Down to Earth News

30% Off Great American Meatout Sale!

Down to Earth will celebrate the upcoming Great American Meatout on Saturday March 20th with a special sale featuring 30% off 20 best-selling meat substitutes. The sale will be held all day at all its stores. Meatout is an international observance that encourages everyone to kick the meat habit for one day and evolve to a wholesome, compassionate diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.

Aloha, and a Happy New Year

Aloha, and a Happy New Year.

As we announced in our last newsletter, our newly revamped website launched at the end of last year. The website has great resources to help you live a healthy lifestyle, and I encourage you to check it out and use it; there are articles, recipes, links, and more.

Why is a moon rock worth $10 million?

Honolulu Advertiser today (January 11, 2010) had a story about some moon rocks that turned up during an inventory of the governor's office collection of gifts. What is interesting is that the rocks were called "priceless", and valued at around $10 million. They have a picture of one, it looks like a piece of lava from the Big Island, and is encased in resin.

Down to Earth tries to deliver gift basket to Rush Limbaugh

Yesterday, December 31, 2009, our community outreach team tried to deliver a deluxe collection of fruits, vegetables, and other vegetarian foods to Rush Limbaugh, the leading conservative radio commentator, who had been hospitalized at Queens Medical Center in Hawaii with chest pain.

Down to Earth Launches New Website

Honolulu, HI (Dec. 11, 2009) -- Down to Earth ALL VEGETARIAN Organic & Natural has updated and enhanced its website with a new design that more effectively promotes a vegetarian lifestyle. It is now on line at www.downtoearth.org. The improved site makes it easier to find information that helps improve health, contribute to a cleaner and safer environment, and protect the welfare of all living beings, including the innocent animals.

Goodwill to All Living Beings

Aloha. ‘Tis the holiday season, a time of goodwill to all.

Despite this noble spirit, somehow the holidays are also the season for the consumption of even larger numbers of chickens, turkeys, pigs and cows! Approximately 10 billion animals a year, which is over 30 million animals a day, are cruelly slaughtered in the USA alone. I am not sure how many are slaughtered for the holidays, but the numbers are likely astounding. So, this Christmas season, as we think of goodwill to all people, let’s also show compassion and goodwill to all living beings, including the innocent animals.

Slaughterhouse closed for inhumane treatment

MONTPELIER, Vermont - A Vermont slaughterhouse ordered closed after video showed calves kicked, shocked and cut while conscious had its operating license suspended three times earlier this year for similar conduct.

U.S. Department of Agriculture records show Bushway Packing Inc. of Grand Isle, which was ordered closed Friday, was shut down for a day in May, again in June and again in July after an inspector cited it for inhumane treatment of animals.

Climate chief Lord Stern: give up meat to save the planet

People will need to turn vegetarian if the world is to conquer climate change, according to a leading authority on global warming.

In an interview with The Times, Lord Stern of Brentford said: “Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world’s resources. A vegetarian diet is better.”

Direct emissions of methane from cows and pigs is a significant source of greenhouse gases. Methane is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a global warming gas.

Cruelty to Animals: Mechanized Madness

The green pastures and idyllic barnyard scenes of years past are now distant memories. On today's factory farms, animals are crammed by the thousands into filthy windowless sheds, wire cages, gestation crates, and other confinement systems. These animals will never raise their families, root in the soil, build nests, or do anything that is natural to them. They won't even feel the sun on their backs or breathe fresh air until the day they are loaded onto trucks bound for slaughter.

'Non-GMO' Seal Identifies Foods Mostly Biotech-Free

By William Neuman

Alarmed that genetically engineered crops may be finding their way into organic and natural foods, an industry group has begun a campaign to test products and label those that are largely free of biotech ingredients.

With farmers using gene-altered seeds to grow much of North America’s corn, soybeans, canola and sugar, ingredients derived from biotech crops have become hard for food companies to avoid. But many makers of organic and natural foods are convinced that their credibility in the marketplace requires them to do so.