On the Web: Here Little Birdie...

I. Love. Birds. I love watching them in the wild, learning their calls, looking at pictures, and hearing about bird encounters. I find such simple pleasure just closing my eyes and listening to the bird cacophony around my home, identifying those I know and appreciating those I don't. Just outside my window, I have created a mini feeding station among some pine trees where my kitty and I can watch for hours. Yesterday, within the span of an hour, I had eight different types of birds visit! :) It makes me so happy to have given these visitors a safe place to eat and mate and drink. It's a source of much joy.

For birdwatching on the Web, there are some incredible sites out there for bird and nature lovers. Here are my go-to sites for getting a birdy fix.


Websites and Facebook Pages:

"All About Birds": Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Warblers Call

WeLoveBirds.org

Outside My Window: WQED Bird Blog

Birds & Blooms Magazine


Favorite Live Cams:

Phoebe, a Hummingbird Nest Cam

Bald Eagle Nest

Falcon Cam in Pittsburgh

Great Blue Heron Nest


DIY Birding:

Make Your Own Feeders

Bird Photography Tips

Tips for a Bird-Friendly Backyard

Best Backyard Bird-Feeding Practices


Get Involved:

Pennsylvania eBird

Participate in NestWatch

Great Backyard Bird Count

Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat

Tips for Earth Month and My New Upcycled Fabric Acessories!

April is not only Earth Day, but Earth Month, a great time to learn more about how to live a life that is kinder to the planet and minimizes our consumption of resources and impact on the environment.

Choosing to DIY is a terrific way to reduce personal impact. Make your own whenever possible! :) A little resourcefulness and research will allow you to create your own unique version of pretty much anything, and doing so reduces consumption from manufacturing and waste through using recycled, repurposed, upcycled, or reclaimed materials! Do-it-yourself when designing, creating, building, and crafting!

This leads me to talk up my latest creations on the handmade front. I've been spending time designing cuff bracelets using lovely old buttons and pieces, scraps, and remnants of vintage & antique fabrics, laces and trim, and ribbons. Old feed sack, pieces of crazy quilt, dress remnants, old linens, scraps of lace and trim- all of it is lots of fun to create with. It's been fun to dig into the collection of pretty lace and linens I've been building. Vintage pretties are a huge weakness.

Here's a photo with some examples. Come and see more this Saturday, April 30th, at my table at Mt Lebanon's Earth Day Celebration!




Here are a few other tips I personally use to live sustainably. We have reduced our household waste to one kitchen trash bag per week since adopting some of these practices!

Choose just one or two to start with, or a few that make the most sense to you. And although making them a regular habit is best, doing them just whenever when you can is still awesome!

* Recycle everything!
Recycle everything possible in your area: glass & plastic, aluminum and tin, corrugated cardboard, paper board, newspaper, office paper, magazines, junk mail, phone books, electronics, batteries, cork, ink cartridges (most office supply stores), and more. Not every area has curbside recycling, and curbside recycling doesn't always pick up all of these things. But most areas have recycling centers where much of the above can be taken. Earth 911 is an excellent website that allows you to find your local recycling center and look up where to recycle anything you can imagine. Also, be sure to purchase products only in containers that are recyclable in your region.

* Compost.
Composting reduces solid waste being added to landfills and sent to incinerators & makes that waste a useful product while rebuilding the soil and enriching the earth, our gardens, and landscapes. Create compost from yard trimmings and household food waste (plant-based only). There are loads of how-to guides out there. :)

* Reuse shipping supplies.
Save bubble wrap, boxes, and envelopes from your own packages to send your new mail, both personal and business. Remove or cover old postage and postal markings and tape or stick on a new label. Cover any commercial markings on cardboard boxes. Use brown paper bags inside out to wrap boxes or black out writing. Make your own boxes with old cereal boxes!

* Purchase groceries with very little or no packaging.
When buying food, go for as little packaging and wrapping as possible. Buy fresh produce singly rather than in pre-wrapped multiples. Buy the largest container of an item that you can carry and afford, such as the jumbo-size laundry detergent rather than the smaller bottles. Buy in bulk at local grocery stores (may take some research to find one), and if possible, take your own recycled and reusable containers in which to carry the bulk items.

* When possible, walk, bike, or use public transportation instead of driving.
Bike to work, take the bus to an appointment, walk to the movies or the grocery store. Besides reducing energy consumption, walking and biking are great exercise!

* Garbage responsibly.
Many things we throw away can be harmful to wildlife or the environment. Use care when throwing away to minimize danger to animals, and make sure chemicals and other potentially hazardous household waste items are taken to proper sites for discarding.

* Eat organic and local.
There are countless reasons to choose organic and local as often as possible. The Eat Well Guide offers a great resource for finding sustainable food sources near you.

* Go veg!
Going vegan is one of the most important and influential actions a person can take to reduce their impact on the planet. Going vegetarian also has an enormous positive effect on the environment. Eating a meatless, plant-based diet even one meal or day per week can reduce environmental degradation in countless ways. Read about why going vegetarian is the easiest and quickest way to lower your carbon footprint, reduce pollution, and save energy and water. And see why the United Nations report agrees.

* Grow an organic garden.
Commercial farming creates large amounts of industrial pollution, and non-organic farming degrades the soil, water supply, and land. According to eHow Home, growing your own food reduces pollution, adds biodiversity and improves air quality, and is more nutritious! Making your garden organic makes food safer and healthier for humans and other living beings and the planet.

* Pick up litter.
If you go for walks, take along a bag and a pair of puncture- and water-resistant gloves to pick up recyclables and trash you pass along the way. Make the environment safer and prettier!

* Use a dishwasher.
According to Treehugger, using dishwasher uses only half the energy and one-sixth of the water than does hand washing dishes, and also uses less soap. Using the "light" cycle uses even less water, and letting dishes air dry rather than heat dry uses less energy. Also try to wait until the dishwasher is full before running a cycle to wash less often.

* Use cold water for laundry and dishes.
Both use less energy then using hot water, which requires heating. Line drying over using a dryer when washing clothes is another way to use less energy.

* Give away or repurpose unwanted possessions rather than tossing them.
Reduce landfill waste, consume less, and lessen the environmental impact of manufacturing new goods. Instead of throwing away what you no longer want or need, donate to charity thrift stores, give away items on Freecycle.com, sell used belongings in your local paper or on craigslist, or find a friend or family member who may want what you don't.

Vegan Out Loud: Making the Transition to Vegan (or Vegetarian) Easy

I've been vegan for over 11 years now, and it's an ever-evolving process. Having talked to plenty of newer vegans and vegetarians or those thinking about making the switch, folks who express having a hard time with the process express many of the same concerns/issues. Here are a few happy tips to make the journey a little easier, based on my own experiences. :)

I. Make it a fun culinary adventure.

Lots of times new vegans/veggies simply cut out foods that aren’t vegan/veg-friendly without finding nutritious subs, or they view being vegan/veg as ‘cutting out’ foods rather than opening themselves up to a whole new world of culinary delights. There are bunches of ideas that can help it feel like an adventure instead of a sentence!

Take your time to find healthy replacements for the foods you are choosing not to eat. Be open-minded and experiment. Variety is key- the most well-rounded diet is one that incorporates lots of whole foods and lots of color! Making sure to eat all sorts of different foods is a great way to get all your nutrients. Try different brands/types of cheese/milk/protein substitutes sold in stores before deciding it all sucks. Ask other veggies about brands/products to try. Buy/borrow cookbooks and be adventurous. Set the goal to try one new food every week. Find delicious replacements for your favorite non-vegan/veg dishes. Have fun with vegan baking (including finding healthful ways to reduce fat and sugar without sacrificing taste and texture). Make eating exciting by trying new foods, new markets, and new restaurants that are a good fit for your veg lifestyle.

I find it really helpful to a) to stock up on frozen/processed food options for whenever I don’t feel up to or have the time for cooking; b) find a small collection of easy vegan/veg recipe favorites that I use again and again; and c) making larger amounts of favorite recipes and freezing some for meals in a pinch. Sticking with what works is always good advice.

Two of my favorite cookbooks in the fab Vegan With a Vengeance series by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Also check out her site, PPK!

III. Becoming vegan/veg doesn't have to happen overnight. Take it Slow.

Making the switch to being vegetarian or to being vegan doesn't have to be cut and dry or cold turkey, which can be hugely overwhelming to the point of making it seem impossible! Start by reducing/eliminating one non-vegan/veg food a week or month, perhaps. Or start by eating one all-vegan/veg meal a day/week and move toward two and then three and then all, over time. Making small goals makes the switch feel manageable, and accomplishing each little goal is encouraging and empowering, keeping us moving toward the larger goal!

Be patient with yourselves! I promise eating veg will become second nature and you won't think about how to eat healthy at all after a while. In the meantime, give yourself time to adjust. Some people feel energetic and inspired and awesome when they first make the switch. Some feel sluggish or get stomach/digestive issues, or get discouraged because they don't feel amazing right away or it's not as easy as they'd expected. Usually all it takes it is some playing around with foods and nutrients (i.e., more or less protein or carbs, different amounts of soy or sugar or wheat) or getting used to suddenly eating lots more fiber. :P ;)

I also suggest these same steps if you are trying to make broader lifestyle changes in becoming vegan/veg, like not wearing animal fibers/leather in clothing or eliminating use of products that tested on animal. Take your time. Make small changes. Take baby steps. Allow each change to take hold and settle before adding another.

IV. Educate yourself.

Success really is more likely when starting the journey loaded with knowledge, prepared for challenges, and with eyes wide open. Do your research, and take notes on things like what a well-balanced vegan/veg diet looks like, common challenges you may encounter, and tips on making the transition easier. Learn about all the reasons people have for going veg. Read. Read more. And keep reading (check out the resources on the EtsyVeg and Vegan Etsy blogs). Subscribe to magazines or newsletters that keep being vegan/veg relevant and new (my favorite is VegNews).

Joining up with other vegans/vegetarians is a super way to find support, ideas, and guidance. Even after being vegan for 11 years, I continue to learn so much from other veggies- there's so much knowledge and wisdom that we collectively have to share. Connect with local or online groups that provide resources and info to support a healthy vegan lifestyle. Find a community, whether virtual (check out this one) or locally, that supports one another on the vegan journey. Be open with your struggles- chances are very likely that someone else has been there or has known someone who has. Ask questions. Ask more questions. Stop by local natural foods stores or co-ops and browse their book selection, peruse food options and supplements, and use employees as a resource. And keep reading. And keep asking questions. And keep reaching out.

I. Let go of the "Shoulds".

You will likely hear lots of them along the way. Vegans/vegetarians shouldn't eat this/wear that/use this/say that/do this/be that way. Those voices are hard to get rid of sometimes, but try to let them go and find your own answers. Using another person's standards for whether or not you are "measuring up" to being a *true* vegan (whatever that is) is a sure way to sabotage your own accomplishments, your own voice, your heart and what you find meaningful, and finding your own identity as a vegan/vegetarian. Likewise, being another persons "should"er is not helpful to either of you.

Don't judge yourself. Going vegan/vegetarian doesn't have to be forever if you don't feel healthy or "right" after you've had some time to adjust. Having a 'slip' and indulging in something with eggs or dairy doesn't make you a 'bad vegan'. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing.

Veganism/vegetarianism is a different journey for everyone. We each fall along a spectrum of lifestyle choices and have a unique and complex set of reasons for traveling on the path. And that often changes as time goes on and life unfolds. Along the way, especially when meeting others on the path, you're bound to encounter a bazillion judgments about what being vegan/veg should/shouldn't look like and be about. Those judgments are not helpful, and have a tendency to create inside of us all sorts of pressures and "shoulds" and "should nots" about our own vegan/veg journey, including a harsh inner critic. This can be a controversial view, but forget about what others are saying that living a vegan/veg lifestyle is and is not, and find within your Self what it means for *you*.

V. Return to whatever motivated you to become vegan in the first place.

Stay in touch with the reasons you became/are becoming vegan/vegetarian to stay focused. Whether it's for health, weight maintenance, ethics, spiritual or religious reasons, compassion for animals and the planet, or any combination of these, connecting again and again with that motivation is a great way to refocus, re-energize, and re-center to make the path ahead a little easier. Get active with an animal or health- related veg cause in some capacity, whether online or local; follow the blogs and websites of like-minded individuals and organizations; and check out animal rights and veg websites for links to articles and other resources.

For me, staying focused means doing things like staying informed about animal rights and the negative impact non-veg lifestyles perpetuate on the environment. A friend of mine keeps a picture of a sweet baby cow with her to look at when she feels tempted to indulge in ice cream at her favorite shop. Reflecting on the enormous positive impact being vegan/veg has on oneself, the planet, etc. makes the difficulties seem more surmountable. It's so worth it! And it gets easier all the time... :)


Note: Another difficulty mentioned about the switch to being veg is the notion that it's more expensive than eating a non-veg diet. Check out this great little article on eating Vegan on the Cheap on the Hungry Hungry Veganos blog!