In a world where we are all searching for safety, meaning, connection, and purpose, there are no better teachers than the rescued animals of The Gentle Barn says Ellie Laks, author of the new book: Cow Hug Therapy: How the Animals at the Gentle Barn Taught Me about Life, Death, and Everything In Between.
Check out a heartfelt video from CBS Mornings featuring Ellie and the animals at the Gentle Barn at the bottom of this Post. “Having gone through trauma of their own, they learn to forgive, trust, and love again. Once healed and happy, they are ready to pay it forward to help people with the same stories of recovery. When people are too shut down or angry to talk in traditional therapy settings, they can rest their faces against our gentle giants, hear their heart beat, rise and fall with their breathing, exhale, rid their minds of worry, and be immersed in present time, grounded, centered, small, humble, and vulnerable. That is where healing starts!” she shares. Cow Hug Therapy is the inspirational story of the compassionate and wise animals of The Gentle Barn Foundation and how they became a therapeutic salve for countless guests from all over the world. From her very first cow named Buddha, to countless turkeys, pigs, dogs, horses, and matriarch cows, who through their stories of survival and recovery, their work with hurting humans, and their experiences celebrating life and mourning death, Ellie lifts their personalities off the page and shares their lessons with us all. The stories of these animal ambassadors remind us how to practice self-care, maintain mental health, heal through compassion fatigue, approach death and grieving with strength and grace, and find our way to gratitude. Each animal has a story to tell, teachings to offer, and healing for every reader. Cow Hug Therapy will make you laugh, cry, and be inspired, bringing you closer to animals, nature, and most importantly, to yourself. In 1999, Ellie Laks founded the Gentle Barn Foundation with goats and sheep rescued from a neglectful petting zoo. With the help of her husband and cofounder, Jay Weiner, that sanctuary in Santa Clarita, California, rapidly grew to include a variety of animals and two more locations. Laks has two decades of experience as a public speaker, with appearances including a TEDx talk, and has given interviews to numerous magazines and newspapers. She has appeared on Good Morning America, TODAY, Ellen, Yahoo News, Verywell Health, and local CBS, NBC, and cable news/culture shows. You can purchase the Book Here. June 8th, is World Oceans Day, a day where people around our planet celebrate and honor our one shared ocean, that connects us all. We have the perfect book for the occasion! The Ocean Lover's Quotation Book: An Inspired Collection Celebrating the Beauty and Wonders of the Sea is a collection of over 200 inspirational and meaningful quotes perfect for every lover of the great seas from beachcombers to passionate environmentalists. From the great sea shanties of yore to the hidden treasures still being discovered from its depths, the ocean is a vast and mysterious world sparking our curiosity, love and wonder. The Ocean Lover's Quotation Book captures the imagination and the sense, while pondering the words and wisdom of some of the greatest writers and thinkers of all time about the world under the sea and its fragile relationship with humanity. This Book is a Must Read and a Great Gift. New Book: Veggie Burgers Every Which Way and Recipe Sesame Sweet Potato and Cabbage Burgers5/30/2023
Looking for an alternative to the overprocessed burgers and faux meats in the freezer aisle? Veggie Burgers Every Which Way 2nd edition by Lukas Volger being released June 6 is here for you. This cookbook is “an in-depth veggie burger lesson” (NYT) full of unique, delicious recipes like: Red Lentil and Celery Root Burgers Spiced Carrot and Peanut Burgers Kale and Quinoa Burgers Corn Burgers with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese and Sesame Sweet Potato and Cabbage Burgers, Check out this Recipe below! Over half the burgers are vegan and/or gluten-free, and so are many of the extras, including buns, sides, toppings, and condiments! And dozens of mouthwatering photos show that great-tasting veggie burgers can look spectacular, too! *“I highly recommend . . . a really, really wonderful veggie burger cookbook.”—Tejal Rao,The New York Times Check out this great recipe from the Book: Sesame Sweet Potato and Cabbage Burgers Makes four 4-inch (10 cm) burgers This is a veggie burger I’ve always loved for its unexpected richness, thanks to the combination of sweet browned onions, sesame oil, and tahini. It’s worthwhile to cook the onions with some care, so as to allow them to caramelize and become sweet. And any variety of sweet potato will work—the purple ones lending the most distinctive color. Serve with one of the yogurt sauces on pages 162–63, or simply drizzled with tahini and some crisp vegetables like cucumber slices, sprouts, or lettuce. Ingredients 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 large or 2 small onions,chopped Scant ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 medium sweet potato,coarsely grated 2 cups (178 g) finely shredded cabbage 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 tablespoon tahini Juice of 1 lemon¼ cup (15 g) panko or coarse bread crumbs, plus more if needed Instructions 1.Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in your widest skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cayenne and fry until soft and beginning to color deeply, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the sesame oil, followed by the sweet potato, cabbage, and salt. Cover and cook until tender, stirring periodically, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. 2.Whisk together the egg, tahini, and lemon juice until combined. Add the potato-cabbage mixture, then fold in the panko. Add additional bread crumbs if the mixture seems loose, but err on the side of wet because the burgers will firm up in the oven. Shape into 4 patties. 3.To cook (see pages 23–24 for detailed cooking instructions), warm a wide skillet over medium heat, then add the remaining oil. Add as many burgers as will fit comfortably without crowding the pan (usually 3 burgers will fit into a 10-inch/25 cm skillet), and cook until browned and crisped on the bottom, 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and repeat on the other side. The burgers will firm up a bit as they cook, and further once they’re removed from the heat and have cooled slightly. Serve warm. Credit: Recipe from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way, Second Edition: Fresh, Flavorful, and Healthy Plant-Based Burgers—Plus Toppings, Sides, Buns, and More©Lukas Volger, 2010, 2023. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available everywhere books are sold.theexperimentpublishing.com Yes that's right.. sea moss. Check out this recipe for a thick and creamy vegan chocolate milkshake packed with all the benefits of sea moss from The Transformation Factory. Serves 2 | 5min. Ingredients:
Post Credit: New Zealand Manuka Honey A combination of delicious New Zealand Manuka Honey and pureed Kumara is delicious and must be tried! Its gooey, rich, but not too rich centre is courtesy of perfectly pureed sweet potato and New Zealand Manuka Honey. You wouldn't even know there were vegetables in here! It's made with Manuka Honey because it is a great accompaniment with sweet potato. Sweet potato or known in New Zealand as Kumara has an extended history of cultivation in Aotearoa. It was brought by early Maori settlers over 1,000 years ago from the Pacific Islands. Kumara grows best in a warm climate, which is why particular regions of the North Island of New Zealand began growing the vegetable. The Maori people had articulate horticultural skills and therefore had the ability to grow several different varieties of Kumara. The Kumara eaten today, however, has originated from larger South American varieties. These were brought to New Zealand in the early 1850s. The Maori people and early settlers of New Zealand saw the potential these larger varieties had and quickly began growing them using the same techniques they had adopted. Prep Time - 30 minutes Cook Time - 50 minutes Servings - 10 Ingredients Kumara Brownie
Mahani Teave is a famous eco-activist, classical pianist, and the star of a the picture book called The Girl Who Heard the Music – the INCREDIBLE environmental story of how one pianist and 85,000 bottles and cans brought new hope to Easter Island! Called “one of the world’s greatest pianists” by The New York Times, Mahani is the subject of the Amazon Prime documentary “Song of Rapa Nui”and the star of an acclaimed NPR Tiny Desk concert. The Girl Who Heard the Music (on-sale April 4) tells the story of how she learned to play music on the only piano on Easter Island, and grew up to tour the world as a famous concert pianist. But as Mahani travelled, the fate of Easter Island troubled her. Buried in thousands of pounds of plastic and ocean trash, her home as she knew it was in danger of disappearing forever--until Mahani used recycled garbage, solar panels, and sustainable gardens to build Easter Island’s first school of music!You can buy the book here on Amazon. Are you looking for fun party ideas? Check out this pancake board with chocolate and strawberries! Yum! Happy Grub is the only squeezable instant pancake mix on the market. Make pancakes of all different shapes and sizes! Happy Grub comes in a variety of flavors such as buttermilk, whole wheat, apple cinnamon, and yummy banana. This is also a perfect kid-friendly snack for the little ones to enjoy as well. Everyone is guaranteed to clear this board. Find them at eathappygrub.com and on Amazon. We're big fans of Margaritas including Strawberry Margaritas. We're pretty particular about the mixes we use as they need to be natural and of course taste fresh. We advise you check out Portland, Oregon-based Mary's Mixers and their Margarita Recipe as their mixers are all-natural and organic and use sustainable packaging, Ingredients include Water, Agave Syrup, Seedless Strawberry Purée, Strawberry Juice Concentrate, Lime Juice Concentrate, Sugar, and Tangerine Juice Concentrate. Enjoy! Air Dried Carrot Crisps with Smoky Barbeque Seasoning is now part of the Dirt Kitchen Snacks' portfolio at www.dirtkitchensnacks.com. “Dirt Kitchen Snacks believes the best things in life come from the dirt. Our mission is to make real, recognizable veggies into irresistibly delicious snacks, to help people get more veggies into their lives,” said Katrina Borisjuk, head of marketing for Dirt Kitchen Snacks. The new product contains 35 calories per serving, and like all Dirt Kitchen Snacks varieties, the new product is vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free. They contain no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or added sugar. Enjoy! Do you love cream cheese but want a delicious plant-based option? Spero Foods, the makers of plant-based dairy and meat alternatives, announced today that they have won the prestigious Expo East 2022 NEXTY Award for Best New Dairy or Meat Alternative. This award is a testament to the quality of Spero's products and their commitment to bringing healthier, more sustainable options to consumers. The NEXTY Awards are presented by the largest natural products expo in the United States and spotlight the best of the natural products industry. More than 500 products were nominated during the first round of NEXTY's judging, and Spero was named a finalist in the first round, along with two other brands. During the final round, Spero Smoked 'Salmon' Sunflower Cream Cheese was selected as the Winner for The Best Meat or Dairy Alternative. The judges chose Spero because of the brand's commitment to delicious, sustainable, and healthy food products. NEXTY's judges said, “This is pretty unbelievable. This tastes like real ‘salmon’ cream cheese.” They were floored, and continued to elaborate, “It’s so good, and it’s neither salmon nor dairy.” They added, “[Spero is] using sunflower seeds in this particular product, which is very notable because a lot of these products we are seeing use almonds [or cashews], which is a good alternative as well, but we see that sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds use less water for production. So there are a lot of layers of sustainability with it in there." Spero's Smoked ‘Salmon’ Sunflower Cream Cheese is a plant-based cream cheese that captures the flavor and texture of smoked salmon. The cream cheese is light and creamy, with notes of dairy and a rich, delicious, and delightful flavor profile. It is perfect for spreading on bagels or crackers or for use in recipes that call for smoked salmon. Spero Smoked ‘Salmon’ Sunflower Cream Cheese uses no dairy, soy, nuts, gluten, grains, additives, “bad” oils, or starches. The brand selected sunflower seeds because of their minimal land and water use and near negligible CO2 and CH4 (methane) emissions. Spero uses cutting-edge patented technology focused on low-cost, sustainable, and scalable ingredients such as sunflower and pumpkin seeds—which require much less water than almonds. Spero's products are also nutritious, featuring unmatched bold tastes and creamy textures without using any dairy, soy, canola, nut ingredients, or additives and are allergy-friendly. “At Spero, we believe healthy food is a human right. We believe sustainable food is a planet right,” said Phaedra Randolph, Founder and CEO of Spero. “When I thought about creating food to help solve our imminent global climate crisis, I knew that the ingredients we chose would be imperative. We had to pick something sustainable and healthy, something grounded in science.” For more information or to find out where to purchase Spero products, visit sperofoods.co Hi Gratitude Gourmet Fans! Check out this new Book:The Green Amendment by Maya Van Rossum (featuring a foreword by Mark Ruffalo). With record droughts affecting the American West, many cities have resorted to paying residents to replace their lawns with drought-resistant plants. But are we ready to cut the grass out of our lives entirely? Veteran environmentalist, author of The Green Amendment, and leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network Maya van Rossum explains: “Manicured lawnscapes are a serious source of environmental harm. They are a major contributor to water pollution, drought conditions, flooding conditions and flood damages for downstream neighbors. Maintaining lawns is also a source of air pollution, noise pollution and a loss of critical habitat for species of all kinds. People need to reconsider their definition of what is ‘yard beautiful’ – changing it from mowed lawns to native landscapes." Maya has outlined key points on the evils of lawns:
Check out this new book renowned nutritionist and gut health expert DR. MEGAN ROSSI who's on a mission to help everyone eat more vegetables without having to radically shift their diets (including giving up meat!). Her new book, HOW TO EAT MORE PLANTS: Transform Your Health with 30 Plant-Based Foods Per Week (and Why It's Easier Than You Think!) introduces a new school of thought on how we approach our relationship to food: Don't diet, diversify! I'm hoping you will consider covering the new book in early to mid-August to coincide with the book launch. I can send you an advance review copy of the book (pdf or hard copy) and offer almost any combination of the following for use in coverage: Dr. Megan says that the secret to a healthy gut (and a healthier body and mind) is all in the microbes: the trillions of microorganisms that live in our digestive tract. These microbes thrive on fiber, and as many different types as they can get. This is the core reasoning behind making plants the center of our diets, and it is crucial to our well-being and longevity. In addition to the science behind the approach, the book also includes a 28-day plan and 80+ plant-based recipes. The book and Dr. Megan's approach have already captured ringing endorsements from luminaries in the health and wellness fields: "How to Eat More Plants by Dr. Megan Rossi packs a whole lot of reliable and sound nutrition advice into one handy guide. Rossi explains why we should be eating more plants and how we can effortlessly get the job done. She also makes the case for diversifying our diets and - my favorite part - shows you how to add healthy foods to your diet instead of eliminating or restricting less healthy ones. The plan is smart, science-based, realistic, and totally manageable. This book is great for plant-lovers, plant-phobes...and everyone in between." -— Joy Bauer, MS, RDN, health and wellness expert for Today and #1 New York Times bestselling author "Get your taste buds ready! Dr. Megan Rossi shares a simple, delicious plan to help you and your gut thrive through abundance, not restriction. A must-have guide to plant-based eating." — Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, New York Times bestselling author of Fiber Fueled We always prefer to purchase cruelty-free make-up brands, and check out EVXO Cosmetics, a female-owned, LA-based makeup and body line with vegan, organic gluten-free products. EVXO’s clean beauty mission is to create vegan, organic and better for you makeup with sustainable ingredients and packaging with skincare benefits you can bring to life your personal beauty. Animal rights and advocacy are just as important to the brand and ensure all EVXO’s products are cruelty-free. EVXO’s collection of affordable clean cosmetics features mascara, foundation, lip stick, bath and body, and more. All products are available online at evxocosmetics.com. We tried the Strength n Length Mineral Mascara, Vegan Cheek Palette and Swipe Right Lip and Cheek Tint and they all work great for going out and/or being on a work call :) Ron Barceló is pleased to announce the launch of their newest rum, Barceló Organic. Barceló Organic is distilled from the fresh juice of organic sugar cane and aged in new American oak barrels. Whether served straight over ice or mixed in a refreshing cocktail such as a Barceló Organic Highball (see recipe below), the amber-colored, 80-proof Barceló Organic possesses a rich taste and a long, smooth finish. INGREDIENTS Barceló Organic Rum - 1½ oz Orange juice - 1/4 oz Lime juice - 1/4 oz A dash of Angostura® bitters (optional) Ginger beer - 3 oz PREPARATION Build Barceló Organic, orange juice, lime juice and Angostura® bitters in a highball glass with ice. Add ginger beer and gently stir. Garnish with a slice of lime or orange and fresh lavender. Enjoy!! EARTHDAY.ORG has released a slate of educational and entertaining quizzes to be incorporated into classroom, at-home, or community learning. As an overall extension of the Earth Day 2022 theme, Invest In Our Planet, quiz topics include: sustainability terms, clean energy, sustainable fashion, regenerative agriculture, upcycled foods, environmental literacy, plastic pollution, biodiversity, and more. Aimed to inform, inspire, and motivate, EARTHDAY.ORG’s quizzes are the perfect entry-point to greater environmental education and climate action. “Our series of quizzes breaks down and provides introductory knowledge on an array of environmental topics critical to the climate crisis. From environmental novices to climate experts, this slate of tools can be used by anyone to educate themselves and get more involved in climate action,” said Tom Cosgrove, Chief Creative and Content Officer, EARTHDAY.ORG. To view all of EARTHDAY.ORG’s quizzes, please visit: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-quizzes/ For more environmental education resources such as lesson plans, toolkits, and advocacy packets, please visit: https://www.earthday.org/education-resource-library/ Outdoor clothing company Patagonia is about to publish their first children's picture book on May 24th, a bilingual story about ocean pollution and recycling. Uniquely presented in English and Spanish, Better than New: A Recycle Tale / Mejor que Nuevo: Un Cuenta de Reciclaje, written by Vermont-based children's author Robert Broder with illustrations by Lake Buckley, follows two Chilean kids who encounter a sea lion tangled in an abandoned fishing net. Together they free their ocean friend and consider what to do with the net. With the help of a bird, they recycle it into something useful again, something better than new. The book opens kids' eyes to the issue of plastic pollution in the ocean and challenges them to help the planet by making good choices and taking action. Abandoned fishing nets (aka "ghost nets'') are considered one the world’s most harmful forms of ocean pollution. The story in Better Than New was inspired by a real-life solution created by California-based company Bureo, who has established an infrastructure for collecting and recycling discarded nets and provides Patagonia with recycled materials for use in various products including Patagonia Baggies. We are really excited to tell you about Cambria Estate Winery, the Santa Maria Valley winery founded in 1986 and known for its single vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays! They have announced a partnership with Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA). Each year, Cambria partners with an organization that works to create a more sustainable world and provide opportunities for women. A champion for women’s empowerment and sustainability efforts in the wine industry, Cambria launches this partnership during Women’s History Month to drive visibility and philanthropic support for the grassroots climate solutions led by WEA Leaders around the world, and pledges to match up to $25,000 in donations. Since its inception, Cambria has maintained a proud legacy of strong female leadership with owner and winery co-founder, Barbara Banke, and her daughters Katie (Katherine) and Julia Jackson, who now serve as co-proprietors. In the wine cellar, Cambria’s female leadership spans more than 25 years and includes General Manager Denise Shurtleff, who previously spent two decades as Cambria’s winemaker, and continues with the current winemaker, Jill Russell, who joined the winery in 2017, alongside a team largely consisting of women. Cambria also fosters sustainability initiatives that extend beyond their vineyards and acclaimed wines. The winery holds certifications from both California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) and Sustainability in Practice (SIP). These certifications are holistic in nature and ensure that the winery meets agricultural, ecological, and community requirements, which include reducing carbon emissions, conserving water, utilizing renewable energy, and cultivating an equitable environment for employees. In partnership with WEA, this donation will support efforts to provide leadership, strategy, and technical training for Indigenous women leaders in the United States to scale their climate and environmental initiatives. WEA’s model identifies grassroots women leaders working on the frontlines to reverse climate change and protect their communities' natural resources, livelihoods, and health. By investing in long-term leadership through training, funding, and networks of support, WEA supports women leaders to scale the reach, impact, and longevity of their solutions beyond initial project investments - creating a ripple effect that benefits women’s communities, regions, our Earth, and future generations. “We are proud to partner with Women’s Earth Alliance and support their work to create a more sustainable world and provide opportunities for women,” says Katie Jackson, co-proprietor of Cambria Estate Winery. "Their mission closely aligns with key tenets that Cambria holds, and we encourage others to join us in celebrating Women's History Month and consider supporting organizations like Women’s Earth Alliance who are actively providing the means to create a better world and a platform for women to succeed.” To learn more about Cambria Estate Winery and how you can support the Women’s Earth Alliance visit cambriawines.com/womens-day. We would like to recommend a NEW Book for our Readers: Let It Shine: The 6,000-Year Story of Solar Energy by John Perlin paperback edition features a new preface by the author and a foreword by Stanford Professor Mark Z. Jacobson, PhD. The Book:
“The definitive history of solar power.” — The Financial Times “John Perlin is the historian of solar energy. — Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Prize and The Quest More about the book: Even as concern over climate change and dropping prices fuel a massive boom in solar technology, many still think of solar as a twentieth-century wonder. Few realize that the first photovoltaic array appeared on a New York City rooftop in 1884, or that brilliant engineers in France were using solar power in the 1860s to run steam engines, or that in 1901 an ostrich farmer in Southern California used a single solar engine to irrigate three hundred acres of citrus trees. Fewer still know that Leonardo da Vinci planned to make his fortune by building half-mile-long mirrors to heat water, or that the Bronze Age Chinese used hand-size solar- concentrating mirrors to light fires the way we use matches and lighters today. Let It Shine is a fully revised and expanded edition of A Golden Thread, John Perlin’s classic history of solar technology, detailing the past forty-plus years of technological developments driving today’s solar renaissance. This unique and compelling compendium of humankind’s solar ideas tells the fascinating story of how our predecessors throughout time, again and again, have applied the sun to better their lives — and how we can too. You can buy it at your local bookstore and here is one store from San Francisco. Enjoy!! The company that launched the world’s first plantable pencil is now aiming to make people as beautiful as the earth with the world’s first plantable makeup liner! With over 35 million plantable pencils sold to over 80 countries that grow into herbs, vegetables or flowers, Now, the company has created The Sprout Liner--an eye or brow liner that grows into wildflowers after its too small to use. The goal is to inspire more sustainable actions in our everyday lives! “As a company, Sprout World is made up of 80% female employees. It was during a creative workshop that the idea of a plantable makeup pencil arose, with the majority saying that they used makeup pencils daily, eyeliner being the most popular,” said Michael Stausholm, Founder and CEO of Sprout. “It created an instant buzz of excitement and it was this tangible ‘buzz’ that led to the conclusion that the only appropriate plant the new makeup pencil could sprout into were wildflowers that were good for bees.” Why the Sprout eye-and browliners are special * Made from certified wood * Patented worldwide – the only plantable makeup pencils in the world * Soluble cellulose cap that dissolves in soil * Bee-friendly wildflower seeds * Recyclable sugar cane cap * High-quality makeup * Waterproof * Eyeliners in black and brown, browliner in brown Kind to you and the planet * Made from only natural ingredients * Developed without microplastics * AllergyCertified * Minimum waste and sustainable packaging * Materials from ethical sources How to plant the Sprout Liners 1. Use the eye-or browliner until it becomes short to use 2. Plant it in a pot with the capsule lightly covered with soil 3. Add water and sunlight After 7-12 days, the eyeliner germinates and turns into beautiful wildflowers Available at Sprout World and Amazon, this innovative new concept in makeup will help push the cosmetics industry in a greener direction. Inspire and educate the next generation of Planet Protectors, while contributing to an important cause! Barefoot Books is an award-winning independent children’s book publisher with a mission to instill in young readers three of their dearest values: Conservation, Community and Connectedness. With the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and climate change continuing to make international headlines, the future of our planet is on kids' and adults' minds. Kids have the passion to help protect our planet, so what can we do to empower them to take action? Barefoot Books has partnered with The White Feather Foundation, founded by Julian Lennon, to curate a collection of products and resources to educate kids about the environment, and give them real ways they can make a positive impact in their communities right now. This Planet Protector Pack includes:
Buy the Planet Protector Pack Here as its a great gift for the Holidays, Birthdays, Families and for Teachers! |