I’ve not had time to write a post in a while. This post is probably somewhat confusing. But this discovery is so goddamn neat. We’ve just scratched the surface on something remarkable and I have so many questions. Here’s the study: https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/06/17/2004805117 Other places to see my posts: INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK / ETSY / KICKSTARTER    

You ever read something that might be so scientifically game-changing that it sounds almost sci-fi? This might be the first time in many many years for myself. Not only because it’s interesting, but it’s, based on the logic presented here, one of those things we could have figured out a long time ago but now we’re just figuring out and it explains so much. This is a game-changer.

"We turned the desert into an oasis" if you feel that youre indigenous to the desert why change it? Why feel the need to turn it into something that is not? Why uproot olive trees to make for highways? Why plant non native trees to remind you of elsewhere? Why do you hate the desert? If you need to "civilize" a land you live in then you might not be from there at all

“If all stays on schedule, the river, green and clear, will be back in its original channel and free flowing again within weeks.

‘From here, it only gets better,’ Miller said, looking upstream at the sparkling river, overhung with a deep forest. The tall trees cast lush shadows on water laughing over rocks smoothed round by the current.”

“...The tribe, along with roughly a dozen partner agencies, removed the dam for good in mid-August. A little more than three months later, it’s hard to tell anything was ever there aside from a few chunks of concrete that remain near the riverbank.

“It’s really created this beautiful natural river system,” Shattuck explained to KIRO 7 after getting out of the water. “It’s created — all on it’s own — exactly what you want to see in terms of habitat, to allow these fish through this ‘gateway’ to get these fish to the upper habitat.”

Last August, Shattuck said there was at best 50 salmon spotted above the dam. This year they’ve already spotted hundreds of coho in recent spawning surveys above the area where the dam once stood. A handful of chinook have been spotted too.”

This is the most hopeful piece of news I’ve seen in a long time. 

The fact that the city collaborated with the Tulalip Tribes and agreed to have them lead the project is huge. It honestly fills my heart so much because this is a story of revival and reclaiming, both for the natives and the fish. 

THIS is what is needed to adjust to climate change and halt our downward slide. It will take all of us working together and listening to the people who have been there for thousands of years. The speed at which the ecosystem recovered really shows how resilient natural systems are. If we give it the chance to, this planet will recover and everyone will benefit. 

We can do this. 

I understand why people dislike leather and animal products. But leather is such a good resource? Like… My mom bought a sturdy leather coat in 1989. I’m in my 20’s and I now wear that coat. That’s a 30 year old coat? 30 years, two generations, one coat. Versus, like… A plastic one, that rips and gets thrown out, or releases bits into the ecosystem every time it’s washed, takes a billion years to decompose, lasts maybe a decade if you’re super duper careful, and uses oil products in it’s construction. Like, yeah leather is expensive and comes from a living animal, and I’m not saying that you should go out and buy fifty fur and leather products for the he’ll of it, but like… Maybe the compromise is worth it? One animal product, valued and respected and worn down for generations, versus like… Six plastic products that will never ever go away?

idk, I could be wrong.

this is why im so fucking pissed white colonial fucks and white vegans get so enraged at indigenous people for using hides/leather and animal bones as if that shit breaks or rips like cheap polyester does

Remember, kids:

It’s not “vegan wool”, it’s plastic.

It’s not “vegan leather”, it’s plastic.

It’s not “vegan fur”, it’s fucking plastic. It’s all plastic.

It’s all fucking plastic, and every time you wash it, or damage it, or try to dispose of it, that plastic winds up in the water, in the earth, in the air.

Hell, the damage has already done when the fucking thing’s been made. As the OP says, it’s all oil and oil products; it creates pollution just to produce synthetic fabrics and materials, even before you try to throw them away, which, I mean, good luck with that.

A lot of vegan ideology is built up around a very superficial set of ethics that are supposedly about protecting animals, wildlife and the environment, but they fall apart when you look even a little bit below the surface. Every time you eschew an animal-based product in favour of something “synthetic” for the sake of “saving an animal’s life”, you’re creating pollution and trash that won’t go away for thousands of years, damaging the Earth and making life so much worse for countless animals and people.

Think about this stuff more than not at all, please.

Eeeeeeverybody loves to get up my asshole because I wear fur. Yeah? Okay then.

When you live somewhere with -40C winter temperatures, you realize that pragmatism and warmth trump all other considerations.

I’m in and out of cars and buildings all day, every day. I have to dress for the weather and fur is hands down one of the warmest things you can wear — ask the fucking Inuit.

So you know what I do?

I check consignment stores. I check estate auctions. I get family heirloom furs.

I buy furs that are literally older than I am, in styles that would consign them to the dumpster, and then get them tailored to fit. My fur earmuffs? Salvaged fur from a coat that was ripped and functionally useless. My fur short coat? A fur that got raggedy and moth-eaten at the bottom and so was hemmed to hip height. My long fur coat is almost fifteen years older than I am, and I’m thirty one years old. Do that math.

So yes. I wear fur, because it fits my needs, my budget, and my ethics. The vegans wearing pleather can kick a brick. Only one of our coats is going to destroy the planet, and it isn’t my grandmother’s mink stole.

Not to mention the fact that buying these natural leather products from indigenous peoples both subverts capitalism (that wants you to buy cheap shit that breaks), and also supports indigenous communities and artisans.

I’m reading the notes and it’s really cute when people go “but use hemp! Use cotton! Try linen!”

Yeah?

Imma wear linen when the weather looks like this:

I am NOT going to wear hemp, linen or cotton when the weather looks like this:

When the weather outside is frightful, I’mma make like an Inuit and dress like this:

(Also, as you say: it is possible to responsibly source ethical furs. I prefer furriers like Victoria Kakuktinniq, who is an Indigenous Inuit fashion designer who interprets traditional fur designs for a modern sensibility. The funds from her clothing — and from other northern Indigenous communities — allows those northern communities to maintain their cultural traditions, while also introducing a much-needed revenue stream. If you have to buy fresh fur, Indigenous furriers are a good bet!)

@acti-veg this is just…. *sigh*

Which part is *passive aggressive sigh*?

Would it be the:

-reuse of fabrics and furs that are generally anywhere from 10-50 years old?

-recycling and repurposing of old or otherwise unusable materials like leather and fur to make smaller items like jackets, vests, gloves, hats and balaclavas?

-support for Indigenous traditions, handicrafts and artisans?

-recognition of the fact that there are very few plant-based products that will stand up to winters where the average temperature is anywhere from -20 to -50

I know, I know. Your ethics are itchy and it’s very simple to talk that good shit.

But let me introduce you to a Canadian phenomena: frostbite.

Frostbite occurs when your cells freeze. Your cells.

Ice crystals begin to form in cells in temperatures lower than -4C, which is what Canadians call “spring, fucking finally”.

In the teeth of winter, you get maybe ten hours of sunlight a day and your highest temperature is still double digits below 0C and the weather channel is saying “WEATHER WARNING: skin freezing in 30SECONDS”, and the government has put out a WEATHER EMERGENCY: EXTREME COLD WARNING.

When the weather is that severe, we don’t actually get the luxury of waxed cotton, woollen peacoats and a few layers of linen.

Sanctimony and sighs and good intentions don’t keep us warm.

Seriously, it hit -50F here last winter, linen and cotton don’t do fuckall in those temps.

Well, that’s not true. They DO, actually. They get wet from sweat and then get clammy and suck the heat out of you, leading to frostbite. Polyester is plastic, and I avoid that, because it’s bad for the environment.

You know what actually keeps you warm when it hits -50F? Wool, fur, and down. All animal products, all renewable and biodegradable, and all of which will last years with proper care.

I have two fur coats, both of which I paid $20 or less for at thrift stores, and both of which are vintage. Wool doesn’t harm the sheep it’s sheared from…they need to be sheared to stay healthy, actually…and down is harvested from animals that will be eaten, meaning none of the animal goes to waste.

Ah, yes. Truely, sheep live terribly. (Note; sheep wool is useless unles they have good pasture they’re raised on)

Ah, yes, the sheep are so mistreated when they’re sheared. A whole four minutes and they’re done. It’s like giving a fussy toddler a haircut.

And if they’re NOT shorn, you get flystrike, which I’m not going to post a pic of here because it is very unpleasant. Basically, flies lay eggs on the thick wool and the larvae eat the sheep’s skin off. It can be fatal.

https://www.fwi.co.uk/livestock/health-welfare/livestock-diseases/parasitic-diseases/fly-strike-warning-warm-wet-weather-continues

But please, tell me, the granddaughter of farmers who lives in farm country and who has neighbors who keep sheep, how sheep work.

Consuming less. Working less. Enjoying efficiency of labor. Saving the planet. Acknowledging climate crisis. None of these things need a higher GDP.

not only do we not need a constantly increasing GDP it is literally impossible, things can not simply grow infinitely

Greta Thunberg: “People are suffering. People are dying… and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth.”

these words have been ringing in my head for the last year. she was talking about climate change, of course, but hoo boy they sure do apply here too.

These Teens Developed a Seed That Can Cleanse Polluted Water

For those who live in London, you can now tweet @PigeonAir to have a team of pigeons dispatched to your area to fly through the skies and test the quality of the air. Plume Labs has teamed up with a local owner of racing pigeons, the birds are outfitted with tiny sensors that take readings of ozone, volatile compounds, and nitrogen dioxide. The birds love to fly around and there is a vet on hand to make sure the birds are kept healthy and happy. The campaign is meant to bring awareness to London air pollution. They took their first flight on Monday and the campaign will last for three days before they go back to birdness as usual. 

Cleaning the oceans one step at a time

Two Australians created this container that collects plastic, paper, oil, fuel and detergent floating in the ocean. They want to implement it the middle of next year to clean up the sea worldwide. It seems a great idea. The only “but” as always is money, so they are raising funds to get to their goal. You can see their project and donations here.

Fucking genius!

Boost!!👏🏾

There’s only 9 days left and they aren’t even 35% funded. Boost and help them out!

psa

cheap cruelty-free makeup brands: NYX Cosmetics, ColourPop, Wet'n'Wild, Coastal Scents, Ardell, e.l.f., Hard Candy, Burt’s Bees

Ooho! is an edible, biodegradable plastic water bottle that can be eaten. It is made from seaweed and calcium chloride, and costs only two cents per orb to manufacture. 

(Source)

cool, but why?

The main reason is pollution, but I can see this having a lot of application in areas of the world where they can’t necessarily afford to produce water bottles. They’re enormously cheaper to manufacture than water bottles for the same comparable amount of water.

*goes into a bar and orders water orb like A Bug’s Life*

Accessories made from fruit leather? It’s not just for roll-ups, anymore. 

If you’ve been paying attention over the last decade or so, you know that food waste is a real issue. Most people in the U.S. don’t want to buy produce that they deem ugly, and supermarkets make it a practice to throw away food at an alarming rate–about 40% of what the U.S. produces each year (source: National Resources Defense Council). 

Aside from gleaners and dumpster-divers, there isn’t much in the way of a strategic effort to put an end to all this food waste. Until now.

Enter Fruitleather Rotterdam, a group of undergrad design students from the Willem de Kooning Academie in Rotterdam, who have created an eco-friendly process that turns leftover fruit and veggies into a strong leather-like material for use in handbag and accessories production and maybe even car seats (it’s that strong).

According to their website: 

— S.T.

Gingko Solar Tree, a beautiful Solar Charger For iPhone/iPad.

Ginkgo Solar Tree charging station for the iPhone and iPad is a astonishing solar charger. Ginkgo comes with a extra large 4.000 mAh rechargeable lithium battery to store your clean energy and a perfect addition to your storm kit. This unique design is based on the Japanese Ginkgo tree. This design solar charger is made from eco-friendly plastic and bamboo.

Gingko Solar Tree

$119.99

I want this!

A good list! As a Tumblr-friendly sampler, her are the two final entries:

Click through to read the whole thing.

— d.n.