Brazilian beauty, what should we do for future generations to enjoy it as much as we do?

Summer in Brazil

It was summer time in Brazil. Carlos and I really enjoyed capturing nature’s beauty while in there. We were thinking, what would be one thing everybody could do to preserve this beauty and many others in the world for generations to come so they can enjoy it as much as we do?

Following are just a few ideas to get one inspired:

• Be aware the impact of what you eat. Proper food choices are by far the most important measure one can take to help the environment.
  • David’s Suzuki foundation has an article related to it. It mentions that meat production is a major contributor to climate change. It is estimated that livestock production accounts for 70 per cent of all agricultural land use and occupies 30 per cent of the land surface of the planet. Because of their sheer numbers, livestock produce a considerable volume of greenhouse gases (such as methane and nitrous oxide) that contribute to climate change. In fact, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that livestock production is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gases. According to Nasa, the CO2 level for January 2016 was 402.26 ppm. Much, much higher than previous thousands of years. 
  • Have you watched the documentary called “Cowspiracy“? If not, that will be another place to find some ideas. We really recommend it. They present us with a few facts like: were you aware that we need 15,415 litres of water to produce one kilo of beef? Right food choices are by far the most important measure
• Have you ever thought about your water footprint?
• How about reducing your carbon footprint? David’s Suzuki foundation has a comprehensive list like how to use your home appliances more wisely.
  

If each of us do at least one thing, our combined effort will make a big difference in the world. We know that we all can do it. Feel free to share your experiences and ideas with us.

To illustrate what we meant about Brazilian beauty, we are sharing some pictures with you. If you like, just click on the picture to see more.

Beautiful butterflies.

Beautiful birds all around.

Our friends from other species: cows, horses, cats, dogs and more.

Colorful plants.

Surround by nature.

On the road.

Traveling through towns.

Namaste

Katia

Wandering through Berlin and Frankfurt – tales of synchrodestiny (and more)

Christmas lights in Berlin

Synchronicity is the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection. Have you ever heard about synchrodestiny? We learned about this term from a meditation thought by Deepak Chopra: “As we live in the presence moment of awareness, we live the magic of synchrodestiny”. We found a simple explanation for synchrodestiny by Vero Barnes: “Sometimes, things just seem to fall into place. The people you meet, the events that occur, they all seem to fit in. It feels good. But synchrodestiny goes beyond coincidences. As Deepak Chopra explains, “Synchrodestiny is coincidence but it contains a purpose. It contains a meaning. It has a direction. It has intention“.

We already had experienced synchrodestiny before, but we were amazed about how many times we’ve experienced it in such a short time. Maybe we are more aware about it now. Here are few examples.

• Our first walking tour in Berlin was with “Sandmans New Europe“. They provide free walking tours and you pay a tip at the end depending how you felt about it. It is totally up to you. It was the third time we had tours with them and really enjoyed it. Here synchrodestiny shows up for the first time:
  • We were at the Holocaust memorial and the tour guide mentioned about the concentration camps where people were treated as numbers as their identity was removed from them; they were being depersonalized. We both immediately thought about the analogy between what happened to Jewish people at that time and what’s been happening to farm animals for a long time. Both cases are very very sad. When asked to share impressions and feelings of the site, Carlos had the opportunity to share his thoughts. At first it seemed to have reached deaf ears, but upon talking to the guide later, the impressions faded as she demonstrated she was well aware of the parallels between the Holocaust and the oppression the animals experience to this date.
    
  • Few Brazilians were part of the group. Carlos even took a picture for one couple, but no connection was made. While walking he started talking to another Brazilian in the group. One of the first things she asked was: “Are you vegetarian?” because of the comment Carlos had made. As we get to know each other, we found she is mostly vegan from Paraiba, a northeast coastal state of Brazil. The connection was there. Along the way we talked and talked and more things in common were found: interest in Yoga, mindfulness, compassionate living. She had already seen many of the documentaries we know of.
    
• A couple of times we had to wait in line. In this trip we noticed that, when we started talking to people near us, we often found to have something in common: 
  • When we were waiting for the free concert at the Berlin Philharmonic, we started talking to a couple that lives in Dubai. She was from Japan and he was from Denmark. She lived in Vancouver a few years ago.
    
  • When we were waiting to get tickets for the Pergamon Museum, we started a conversation with a Palestinian gentleman living in Sweden. Talking about the weather, we ended up mentioning climate change and, to our surprise, he mentioned first about stopping eating meat as one of the most important things. We had not even talked about food prior to this point. He mentioned that Sweden vegetarianism is growing. We know that Jo-Anne McArthur, renowned Canadian photographer, was in Sweden in December to talk at the Stockholm vegetarian fair.
  • Few Brazilians were in the line as well just a little behind us. They were three friends from the countryside of Sao Paulo. Talking about what they have already done in Berlin, they were at the same free concert we were the day before.
    
• At Viasko, we had a delicious brunch. There was a big poster of Paul Watson on the wall, a famous Canadian animal rights activist that started “Sea Sheppard“. An organization that fights for our oceans. The waitress said he’s never been there, but they like to support him.
• Browsing for the next vegan restaurant to go to, among the dozens of options, one caught our attention. It had a menu with few Brazilian food items we know. We decided to visit it. The place is called “Cafe Vux“. As we suspected the owner was Brazilian. Vegan himself for 10 years and so was his partner, he started the business 5 years ago. We had a nice chat. He sad that when he started the business it was the first vegan place in the area. Now there are a few restaurants and even a vegan supermarket called “Dr Pogo” in the same neighborhood. For sure we had to check it out and obviously stock-up on some items to bring home.
• When we travel we like to stay on Bed and Breakfasts instead of hotel. They usually are a good place to meet the locals and other travelers in a more informal way. Through Trip Advisor, we found a place near Frankfurt that appeared quite nice. It was in the small town of Kriftel. The B&B is called “Villa Orchard”. When we met the owner, Joan Weber, she mentioned something that really struck us: she lived in Toronto on the same street we are living now. Amazing, isn’t it? Not only that, she is almost vegan as well, so are three of her four kids. In addition, the small town is an orchard town. She confirmed what we suspected after seeing the name of the city surrounded by fruits on a train schedule sign. 

Travelling as vegan has changed our way of exploring other places these days. Food has gained so much more importance so have the personal connections we make:

• In our first night in Berlin we went to “Lucky Leek” for dinner. Felt like we’ve been there the day before. The waiter has even recognized us from our last visit seven months earlier. Not the restaurant we can afford to have a meal every day, but worth every penny saved for a special occasion meal. Five-course Christmas dinner showing chef Josita Hartanto’s creativeness and wonderful presentation. While the amount of food did not seem like a lot, we finished the meal pretty satisfied. The dinner experience is conducive to taste the food at a slower pace, really appreciating every bite. The restaurant interior is very pleasant, where walls are tastefully decorated with butterflies ornaments, old store signs and live plants within picture frames, one frame even taking the whole wall. As we are ready to leave, we had a lengthy and lovely chat with restaurant co-owner and life partner Sebastian sharing his wife’s process of menu creation, her influences from an Indonesian German background, and the success of the restaurant that has moved to a better and bigger location and that most customers are not even vegetarian. Although himself vegan for all good reasons, he opted not to display the word “vegan” anywhere in the restaurant. He believes people will get inspired to change by knowing vegan food can be this amazing good.
  
• We took a second walking tour well organized by “Vegan Tours Berlin“. Highly recommended for vegans and non-vegans.  We learned quite a bit about Kreuzberg’s (Berlin’s alternative neighborhood) fascinating history and how this area has evolved over the years. From a poor and isolated section of West Berlin to become one of Berlin’s cultural centers in the middle of the now reunified city, known around the world for its alternative scene and counterculture. Kreuzberg is home to engaging street art, urban vegetable gardens, a countless number of social and community programs. We also sampled food from a few restaurants and learned about other points of interest. The tour lasted much longer as there was such a good vibe. A few of us went out for dinner after the tour was over. One thing we regret is that we could not connect with animal rights organizations during our stay. The dinner was the only opportunity to share some of our own experiences in Toronto, London, Australia and Germany. Many in the group knew about the Save Movement. We all learned from each other. There are so many ways to spread the word. It is truly encouraging to see the little acts of grassroots activism from all over adding to each other to promote a more compassionate world.
  

To illustrate what we said, we are sharing some pictures with you. Just click on the picture to see more.

Enjoying vegan food in Germany.

Wandering through Germany.

Happy 2016 !

Tigger with Santa for a good cause.

We would like to wish you Merry Christmas and a new year full of happiness combined with a lot of peace, love, and health.

As the year end approaches, we would like to reflect on happiness. What happiness really mean? How happy 2015 was for you?

Life is a collection of moments. There are happy moments and unhappy moments. Dalai Lama provide us with few tips on how to maximize the happy moments. Here are two of them.

Have you thought about it? Our happiness depends only on us.

What can we do to practice more compassion?

How about if we start 2016 being more compassionate.

Here is one suggestion: support a Vegetarian Association in your community. You can donate you time or money to it.

One may ask: why supporting a vegetarian association, when there are so many other organizations in need?

The reason being: they promote a life style that benefits people in many different ways.

First of all, adopting a vegetarian diet is definitely healthier. There are fewer incidents of cancer and heart diseases among vegetarians and vegans. Healthier people means less money spent on health care, which benefits society as a whole. Humans can not only survive but thrive on a plant based diet.

Second, eating less meat or not eating it at all, dramatically benefits the environment. According to the Worldwatch Institute, 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions are produced by livestock and their by-products. Water consumption would decrease considerably if more people adopted a plant-based diet. According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFDA), 13 litres of water are required to grow a tomato, 25 litres for a potato, 35 litres for a cup of tea, 70 litres for an apple, and more than 15,000 liters of water used are used to produce one kilogram of meat. Animal agriculture is one of the major causes of deforestation and land degradation as forests are cut down for either pastures or to grow food to feed livestock.

Third, but not least, eating animal products raises many ethical questions. Farmed animals that are no different than our beloved companion friends are raised in horrible conditions and killed by the billions when it is completely unnecessary. All the food produced to feed animals could be diverted to alleviate or completely eliminate hunger in the world. Meat industry workers are often minorities who cannot find better jobs and receive low wage to do what most people would not dare to do themselves.

In summary, by supporting a Vegetarian Association, we are supporting people, the environment and animals. It is like supporting various causes at the same time and making you and lot of other beings HAPPY.

In Canada, our suggestion is supporting the “Toronto Vegetarian Association“. In Brazil, the “Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira” (the video has English caption).

Joyful vegans in Europe (picx)

It was our second time in Europe, first time as vegans. Based on our research, we knew that it wouldn’t be a problem finding vegan places, but it was much better than we expected. The people we met and places we visited had shown us that Europe is moving more and more towards vegetarianism and veganism. Each picture will show you what we mean. We are pleased to say this is just a small sample of what is out there. Enjoy it!

Cat Bar in Barcelona and more

2015 05 06 Being vegan in Europe

Toby, a friend to remember forever

Toby, as per the urban dictionary – “someone who you will never forget once you met. The most incredible best friend ever who you will always know to be a special one in your life”. Toby also means “Good is God”.

With so many positive associations to his name, no wonder we loved this guy so much. He was like that kid that every parent always wanted to have. He never hissed or was ever aggressive towards anyone, and boy did he have some patience! Toby was the sweetest cat we’ve ever met.

Sure he was a little mischievous in his young age. We remember once when Carlos had to run after him with snow by his knees when he decided that wintery day was a good time to explore the neighbourhood.

As he grew older, we could not help but look in his eyes and seeing the image of wisdom, serenity. We learned a lot from him.

It’s incredible to think that we had lived together for so long – over 16 years – and how many experiences we’ve had since the moment we laid our eyes on him at the shelter. Actually, he was the one who chose us. He was around 4 years old at that time.

He had two cat friends who he grew up with: Timmy and Tigger. When Timmy came he was young and he liked to chase him. Unfortunately, Timmy did not live long. When we got Tigger, he was only a few months old. They were best pals. Toby was like his big brother.
Toby enjoyed being outside when we were at the house even though we had to keep him on a leash for his safety. He loved to stay on top of the backyard table and enjoy the sunshine. He was in paradise after his friend Gary finished the new deck. He could now go outside without a leash and more freely. He really enjoyed that time.

He was always waiting for us at the door when we got back from work. He liked to sleep with us, and right before moving to his bed spot, he would come closer to our faces and start meowing, as if wishing us “good night”.

He was picky on eating and, would not care about treats that would have most cats salivating. We guess he was the healthy type.

He never liked fancy toys either. He liked to play on the stairs catching balls or chasing strings.

We’ve had good friends taking care of Toby through his life. Once he stayed at Rob and Aida’s house. He was treated like a king there, so spoiled!. Gela and Gary, both cat lovers, made our trips very easy as we returned home and cats were like we never left. At the condo, Seymour was very good with them too, leaving a thorough report of everything that happened during our time away, including giving Toby the needed medication. It was comforting knowing that Toby was in good hands whenever we were away. We are so grateful for that.

While living in Aurora, his medical care was trusted to the Glen Golf Veterinary Clinic. Toby had a few health concerns, but with the care of knowledgeable staff and veterinarian, he managed to stay with us for 15 years without major healthy issues. Even after we had moved, we were very touched by Dr. Stefanie Baer’s assistance when we found out he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer.

Despite his condition, he spent most of last year enjoying his time in the condo. In the summer, he stayed on the balcony many times with us enjoying the sun and fresh air. We used to put him by the window in the morning so he could get the most of the sun energy. In the morning, he was meowing to get his morning “soup” (his food warmed with hot water). It was his treat for the day.

In December 2014, we noticed that his health had worsen, so we took him to the Usher Animal hospital. Their staff and veterinarians were very kind and caring. Toby was at a stage where all we could do was to minimize his suffering. Thanks to Dr. Kim O’Reilly he got better. Despite everyone’s best efforts, two months later he relapsed. It was too hard seeing him not eating, drinking or walking properly anymore, even refusing his “soup”. It was time to let him go. It was certainly one of the most painful decisions we have ever had to make. And Dr Kim and Fernanda were there for us. We felt blessed to have them around in such difficult moment.

Katia’s grandmother always told us that she loved cats more than dogs. When we got Toby we totally understood what she meant. Now they are both in heaven, Toby sitting on her lap.

Be in peace Toby. You will always be our special furry friend.

Remembering Toby with Carlos and more

Ways to inspire

Ways to inspire… Or should we say, plant seeds?

When we believe in something we have the urge to share that idea. We would like to give the opportunity for others to feel the same way we feel. Sometimes the message is heard and the person embraces the idea on the spot: a beautiful tree grows from it. Most of the time, the message is heard and there is resistance to it, but the seed is planted. We know that one day the seed will transform in a beautiful plant. When that happens, more seeds will be planted and the idea will spread all over.

Carlos and I share the same passion about being vegan and what it means to us, but the way we convey our ideas is different.

Carlos likes to be out, participating in as many outreach evens as he can. He gets a lot of good energy after doing it. It is his passion.

Carlos in action. Various photographers.

Being an introverted person, outreach events are mentally and physically exhausting and I feel uncomfortable, out of place. The way it works for me is paying attention to my surrounds and finding good opportunities to plant seeds. For instance, at work I find people are very curious and receptive to new ideas. My workstation is filled with vegan booklets, stickers and posters like the “Why love one and eat the other”. I use the company’s logo and the Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA) logo in my email signature. And people ask questions because of it.

But, the best way to inspire is finding your passion and use it as your vehicle to make the world a better place for all earthlings. Many friends use photography , others use artwork or craft.

Wilbour making a difference. Picture by Anita Krajnic

Find your passion. Spread your positive ideas. The world will benefit from it.

Namaste, Katia

Being vegan in South America (picx)

We went for the fist time to South America after we became Vegan. We thought that it would be a challenge, but we were very impressed with all the options available.

Vegan Tortilla

2014 07 Being vegan in South America

A simple way to make a difference

On July 5th I was impressed with the impact of wearing a t-shirt with a thoughtful message and how it generates meaningful conversation. I decided to wear my “Kale is the new beef” t-shirt while running my errands, and observed all sorts of reactions.

I was inspired by Mark Hawthorne’s “Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism” on some simple ways of advocating for animals.

I noticed most people on the street were reading the message. The big lettering design certainly helped. I will tell you about a few of the interactions that I had.

The first reaction was at a health store where the cashier gave me the thumbs up. She was clearly impressed with the message. It will stick in her head for some time.

In the afternoon at a social gathering, reactions were more on the negative side. This person knew that a few days earlier I was incapable of (actually, not willing to) lifting a heavy box. It was mentioned in relation to the t-shirt message (as if I was weaker than meat eaters or did not eat enough protein). But it was not mentioned I had back issues that are not exclusive to vegans nor related to the food one eats. The myth that being strong requires eating meat rising once again. People forget that hippos, gorillas, elephants are amongst the strongest animals on Earth and are all herbivores.

Not long after that, at the same event, I had to endure someone first openly disagreeing with the shirt message, and then suggesting I was too thin (as if malnourished or sick), and then insisted on declaring they were going to have steak for dinner, and then again next day. She felt the need to tell me that as if I was interested in knowing about their dinner plans. She knows that I am vegan. I have never asked anything nor did I bring the subject of food or eating. Remarkably, there was a need to antagonize, to be defensive. I needed to say nothing to spark that reaction, just wear my t-shirt.

Evening encounters were much happier, on my street heading to the produce store, where a young lady walking in the opposite direction reads the shirt message out loud, followed by a joyful, positive “yay!”. Similarly when picking up pizza at Magic Oven, a beautiful young attendant declared she loved the shirt and had bought the same one for herself.

Fellow vegans, we are far outnumbered out there and we have to use every possible tool to get our idea across. I believe we are less than 10% of the population, there is another approximately 10% that will never/difficultly change but the big mass in the middle is the one that can sway either way, that are in different stages of their awareness, and those are the ones we want to inspire.

There are lots of cool design t-shirts companies out there with messages that can be very effective, whether funny or thought provoking. Pick one and be prepared to elaborate on the message if called for discussion, and having some hand-outs to give away to the curious is also an excellent idea.

Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences.

For all animals, humans and non-humans,

Carlos

Happy 2014 !

Thank you all for the Christmas wishes.

We would like to wish you a new year full of happiness combined with a lot of peace, love, and health.

2013 is being an year of many changes for most of us. Some were good, some not so much.  As the year end approaches, have you stopped to reflect on what has happened? What lessons did you learn?

Here is how we experienced 2013:

We in action

We continued to spread ideas that we believe in.

An inspiring trip!

Our trip to Cambodia was an inspiring one. The kids and the elephants were the highlight. We realized how many things we take for granted and learned to be grateful for what we have.

We miss you.

Two beloved people have left us. One day we will all meet again.

In 2014, what would you like to accomplish? What can you do to make the world a better place?

One suggestion, GO VEGAN!

Why not choose to live a life where you can cause the least amount of harm?

We noticed an increased number of products labeled “vegan” sold in North America. We think more people are beginning to realize all the good reasons to choose this lifestyle. As Sir Paul McCartney has said: “If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That’s the single most important thing you could do. It is staggering when you think about it. Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty”.

Being vegan far away from home (picx)

We went for the fist time to Asia (Cambodia with a stop over in China). Few people asked us: “How difficult was being vegan far away from home?” . Believe or not, we found delicious vegan food.

2013 03 Being vegan in Asia