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Top ten ways to beat the heat vegan-style!

Britty H.
August 4th, 2010 by Britty H. · Consumer Perspective, Lifestyle, Product Advice

Thanks to http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1291362

This summer is a hot one. Whether you stay inside, getting blasted by air conditioning and praying for winter, or strip off your long sleeves and enjoy the summer sun, there’s always plenty to do during the heat’s favorite season. And since there don’t seem to be any vegan tennis balls, I guess we vegans will have to dig deep and see what else we can do to utilize our hot and sweaty time.  Here are some ideas.

1. Potluck Picnics

Hosting a picnic potluck is a great way to spend Saturdays and Sundays in early and late summer, when it’s not too hot. Get some friends together, cook some recipes from Terry Hope Romero’s Viva Vegan. Don’t forget the vegan insect repellent!

2. Trip to the Beach

There’s nothing like tanning it up at the beach during the long days of summer. Bring a beach bag full of snacks, your iPod or a book and lounge by the waves; if you live close enough to a beach, that is. If you’re trying to preserve your pasty-white look, you can swipe up some vegan sunscreen from Vegan Essentials.

3. Summer Road Trip

There’s nothing like getting in the car and just going. You should probably plan a destination. though. Whether or not you do, Happy Cow is always there (if you can find an Internet signal 100 miles away from civilization). Though not always totally accurate about “veganness,” they have a list of options for plenty of cities in North America and around the world.

4. It’s Grillin’ Time!

Invite some friends over for a backyard vegan barbecue! Set up a bar inside the house, use some recipes from Veganomicon (plenty of stuff to grill) and sip on some cool vegan margaritas. It’s always nice to celebrate weekends with other vegans. Or even Thursdays.

5. Summer Book Club

Get out your reading glasses and red wine: summer book clubs are a great way to justify sitting on your butt all summer. Some good reads: An Introduction to Animal Rights (Your Child or the Dog) by Gary Francione; or the Vegan Monologues by Ben Shaberman. And hey, there’s even a nice vegan tanning lotion to rub on your legs so it at least looks like you’ve been active all summer!

6. Become a Missionary

Order some abolitionist vegan pamphlets from the Boston Vegan Association. Pick up a cheap folding table off craigslist and set it up near a busy part of town. Talk to people about veganism, if it’s your thing. The good thing about these pamphlets is that they don’t send any mixed messages like some other free vegan materials.

7. Get some R & R

If you’re traveling, it might be a good idea to get a good massage or facial halfway through, if you’re into luxurious pampering anyway. There are more purely vegan spas than you might think. There’s even one in Austin, Texas. Right down the street from me. I should really be getting a massage more often…

8. Have a Movie Night

Rent or buy vegan-themed movies and invite your friends over to hang out, eat some popcorn and watch some sad stuff. You can do this the night after the book club. Some good movies: Soylent Green, Babe, Chicken Run and Earthlings!

9. To Do: Veganize your pet

Since we’re already halfway through summer and you haven’t done much to celebrate being off school…or your kids being off school…why not add veganizing fluffy to your summer to-do-list? A great way to start is by checking out www.vegepet.com and ordering a sample of vegan dog or cat food. It’ll keep fido healthier and make you feel better about your choices.

10. Get a Job

Seriously, people! There are plenty of awesome jobs for vegans and when the summer starts to come to a close you’d better start thinking about your future. A good place to start? Check out Vegan Mainstream’s job postings, or volunteer with a local animal shelter. You could even try and start your own non-profit.

TALK TO US: WHAT’S ON YOUR SUMMER TO-DO-LIST?

Hot New Vegan App In Vogue

Emma (VM Blog Manager)
July 13th, 2010 by Emma (VM Blog Manager) · Product Advice

Hungry? Not sure what’s for dinner? The trendy new iphone app, Vegan Recipe Finder from VegWeb.com, will ensure that no vegan (or no vegan with an iphone) ever again has to aimlessly wander around the grocery store with a rumbling stomach, wondering what to cook. With more than 13,000 vegan recipes to choose from and an introductory price of $2.99, you can hardly go wrong – this may end up being the only vegan cookbook you’ll need.

Features:

**13,000 vegan recipes, with more added daily
**Easy-to-use search
**A grocery list to make shopping a snap
**A recipe box to store all your favorites
**Sort recipes alphabetically, by rating, or by number of views
**Recipe photos can be expanded to full screen
**Share recipes via email, Facebook, and Twitter
**View top-rated recipes in a single click

The Vegan Recipe Finder by VegWeb.com is available here!

Already hooked? Let us know what you think of this cool new vegan tool…

Top 10 Products You Would Be Surprised To See On A Cruelty-Free List

vlowe
May 20th, 2010 by vlowe · Lifestyle, Product Advice

So you want to be an environmentally conscious, animal loving, vegan shopper, right?  Well, you may be surprised at some of the items you will find on an animal testing list!  Here are our top 10: Read the rest of this entry »

Vegan News: Before You Uncork That Bottle Of Pinot Blanc

elektraloaded
March 3rd, 2010 by elektraloaded · Lifestyle, Product Advice, Vegan Weekly News

We all love a nice relaxing glass of vino every now and again. But if you are an avid vegan AND a wine enthusiast, like myself, this is one vegan news story you are going to want to hear. Whether you prefer drinking a glass of wine at the end of a long day, or using it in your favorite vegan dishes, know that your wine may not be as vegan as you would like to think. Read the rest of this entry »

Vegetarian Nutrition for Your Dog, Cruel and Inhumane?

arvinrazon
February 21st, 2010 by arvinrazon · Lifestyle, Product Advice

How do you stand out in the vegan business scene when so many kinds of vegan products are already offered? Well, one way is to consider vegetarian nutrition for dogs—and sell vegetarian dog food. That’s exactly what the Humane Society of the United States did, with Humane Choice, a organic dog food brand made with fresh vegetables. Read the rest of this entry »

Can the Apple iPad Improve Your Vegan Business?

MarinaHanes
February 10th, 2010 by MarinaHanes · Marketing & Social Media, Product Advice

Becoming more technology-savvy can lend tremendous advantage to vegan business owners (not to mention, it’s fun!), and Apple‘s most recent release – the iPad – is one technology you might not want to miss out on. In the IPad, Apple has created a mobile device that closes the gap between an iPod and a laptop computer – and it sure has been generating some buzz.

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Top 10 Reasons Why Vegan Products Can Enhance Your Non-vegan Business

MarinaHanes
February 8th, 2010 by MarinaHanes · Product Advice

Owning a non-vegan business doesn’t mean that you can’t incorporate some vegan products into your store too. A wide range of vegan products is available, and they can make your business more successful if you strategize effectively. Here are the top 10 reasons why you might consider including vegan goods in your 2010 business plan: Read the rest of this entry »

Top 10 Ways to Market Vegan Products to a Mainstream Audience

arvinrazon
February 1st, 2010 by arvinrazon · Marketing & Social Media, Product Advice

By definition, the mainstream audience makes average choices in the products and services that they support. Without question, the easiest and arguably best way to make your business successful is to market your vegan products to this mass audience. Vegan marketing to a mainstream audience may sound difficult but is perfectly possible in these ten ways:

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Why Outsource What You Can do For Yourself in Vegan Business

arvinrazon
January 21st, 2010 by arvinrazon · Business Ideas, Product Advice

Most entrepreneurs shy away from outsourcing. They essentially see it as a threat to business profits and an invasion of privacy. Majority of owners of vegan businesses have such kind of bias against outsourcing. Instead of weighing the advantages of outsourcing relative to its disadvantages, they haphazardly equate it with negative consequences to their company. Now is the best time to consider why outsourcing is sometimes the best option, especially for vegan business owners. Read the rest of this entry »