on a pizza bagel that I could have made better myself in the toaster oven at home. I had never had something like fried ravioli before, and that was so good. The corn dog was totally amazing. The chickun drum stix was delicious. I am hungry now thinking about all of this. Pretty much everything was good. I am sorry that I could not try every single food at the fair, but I did my share.

And despite or maybe partially because of the rain and the hail it was such an exciting day. It was one of my favorite days ever. My favorite part was when Andy Mars started singing really loudly in the middle of the street to raise people's spirits and get them to sing with him, "Let the Sun Shine In." Someone's grandmother even started dancing with him singing under the rain and hail. He brought sunshiney smiles to many peoples' faces.

What an amazing first Vegan Street Fair it was. I don't know if we can ever top it, but we sure can try. I can't wait until the second annual Vegan Street Fair.

Animal Testing Needs to Stop.

By Kelsey DepenhartPhoto by @cupofnat

I. Introduction

The small, shivering cat huddles against the corner of her tiny cage, trying to sleep but kept

awake by the ever-present pain in her head and body. She has been awake for 43 hours now,

undergoing experimental research.

The electrode tests, research on the effects of electrical impulses upon brain waves, require

electrodes to be strapped to her head and electrical shocks delivered straight to her brain. Sleep-

deprived and dazed with pain, she is barely conscious. She tries to moan with pain, but her vocal

cords have been cut so that her screams do not disturb the scientists.

All she can do is shake with fear and pain and hope it all ends soon. Fortunately for her, it will

— tomorrow the scientists are going to decapitate her and remove her brain to study the effects of

their experiment. (without feathers) Sadly, this is a true story.

Could you imagine this being your life purpose and job? Animal Welfare Act says animals

used in testing are allowed to be shocked, poisoned, starved, forcefully restrained, addicted to drugs,

and brain damaged. After the testing and experiment, the animal is either destroyed or recycled into

another experiment. Animal testing is unethical and ineffective.

II. It’s unethical.

Why do we say we love animals, yet we allow them to suffer and be torture? Peter Singer,

author of Animal Liberation, argues, whether animals are more or less valuable than humans, it does

not give us the excuse to inflict pain and suffering.

In 2010, in America, one hundred million animals were killed in biological lessons, medical

training, and testing/experiments. Before, many of these animals are forced to breathe in toxic fumes,

holes drilled into their skull, shocked multiple times, poisoned, parts of their skin burned off from

chemicals and so much more.

Can you imagine the pain they went through? Animals are treated like nothing more than

disposable laboratory equipment and that’s wrong. Not only do we cause animals to suffer, it is not

even for a good cause, it’s for convenience. Animal testing is ineffective and cruel.

III.Its ineffective

In Addition to being cruel to animals, animal testing is not safe for human beings. Taking a

perfectly healthy animal out of its natural habitat, putting them in a laboratory setting, and giving

them disease that are natural for mainly humans and expecting accurate results is asking for the

impossible. All this causes stress on the test animals and causing the results to be inaccurate. No

disease to any animal will be identical to the disease found in humans. ( Chandna) “Every major

medical advance is attributable to experiments on animals.”

Is something often said but not even close to true? Under published lists of achievements

under animal models falls far from short of representing ‘every major’ in the last century. (Ncbi) In

2004, the FDA release a report showing all drugs tested safe and effective on animals, 92 percent

were later found unsafe and/or ineffective on humans. (Chandna)

The percentage increase by two percent on cancer drugs. Vioxx, Phenacetin, E-Ferol, Oraflex,

Zomax, Suprol, Selacryn and many other drugs have had to be pulled from the market in recent years

because of adverse reactions suffered by people taking these drugs. (Peta) Despite rigorous animal

tests, prescription drugs kill 100,000 people each year, making them our nation’s fourth-biggest

killer. (Chandna). In the British Medical Journal titled

“Where Is the Evidence That Animal Research Benefits Humans?” little information was

concluded to support the idea that animal testing has helped humans. Most of our advanced in

medicine has been from human tests. One cannot accurately test on an animal and science has

improved to give us more options.

IV.other options

The most common question, is do you expect us to test on human? Many people understand testing

on animals is wrong but believe we have no other options. We have many options. Many forget that

we already do. Before a product is put on the shelf, it has to go through human trials where 92

percent of the time, the medicine is proved ineffective and unsafe. Most people in human trials are

the finically unstable and the unemployed. Animal testing does not exist because of its

effectiveness, it exists because of the ‘they persist because of experimenters’ personal biases and

archaic traditions’. In an article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association,

“patients and physicians should remain cautious about extrapolating the finding of prominent

animal research to the care of human disease … poor replication of even high-quality animal

studies should be expected by those who conduct clinical research.”

Many more effective options, nearly 50 to be exact, including volunteer human test trials (which

already exist), lab growth test/studies, 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Photo toxicity Test, Reduced Local

Lymph Node Assay, and piSkin™, EpiDerm™ and SkinEthic. (without feathers).

V.the conclusion

While science needs and deserves the right to research, at some point we need to draw a line.

Animal testing will never get enough results to justify the deaths of over hundred million animals a

year. In the end, we have to ask ourselves, is this truly worth it? I vote no, animal testing is

ineffective and unethical. Imagine a future where we can cure more diseases and have less side

effects. Animal testing is not the only option. Say no to animal testing.

Reference page

Animal research. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://nuffieldbioethics.org/report/animal-research-2/assessment-justification/http:

//nuffieldbioethics.org/report/animal-research-2/assessment-justification/

Chandna, A. (2006). Unsafe and ineffective. (396), 1-1. Retrieved November 28, 2014, from Expanded Academic ASAP

Daniel G. Hackam, M.D., and Donald A. Redelmeier, M.D., “Translation of Research Evidence From Animals to Human,” The Journal of the American Medical

Association 296 (2006): 1731-2.

Animal Testing Is Bad Science: Point/Counterpoint. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animal-testing-

bad-science/

Nuffield Council on Bioethics. The Ethics of Research Involving Animals 265. London: Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 2005. See http://www.nuffieldbioethics.

org/fileLibrary/pdf/RIA_Report_FINAL-opt.pdf

Why Animal Testing is Unethical: An Essay. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2014, from http://www.without-feathers.com/works/writing/prose/why-animal-testing-is-

unethical.php

Road To VeganBy Kelsey Depenhart

I remember days where I went hunting with my dad and certain meals I had as a child. I never once thought I would ever be vegan. When I thought the word “vegan”, I thought about hippy, tree hugging, crazy people.

When people think of the word “vegan”, they begin to argue, and all sudden, people I have hardly known became experts in Nutrition even when all major health organizations agree that veganism is healthy.

I can never get the bad things people say about vegans out of my head, but yet, I have never met one vegan that is exactly how they are stereotyped. I never saw myself going vegan, but here I was, watching the movie “food Inc.” in United States history because my teacher, Mr. Bladuff, wanted us to know where our food came from. My life became forever changed.

Vegan, is a term, used to describe a person against the exploitation of animal in anyway including use of animals as food, stealing their animal products, wearing their fur or skin, for your entertainment, and much more. It is the belief that we have evolved enough to live a sustainable and healthier life as a herbivore.

This was my story on how I went vegan from a family full of carnivores. The first thing that came to mind was what does it mean to be vegan? I remember all the violent, negative images of factory farms. I knew I could not go on eating animal products knowing I was supporting oppression and exploitation of animals, but was being vegan, healthy?

I often wondered. I began researching and researching veganism from every point of view, trying to learn if it was safe or not. Being as healthy as a horse becomes true once you start eating like one, a plant-based diet.

Probability of getting nearly any major disease dropped and on average, vegans tend to live 10-15 years longer, as long as they ate a well-balanced diet, than the average omnivore, but how does one eat a well-balanced vegan diet?

The first two weeks were crazy, I became a vegetarian, but I might as well of called myself a starvartarian. My diet was nothing but small salads and fake meat. I never imagine eating meals without meat and when I thought of a meatless meal, salads were the first item to come in mind.

Salads are great and nutritious but low in calories unless you slather it with unhealthy salad dressings or eat crazy amounts of it. This took me a few weeks to learn, but I have now mastered this.

A few tips I have for anyone on this lifestyle or interested in it, is eat what you know. For an example, pasta is delicious and easily can become a vegetarian or vegan meal in a heartbeat. I would skip the meat, add tomato sauce, sauté some delicious vegetables, and add cheese on top (when I went vegan, I replaced the cheese with nutritional yeast).

Something everyone should do is “eat the rainbow”, being vegan/vegetarian is easy, you could eat Oreos and coke all day long as a vegan, but if you do not eat some colorful vegetables then you might as well eat McDonalds for every meal ; it is just unhealthy.

The body needs vitamins and proteins, which can be found in all plants, eating a wide variety of plants, will ensure a healthy lifestyle. Buying convenience foods can be hard if you do not know the name of ingredients filled with animal’s products but there are many apps to help with this until one learns, my favorite app is called “Is it vegan”. Eating at home became easy, but eating out with friends and family was completely different.

Eating out was a completely different experience. What was barbeques without hot dogs or hamburgers or going out to restaurants and ordering a meat and cheese filled meal? How could I go camping without making s’mores or my father’s favorite meal “hobo beef stew”? What is Thanksgiving at my grandma’s without the turkey or Christmas at my Aunt Thuy’s house with roast beef? Boy, was my life about to change, not only diet wise but now socially. Eating at home was simple because I knew what we had but when I was going out, I never knew what to expect.

This troubled me at first but now is second nature to me. Trying to stay social and maintain being vegan seems difficult, but before long, I was able to master this too. The thing I hated and the worst thing to say to a vegetarian or vegan is “Let’s go to (name a restaurant), they have salads”. Most vegetarians and vegans do not want a salad for a meal. We are not starvarians; we love to eat like normal people.

Salads are great to add nutrition to the meal but my best advice is to not make it the whole meal. Most restaurants or chefs would not mind cooking a special vegan or vegetarian meal or taking a few of your favorite sides and making a meal out of them.

How to eat out as a vegetarian and vegan is very simple even if the restaurant does not seem to have a vegetarian or vegan meal listed, pastas are always the easiest. Pick the right pasta, change the sauce, and ask them to throw extra vegetables. Pizza is usually vegan if you order veggie lovers thin crust pizza with no cheese. Coffee being a huge part of almost everyone’s day, can easily be made, vegan.

My favorite drink is a green tea latte with soy milk or a salted caramel mocha with soy milk and no whipped cream. Replacing milk with soy or almond milk then taking out anything with milk such as whipped cream. Many apps and websites can tell you the vegan/vegetarian menu at any restaurant. Going to family’s houses for meal was hard at first but now I bring my own meals and share with the family; they love them. Veganism is more than just a diet; it is a way of living.

Being vegan meant switching to a cruelty-free lifestyle, I was startled by the amount of animals products we have in our everyday life. On top of having animal products, I had to make sure most of the items were cruel-free, which means no animal testing involved in the making the product. Testing on animals is a huge thing I am against since 9 out of 10 times, something that works on animals do not work on us. It seems like a waste of lives when we have many efficient ways of testing. Vegans do not believe that the animals are ours to own.

They are their own living being, and no one should own them. I went through all of my clothes but luckily, I did not own any wool sweater or real leather product beside one pair of boots. I was very sad to give it up, but I knew I would feel fake and uncompassionate wearing items like that. I donated my makeup to my little sister and brought all cruelty-free makeup. Always do your research, just because it is cruel free, does not mean the company uses all vegan ingredients. I buy my makeup from a drug store company named E.L.F. The best tip is research and reading the ingredients.

Always remember no one is perfect, in the society we live today, its nearly impossible to go completely cruelty free but doing your best to eliminate as much cruelty as possible is what being vegan is all about. Going vegan, for me, has been a huge change, but my only regret is not doing this sooner. I realized a lot about the world, and I will fight until the day I die for animals.

Not only is it healthier and compassionate diet, but also it is a beautiful lifestyle, full of beautiful people. I hoped to write this to show that, even though, this lifestyle is out of the “norm”, it does not mean it is impossible. A lot of changes have to be made to be a vegan, but it is worth it for me. I understand that this lifestyle may seem hard and impossible at first, but follow my tips, and you too can stand up for the animals and your health.

By Savannah Hayes

Hippie or Hipster?

There are stereotypes for everything, especially in today’s society where we are practically brought up to judge people thanks to media. Maybe though, if you look a little more closely at the two biggest in the vegan community, you can decide for yourself where you fit in. Maybe you’re not even on the spectrum, but rather your own unique sort of person. That’s perfectly fine too, but take a moment to think over your organic tea or soy mochaccino (no whip) and enjoy my thoughts on these two opposing attitudes.

According to the top definition, on UrbanDictionary.com, a hippie (or hippy) is “someone who has a bright outlook on life and cares about the world instead of trying to ruin it. They are often a member of groups such as Greenpeace and anti-war groups that care about the environment.” Other definitions include descriptions of drug-taking, long haired, Bob Marley enthusiasts; the classic stereotype.

The top definition for hipster is “a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.” The lengthy definition on Urban Dictionary also claims that hipsters shun the typical mainstream culture, while still purchasing Apple products like a group of iZombies (read: a slang term used to describe people who obsess over Apple products and flock to their stores like flesh-hungry zombies).

Personally, I have gone to more than one festival with only a bathing suit and shorts with my long hair down and free after an afternoon swim. Also that fact that I’m vegan and care so much about the earth that I had left my shoes at home to be able to feel the grass beneath my feet makes me sound pretty hippie-like.

I have given strangers dirty looks over litter they’ve left on the ground and scolded my own parents for rubbing a cigarette into the pavement of the grocery store parking lot. It’s not every day that I get to make a difference, but those moments where I make sure to defend the earth that I live on and love are very much important to me. I stand up for the underdog, as many vegans do.

In another aspect of my life, I always prefer venturing into the tiniest stores I can find; bonus points if it’s crammed in a dark alley-way that only the locals know about. Finding these hidden gems are definitely something that’s not always mainstream. Who wants to explore a dirty exposed brick shop with only products imported from places you can’t read the names of? Oh right, hipsters.

That’s because these places and things aren’t something that everyone else has. It’s unique. It also adds a little uniqueness to you and really, isn’t that what we’re all looking for? Being a little more unique than the next guy is what really makes a hipster in my opinion.

Sometimes enjoying a song by a lone singer-songwriter no one else knows about also makes me feel unique, but in a different way. Finding music that few people know about is a way that makes me feel connected because it’s not part of the great big world just yet. It’s small and personal, and only a handful of people are enjoying it and loving it the way I do.

Only we share that connection through that one artist. Maybe that’s why the stereotypical hipster takes pride in saying that they’re listening to “someone you’ve never heard of.” It’s that unique feeling of connectedness and uniqueness you can only understand if you know a song before it becomes popular.

In the end, maybe we’re all a little bit of both hippie and hipster in our own ways. I love helping the world and doing what I can to feel connected to it. In the current society of busy lives and the glorification of work, having a connection to Mother Nature isn’t easy to come by and is even harder to foster.

It’s also not always the most exciting thing to look around for stores you can’t find on a map or artists you’ll probably never see in concert. With words like networking and connection hovering over our heads at all times of the day, maybe it really means something just a little deeper. As for that, I’ll let you decide.

PoemsCompiled by Isabella Strother

Nothing Gold Can Stay, Robert

Frost (my favourite poem of all time)

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leafs a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

A Light Exists In Spring,

By Emily Dickinson

A Light exists in Spring

Not present on the Year

At any other period --

When March is scarcely here

A Color stands abroad

On Solitary Fields

That Science cannot overtake

But Human Nature feels.

It waits upon the Lawn,

It shows the furthest Tree

Upon the furthest Slope you know

It almost speaks to you.

Then as Horizons step

Or Noons report away

Without the Formula of sound

It passes and we stay --

A quality of loss

Affecting our Content

As Trade had suddenly encroached

Upon a Sacrament.

"The Ad-dressing of Cats":

You now have learned enough to see

That Cats are much like you and me

And other people whom we find

Possessed of various types of mind.

For some are sane and some are mad

And some are good and some are bad. . .

(11. 5-10) T.S Elliot

Straight Edge and Vegan

Influences in Vans Warped

Tour

By Riane Human

Vans Warped Tour is one of the most popular

alternative music festivals. More than a quarter

million tickets are sold. Attendance has consistently

hovered at around 15,000 people each year. Some

unlikely celebrities were also in attendance, such as

Beck, Katy Perry, Kid Rock, Eminem, No Doubt, and

more. A large stereotype about Warped Tour is that

the festival isn’t environmentally conscious. To great

surprise, organizers go to great lengths to lessen

the tour’s environmental impact, from using biodiesel trucks and some solar-powered stages, to

even eco-friendly food choices. The festival does other good as well, such as donating to

charities in each city.

There are a large quantity of vendors, of which includes many vegan and straightedge lifestyle

promoters, such as peta2, Action for Animals, and truth®. On top of that, there are also several

vegan and straight edge band members. Pierce the Veil is a mexicore band that started in 2006.

The lead singer, Vic Fuentes, his brother, Mike Fuentes, as well as Tony Perry and Jaime

Preciado, have all been influencing the youth of today. But Tony Perry has left a different

impact, as he is a vegan.

The band has also made videos for peta, telling them their

love for animals. NeverShoutNever is an American indie

rock band, consisting of Christofer Drew, Hayden Kaiser,

Taylor MacFee, and Ian Crawford. The lead singer,

Christofer, happens to be a vegetarian. Another band that has

been influencing the youth in a different way is Miss May I.

Formed in 2007, Miss May I is an American melodic metalcore band from Ohio, with members Justin Aufdemkampe, Levi Benton, Jerod Boyd, Ryan Neff, and B.J. Stead. Levi, the unclean vocalist, is a vegetarian and speaks for peta by saying to never buy animals from pet stores or breeders.

Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire also supports peta by agreeing to not buy pets from pet stores.

Asking Alexandria, Metro Station (both going this year), Chiodos, Arch Enemy and many others have spoken for peta.

These are just a few of the bands playing at the 2015 Vans Warped Tour that are vegan/vegetarian.

A well-known band, Bring Me The Horizon, that last played at the tour in 2013, consisting of Oliver Sykes, Matt Nichols, Matt Kean, Lee Malia, and Jordan Fischer are a British metalcore band formed in 2003. The lead singer Oliver Sykes, his fiancé Hannah Snowdon, bass guitarist Matt Kean, and ex-guitarist and clean vocalist Jona Weinhofen are all vegans.

SXE bands are also influential. The band blessthefall, consisting of the members Jared Warth, Matt Traynor, Eric Lambert, Beau Bokan, Elliott Gruenberg, is an American metalcore band from Phoenix formed in 2003. Beau Bokan, the clean vocalist and keyboardist has a practicing straight edge lifestyle. In an interview, he is quoted for saying, “People know that I’m straight edge and I’m a Christian, and if they want to come talk to me about it after a show, that’s fine. I just don’t think preaching about something like that always gets your point across because that alienates people and they can’t ask you questions from the crowd.”

He is also quoted from his Facebook page, “I'm straight edge for myself and myself only. I don't do drugs,drink or smoke because i want to better myself as a person. It is a PERSONAL belief i have. I don't care if you choose to or not. I don't hate anyone who chooses a different lifestyle. My band mates drink and i love them just the same. I would never judge them or ANYONE for their own decisions.”

Another influential SXE band is August Burns Red. Formed in 2003, JB Brubaker, Brent Rambler, Matt Greiner, Jake Luhrs and Dustin Davidson are an American metalcore band from Pennsylvania.

Vans Warped Tour wouldn’t be as successful if it weren’t for its sponsors. Action for Animals, a sponsor, is an educational organization that works to promote positive change in the ways people view and treat animals. “AFA promotes a vegan diet and lifestyle—not using animals for food, clothing, entertainment, research, trade, or any other objectifying purpose—and vegan activism as the best way to take action for animals.”

Another animal rights sponsor of the festival is peta2.

Lastly, Truth®, an anti-tobacco company, is another lovely sponsor of Vans Warped Tour. Truth® is “an unstoppable force of smokers and non-smokers banding together to end smoking for good.” You can visit their website (thetruth.org/facts) to see facts about using tobacco products.

Sources:

Riemenschneider, Chris. "10 Straight Facts on the Warped Tour." Star Tribune | Music. Star Tribune, 19 July

2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/216038101.html>.

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