Fracking?

January 27, 2015

By Violet's Vegan Comics

For the story so far, click here

“They create a mixture of mostly fresh water with sand and nasty chemicals added. Then they inject this fluid at very high pressure, into a gas well, thousands of feet deep into the ground. Now forget the chemicals for a minute and just picture the fact that they use about 40,000 gallons of water every time they do this! And each well can be fracked 18 times. What a criminal waste of water! Anyway, the fluid is going down the pipe at such pressure that when it reaches the end of the well and hits the shale rock down there, it fractures it, making lots of tiny cracks, kept open with the grains of sand in the fluid, and the natural gas – that is methane – leaks out of these cracks into the well. So that’s how they get the gas.”

“What makes this business really horrifying is that during the process some of the toxic chemicals – and they use hundreds of different nasties in there, like lead, uranium, radium, mercury, hydrochloric acid, the list goes on and on – and the methane gas leach out from the system and contaminate the ground water. And the ground water is where our drinking water comes from. They are threatening the health and survival of everyone! In America they have found that drinking water wells near fracturing sites have 17 times higher concentration of methane in them than normal and some people have even been able to light their taps on fire because of the high level of gas in their water. Many others have become seriously ill from drinking it.”

To be continued …

*****

Information from Dangers of Fracking and Food and Water Watch

Fracking infographic adapted from one found at levellers.org

Didn’t I tell you?

January 26, 2015

By Violet's Vegan Comics

For the story so far, click here

To be continued …

I’ve got a bamboo toothbrush

September 24, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

I’ve got a bamboo toothbrush,

It’s the best one you can own.

It’s not as good as mine though,

Mine is red and yours is brown

****

Yours is red because it’s plastic,

You know plastic isn’t good.

It is good coz it’s shiny.

Yours is dull, it’s made of wood.

****

Toothbrushes by the millions

Are thrown away each year,

And because they don’t rot naturally,

Lifetimes later they’re still here.

****

Well at least my plastic toothbrush

Won’t make forests get the chop.

Your wood one’s killing all the trees,

You shouldn’t kill trees, so stop!

****

No, bamboo is not like other trees,

Because it grows so fast.

They’re always planting new ones

So their supply will always last.

****

And when my toothbrush is old and useless,

When I have to throw it out,

The natural fibre it’s made from

Will safely, quickly rot.

Would you like a bamboo toothbrush?

Look here

and here

and here

and here

Or maybe they sell them at your local health food store? 🙂

Javier Culotte loved to wear shoes.

September 23, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Javier Culotte loved to wear shoes,

He liked them in reds and he loved them in blues.

He sometimes wore tall ones, sometimes they were flat,

But none of them were leather, he made sure of that.

***

“Leather is not natural,” said Javier Culotte,

“It’s been tanned with dangerous chemicals.

The tanning makes sure the skin won’t rot,

So it’s not even bio-degradable.”

***

“The stink and the waste and the toxins from tanning,

Are not pleasant things to live by.

So most of it’s done a long way away,

In poor developing countries.”

***

“They use arsenic and cadmium, chromium and lead,

Mercury, nickel and cobalt.

They use copper and zinc, formaldehyde, nuf said,

Bad for feet, bad for health, bad by default.”

***

“These metals and dyes and organic compounds,

Are present in the leather.

They leak and may poison the skin of the wearer,

Through contact, through sweat, through blister.”

***

“It’s bad for the wearer and bad for the tanner,

And it’s carcinogenic to boot.

When dumped it poisons the Earth and ground water

So wearing it’s not too astute.”

***

“Whatever you want there’s no need for concern,

Vegan footwear has come a long way.

It has the style and function and quality you yearn,

For everything you need day to day.”

Bikers and workers who shun leather gear

Opt for armoured, steel toe-capped synthetics.

They feel safe in their weather-proof, hi-viz gear

Made from quality, long-lasting fabrics.

***

Javier Culotte loved to wear shoes,

He liked them in reds and he loved them in blues.

He sometimes wore tall ones, sometimes they were flat,

But none of them were leather, he made sure of that.

****

Sources:

http://www.inspirationgreen.com/toxins-in-leather-shoes.html

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/leather-industry/leather-environmental-hazards/

Vegan shoes:

http://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/

http://www.beyondskin.co.uk/

http://wills-vegan-shoes.com/

http://www.ethicalwares.com/

http://www.freerangers.co.uk/

http://www.mooshoes.com/

http://www.veganchic.com/

Vegan Motorcyclist:

http://www.bebenroth.com/vegan%20motorcyclist/motorcyclist.html

http://www.peta.org/living/fashion/cruelty-free-gear-vegan-motorcyclist/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vegan-Motorcyclists/129648463741351

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky

September 5, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

This book is absolutely beautiful.

Treat yourself to a copy or borrow it from the library – that’s where we found it 🙂

The Folly of Expert Opinions

August 19, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

There was a time, long long ago

When they thought the world was flat.

They worried if they sailed the seas

They’d fall off the end of that.

In centuries past, in primitive times,

They demonized herbal healers.

They’d label such gifted folk a witch.

Fear and ignorance led to murders.

1908, the Siberian tundra

Was struck by a freak fireball.

Theories abound, though no cause has been found.

Was it meteorite or black-hole?

10,000 crop circles in various forms

Have appeared since ’72

Caused by UFOs, wind or rabbits or hoax?

Who knows who knows? Do you?

And now here we are, Twenty-Fourteen,

A much more enlightened era.

The experts tell us as the ice starts to melt,

That we should try to live more greener.

Thoughtful, conscientious, sensible types

Recycle their plastic and drive less.

They walk or take the bus to work;

Use low wattage bulbs; try to redress.

But in 06 The United Nations

Found that animal farming’s the trouble,

Causing land degradation and water pollution,

Gas with high global warming potential.

The experts gathered and consulted and planned

What to do to solve the problem

Of global warming, pollution, disease

Caused by human animal-consumption.

“Urgent action is required,” they said,

“To remedy the situation.”

We need cows that don’t fart, recyclable manure,

And more efficient irrigation!

“Thank goodness for experts!” the populace cries,

“What would we do without them?

When scientists develop unflatulent cows

That will solve the global warming problem.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier,” a schoolboy asked

“To solve that long list of crises

By giving up meat and dairy and leather

And planting more veggies and fruit trees?”

“The experts would tell us,” his teacher replied,

“If there was anything we could do in a hurry.

There’s no need to resort to radical extremes,

Just recycle what you can and don’t worry.”

****

Click here to look at the report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Be aware, you might do a double take when you read that their proposed solutions to the problem are as indicated in the poem. See Remedies including “Improving animals’ diets to reduce enteric fermentation and consequent methane emissions”

Keep it green!

August 13, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

A Walk With Alfred

August 12, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

****

If you’d like to go for walks in your area, the following are some sites that could point you in the right direction:

The Ramblers Association

and here you’ll find more information about why walking is good for your health:

The Benefits of Walking pdf

and here is detailed information about getting enough vitamin D

The Vitamin D Council

Wild Flower Appreciation with Babs

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Why don’t you see what types of wild flowers are in your area?

It would help if you had a field guide like this one, which you could probably borrow from your local library or, if you're lucky, you might be able to get one cheap at a charity shop.

It would help if you had a field guide like this one, which you could probably borrow from your local library or, if you’re lucky, you might be able to get one cheap at a charity shop.

****

Pictures by Miranda, Words by Violet 🙂

Halfway there

By Violet's Vegan Comics

For the story so far, click here

To be continued ….

Warming up

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Look here for the story so far.

To be continued …

Hazel and the Honey Bee – the story continues ….

By Violet's Vegan Comics

The story so far: Hazel and the Honey Bee

To be continued …

Look at this can

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Look at this can, and picture if you can

What it would do to Peter Rabbit’s paw.

It’s as sharp as a knife, it would cut like a knife,

And cause bad infection for sure.

This is how it goes, when someone just throws

Their drink can on the ground.

Inevitably it must, succumb to the rust,

Get dangerously jagged and unsound.

Now think of this, just think of this –

What if Mrs Tiggywinkle walked over?

What if she trod, right over the sod

Where this can was hidden in the clover?

Or Tabitha Twitchit, perhaps Mrs Twitchit,

Might be walking her youngsters to school.

Moppet and Mittens, and Tom, her kittens

Could, on this can, cut their feet cruel.

“Oh I wish,” they would say, at the end of the day,

“That the can had never been left there.”

Their feet would sting, as infection set in,

“But humans who litter just don’t care.”

No Fracking!

By Violet's Vegan Comics

$anti fracking$

This morning, just before the Queen’s Speech, Greenpeace activists arrived at David Cameron’s very own home and set up a fracking site.

David Cameron today used the Queen’s Speech to launch his plan to change the law. He wants to rob us of our right to stop fracking firms drilling under our homes.

To do it, he’ll have to get the majority of MPs to vote for the plan. But lots of MPs are already unsure about fracking, especially in their own constituencies.

We’ve launched an emergency petition to MPs. If they hear from thousands of their voters that we want them to vote against David Cameron’s plan, they will start to understand what a backlash they could face.

See HERE for info about fracking. It scares the hell out of me!

Click HERE to sign the petition. Before it’s too late. Thank you.

Don’t kill the world

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Look what I’ve found!

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Remember when we had a go at growing our own apple trees from seed? (They’re still going strong by the way). Well, I’ve just come across this brilliant site which shows you, step by step, how to grow all sorts of different trees from seeds you’ve collected yourself!

I can’t wait to have a go!

It just makes you want to plant stuff!

A wake up call from Megan & Flos

By Violet's Vegan Comics

ethical consumption

Click the pic for more info

Click here because your food choices could change the world

The Wombles – Rubbish Collectors & Recyclers Extraordinaire!

February 25, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Forest Gardening

February 21, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_gardening CLICK THE PIC!

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_gardening

I have a mini-forest in my back garden. It represents a pioneer experiment in restoring a tiny segment of the primeval Long Forest, which once covered a wide area of the Shropshire Hills bioregion. Like the natural forest, it comprises a wide diversity of plants, occupying seven levels or ‘storeys’, but, unlike the natural forest, almost all its plants have been carefully chosen to meet human needs. It is, in fact, an attempt to create a model life-support system, which would enable a family or small community to achieve a considerable degree of self-sufficiency in basic necessities throughout the year, while enjoying health-giving exercise in a beautiful, unpolluted and stimulating environment. – Robert A de J Hart

Those who are concerned with the full implications of the ecological crisis which we now face generally agree that urgent steps should be taken to plant many millions of trees. …. It occurred to me that there was no reason why many of the desperately needed new trees should not be fruit-trees planted by the owners of town and suburban gardens, who would gain the bonus of growing nourishing food. If one could persuade 100 000 Londoners to plant just ten fruit-trees each, that would be a million trees – quite a forest!

That’s a great idea Robert! We don’t have a garden of our own, or any prospect of acquiring one, but we still want to join in! So we’ll just plant them in public places, places where we’ll be able to keep coming back to nurture our trees, and eventually to gather fruit from them, as will anyone else who wants to. 🙂

Puddlesplashers

February 16, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Wetsox Puddlesplasher,

That is my name.

My job is important

But it feels like a game.

***

We clamber through ditches,

And sink in the mud.

We jump down from earth mounds

And land with a thud.

***

Soggybottom Puddlesplasher,

My close relation,

Is my partner at work,

This mucky vocation.

***

***

***

But that is no matter,

There’s no turning back.

We have to keep going,

And fill our sack,

With bottles and cans,

Some broken, some shredded,

That were dropped by the stupid,

The thoughtless, wrong-headed.

***

These everyday things,

Used once and tossed out,

Are dangerous now,

To the others about

Their business as usual,

Living their lives.

They step on a shredded can,

That cuts like knives.

They eat plastic pieces

Or cigarette butts,

Which hurt them as much,

As the broken glass cuts.

***

So our job is important

And we’ll always stay

Proud Puddlesplashers,

Day after day.

Here we go again

February 14, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Take the Plastic Pollution Coalition Pledge today and resolve to refuse disposable plastic!

Here We Go Round The Shopping Mall

February 13, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

vegan nursery rhymes

All together now:

Here we go round the shopping mall,

The shopping mall, the shopping mall,

Here we go round the shopping mall

On a dirty, dusty morning.

***

This is the way we’re kicked about,

Knocked about, blown about,

This is the way we get about

On a cold and windy morning.

***

This is the way we go for a swim,

How we slip in, how we drop in,

This is the way we go for a swim

On a bright and blustery morning.

***

This is the way we float down stream,

We float down stream, we float down stream,

This is the way we float down stream

On a hot and sunny morning.

***

This is the way we go to sea,

We go to sea, we go to sea,

This is the way we go to sea

On a calm and cloudy morning.

***

This is the way we poison the life,

Strangle the life, entangle the life,

This is the way we choke the life

Out of each and every ocean.

***

Here we go round the ocean gyres,

The ocean gyres, the ocean gyres,

Here we go round the ocean gyres

For a hundred thousand mornings.

***

vegan nursery rhyme

Old MacDonald had a farm …

February 8, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Old MacDonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm he had no animals,

E-I-E-I-O

With a crop field here and a crop field there,

Here a crop, there a crop,

Everywhere a lot of crops.

Old MacDonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O

****

Old MacDonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm he grew some peas,

E-I-E-I-O

With snow peas here and chick peas there,

Yellow peas, maple peas,

Lovely green organic peas.

Old MacDonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O

****

Old MacDonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm he grew some beans,

E-I-E-I-O

With mung beans here and navy beans there,

Black beans, pinto beans,

Kidney beans and runner beans.

Old MacDonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O

****

Old MacDonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm he grew some greens,

E-I-E-I-O

With lettuces here and cabbages there,

Collard greens, spinach leaves,

Kale and chard and mustard greens.

Old MacDonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O

****

Old MacDonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm he grew good food,

E-I-E-I-O

With no animal slaves and no chemicals sprayed,

Healthy veg in healthy soil,

Bees and hedgerows thrived withal.

Old MacDonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O

Re-knitting UPDATE

February 6, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

The hoodie is done! See Re-Knitting in Things to make and do

Flos says “Plastic bags suck!”

February 3, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

The goblin did it!

January 31, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

THE END … for now 🙂

If you want to read the whole story together, it is now here

A little help

January 29, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

To be continued …

Move!

January 28, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

To be continued …

Whispers

January 24, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

To be continued …

Crash!

January 23, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

To be continued ….

Next suspect?

January 21, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

To be continued ….

Save the Bees!

January 4, 2014

By Violet's Vegan Comics

bee on flower

Save the Bees!

Bees don’t just make honey, they are vital to life on earth, every year pollinating 90% of plants and crops and without immediate action, many of our favourite fruits, vegetables, and nuts could vanish from our shelves.

Recent years have seen a massive decline in bee populations around the world and some bee species are already extinct! A key EU agency is saying that toxic pesticides called neonicotinoids could be responsible for the bee deaths. The EU has banned three of these bee-killers, but giant chemical producers like Bayer and Syngenta continue to export their poison across the world.

Bumble Bee

Bumble Bee

Let’s get people power to counter the powerful pesticide lobby and save bees from extinction. Please sign the urgent petition to leaders around the world, and then share it as wide as you can.

Thank you 😉

Keep hope alive!

November 18, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

THE END

You can read the whole story from the beginning here 🙂

Spores

November 17, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

fino a domani

Yep

November 16, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

See you tomorrow 😉

Natural Immunity?

November 15, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Tomorrow. Be here.

And the Bipedicus Destructicus specifically?

November 14, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

hasta mañana

And, what’s a volpar again?

November 13, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

To be continued …. tomorrow (of course!)

So, not just a scary story?

November 12, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

And? Find out tomorrow 😉

Living as if the world depended on it

September 26, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Eco-Living at the Seaside

September 23, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Was it early morning or early evening? It’s hard for me to tell,

I went to the beach at daybreak, and at sunset I went as well.

I’m lucky I can do that because I love to watch the sea,

Approach and retreat, approach and retreat, oh lucky lucky me

Be Inspired. Be Very Inspired.

August 30, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Art Toppling Tobacco

August 29, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Art Toppling Tobacco is an anti-smoking campaign in the form of an annual art competition. It is free to enter and open to anyone of any age, worldwide, so why don’t you have a go? Below are some of the children’s submissions from last year.

By Julia, aged 10 from Australia

By Julia, aged 10 from Australia

By Juliana, aged 6 from Romania

By Juliana, aged 6 from Romania

By Isabella aged 14 from Australia

By Isabella aged 14 from Australia

By Kevin, aged 16 from Canada

By Kevin, aged 16 from Canada

Inspired to have a go? Go on then, enter here 🙂

But don’t wait too long – the closing date for this year is 22nd October.

Toxic Waste

August 25, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

EVE PICKED THESE UP IN 20 MINUTES AT THE LOCAL PARK

EVE PICKED THESE UP IN 20 MINUTES AT THE LOCAL PARK

It is estimated that several trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year. That’s billions of cigarettes flicked, one at a time, on our sidewalks, beaches, nature trails, gardens, and other public places every single day. In fact, cigarettes are the most littered item in the world. Maybe it’s because people think they’re made of harmless biodegradable material,

BUT THEY’RE NOT!!

Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate tow (plastic fibers) and they can take decades to degrade. Not only does cigarette litter ruin even the most picturesque setting, but the toxic residue in cigarette filters is damaging to the environment and the animals that mistake them for food. The filter is specifically designed to trap toxic chemicals (to stop the smoker sucking them in) and when they’re discarded, these toxins leak into the environment (and the bodies of those who eat them).

Click on the pic for more info

Kids’ Ocean Day

August 22, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

James Cameron’s Vegan Challenge to people of conscience

By Violet's Vegan Comics

James Cameron is still a vegan — and he picked a massive celebration to remind the world.

The 58-year-old film-maker and ocean explorer was honored on June 13 during the National Geographic Society’s 125th anniversary gala with “Explorer of the Year” for his successful solo dive last year to the deepest point of the Pacific Ocean. During his speech, Cameron urged the packed house of scientists and explorers to consider dropping animal products and reap the benefits.

“I’ve had an epiphany recently,” Cameron said. “I want to challenge all of you as people of deep conscience, people who are environment stewards of the earth and oceans … By changing what you eat, you will change the entire contract between the human species and the natural world.”

Cameron, who announced he’d gone vegan in October last year, told the crowd that the switch had a huge impact on him. “I felt like I was waking up from a long sleepwalk. I believe we are all sleepwalking off a cliff if we don’t do this.”

(Read whole article here)

Vegan Children’s Book – Arktel: The Planet Only Children Could Save

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Arktel: The planet only children could save is a beautifully illustrated book by Menkit Prince.

It’s about three planets: Tarjez, Arktel and Earth. On planet Tarjez, we fast forward to what could happen if we keep going the way we are on Earth i.e. total destruction.

Children from Arktel witnessed the destruction of Tarjez and decided to take action because they saw similar trends happening in their world that could lead to Arktel’s destruction.

from http://www.planetarktel.com/Home.html

from http://www.planetarktel.com/Home.html

The Arktel website is not only about the book but also about how children here can save our planet. It’s honest and straight-forward as well as being a brilliant educational resource for children, their carers and their teachers. It’s a heavy subject but unless we look it straight in the eye and acknowledge the crisis we are facing, we will never overcome it. This book and its associated website challenges us not to get depressed but to do something about it.

We can you know 🙂

Beachcomber

February 16, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics

Crack crunch shingle slides

Under my feet, the sand hides

Salt smells float on the breeze

It makes me smile, the scent of the seas

***

Waves crash, advance and retreat

Gulls call, for others to meet

But sharp tones, unnatural, manmade

Objects litter, spoil and invade

***

I lift and tidy, pick up the mess

Don’t allow plastic to spoil nature’s dress

Dangerous to some, others think it’s food

Getting it out of harm’s way makes me feel good

Save the Cow, Save the World

February 14, 2013

By Violet's Vegan Comics