BRIGHT Issue Seven

CHILL TIME: DOMINICK THOMPSON // TEARING DOWN THE EGO IN ACTIVISM // PLASTIC WASTE AND OUR OCEANS // INSIDE VEGAN CAMP OUT // VEGAN ALCOHOL GUIDE

BRIGHT ETHICAL LIFESTYLE. CULTURE & COMMUNITY.

ISSUE SEVEN

™

F

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@BRIGHTZINE

@BRIGHTZINES

@BRIGHTZINES

B R I G HT Z I N E .C O Bright Zine is a quarterly magazine produced in London, UK. Copyright © Bright Zine Ltd. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any form without the prior written consent of Bright Zine Ltd. The views and opinions expressed throughout are the responsibility of the individual contributors.

Vegan Queen® is a registered trade mark.

BRIGHT ETHICAL LIFESTYLE. CULTURE & COMMUNITY.

ISSUE SEVEN

B R I G HT

IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 10

INSIDE THE LUSH PRIZE

PAGE 12

PLANTFACED WITH EM-J

PAGE 14

IS IT VEGAN? THE ALCOHOL GUIDE

PAGE 18

SPOT THE BANANA

PAGE 20

MAKE YOUR PURCHASES VOTE FOR YOU

PAGE 22

INTERVIEW WITH A VEGAN QUEEN: RACHEL AMA

PAGE 24

IS THIS THE DEATH OF THE FUR TRADE AT LAST?

PAGE 26

5000 VEGANS HIT UP VEGAN CAMP OUT

PAGE 30

CHILL TIME: JONA WEINHOFEN

PAGE 36

INTERVIEW WITH A VEGAN QUEEN: JOHANNA TORUÑO, THE UNAPOLOGETICALLY BROWN SERIES

PAGE 42

TEARING DOWN THE EGO IN ACTIVISM

PAGE 46

CHILL TIME: DOMINICK THOMPSON

PAGE 56

VEGAN QUEEN’S HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE

PAGE 58

SHOP LOCAL, SUPPORT INDEPENDENT THIS VEGANUARY

PAGE 60

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

PAGE 62

WHAT DOES PLASTIC POLLUTION REALLY MEAN FOR OUR OCEANS?

PAGE 66

CHILL TIME: SHANNON MARTINEZ, SMITH & DAUGHTERS

PAGE 70

INVESTING IN A PLANT-BASED FUTURE

PAGE 72

MINIMALIST GIFT GUIDE PAGE 4

B R I G HT

46 10 36 24 60

PAGE 5

B R I G HT

C O NT R I B UTO RS Editorial Em-J Williams ™emj.makeupartist Caroline Vexler ™caroline_vexler CoGo™cogo_uk Adam Protz ™adamprotz Lauren Marina ™laurenmarina Joe Hill ™oneplanetpizza Paolo Bagarone™plasticfreemonkey Maya Kay ™avegandarling Måns Ullerstam t mullerstam Emma Oldham ™plant_powered_emma Johanna Toruño ™theunapologeticallybrownseries Alex Dyson ™a_dyson

Special thanks Dominick Thompson™domzthompson LUSH™lush Tamsin Callan ™tamsinrose Joel Callan ™jpg.vid Roxane Dewar ™roxane_dewar

On the cover Model: Dominick Thompson Photography: Crazies & Weirdos

PAGE 6

B R I G HT

LET TER FROM THE EDITOR Hello and welcome to BRIGHT Issue Seven.

As we move into 2019 we can look back on the incredible year that 2018 has been for the ethical lifestyle and vegan movements, but as always, there’s still work to do.

Advocacy is cer tainly a running theme in this issue, from Lauren Marina’s ar ticle calling to tear down the ego in activism, to our cover inter view with activist and multi-entrepreneur Dominick Thompson. I’ve followed Dominick’s journey from the early days of Instagram and am ver y excited to have him grace our cover and to share his compelling stor y.

As we release Issue Seven we’re fresh back from the LUSH Prize, where we faced the reality of animal testing in science practices across the world but more impor tantly and inspiringly, we saw just a glimpse of the pioneering scientists and engineers working on incredible technology to replace animals in toxicology testing. Seriously, they’ve replicated human organs and put them onto chips to be tested on, read page 10 to find out more.

Keep an eye on our Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for some exciting news coming in early 2019...

See you in Spring with Issue Eight.

Laura Callan Editor

™ lauralollipop .

PAGE 7

B R I G HT

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PAGE 8

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B R I G HT

INSIDE THE LUSH PRIZE Written by Laura Callan™lauralollipop Photos by LUSH™lush Animal testing in science has been a point

We heard from £50,000 Science Prize winner

of contention for centuries, with concerns

Dan Dongeun Huh, the investigator behind

for

a new blinking eye-on-a-chip that may help

animal

welfare

going

up

against

replace the controversial Draize test which

vivisection in the name of science.

restrains rows of rabbits in stocks in order to The first UK law specifically aimed at regulating

administer chemicals to their eyes. The eye is

animal testing was the Cruelty to Animals Act

composed of human cells with tear ducts and

of 1876, which Charles Darwin promoted,

an eyelid which blinks to respond to foreign

however animal testing to this day is still a

bodies in the same way that a human or

huge part of scientific research.

animal eye would.

LUSH have been fighting to end animal testing

These aren’t the only organs-on-chips we’re

since their launch in 1995, and in 2012 they

hearing about at the LUSH Prize. There are

launched the LUSH Prize, a £350,000 global prize

hearts, livers, female reproductive systems and

fund working to end or replace animal testing,

lungs - complete with smoking machines that

particularly in the area of toxicology research.

effectively test the effects of smoking on the body.

This year we joined LUSH in Berlin for their

Scientists have even developed multi-organ

sixth annual LUSH Prize, the first time it has

chips, which gain more effective results on the

been hosted outside London. This year’s

intake of a substance on multiple organs at a

theme was ‘Is There An End In Sight For

time, effectively a ‘human on a chip.’ Dr Ilka

Animal Testing?’ with a particular focus on

Maschmeyer from TissUse, a former LUSH

organ-on-a-chip technology and it’s potential

Prizewinner, is working towards a day that we

to replace animal use in safety testing.

see robots housing 24 organs-on-chips.

PAGE 10

B R I G HT

And if that wasn’t impressive enough, this

simple: more money, followed by better laws

technology is making its way out of our world

without the vague wording that can be worked

and going into space. Astronauts experience

around. And finally, Renate Künast says we

higher levels of infection during and after space

need an international treaty to ban cosmetics

travel, and so in April 2019 BIO Lines will be

testing on animals worldwide.

sending their organ-on-a-chip technology to the International Space Station to test it in the

The global reach of this small group of

conditions astronauts experience.

scientists is one of the most exciting aspects of the event. We see scientists from the UK,

It is inspiring to see so many scientists using

Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg,

their abilities, training and time [often their life’s

USA, Brazil, South Korea, China, Japan and

work] on working to create real solutions to

Taiwan, and that’s just those being awarded

combat animal testing and eventually eradicate

on the night. The fight to end animal testing

it altogether. It’s especially important to see

is worldwide, it’s growing and it’s making

the long-time pioneers working to end animal

significant and incredible scientific strides.

testing honoured, celebrated and awarded.

We can’t wait to see what these scientists

One such pioneer is Dr. Horst Spielmann,

achieve next, and who LUSH support and

who was awarded the Andrew Tyler award.

award in 2019.

Dr. Spielmann’s work dates back to 1988, and Find out more at lushprize.org

has been instrumental in the development and acceptance of alternatives to animal use.

While the LUSH Prize celebrates scientific exploration and discovery to help reduce and eliminate animal testing, they are also supporting those pushing for wider societal change, and launched the Lobbying Prize last year. This year’s winner is White Coat Waste, whose exposés on US government spending

on

specific

animal

tests

have

gained widespread media coverage and huge public support. Each year the US government spends $14.5bn of taxpayer’s money on animal testing, and White Coat Waste’s work has led to the complete defunding of tests including experiments on dogs and cats.

We heard from Renate Künast of Green Party Germany who gave an impassioned talk on the five tools we need to end the ‘cage age’. Her first tool for change is calling for transparency and our right to know where our products come from. Second is the changing of established structures, where she implored scientists to establish networks and create their own ‘gangs’ who support each other and fight against archaic structures. Third is

PAGE 11

B R I G HT

PLANTFACED With Em-J

Keeping your skincare and beauty routines vegan and free from animal testing companies can seem like a daunting task, so we’ve got pro vegan make up artist and YouTube queen Em-J Williams here to keep you in the know with the best vegan products.

In this issue, Em-J brings you this season’s top five cruelty-free, all-vegan beauty and skincare products.

™emj.makeupartist

1 D U L L S K I N SAV I O U R As the nights close in, the frosty wind attacks our delicate faces and we rush home to pop the heating on. Our skin is screaming ‘WTF?” and has no idea what’s going on.

A great way to

refresh dull wintery skin is to exfoliate! Dr’s Scrub is packed with line-filling Hyaluronic Acid (Plant based of course!) to deliver long-lasting hydration while nourishing Seaweed and Organic Red Tea Extract’s help to anti oxidise your complexion.

O N T H E LAS H It’s hard to find a good pair of falsies in a sea of ‘cruelty free mink’ lashes. HALLELUJAH… ELF have answered our festive needs when it comes to fluttering those peepers-animal free. ELF offer a wardrobe of 8 different styles of strip lashes as well as individual lashes too so there’s a look for every party!

False Eyelashes, ELF £3.00-£5.00

™elfcosmeticsuk

2

Dr’s Scrub, Goldfaden £65.00

™goldfadenmd PAGE 12

B R I G HT

3

PO R E F E CT Imagine having instantly smooth skin without having to wear foundation. You can stop imagining now and start believing! The ELF smoothing primer is a little tube of youth.

Whether you wear it under make-up or on it’s own after moisturiser - it helps to smooth out wrinkles as well as filling pores. It does exactly what it says on the tin!

Smoothing Primer, ELF £7.50

™elfcosmeticsuk

FAC E GY M

4

Applying products is one thing- but face massaging can bring a whole other power to your beauty regime.

Massaging can help potions penetrate deep into your skin as well as increase blood circulation, tone muscles, and even shift water weight in your face to make everything more lifted. The Body Shop has created a wonderful tool to help you get the most out of your face massaging routine. Introducing the ‘twin ball’ massager and the mini version for your eye area ‘The precision eye massager’. Great gift idea too!

Face massager, The Body Shop £16.00

™thebodyshop

L E T I T G R OW Beautiful hair all year round please! It’s not just your skin that can suffer in the winter monthsthe frosty air combined with dry indoor heat can play havoc with your hair leading to split ends and breakage! Treating your hair to a super intense hair mask once or twice a week can really help! Umberto Gianni’s Grow mask is packed full of hemp, coconut and Shea- the ultimate TLC for your barnet.

5

Grow Mask, Umberto Giannini £9.00

™umbertogiannini

PAGE 13

B R I G HT

IS IT VEGAN? THE ALCOHOL GUIDE PAGE 14

B R I G HT

Written by Caroline Vexler™caroline_vexler Photo by Jon Tyson

Veganism is not a club or a licence;

substance

there are no official rules, and there is

Common fining agents include casein

no flashing red siren that sounds when

(milk protein), egg whites, gelatine (animal

a drop of cow milk enters your vicinity.

tissue protein), isinglass (collagen from

The

best

that

self-designated

for

refining

or

colouring.

vegans

swim bladders of fish), carmine (beetle

can do is rely on labelling schemes,

extract), and more. There are many vegan

certifications, ingredient lists, and their

alternatives to these substances, but not

own judgment to make decisions on how to

all producers have transitioned away from

live. This requires making some personal

animal-based ingredients yet.

choices on consumption of food, clothing, cosmetics, and even alcohol. While food

Finding

items are required to have an ingredient

challenging since there is no standardised

a

list alcoholic beverages are often exempt

labelling scheme. Fully vegan certified

from this regulation which makes finding

beers and wines are few and far between,

vegan options a par ticular challenge.

and

may

vegan

often

beverage

be

more

can

be

expensive.

Smaller producers may be priced out of cer tification, even if their products are

So how is alcohol NOT vegan?

vegan-friendly. Moreover, not all producers Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol, a

list ingredients or use the “suitable for

substance produced through fermentation

vegetarians/vegans�

of

conscious

fruits,

grains,

or

other

sugars.

vegan

labels.

should

not

Being

a

preclude

Consequently, it is confusing how or

you from some serious shenanigans (but

why alcohol drinks contain non-vegan

please drink responsibly if you choose to

ingredients. During fermentation, alcohol

do so). Here are some tips for finding a

may

great vegan drink.

be

processed

with

a

non-vegan

PAGE 15

B R I G HT

LIQUOR

WINE

Most clear liquors are vegan! Wahoo! Keep

Vegan wine is generally more difficult to find

your double G&T. A caveat is that some

than vegan beer, and there are a number of

darker liquors like rum or whiskey may be

confusing labels for wines. “Organic” wines

made with honey, and cream liqueurs are

are made from organically grown grapes

likely to contain dairy. If you are looking for

(and organic wines from the USA are also

a creamy and dairy-free liqueur, try Bailey’s

free from added sulphites). “Biodynamic”

new vegan-friendly line made with almond

wines are made from grapes grown in

milk. Also, be aware that some cocktails,

biodynamic farming conditions this method

including sours and fizzes, are traditionally

of farming has even more conditions than

made with egg whites, so it is best to check

organic, but biodynamic wine places no

with a bartender to be safe.

restrictions on the winemaking process.

Neither biodynamic nor organic wines are necessarily vegan.

BEER & CIDER

Classic options:

Beer can be particularly challenging for

NOT

vegans as some brands have a range of

(whites), Barefoot, Yellow Tail, Jacob’s

products which vary in vegan-friendliness.

Creek, Isla Negra.

VEGAN – Casillero del Diablo (reds).

VEGAN

Casillero

–

del

Diablo

Local or craft beers can also be tricky since small brewers may not have comprehensive

Tips on finding vegan-friendly wine: All

websites or publish a full ingredient list.

Kosher

Luckily, many favourite brands are already

wines

vegan.

vegetarian-friendly more than others. Co-

Classic options:

op is particularly good about labelling

VEGAN – Stella Artois (except cider),

their wines by dietary restriction and also

Guinness, Budweiser, San Miguel, Heineken

including an ingredient list. Majestic wine

(except cider), Carlsberg.

delivery has both vegan and vegetarian

NOT VEGAN – Carling, Strongbow, John

filters to make finding vegan options even

Smith’s, Foster’s.

easier.

PAGE 16

wines tend

to

are be

vegan. labelled

Store-brand vegan

or

B R I G HT

WHEN IN DOUBT...

Ask! Veganism is becoming increasingly popular, pubs

and

may

restaurants, know

of

bars,

and

vegan-friendly

options. A perk of asking is that it will increase awareness that not all alcoholic beverages are vegan, demonstrate that vegan options are in high demand, and will hopefully encourage venues to source better choices. If you are still uncer tain about a beverage, check barnivore.com, which has a database of over 40,000 brands of beer, wine, and liquor. It is not comprehensive, but a good first step.

If you discover that a favourite brand or product is not vegan-friendly, don’t just withdraw your suppor t financially, make your voice heard. Send the company

OTHER DRINKS

feedback. Let them know how much you

VEGAN

ed that you will no longer be consuming

Pimm’s

it. Make a compassionate and economic

Smirnoff Ice

case for not using animal products, and

Jack Daniel’s (except Tennessee Honey

companies will listen.

enjoy their products and are disappoint-

and Ready to Drink) SOMETIMES VEGAN Champagne: depends on brand Prosecco: depends on brand

PAGE 17

SPOT THE BANANA

#SPOTTHEBANANA

B R I G HT

MAKE YOUR PURCHASES VOTE FOR YOU WHAT IS COGO?

WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR ‘ACTIONS’ SO FAR?

Our tech platform, and soon to launch app, enables and informs sustainable business practice change

So far in the UK the top four issues people

by giving consumers values a voice.

want to see action on are reducing packaging

We connect consumers to businesses that share

waste (58%), paying staff the living wage

their values and are already doing their part to

(57%), offering products without slave or

create a better world. We complete thorough

child labour (54%) and actively reducing

checks on all of the CoGo accredited businesses

their carbon emissions (50%). We are really

to ensure their statements are valid. But it doesn’t

pleased to see more than 20% of people want

stop there! When users sign up to CoGo they

businesses to offer vegan products!.

register their values and their bank card. This means that every time they shop with that card, it sends a signal to the business indicating what they care about. It’s essentially about taking the power of data and using it to inform positive social and environmental change.

HOW DOES THE VEGAN OPTION WORK?

We know that many businesses want to make a conscious effort to become more ethical and

We look for businesses that offer vegan

sustainable, but don’t know where to start.

products or serve vegan dishes. We then

Our database of consumer values works as an

validate these claims by double checking

influential tool for change. Seeing what issues

them and ensuring that no animal products

their customers and potential customers care

are used in their production. Consumers that

about helps these businesses to take action in

use the app that have indicated they want to

a meaningful way. The final piece in the puzzle

see businesses stocking vegan products are

is that when a business adopts a new practice

then told about local places stocking vegan,

or gains a new badge because of the CoGo

and most importantly they get to hear how

community’s collective influence, we tell the users

places are starting to stock vegan products

about the good they’ve helped create. The impact

because they can see consumers like you

we can have when we come together is amazing!

care about it. Win win win!

PAGE 20

B R I G HT

WHY SHOULD CONSUMERS SIGN UP TO COGO?

WHAT’S THE BENEFIT OF USING THIS SERVICE FOR VEGANS AND PEOPLE INTERESTED IN ETHICAL LIFESTYLE?

CoGo is a great companion for conscious Not only does CoGo make it really easy for you

consumers but moreover, when we come

to find products and produce that align with

together our voices can be powerful motivators

your values, but you are also able to vote to

for change. Our influence will only grow in

see more vegan items on menus or in shops.

line with our community, so if you want to see

And as more vegans join the platform, we’re

sustainable and ethical business practice go

able to gather data that indicates a volume of

mainstream, you should get involved.

vegan consumers in an area or using a certain business. We can then take that information to

Sign up with CoGo and let your values

businesses and encourage them to better serve

speak through your everyday purchases, at

the vegan community. It works the same way

cogo.com

with all of the CoGo badges. When a CoGo

™cogo_uk

business starts offering more vegan products or a new business joins the platform, we’ll tell you about it, meaning your database of vegan friendly shops and eateries will continue to grow.

PAGE 21

B R I G HT

INTERVIEW WITH A VEGAN QUEEN

RACHEL AMA Rachel Ama is a YouTube star truly on the rise.

The energetic, lip-synching, dancing, boxing video star and recipe creator from London creates beautifully produced videos with super accessible recipes and plenty of fun thrown in. We wanted to know more about this Vegan Queen, so caught up with her for the latest in our ‘Interview With A Vegan Queen’ series.

WHAT’S YOUR VEGAN ORIGIN STORY?

WHAT WAS YOUR JOURNEY TO YOUTUBE?

I’d previously struggled with a lot of painful

I started my YouTube channel a year ago. It’s

digestive problems and then found out that I’m

been amazing being able to help people on their

extremely lactose intolerant, so I cut out dairy

vegan journey and connect with people from all

for that reason around 10 years ago. One night,

over the world.

a few years later I went on a documentary spiral into animal farms and saw how the

HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A FOODIE?

meat and fish ended up on my plate - I was heartbroken. I’ve always considered myself an

I’ve always had super sensitive taste buds so

animal lover having had pets all my life, but I

when I was growing up my mum could never get

just hadn’t made the association and when I

away with sneaking in seasonings I didn’t like.

did, I went vegan the next day. I couldn’t bare

But it wasn’t until I went travelling around South

the thought of eating animals. And with that,

America about five years ago that I got really into

knowing by being vegan I can also contribute

food then going vegan I had this new enthusiasm

to helping our environment and my health, it

to play with textures and spices to make really

was a no brainer.

delicious vegan food.

PAGE 22

B R I G HT

YOU’RE A VERY BUSY WOMAN, WHAT DOES A WEEK IN YOUR LIFE LOOK LIKE?

HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH THE BBC?

My schedule has changed so much this year.

to look into meat alternatives. I’ve always

Every week is different but roughly, Monday to

found it really interesting looking at different

Friday is a combination of meetings, events,

cultures which have been predominantly plant

emails, writing recipes and planning an episode to

based and why they’re not thought of when the

film for YouTube. Then Saturday I film it, Sunday I

word “fad” gets thrown around when talking

edit it, then I upload it and start again on Monday.

about veganism, or how its unrealistic, too

I worked with BBC Radio 4 The Food Programme

expensive and so on. So it was so cool being able to look into this with BBC. We looked at

Rastafarianism,

all

the

different

meat

replacements in a lot of oriental cooking whilst

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT VEGANISM AND THE VEGAN COMMUNITY?

learning and understanding why. I really hope to explore these topics more in the next year.

That we as individual people are making and demanding change. It’s so powerful. For each of us to see wrong in a lifestyle that we were so accustomed to being normal, healthy and the

WHAT WOULD YOUR ARVICE BE FOR ANYONE WANTING TO START UP THEIR OWN CHANNEL, BUSINESS OR EMPIRE?

right way to eat and live. To then just completely change that because we don’t agree with it morally, environmentally and from a health standpoint, in spite of everything we may have

Start now, go for it. You will make mistakes,

been previously taught. I think in general we are

you will learn and you will grow, but you have

all becoming a lot more conscious about what

to start first. Create your own luck.

we are investing our money in and how that affects others and our planet, it’s needed and I love being apart of that change.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? Helping to make veganism the normal. I think it’s needed for the animals, the environment

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT TAKES TO BE SUCCESSFUL ON YOUTUBE AND ONLINE?

and is a great place to start improving our health.

So

spreading

the

message

and

providing solutions that make it easier for

I think consistency is so so important,

people adopt plant based eating. That’s my

probably the most important. And don’t be

goal. I’m currently working on my first cook

afraid to just be your true self, whether it’s

book which I’m very, very excited to share.

weird, funny or chill, you kind just gotta be you and then you’ll attract like minded

See more from Rachel on her YouTube

people.

channel and on rachelama.com

™rachelama_

PAGE 23

B R I G HT

IS THIS THE DEATH OF THE FUR TRADE AT LAST? Written by Laura Callan ™ lauralollipop Photo by Jonatan Pie ™ r3dmax

With pressure from campaigners and the

Berkeley and became the biggest city in the world to

infamous “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur”

ban the sale of fur.

campaign fronted by the world’s most famous supermodels, in the 1980s fur became the most

In the UK, years of pressure and protests from

unfashionable, scorned and taboo trend.

dedicated campaigners including Surge Activism led London Fashion Week to finally close the doors

It stayed a fashion faux pas for years, but somehow

on fur this year.

fur has been forcibly snuck back into collections, stores and onto the high street in the last few years.

With this much change happening, it’s easy to question why some designers still use real fur

We’ve seen a number of cases of ‘fake’ fur turning

at all. Part of this is down to money, access and

out to be real, from fur pom poms on hats to fur

sponsorship. Furriers and fur dealers often go

detailing on shoes, sparking huge outrage with the

into fashion schools and universities to enlist and

animal-loving general public.

encourage students to use fur, giving them furs for free or at significantly discounted rates to get the

This mislabelling and mis-selling of real fur to

material back in designs and on runways.

unwitting customers served as a stark reminder of consumer’s need and right to transparency on where

Now with the growth in veganism, ethical fashion

their products come from, what they’re made from,

and shopping, we may see more up and coming

what’s in them and importantly, who made them.

designers joining the big fashion houses in turning away from this cruel and antiquated industry.

When it comes to fur there is good news however.

We are seeing a shift. A number of fashion houses

So how do we stop fur from being pushed back ‘in

have announced that they will go fur free, many of

fashion’ again? According to Joh Vinding, Chairman

them speaking openly about the ethics behind their

of the Fur Free Alliance, the key is in education.

decisions. Donnatella Versace, formerly a prolific

He said: “The more consumers learn about the

promoter of fur said in an interview with Glamour

atrocities animals go through on fur farms or when

Magazine, “Fur? I am out of that. I don’t want to kill

caught in traps, the more interested companies

animals to make fashion. It doesn’t feel right.”

become in going fur free.”

Fur farming itelf is banned in a number of countries

For more information on fur free campaigning,

including the UK, Austria, The Netherlands and

and to find your country’s leading fur-free

more, but the sales of it have not been, until recently.

groups visit the Fur Free Alliance Website

In September 2018, LA joined San Francisco and

furfreealliance.com

PAGE 24

B R I G HT

COMPANIES* WITH UPDATED FUR-FREE POLICIES: Bebe

Kate Spade New York

Calvin Klein

Lacoste

Coach

Maison Margiela

Diane Von Furstenberg

Michael Kors

Donna Karan / DKNY

Ralph Lauren

Furla

REI

Gap

Stella McCartney

Giorgio Armani

The Kooples

Gucci

The North Face

H&M

Timberland

Hugo Boss

Tommy Hilfiger

J Crew

Versace

Jean Paul Gaultier

Vivienne Westwood

Jimmy Choo

Zara

*PLEASE NOTE, THESE COMPANIES DO NOT SELL FUR OR FUR PRODUCTS, BUT MAY STILL SELL LEATHER, WOOL, DOWN, SILK, ANGORA AND OTHER ANIMAL-DERIVED ‘MATERIALS’ PAGE 25

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5000 VEGANS HIT UP VEGAN CAMP OUT Written by Adam Protz ™adamprotz

A number of 2018’s vegan camping festivals

As soon as you arrive on the Friday, it’s

were forced to cancel this year, including Our

worth pitching your tent up quickly, as there’s

Vegan Weekend, No Planet B, and Norwich

immediately plenty going on. Some of the first-

Vegan Camp. In stark contrast to this was Vegan

day highlights include Heather Mills, richly

Camp Out, which has truly gone from strength to

deserving a main stage appearance to show what

strength. The festival, which takes place at the

an enormous inspiration she is, despite some of

Newark Showground, sold out its 5000 tickets.

her character assassination during her media

And to date, the organisers have raised £5000

scandal. She talks us through her story: being a

for leading animal rights charity, Viva!. With these

paralympic skier, her battle to continue working

kinds of numbers and a top-drawer lineup, it’s a

as a model after her motorcycle accident, and the

relief to see that these cancellations were certainly

grand finale is her work as an activist, and setting

not due to a lack of interest in vegan events.

up VBites.

It’s a beautifully unique festival, where groups

Friday is seen off by reggae legend Macka B

of campers spontaneously break out into yoga

over on the music stage, and then the BPM is

sessions. There’s zero aggravation to be found,

raised significantly back over at the main stage

which is a relief after a minority protested the

for the after party, which well and truly goes

Vegan Bros’ talk last year. Of course, it’s not all

off. It’s a good thing everyone is running off

downward dogs and green juice — perhaps the

that extra fibre as a deft blend of house, hip-

greatest triumph is the crowd seem relatively

hop and grime keeps limbs gyrating until the

mainstream, which goes to show how far veganism

early hours.

has progressed since the first Vegan Camp Out.

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Saturday morning is all about the food, and there are some big old queues for the stalls.

Especially those serving up great coffee — shout out to Fields Beneath, and their fantastic t-shirts.

There’s also tofish and chips, juice being served in watermelons, Carribean food, sushi, pizza….

Vegan Camp Out 2018 is a culinary dream.

Saturday is the fullest day in terms of talks and music, and some of the biggest changemakers are giving talks. A big highlight is Dr Neal Barnard, star of What The Health, Forks Over Knives, and very much one of the most prominent plant-based physicians out there. See our full interview with him in this issue. Then there’s the woman who coined the term ‘carnism’ herself: Dr Melanie Joy. The author, activist and Harvard graduate walks out to a heavily packed-out audience and delivers an important talk geared towards surviving psychologically as a vegan.

The standing ovation is well deserved.

Just before JME’s headline set on the music stage (full review on the following page) is one of the biggest draws of the weekend, comedian Simon Amstell. Already one of the best comics in the UK, he has become something of a hero in the vegan scene since directing Carnage for the BBC, his very well-received vegan mockumentary. “Hello, vegans!”, he says as he arrives on stage. “Finally, a festival for people who don’t like murder!” As to be expected, his set is one of the highlights of the weekend, as he delves into his usual topic of trying to find happiness in a complicated world.

For Simon, such explorations involve sex, fitting into his Jewish family, veganism, and also MDMA. One of the most beautiful things to emerge from Camp Out was the side-by-side photo

be seen. Well done, vegans. You did your job!

comparisons of the Vegan Camp Out clear-up

Just another reason why Vegan Camp Out 2018

and other UK festivals. While most are a bomb

was an absolute triumph; long may it reign. At

site of abandoned tents and litter, the Newark

this rate, the festival will gradually become a

Showground is merely a handful of tents that

mainstream event, challenging the biggest UK

haven’t been packed away yet, and no waste to

festivals. Watch out, Glastonbury.

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“It’s mad. It’s mad.” This is what Jamie Adenuga, best known as JME, keeps telling us, alluding to the fact that he hasn’t needed to ask for any extra energy levels from the Vegan Camp Out crowd. He’s not wrong, the energy is indeed madness in the room, much more charged and visceral than the laid-back reggae of the previous evening. But this is grime music we are dealing with, and JME is one of the genre’s original pioneers. Before a single beat has dropped though, the emcee and Boy Better Know founder announces his stage arrival with an acapella rendition of his anti-carnism lyrics from ‘No You Ain’t’.

It’s the only serene moment of the set; thereafter, the high-BPM grime beats come thick and fast. ‘96 F**kries’ quickly leading into ‘Work’, and ‘Man Don’t Care’. Most of the songs come from JME’s most recent album, Integrity. There’s a few exceptions, such as when we get a rendition of ‘That’s Not Me’, his brother Skepta’s hit that he features on. JME eventually gives into the crowd’s demands for ‘Pulse 8’ towards the end of his stage time.

We’re treated to a new song for the finale, about

people

chasing

more

and

more

material wealth, while becoming more and more unhappy. Further proof that JME is one of the most ‘woke’ rappers the UK has ever

HEADLINER JME

produced, and that we couldn’t have asked for a stronger Saturday headliner.

Written by Adam Protz ™adamprotz

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CHILL TIME: VEGAN CAMP OUT After a very busy summer we caught up with Vegan Camp Out co-founder Jordan Greiner Martin about this year’s successes and what’s next for the festival.

WHAT MADE YOU START THE FIRST EVER VEGAN CAMP OUT? The idea came from visiting outdoor music festivals my whole life and realising there was nothing like that in the vegan world, which combined that summer feel of an outdoor music festival with animal rights. We set it up in 2016 to test the waters and 400 people from all over the country met in a field for one night - no talks, just a sound system and one food vendor to feed everyone. And people left crying that they had to leave, and so we just knew we had to carry it on!

And so we aimed much higher for 2017!

HOW HAS IT BEEN SEEING THE VEGAN COMMUNITY GROW, AND IN TURN SEEING VEGAN CAMP OUT GROW? It’s been amazing to see, and we’ve noticed the growth with the Camp Out too. We’ve gone from 400 people in year one to 5600 people in year three. We’re now in our four th year and see no sign of slowing down!

WHAT WERE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR?

WHAT’S NEXT FOR VEGAN CAMP OUT?

For me personally it was seeing friends from

we’re very excited about. We have a totally different

all around the world. Seeing ever yone enjoy

line-up to 2018. We have some people back from

the food and dance in the af terpar ties. JME

2017, along with many brand new additions. And aim

and Simon Amstell were amazing too.

on making next year’s event even bigger and better!

The first 2019 line-up announcement is out which

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CHILL TIME: JONA WEINHOFEN Laura Callan™lauralollipop talks to guitarist and I Killed The Prom Queen frontman about animal activism, becoming a new parent and how we’re all planting seeds.

YOU TALKED AT VEGAN CAMP OUT THIS YEAR, HOW DID IT GO?

about how my music career and my veganism have

It was lovely, my first experience was walking straight

amount of time, I got into veganism through music

on to the stage to give my speech and it was nice to

and so that was such an important connection for

see so many people interested in the speeches and

me, so I just told my story of getting into hardcore

to have a nice full-attentive room. To put it simply

punk-rock music from my early teenage years in like

it’s just good vibes. It’s just so nice to be in a space

the late 90s. I discovered veganism at shows from

where you share with so much in common with so

bands on stage talking about it and that impacted

many people. It’s like a good positive thing to have

me and my perception of something that I thought

in common.

was so strange before. All of the sudden, these

been paralleled for such a long time. Basically for my whole music career I’ve been vegan the same

like idols of mine were up there talking about these

WHAT WAS YOUR TALK ABOUT?

things and was like, “Okay, so what’s the deal

It was really tricky for me to figure it out, on one

in over time getting more popular I was given this

hand I had this like predetermined idea of what a

this platform of dedicated fans that pay attention to

speaker should be talking about based on other

the things that band members say, and I wanted to

people like Earthling Ed. These super inspirational

use that platform for something positive. Naturally,

guys that get up and it’s just so natural to them, they

speaking about veganism to my fans felt like a good,

give a big inspiring speech and everyone’s like “oh my god” and they’re gonna turn the whole world vegan now, but I just don’t have that experience. I come from a performance background, I’m used to getting up in front of crowds but with a guitar instead of a microphone.

So I asked Jordan and the organisers and they said it was up to me, that people usually tell their own personal story or tell a story of an experience they’ve had within the realm of veganism. So I chose to talk

with veganism?” Through bands that I’ve played

positive thing, it was something that I’ve gotten so

conversation-based outreach because you can have

much out of in my personal life and obviously the

quick back and forth that allows people to chime in

animals are getting something out of it, and the

on the conversation and others to view it and it’s

planet, it’s this all-encompassing selfless thing that

just so quick and easy. I’m fortunate to have that

happens to be really good for you at the same time.

platform. I do still try and do some street activism

Why not share that with people?

and outreach, attending vigils and Saves and things like that, because I want to be in touch with what’s going on. I want to be able to have all of those

DO YOU EVER FIND IT DIFFICULT TO TALK ABOUT VEGANISM WITH NON-VEGANS?

experiences so that when I have conversations with people I actually have something to back it up with, my own personal experience. Another thing a lot of

Over many years of having discussions on social

people don’t know about me is that I grew up in rural

media and in person with fans, I feel liked I’ve

south Australia in farming communities. The school I

honed how I approach it with people because it’s

went to was a big agricultural school, the agriculture

not something that everyone wants to hear about. If

programme was a huge part of school life from ages

someone follows me on Instagram, they’re probably

10-14. I’ve been kind of chastised as this city vegan

not doing it to hear about veganism, it’s because

hipster boy that knows nothing about how it is to

I played in a cool band that they like and they’re

live in farming communities of rural Australia, and

interested in my life, but then on the flip side, it’s

I’m like, “Actually…” That’s where I spent a lot of

a big part of my life, so that’s the bonus that you’re

my youth, that’s where I was exposed to a lot of

gonna get. I’ve gone back and forth with how

those things as a young kid. That’s a big part of

outspoken I am, it’s not a conscious decision, some

what set me off on this journey. There’s more of a

months I’ll feel really pumped to talk about veganism

validity in your conversations sometimes if you’ve

and in others I just want to do my own thing. I use

had personal experiences that you can share rather

different social platforms in different ways, Twitter is

than, “Well I saw this thing on the Internet and that’s

my predominant platform of choice as far as more

why you should listen to what I’m saying to you.”

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YOU AND YOUR WIFE MICHELLE HAVE RECENTLY HAD A BABY, HOW HAS THAT EXPERIENCE BEEN? He’s a sweet little angel, it’s definitely a new experience for both Michelle and I. I’m finding that parenting at least in these early stages has come a lot more naturally than we thought, we’re settling into parenthood quite well. It’s pretty easy at this stage. He breastfeeds, he naps, we play a little bit, that’s the cycle. It’ll change and evolve as he gets older and grows. I actually got to be part of a conversation and interview with Chris Hines and Dr. Neal Barnard which was an opportunity for me to ask questions and get advice about raising a vegan child in 2018. He gave me some really great advice, some of it I kind of already knew, but just hearing from a professional reinforces it. He’s such an inspiring guy.

I’m kind of looking forward to the challenges to be honest, especially on the social side of things.

I’ve been so outspoken and so firm in my beliefs, ideologies and lifestyle for so long. I’m really up to the challenge when people come at me with

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

certain arguments. Also just navigating having a child who’s going to be in social situations that

Right now I’m kind of living normal life which is a

other children aren’t. I was never like that, I wasn’t

first for me. I’ve lived out of a suitcase for as long

raised as vegan so I don’t know that world. I’ve got

as I can remember - touring, living in vans, hotels,

a couple friends who are vegan parents with vegan

buses. Michelle and I actually just bought a house,

children. I’ve gotten some tips from them already.

and I, at 35, have been thrown into full adulthood,

Another big inspiration for us as far as parenting

my adult life until now has just been living like I’m

is Ellen Fisher, she’s a vlogger and social media

a kid, doing whatever I want, staying up as late as

personality and her kids predominately eat

I want. I’ve worked but I didn’t see it as work. So

whole-food plant-based, which is really cool and

now I have like a normal job, a house, a baby, a

it’s something that we’re just starting to sort of

wife, all that good stuff and it’s funny, it’s all a really

navigate towards. When it comes to Halloween she

new experience for me, so I’m kind of revelling in

created a concept called The Switch Witch, kind

that. On the music side I’m kind of quiet for now,

of like the Tooth Fairy. So at Halloween time they

though there’s been some talk of reunion stuff with

collect all the non-vegan candy and the stuff that

my band (I Killed The Prom Queen), playing some

is really bad for them and the Switch Witch comes

older material.

and switches that out with good stuff and toys and

With veganism, I’m still trying to find things that

other things that can enjoy that’s not necessarily

fulfil me and that are meaningful and at this point

food-based. I thought that was a really cool and

it’s just been doing a little bit of everything, a little

creative spin to put on that.

bit of outreach, a little bit of The Save Movement

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even a one-on-one conversation or interaction

stuff, little bit of social media stuff. A while back I

or a lunch meeting with someone where you can

was feeling pretty burnt out on social media which

plant that seed, there’s a trickle down effect. They

feels like my mainline to the people, and a really

might try veganism, and then someone else will be

good close friend of mine, who actually isn’t vegan,

influenced by them and it just goes on and on and

said to me, “Whether you realise it or not, you’re

on. I think that’s a big part of why we’re seeing such

gonna have an impact on people, it might not be

phenomenal growth within the vegan community.

ten thousand Twitter followers, but it might be your family or your relatives or someone that you have lunch with.” It was a really cool thing to hear and it got me really thinking about those personal interactions you have with people and the positive

ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?

influence that you might have without releasing at the time. Planting that seed I think is really important

I guess just that I try to be really engaging with the

and so that’s something I’ve been trying to be more

community, it’s hard when I get a million messages,

conscious of and more at peace with.

but I really do try to be responsive, especially with

Something I’ve talked about a lot is that every vegan

direct messages. I get a lot on Instagram, if people

I know asks themselves, “What can I be doing

are reading this and have any interest in what I have

that’s more than what I’m doing now? I need to be

to say or maybe want more of insight into how to get

doing more, I’m not helping enough.” I think that’s

into veganism, find me on there.

a general feeling across the vegan community, because it’s such a huge task that we’re up against,

Keep up to date with Jona over on

it’s this big global machine that seems really difficult

™jonaweinhofen t jonaweinhofen

to stop running. I just want people to know that

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THE NEW COOKDAILY AT LONDON FIELDS

COOKDAILY, ARCH 358, WESTGATE STREET, E8 3RN

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INSTA HEROES

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INTERVIEW WITH A VEGAN QUEEN

JOHANNA TORUÑO CREATOR: THE UNAPOLOGETICALLY BROWN SERIES

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Johanna Toruño is a remarkable artist using her creative talents and her voice to create community on the streets of New York and beyond. With her work The Unapologetically Brown Series, Johanna uses the streets as a public art gallery, pasting beautiful, colourful posters and artworks that uplift people of colour and call for unity and solidarity. Some posters read as love letters to women of colour, others address societal inequality and react to current events. We spoke to Johanna to find out more about her art and her mission to create for her community, to spark conversations and inspire change.

Written by Laura Callan™lauralollipop Photos by Eviana Vergara & Jorge Ortega™jortega_design

HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN ARTISTIC? DID YOU STUDY ART OR POLITICS?

WHAT IS YOUR GOAL WITH THE SERIES IN ALL ITS FORMS?

I think I have always been creative, I just hadn’t

I want to create a body of work in many forms. I

found my medium yet. Once I realised what I

want to build a creative house of folks that create

was doing, translating all my work to poster

and disrupt together in public spaces. I also want

work and the creation of this series — that’s

to design and produce my own overalls, similar

where my artistry has truly shown itself.

to the ones I wear on the streets. I would love to create a short film about young queer brown girls falling in love based on the zine I wrote called “ The House in Long Island”. Lastly, I want to continue to work, and create my own lane: a legacy.

WHAT SPARKED YOU TO START THE UNAPOLOGETICALLY BROWN SERIES?

HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE MOVING TO THE U.S. AS A CHILD? AND DO YOU THINK THAT EXPERIENCE IS DIFFERENT FOR PEOPLE IN THE CURRENT CLIMATE?

I originally started this series as an audio project on Soundcloud, then quickly realised it was not the most efficient to ask folks, “Listen

I came here because my mom came to work

to my Soundcloud link!” I knew I needed to find

here before me. I was in El Salvador with my

a way to force people to pay attention and I

aunt who brought me to the U.S. with only a

believe that public art allows my work to be

book bag. I did not know I would be staying here

seen in a broader and larger scale. I grew up

permanently when I was removed from my own

on the streets and I knew that’s where I wanted

home. I was nine-years old and did not speak

my work to live.

English, therefore, I had a really hard time and felt displaced and angry right away. Not every immigrant has the same experience, therefore, I cannot speak for others because we all have a different story, especially when it comes to immigration in this country.

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YOUR WORK TALKS ABOUT LOVING UNAPOLOGETICALLY AND FREELY AS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE, HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS PARTICULARLY FOR QUEER PEOPLE, AND QUEER PEOPLE OF COLOUR?

YOUR POSTERS CAN BE SEEN AROUND THE STREETS OF NY AND YOU HAVE THEM AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD AND SHARE WITH OTHERS, HAVE YOU SEEN THEM POP UP IN OTHER PLACES?

As queer folks of colour, we have pioneered our

Yes! The posters have made their way all

entire existence. No one taught us anything about

over the country to California, Oregon, Texas,

ourselves. We grow up in a heteronormative world

and other states! They’ve gone overseas

that pushes gender, sex and sexuality expression

to London, South Africa, and Canada. I am

binaries every chance it gets. I treasure and

always so amazed at where they end up. I

honor queer folks and their love… our love, with

can only be in one place at a time, therefore,

every ounce of heart in me. I believe our lives are

I make them accessible so the art itself can

radical personal revolutions. I want to honour and

spread its own wings.

document that glory for the rest of my life.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF IN THE FUTURE?

“I WANT THE FUTURE TO BE A .

GENDERLESS QUEER SOCIETY.” PAGE 39

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WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH VEGANISM?

HOW CAN PEOPLE SUPPORT YOUR WORK? AND WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?

My relationship with veganism is my own and

I am traveling a lot right now on a University

it is personal. I prefer the term plant-based

Tour, visiting universities such as Auburn

because it makes me feel more comfortable,

University, Santa Clara University, and others.

since I feel as if White Veganism has ruined

I am also starting another street gallery of

the term for me. I don’t oppose the word

photos of queer elders and their families, I

“vegan” for anyone who likes the word, yet for

believe it is so important for us to document

me I feel that word has alienated itself from

our stories, I am really excited about that!

my community. My ancestors have been plant-

After, I am tackling a short film on queer love,

based for hundreds of years. The way I eat is

which more information will be coming out

an ancestral experience. One that continues

about soon. As a creative it takes money to do

to evolve and is not limited by the rules and

what I do so I sustain it with my online store:

regulations white vegans have set.

theunapologeticallybrownseries.format.com/store See more of Johanna’s work, merchandise range and see how you can support her art on her website, and keep up to date with her

YOUR GIRLFRIEND AMY QUICHIZ CREATED THE NATIONAL WOMEN OF COLOUR COLLECTIVE VEGGIEMIJAS WHICH YOU HAVE COLLABORATED WITH, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT IT?

on Instagram

™theunapologeticallybrownseries theunapologeticallybrownseries.format.com

Veggie Mijas and The Unapologetically Brown Series have more in common than at first glance. Both of us concentrate on bringing our tools to the hood and the community.

We have utilised the streets and create real physical people of color-exclusive community spaces. It made complete sense that two creatives like us would collaborate. We had our first potluck in Los Angeles, where we brought vegan Latinx vendors, shared space, and sold our merchandise together — it was beyond beautiful. We both care about our community whether that’s fighting for food justice, representation, for visibility in our streets, and all streets.

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TEARING DOWN THE EGO IN ACTIVISM AN ARGUMENT FOR SELF-DIVESTMENT FROM PEER JUDGEMENT IN ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISM

“Well, why haven’t we seen you out with us before now?”

My cheeks flush. I feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Uninvited. Excluded. At fault. Wrong. His tone, his questioning, was steeped in accusation, it

was

abrupt

and

cold.

I

suddenly

felt

unwelcome, unworthy.

I

responded

to

his

question,

muddled,

embarrassed, a feeling of grappling for an excuse. As soon as I said my answer, I knew what I said wasn’t right, it just didn’t quite fit.

Written and illustrated by Lauren Marina

™laurenmarina

I felt deeply embarrassed. Less than him, less than this man, a dedicated saviour of animals

This piece is written in the context of, and

who is able to contribute so much more to the

about my experiences within the UK animal

cause than I, I am belittled. Confusingly, I’m

rights movement.

simultaneously impressed with him and his

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resilience to defend animals. How admirable it

need to question our sometimes unconsidered

is that he can give up so much time, energy, and

language and tone towards our AR peers.

heart (and most likely, continual heartbreak) to

How do we hold our worry and frustration in

these efforts. I am in awe but at the cost of my

a place of validity, respect and awareness

own self-empowerment.

with ourselves, whilst also maintaining an outwardly

His snappy tone made me feel less helpful,

welcoming

and

compassionate

space for others?

less of an important cog, I am the hindrance of a spare part. And moreover, it made me

I deeply respect this man and all he contributes

feel unwelcome to attend again unless I could

directly to the cause, but, and here is the crux

‘prove myself’ with a saintly attendance record.

of my article, he should share the same deep

I felt disempowered to make a difference and

respect for me and all that I can contribute,

put off joining this group again for fear of

judgement free. That means not belittling the

judgement.

efforts of those around you and burning the cloak of self-righteousness! This behaviour

Now it’s 8 years later and I’m the one watching

is not only unnecessary for a collaborative

newcomers arrive on the AR scene. I wasn’t

revolution, but also actively unhelpful.

entirely put off from rejoining the group for more actions, but it did make me wobble.

Yes, we should drive and encourage ourselves

I returned with a sense of trepidation and

to do as much as we can, because, hell, the

unease. Wouldn’t it be favourable to eliminate

animals need us more than ever. I suggest

these feelings for newcomers?

divestment from looking down on advocates around us whose activism we believe to be

With an extended lived experience of my

lesser, or a radically different shape to our

own with various AR individuals and groups,

own. To believe that our way is the only way

I reflect upon this anecdote. Since I didn’t

is toxic. We should relieve the ego of this

ask him at the time, amidst my turmoil of

standard and welcome the skills and thoughts

embarrassment and unease, I don’t know

that others can provide, which as a movement

the purpose of his question for sure. But if

we can be nourished by.

we look at this situation more hypothetically we can make some informed suggestions

We need to recognise that not everyone can

on some of the possible root causes of his

contribute and mirror our own way or velocity

question. Maybe it was asked out of frustration

of doing things, and that, actually, that in itself

that I hadn’t joined their efforts earlier. As a

is the gold dust of our power. Everyone has

newcomer, perhaps he was asking me from a

something intrinsically valuable to bring to the

place of concern, a vicious paranoia set up

table. We are not all born activists, we have all

upon our movement by the State and their

been on a journey. Just because you are at a

long-term infiltration of activists by police

different stage in your journey to another does

spies, or corporate undercovers. Or maybe,

not mean their steps are not valid. We must

the question came from a place of ego, where

recognise that the definitions of what ‘activism’

he felt the need to assert his commitment to

for animals, looks, sounds and equates to

the cause over mine. In any of these cases, we

should be ‘allowed’ to vary.

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I don’t believe we should define ‘activism’ on

When we big each other up, and I mean, by

mass, I think it is dangerous to define, as that

verbally sharing validation and warmth, we

smothers and squashes the creative and unique

bolster not only each other but the whole

contributions of others. If anything it should be

movement. A newcomer who feels welcomed

self-defined and it should fit in with what works

in an activist group is far more likely to come

for you. Just take a stand in any way that works

again. Building community is fundamental

for you, and allow this of others. Do not turn

in building sustainable activists, and more

away or sneer at contributions or efforts that

effective advocacy for animals. The effects of

you consider less than your own, they should

being judged or undervalued are weakening

not only be considered as equal, but also the

and dismissive of those who have the smallest

driving force of longevity and innovation in the

of embers to stand up and be counted in a

movement of change making.

society which is trying its hardest to extinguish that flame. Fan the flames of all those who

Reserve judgement, it is a barrier to our

want to join the cause! When your peers are

advocacy.

upheld with value by you, and the network of your AR community or group, this generates a

The thing is, we need to herald and cheerlead

growing snowball of mutual respect and value

our fellow animal advocates, to raise them high

for all. It creates a healthy environment in

and empower them as much as possible. To be

which people who join will feel welcome and

pleased with the turnout to our demo, getting

comfortable.

to know those individuals brave and resilient enough to take to the streets, getting to know

Divest yourself from battling to be ‘better’ than

them and their heart, not disappointed that a few

your AR peers, divest from the thought that

more people didn’t show and using our energy

one activist is better than another for a, b or

to inwardly ruminate on it. Let’s not disparage

c reason. Everyone is welcome. Everyone has

the online petition signers or bloggers as lazy

value. In my eyes, we need to recognise the

‘armchair activists’ or ‘slacktivists’; for they

human habits that divide and weaken us and

are providing their valuable time and mind to

uplift and celebrate those tools which bring us

fit their own capacity, to the same cause as

closer together.

us and igniting change in equally powerful ways. For some, online activism is their whole

When it is peace, care and liberation for

contribution to the movement; and in a world

animals that we strive for, shouldn’t we be

which is becoming progressively more and

embodying and cultivating that amongst our

more about virtual community than offline,

own peers too?

some

forms

of

online

campaigning

have

created huge waves of change. For others, it can be a gateway to another stage of their activism in the physical world, but not if we make that place unwelcoming.

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CHILL

TIME

DOMINICK THOMPSON PAGE 46

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Interview by Laura Callan ™lauralollipop Photos by ™craziesandweirdos

Dominick Thompson is an activist, entrepreneur, creator and athlete with big plans for building a vegan future. Living plant-based for 17 years, Dominick has been advocating for animals in creative ways for a long time. If you spend any time looking at vegan content on Instagram you’ll likely come across pictures of Dominick in an ‘Eat What Elephants Eat’ T Shirt, snuggling with animals at rescue farms or killing it in the gym. We spoke to Dominick about his journey, his passion for animal advocacy and what’s next for this vegan multi-entrepreneur.

YOU’RE A PASSIONATE AND OUTSPOKEN ANIMAL ADVOCATE, WHERE DID THAT JOURNEY START FOR YOU? I first went plant based about 17 years ago. I was 22

had to take it to the chin, I had to take responsibility

or 23, I was sitting in my prison cell trying to make

for it, and that was the sentence.

sense of how I had even landed in that prison cell

I got down on my knees to really make sense of it

and why the universe brought me to this part of my

all, when I get on my knees and meditate I open my

timeline and what the meaning was behind it. I’m a

soul and my body and my mind to the universe, I

spiritual guy, I’m not a religious guy but I do believe

integrate my energy with the energy that’s grounded

in certain things happening for a reason, within our

in me and surrounding me and former energies

control and out of our control.

that used to occupy different bodies and stuff like

I am a former gang member from the west side of

that. That has a wholly different deeper meaning

Chicago, and I am also a former drug dealer, and

in my thoughts and my beliefs, and everything

what I did in the past in my teenage years leading up

pointed to when I was a boy. My mother used to

to that point finally caught up with me, to the point

feed me chicken wings, and there was a point

that I got indicted and arrested and I got sentenced

when I was eight and I looked at these chicken

to five years in prison. So in my first week there I

wings and I looked at my mum and I looked at my

was trying to make sense of everything. Everything

arms and I pushed back and said I don’t want to

happened so fast, I’d never been arrested in my

eat these chicken wings. Even before that I would

life, it was a new experience for me. I was just

dig between the bones and try and just go for the

trying to figure out, “do I really have to do these

flesh, the whitest of the flesh too, not the slimy dark

five years?” For a first time offender who didn’t hurt

bloody parts of the tendon. I would always nitpick

anybody, five years was a long time. I’d never seen

with all the meat that I was eating up to that point.

this day coming, but they gave me a five-year hard

I said to her, “I don’t want this any more,” and she

sentence and a four year supervised release so

asked why and I was like, “because they look like

about nine year sentence for a first time offender.

little bitty arms.” It’s kind of hard to tell a single black

But that’s what happens when you get arrested

mother struggling and working three jobs trying to

by the US government, this wasn’t a state crime

provide food as it is, so we fought about it and she

this was a federal crime because of the amount

eventually compromised and decided to go out to

of responsibility and the weight of drugs they were

the store and buy me a bunch of fish sticks. That

able to get. I wasn’t able to do anything about it, I

masked what I was curious of at the time and it

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WHERE DID VEGANISM COME IN LATER ON? helped slow down that momentum, and I went on

When I was released and got back on my feet I

about life doing my thing. I always had compassion

had a chance to really go down that rabbit hole and

I would break up dogfights in the hood, I would

explore dairy in general. When I was first released

fight with my friends that would try to throw rocks at

I was on supervised release, which is house arrest,

squirrels, I always had that natural compassion and I

so I had a lot of time on my hands. But we didn’t

was also curious about where meat came from. And

have Netflix, we didn’t have distractions, all I had

at that moment when I was in my cell, I was like, “I

was a new rescue pup, the one that you guys see

get it.” It was like a light bulb went on all of a sudden,

me post about, she came into my life and we were

I got it. I’m a firm believer that if karma shows you

able to really bond and spend time while I was on

something, it’s up to you - no matter your age - to

house arrest. They only allowed me to go to work,

see through it and I didn’t, I didn’t push more like I

my curfew was 6PM to 6AM, so I would come home

could’ve at the time, and I felt like this was karma’s

after work and spend the rest of my evening with

way of bringing me back into that connection that

her, really bonding with this little fur baby. I was

I lost when I was a little boy. That first week right

already advocating for animals as a vegetarian,

there in that moment when I was on my knees trying

even in prison I was advocating for animals, but I

to search for answers, everything made so much

just remember looking at her eyes and thinking, “I

sense. I decided right there, I denounced being a

can do more.” I started looking online and looking

part of this multi billion-dollar industry that’s killing

through articles, I was able to really explore and get

50+ billion farm animals annually. I made that

into things.

decision right then and there without any knowledge

When I got off of my supervised release I had

of veganism or vegetarianism, back then we didn’t

the opportunity of a new job and so I moved from

have influencers, and vegetarianism was integrated

Chicago to Nashville, I was there for a year then

with veganism. All I knew is I didn’t want to eat meat

moved to Atlanta for a couple of years, but when

any more, I didn’t want to put this death in me, and

I got the opportunity to move to New York, that’s

so I did a hard reset and decided not to eat meat

when everything changed. Things were moving

from that point on, as well as not to go back into

fast-paced. I was able to discover other parts of

the community to sell drugs once I was released.

activism and other interconnected issues within

I just got my shit together. I would eat cheese if it

animal rights, that’s when I really discovered

was served because at the time I didn’t know about

where dairy came from and the process involved

the dairy industry, I didn’t become vegan until years

and immediately I was like “I can’t do that.” That

later post-prison. I was supposed to be in there for

was seven years ago. I saw Earthlings shortly

five years, and I ended up doing about three years.

afterwards and that reconfirmed that I made the

I got out early and I came home. I felt like that was

right decision to cut out dairy. It was a process of

the universe really working in my favour, I felt like

me going through the rabbit hole in my downtime to

that was karma working in my favour.

really discover where dairy comes from.

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HAS HEALTH AND FITNESS ALWAYS BEEN A BIG PART OF YOUR LIFE? I used to play football as a kid and I was really

home I was able to do push-ups, shoulder presses,

good at it too. I just knew I was going to be an NFL

standing squats and all types of calisthenics, I made

player, but I broke my ankle in my senior season

a way for myself. Then when I got off supervised

in high school and I couldn’t bounce back from it.

release I joined a gym and continued to sustain that

All athletic stuff went downhill after that, I was on

active lifestyle. That was something I took away from

the streets drinking, kicking it, I was getting a lot of

prison, being in tune with my body, rediscovering

money and running the streets, calling shots. That’s

what it was capable of doing. Going plant-based

when I picked up that ‘dope boy’ weight, from too

in prison and the transformation my body went

much drinking. I didn’t transform my body until I went

through, how strong I became, that’s the closest

into the prison system, I went from about 250lbs to

thing I’ve felt to feeling like a superhero. And I can’t

187lbs solid. I lost all that weight and became one of

stress that enough. We as human beings go through

the strongest men in the facility I was in. There were

different experiences throughout our lives, different

about 1000 inmates and I was definitely top 10% if

body experiences, emotional experiences, and out

not 5%. We would have lift offs and compete, I was

of all of the experiences I’ve had in life that was my

lifting heavy weight and killing it on the yard, and my

favourite. Going plant-based was a new experience

diet was fuelled by a combination of complex and

for me and to see my body physically transform

simple carbs. To see my body transform on a plant-

in front of my eyes was just the best feeling in the

based diet 17 years ago was amazing, so I stuck

world. That first experience was amazing, and the

with it, reengineered it and redeveloped it.

only thing that rivals that is when I went from being

After prison when I was on supervised release I

vegetarian to vegan. Obviously I can’t go back to it

stayed plant-based, I couldn’t go to the gym, but at

again, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

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ARE PEOPLE FASCINATED WITH YOUR DIET AND LIFESTYLE BECAUSE OF YOUR PHYSICAL STRENGTH? Yeah, even when I’m in the gym not wearing a Crazies and Weirdos or a vegan-themed shirt! I can just be wearing a blank shirt and both men and women will approach me because they see me lifting very heavy weight, and they’re just like, “Dude, what are you doing? What are you eating?

That’s amazing that you’re that strong.” And I always tell them, “plants.” And they just look at me like, “huh…” They’re shocked, but they’re very attentive. That’s one thing I would say, I know a lot of vegans get pushback, but I find that I don’t get pushback. I guess because athletically I am big, people tell me I look bigger in person than I look in pictures and online. All the time people ask me about my lifestyle and my diet and I am more than happy to explain it to them.

AROUND 80% OF VEGANS ARE WOMEN, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS STOPPING MEN? There are a lot of things here. I think in general

care whose feelings I hurt when it came to speaking

as vegans we are our biggest problem. If we truly

out for animals, I would just put facts out there and

want this movement to continue to grow, we have

my following grew organically. If you include more

to be more inclusive, we have to highlight men and

vegans that come from all walks of life with different

women that don’t fit the stereotype. The reason my

challenges and stories I think you can really grow the

social media grew back when Instagram first started

community. Psychologically-speaking people tend

was because I used it as a platform to advocate for

to really connect with people that look like them. So

animals. I saw other people posting selfies and

people might look at this and go, “Oh, here’s this

fitness routines and I figured let me just start talking

guy Dominick Thompson in BRIGHT, I didn’t know

about animals from day one. And I did, while also

there was this strong vegan male of colour killing it

posting my meals, and how I perform because I

like that. I need to take a look, I thought it was white

was doing a lot of triathlons at the time, I figured

thing.” People in the African-American community

this was a good tool and platform to really educate

think it’s a white thing because there’s not enough

people. The vegan community started noticing me

of us getting that platform. I think the same thing

because I was the opposite of the stereotype of a

applies when it comes to men. Today we have a lot

vegan male. Everyone would think of a vegan male

of male activists but men - particularly the ones that

as a middle-aged white guy that was an endurance

want to be big and muscular with that bro mentality

athlete, a marathon runner, or some hippie guy that

- they don’t want to look like the male activists we

does psychedelics and smokes weed. And I was

have. That’s just being real. So I think we have to be

the total opposite, I was an African-American male,

strategic as a community to really highlight vegan

I was thick, strong, I didn’t have a filter, I did not

men in many shapes and sizes and colours.

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PAGE 51

LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR COMPANY CRAZIES AND WEIRDOS, WHERE DID THAT START? It started about five years ago, it was a passion

flexed and took a photo in my apartment in New

project. The elephant and rhino poaching crisis

York and placed it online and it went viral. I

had reached an all time high in Africa at the

didn’t know it was going to take off like it did but

time, and at the time I had the largest Instagram

it went viral. That photo to this day is still of the

account for vegans, so I figured what better way

most shared photos of me all around the vegan

to use that than to try to raise funding for the

Internet. That one photo throwing a gun up, in

drones and the rangers out there that needed

an ‘Eat What Elephants Eat’ T-shirt.

the help. I thought that was a good way to get

It went viral and it became one of the top if

the community involved and to do it through a

not the biggest selling shirt to this day. then I

T-shirt. I’d looked around and there weren’t too

came out with the ‘Clark Kent was Vegan’ shirt

many vegan clothing companies, and I thought

shortly after that which was worn by celebrities

that a lot of the shirts that were being put out

like Miley Cyrus and that took off. Crazies and

there were corny, they didn’t fit my style, they

Weirdos was a passion project five or six years

didn’t represent me, that aint my swag. So I

ago and I’m really proud of what we’ve done.

created a shirt that said “Eat What Elephants

We were one of the original clothing companies

Eat” and I put the shirt on, threw up my bicep,

and to this day we’re continuing to grow.

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LAST YEAR YOU WENT FULL TIME WITH IT, HOW IS LIFE AS A FULL TIME ENTREPRENEUR AND ACTIVIST?

CAN ANYONE BE AN ACTIVIST?

I went full-time with it because it grew out of hand,

I think if you’re passionate you can be an activist

I had to. There are pros and cons to being a full

in some form. We all have things we’re good at,

time entrepreneur and activist. I’m even busier

we have fitness people and athletes that are just

than I was when I had a position in corporate

good at what they do physically, their bodies can

America. It’s like you can’t do enough. I have

be walking billboards, what they post and how

trouble sleeping at night because I get so many

they perform is a form of activism. You have

DMs and emails from people who want to go

foodies and creative chefs that love to cook and

vegan and I just can’t manage that part of my

food porn is a form of activism, if you post some

platform quick enough. I’m developing a nutrition

aesthetic photos of a really nice looking piece of

and wellness programme now to address that,

lasagne or a vegan burger that looks amazing

but it breaks my heart when I have their attention

you never know who is following you that may be

and they want the solution, but I can’t give them

turned on to that idea of veganism.

the time, I don’t have the bandwidth to do that for

At events people often ask me how to get involved

every person.

and I ask how many of them have their social

The reward is travelling all around the world

media profiles on public, and at least half of them

meeting people that I have inspired, that did decide

will have it on private. I tell them you’re doing a

to go vegan. From 70-year-old grandmothers to

disservice, if you want to be an activist online you

four-year-olds running up to me like I’m a comic

need to be public, you need to be using those

book hero because they were born vegan and

hashtags. When you signed up for Instagram or

their parents have showed them pictures of me

any form of social media you gave up your rights

saying, “You can look like Dominick when you get

to your privacy so if you really think your account

older.” That’s my salary, that’s the reward. There

is private you’re sadly mistaken, it’s not. Just go

is no money in activism, I took a huge pay cut

public and you’ll reach more people using those

when I left healthcare, huge. I’m still suffering to

hashtags. Your photo of your vegan burger might

this day but that’s not why I did it, I didn’t because

look 10 times better than my photo of my vegan

I feel responsible, I helped push this social media

burger, and you don’t know who will be looking at

activism to a point where I had to see through it

it through that hashtag. If you even change one

again. This is karma, this is the universe and this

person, you should feel good about yourself, you

is something that I promised the universe when

don’t have to have a large platform like me, you

I was in my cell, that given the opportunity I am

can have a small platform and change one person

going to let the world know everything I know with

and that’s amazing. I think truly if you want to be

respect to animal rights, and I refused to give up

an activist there’s activism for everybody, whether

on that I refuse to not talk about it. It’s the best

you’re doing street activism or online activism,

decision I’ve ever made in my life, it’s a reward

there’s a form out there for everybody.

itself meeting and connecting with people.

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YOU USE YOUR PLATFORM TO SPEAK ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES ALONGSIDE ANIMAL RIGHTS, DO YOU FEEL THESE THINGS GO HAND IN HAND? Absolutely, it’s interconnected on so many

can identify they go through. Yes, they go through

levels. We cannot alienate people. I look at

way more than inmates go through in the system,

both sides and I get it. When you first discover

but it still gave me some type of connection.

that you’ve been lied to your entire life about an

That’s one reason why I’m so passionate about

industry, when you’re a new vegan you want to

animal rights, but it’s also from the things I went

just flip over trucks. But you also have to have

through as a young African-American male

empathy and realise that you too were once in

growing up in the streets of Chicago. That’s

a position where you weren’t connected to what

important to me too. I know how it is not to know

was happening. You also have to realise that not

where your next meal is coming from, I know how

everybody has the ability or is in the position to

it is to not have a father around, to come from a

learn about veganism. There are people living

single-parent household, and to not be introduced

cheque-to-cheque, and the $2 meal they can get

to this beautiful lifestyle that most people with

from McDonald’s in a food desert is a more filling

different salaries can really afford on a budget or

meal that will help satisfy their hunger versus

not. They just need that community or that liaison,

them spending that two dollars on some leafy

someone like me to really communicate to them

greens or two bundles of bananas. Also people

that they can do it.

don’t understand that a lot of people living in these low income areas don’t even have grocery stores to begin with. They have liquor stores, they have fast food restaurants and food shacks with fried foods but they don’t have the resources or

WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO? WHAT IS IT ALL FOR?

people educating them truly about their health, especially with respect to the chronic diseases that are happening in most African-American communities. A lot of people in these areas of the

My dream and belief is that before I expire at least

world are going through a lot of oppressing issues

50% of people in the western part of the world

the animals go through. That’s another reason I’m

will be plant based in some form, whether it’s

so passionate about animal rights too, because

vegetarian or vegan. We can reach that number,

everything that happened to me in prison with the

and I know going forward that the rest of the

exception of rape, and the exception of slaughter

world tends to follow what we do in the west.

pretty much happened to me. From being in the

That would be an amazing achievement for this

hole for 40 nights with three steel doors to get

movement. Everything I do is really for my love for

to me, in a very small box cell where I was on

the animals and this is my debt, I’m paying back

lockdown 23/7, to the rest of my time being in

to the universe for getting me home sooner and

closed conditions, fighting with fellow inmates

for saving my life, because veganism truly saved

and stuff like that, that happens, a human is an

my life, I don’t know where I would be if I’d never

animal. I feel like I went through some things that I

made that decision in prison to not eat meat.

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WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? My podcast ‘Dominick Thompson: An Elephant

I’m also developing a nutritional wellness

In The Room” is launching this month and

program that should be launching in January

it is really important to me. I’m going to talk

under the ‘Eat What Elephants Eat’ brand.

about things that people in this community

A bunch of juice and smoothie shops called

and outside of this community are just not

‘Eat What Elephants Eat’ will be launching in

comfortable talking about, hence why it’s called

the next 2-3 years, as well as a gym will be

an elephant in the room. That’ll be from other

launching too.

social movement issues to prison reform to poverty, food deserts, you name it, a lot of stuff

Check out Dominick’s clothing company

that the commercial part of our community just

Crazies And Weirdos and listen to his brand

don’t want to touch on, but I will be touching

new

on these things. That’s launching in December,

Elephant In The Room’ on iTunes and Spotify.

and it will be streaming on iTunes and Spotify.

podcast

‘Dominick

™domzthompson craziesandweirdos.com eatwhatelephantseat.com

PAGE 55

Thompson:

An

B R I G HT

SHOP LOCAL, SUPPORT INDEPENDENT HOW INDEPENDENT HEALTH STORES AND START-UPS FIT IN TO VEGANUARY Written by Joe Hill, One Planet Pizza™oneplanetpizza

I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to write

and has rapidly proven itself a firm favourite.

an article for Issue Seven of BRIGHT. We’ve

Watch this space as we’re hoping to launch this

known the team behind the magazine for

flavour as a frozen pizza next year

several years now and it’s fantastic to see how much they’ve achieved in such a short

Looking ahead to the new year, we’ve been

amount of time.

busy working closely with Veganuary to plan something very new and extremely exciting.

We’ve been pretty busy ourselves over at One

Since the beginning of the Veganuary campaign,

Planet Pizza. We’ve just recovered from a sell-

their popularity and significance has grown

out weekend catering at Vegfest London where

exponentially.

we also scooped up our second Vegfest award

managed to double the number of annual sign-

for the ‘Best Vegan Ready Meal.’ We then

ups and pledges, with an estimated figure for

teamed up with BRIGHT to host our first ever

2019 reaching over 300,000!

Almost

every

year

they’ve

pop-up pizza restaurant at the wonderful Vida Bakery on Brick Lane to celebrate our second

Veganuary’s impact on the UK vegan market

birthday. This proved to be a huge success,

is substantial as they continue to influence the

and great fun, so you can expect to see more

buying patterns of the consumers they reach.

collaborations like this in the future.

Without a shadow of a doubt, being vegan in 2018 and 2019 has never been easier. The variety

After two years of producing and perfecting

of products available for vegans of all levels of

our four classic pizza flavours, we thought it

experience has expanded rapidly over the past

was time our customers deserved a brand new

five years. But when it comes to advising people

flavour. Cue the Meatless Feast. This flavour

as to the best products to purchase, especially for

was dropped at Vegfest and a few other events

newly transitioning vegans, Veganuary is keen

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B R I G HT

to connect their pledges with the knowledge and

possible through the entire month, with the aim to

expertise of the independent health store owner.

encourage 2019 Veganuary pledges to invest into their local communities.

We want to make the independent health retailer a one stop shop for new vegans – an environment

By choosing to buy local and build a lasting

where great vegan food meets inspiring and

relationship

influential

expert

information.

with

their

independent

health

Veganuary

stores, our mission is to encourage new vegans

wants to showcase the breadth of plant-based

to engage with their local shops and help

knowledge which independent shop owners

raise awareness of veganism amongst current

have to offer, owing to years of experience in

customers.

their health food trade.

Keep an eye out on our social media platforms We, One Planet Pizza, have always worked closely

for more information. We’ll be announcing

with the independent stores that have believed in

dates very soon…

us and supported us from our humble beginnings.

And so that’s why we’re teaming up with several

oneplanetpizza.com

other leading vegan food brands for the first ever

™ oneplanetpizza

‘Veganuary Road Trip!’ We’ll be visiting as many

veganuary.com

independent health food shops around the UK as

™ weareveganuary

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WA S T E N O T, WA N T N O T .

W I T H ™P L A S T I C F R E E M O N K E Y PAOLO BAGARONE Looking

‘Recycling

We’ve put together a simple and informative

- Who really leads the world?’ report

at

Eunomia’s

poster to help you understand plastics,

which reveals that the world’s top 25 best

materials and really boost your recycling

performing

game.

countries

2017

have

an

average

recycling rate of less than 50% for public based waste, there is clearly a worldwide issue of waste at hand.

How is it in this day and age that even the world leaders for waste management are still sending more items to landfill/incineration than to recycling centres - where at the very least they can be reused for something else? In short, with confusing terminology, multiple different symbols, the problem of greenwashing and the rise and problems with plastics and items of single-use, it can be very difficult to know exactly the right way of disposing the everyday items that we discard, let alone whether they can be recycled or not.

In any case, this mini guide aims to help with this problem and in turn hopefully help us move towards more of a circular based economy where inevitably less waste is produced and less of our environments, like our beautiful big oceans, are contaminated with things like plastics.

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KEY TERMINOLOGY & CONCEPTS

OTHER USEFUL TERMS

The world of waste now comes with a whole host

CLOSED LOOP RECYCLING (THE IDEAL)

of different words, concepts and terminology,

Material that can be recycled into the same

which in itself is a big part of the problem, so

product or material over and over again (e.g tin,

the first thing to look at is exactly that: What do all these different things actually mean?

glass) - circular.

RECYCLABLE

DOWNCYCLING Material that can also be recycled but only

In short, waste material that can be created into

into a product or material of lesser value to its

new materials and objects after being subject to a special industrial process.

original form (e.g most recyclable plastics) and

DEGRADABLE

waste - non circular.

in the long run will end up as non-recyclable

Most plastics Material that will break down into smaller parts

GREENWASHING

but never into natural elements like water and

The practice of making an unsubstantiated

carbon that will return back to the earth.

or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product to make something seem more environmentally friendly than it is.

BIODEGRADABLE Not to be confused with compostable products.

Material that has the ability to breakdown into

CONTAMINATION OF RECYCLING

natural elements like water and carbon and

When non-recyclable items are put into the

return back to the earth.

recycling bin (E.g ‘biodegradable’ plastics,

Please note, just because something is certified

non-rinsed items with leftover food, excessively

biodegradable it doesn’t simply mean it will

oily cardboard - think greasy burger and pizza

biodegrade in oxygen deprived landfills or in

boxes, along with tissue paper to name a few - it

natural environments like water. For example, many

has the potential to contaminate the recycling.

biodegradable plastics require specific - and not

If this happens all items within that batch -

widely available - biodegradation facilities instead.

recyclable or not - are sent to general waste and the opportunity for the recyclable items to

COMPOSTABLE

be recycled is wasted. For this reason be sure

Material that will break down into natural

to do your best when recycling and don’t just put

elements within 6 months but require special

things in thinking that it will magically sort itself

industrial compost facilities with temperatures of

out. The more careful we are with our waste,

58 degrees and upwards - again, just because

the more likely items of a recyclable nature will

something is compostable does not mean it will

actually be recycled. This is also why rinsing

biodegrade in oxygen deprived landfills.

out items is important.

HOME COMPOSTABLE

In any case, to help minimise this problem, refer to our poster for top tips and tricks

A little bit different to just compostable based

and to learn more about what can and

materials in that material of this nature will

cannot be recycled.

break down into natural elements in home compost environments of around 20-30 degrees within 12 months.

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W H AT D O E S P L A S T I C P O L L U T I O N R E A L LY MEAN FOR OUR OCEANS?

Written by Maya Kay™avegandarling The oceans are rapidly imploding because of humans, says Maya Kay, marine conservationist, content creator and journalist .

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Plastic pollution in lakes, rivers, seas and oceans

superb experience! So far I’ve talked about the

comes from our unprecedented increased use

conservation, I must also mention what we ate.

of plastic. Jambeck et al conducted a study on

All our meals were made from organic, hand-

‘Plastic Waste Inputs from Land Into the Ocean’.

picked vegetables grown on the main island. We

They found that in 2010, 275 million metric tons

drank with biodegradable straws from coconuts

(MT) was generated by 192 coastal countries,

that naturally fell to the ground. Additionally,

of which 4.8-12.7 million MT entered the ocean.

we enjoyed carefully composed menus with

Any plastic that has ever been produced still

flavours from all over Asia-Pacific. The theme of

exists today and ends up in the global water

celebrating what is local extends to all aspects

network. The statistics are staggering. Nothing

of island life. From produce to compositing, they

can quite prepare the eyes and mind for the

only use what’s native to the area.

extent of pollution than seeing photographs and videos or better yet in person. This helps to

Each day I was there I went diving. I was

figure out how the plastic makes its way to the

marvelled

oceans in the first place.

beautiful silence and mind boggling colours.

It is a question that can only be answered by

The opportunity to experience a phenomenal

going out into the field. Which is exactly what I

rainbow and bask in the serenity. My fear of

did, when I immediately accepted an invitation

deep water was overridden by my desire to see,

to see the ‘hawksbill highway’. The conduit

first-hand, what exactly is going on down there.

Hawksbill Sea Turtles use to travel to the Great

I was outraged by what I saw. From familiar food

Barrier Reef. I will always remember and cherish

packaging created and supplied by corporations,

my first visit to the Conflict Islands, an atoll in

to equally familiar household waste such as

the Coral Triangle. A region which is described

cosmetics bottles and cleaning products.

by

the

vast

space,

hauntingly

by WWF as, “the global centre of marine biodiversity, is a 6 million km2 area spanning

The most alarming part and silent killer is

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua

microplastics which also come in an array

New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon

of colours. A consequence of large pieces

Islands. Within this nursery of the seas live 76%

fragmented into much smaller pieces and

of the world’s coral species, 6 of the world’s 7

carried around the world in the current. I know

marine turtle species, and at least 2,228 reef fish

what microplastics are and still confused them

species.”

with potential sealife. At one point I thought I was holding sand mixed with ice, until it inevitably

The owners of the Conflict Islands are vegan

dawned on me, it couldn’t have been as the

which helped enormously, because I could freely

temperatures are scorching. It’s no wonder

discuss and action my marine conservation

aquatic life also get confused between what they

mission and not be pedantic about food. They

think belongs in the ocean and what doesn’t. It

run a program called the Conflict Island’s

is perplexing for them to differentiate between

Conservation Initiative, spearheading Marine

what they assume is food yet instead turns out

Conservation internships working with sharks

to be microbeads or microplastics. That end up

and turtles. I had the pleasure of meeting and

in waterways directly from our homes and then in

tagging a female hawksbill who was saved from

the stomachs of seabirds and attached to coral

being eaten and came to lay her eggs. No matter

reefs. What struck me the most, was questioning

where they go in the world, sea turtles always

how long the sea life I saw, would exist after I

return to their place of birth to lay their eggs. A

left the atoll.

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B R I G HT

The objects we use that end up as plastic

our energies on reducing plastic pollution in the

pollution are such social norms that are at

oceans, on a global scale. When one nation

times they are unavoidable. A few examples

violates the water with littering, it affects another

include plastic bags, bank cards, bottles, fishing

nation on the other side of the world. Which

equipment (wire, line, rope, nets) and of course

reminds me, whilst on my trip after I left the

proverbial

completely

atoll for the mainland, I watched (speechless)

obsessed. This needs to change and it has to

as locals used the shore as a means of waste

happen sooner rather than later. After several

disposal. Their argument is for us “not to worry,

decades of abusing the largest ecosystem on

as the water takes it away.” This needs to stop

Earth, we simply can’t afford to linger anymore;

and we have to take immediate action. It starts

time is of the essence.

with corporations, governments and individuals.

Slow at first and now increasing exponentially,

The culprits that have spent recent history

humans have directly contributed to irreversible

focused mainly on recycling (1 of the 5 Rs).

plastic

straws.

We’re

damage to marine ecology.

We need to take ownership and responsibility, This helps explain why we have issues such as

channelling our efforts to the other Rs: refuse,

ocean dead zones. Which are hypoxic - plagued

reduce, reuse and repurpose. It is paramount we

by a lack of oxygen - and engulfed by nutrient

act, in that order. This helps save what is left

pollution. Caused by fertiliser run-off and by

of endangered species, protects marine ecology

using fossil fuels, this is literally suffocating

and for the sake of the future of our planet.

the lifeblood we so heavily rely on. We have

Another crucial call to action is to decrease and

exhausted all of the oxygen in these regions, they

hopefully entirely eliminate fishing (thus by-

cannot be brought back to life and can no longer

products of fishing) and dumping. The latter is

support fragile marine systems. Generally, if the

caused by lost shipping cargo - anything from

pollutants (such as packaging, and fertiliser)

containers to boats, natural disasters and stop

have been used by us, they are omnipresent

corporations that actively yet mindlessly use the

in the water. Lining the seabed, choking sea

oceans as a bin.

turtles and trapping marine creatures that end up entangled. Every single minute and every hour

I’m often (more often than I care to admit) asked

of each day, human activities such as fishing and

for reasons why I’m vegan. It’s such a loaded

dumping waste, are destroying the balance.

question. The PR and speedy answer: I’m vegan for the animals, for the planet and for my health.

Regaining balance will take a gargantuan

The sincere answer is, I like turtles - much like

collective effort, coming together for a tangible

the viral YouTube video from 2007. Although in

result. Everybody needs to metaphorically and

my case, it’s not an answer to derail the person

physically roll their sleeves up and do something.

asking. My initial motivation was the PR answer.

From Marine Conservationists, supermarkets,

Today, I am vegan to reduce my personal impact

governments, corporations, individuals like us

on the environment, to preserve marine ecology

and people that give a stuff. We need to focus

and for the sake of marine life.

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B R I G HT

What happens in the water, directly impacts what happens above water. The world is slowly waking up to this and starting to find ways to reduce plastic in oceans. The human impact in the water, directly impacts us. As such, I decided to do a course called Tropical Coastal Ecosystems at The University of Queensland, Australia. Whose target

audience

includes:

REFERENCES

“Individuals

interested in the long-term sustainable and practical uses of natural resources within

275m MT generated 192 coastal countries; 4.8-12.7m

the context of tropical coastal ecosystems.�

MT entering ocean. Plastic waste inputs from land into

Which eloquently sums up the reason I

the ocean Jenna R. Jambeck1,*, Roland Geyer2, Chris

chose to study this in the first place. I believe

Wilcox3, Theodore R. Siegler4, Miriam Perryman1,

education is a key factor in ensuring we

Anthony Andrady5, Ramani Narayan6, Kara Lavender Law7

achieve long-term, practical and sustainable

Science 13 Feb 2015: Vol. 347, Issue 6223, pp. 768-771.

goals to protect marine life.

DOI: 10.1126/science.1260352.

Retrieved 31 July 2018

wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/ coraltriangle/ Retrieved August 2018

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CHILL TIME: SHANNON MARTINEZ, SMITH & DAUGHTERS Written by Laura Callan™lauralollipop Shannon Martinez is a chef, entrepreneur and one half of the team behind Melbourne’s Smith & Daughters. Started in 2013 with business partner Mo Wyse, their first restaurant has been so successful that they opened a second location, Smith & Deli in 2015 and have now released their second cookbook, ‘Smith & Deli-cious’ to match.

Despite being head chef in the city’s most famous vegan restaurant, Shannon herself (shock, horror!) isn’t vegan. As it says in the first Smith & Daughters cookbook “Shannon knows she’s an asshole for not being vegan. She’s smart, she gets it. Not being vegan is a shit thing to do, but not being vegan enables Shannon to do what she does.” We wanted to know more, and met with Shannon to chat about vegan dining, being a non-vegan vegan chef and what to expect from the pair’s new cookbook.

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT FROM THE TOP, YOU’RE A VEGAN CHEF THAT ISN’T VEGAN, HOW DOES THAT WORK? Everyone knows I’m not a vegan myself, and I still

friends owns and letting them know in advance,

am very adamant in my opinion that non-vegan

which is the key for vegans. We’ve given them two

restaurants make the best vegan food, that non-

days notice and the food they put out for her is

vegan chefs make the best vegan food. If there’s

incredible. The last one we went to was Momofuku

one lesson I could teach vegans it’s that most

in Sydney, I had the non-vegan tasting menu and

chefs are more than happy and quite excited to

she had the vegan tasting menu and honestly they

cook for vegans if they have the time and know

were so close to each other. So, that’s really a hot

in advance. It’s when you show up to a restaurant

tip from a non-vegan vegan chef, go to non-vegan

on the night at 7.30pm and let them know you’re

restaurants and encourage them to make vegan

vegan and they have 120 people in the restaurant,

food, the more vegans who ask for this, the more

that’s when you piss off a chef and you don’t get

they’re going to take it seriously and put these items

something particularly delicious. All the best meals

on their menu. Just give them the time, it’s like any

me and my business partner Mo have had have

job, you know a bit of warning and then they can be

come from us going to a restaurant that one of my

prepared, everyone wants to be prepared.

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HOW IS THE VEGAN SCENE IN AUSTRALIA? It’s huge, especially in Melbourne, and a lot of the push is coming from non-vegan restaurants. The one thing I find with vegan food and its expansion is that it’s really one end of the scale to the other, so you’ve got your chia seed puddings and green smoothies and fucking raw lasagne shit and then you’ve got your junk, like I know the place in London that does fried chicken [Temple Of Seitan]. Which is awesome right? The more vegan food the better is what I say, but there really seems to continue to be a gap for that middle ground which is just your everyday dining. You don’t always want health food, I mean, honestly, the only time I have green smoothies is when I have gin in it. Even when I’m hungover. Just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean you’re healthy. We’re all regular people. No one’s really approaching that middle market in terms of a great bowl of pasta and a beautiful side dish and that sort of food, it’s either a fake cheeseburger with fries and fake cheese and gravy, or it’s the green smoothie and chia seed pudding. So I think as much as I love that every week there seems to be a new place popping up, there’s still not anyone filling that middle ground market which is what Smith & Daughters and Smith & Deli is really filling.

DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE AN ADVANTAGE IN MAKING GOOD VEGAN FOOD FOR NONVEGANS, NOT BEING VEGAN YOURSELF? Totally! I know what’s good, I understand textures, I

my business exists - we are aiming for the people

feel like texture gets forgotten a lot with vegan food,

that are reducing intake not necessarily going fully

so much of it is either crispy, deep fried to hell or

vegan. What’s really important is understanding

so soft, just overcooked pulses and lentils and rice

flavours, especially because the sort of food I create

and there’s nothing to chew on. Half of the joy of

is imitating meat, I guess. I am able to make beef

eating is that feeling in your mouth to chew and tear

bourguignon for real in one pot and put the vegan

at something, vegan or not it’s how we like to eat.

version next to it and be stirring one with the left

How I eat has drastically changed since I’ve had a

hand and the other with the right hand and be tasting

vegan business myself, I’ve gone from eating meat

one after the other, until they both taste identical.

everyday to not eating meat for a week. I think that

That’s a real advantage that I have over someone

is how so many people are eating now, which is why

that isn’t willing to do that because they’re vegan.

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WHY DO YOU THINK SMITH & DAUGHTERS HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL?

DO YOU GET A LOT OF PUSHBACK FROM VEGANS? WHAT ABOUT NON VEGANS?

The majority of our customers are meat eaters,

Vegans can be their own worst enemies a lot of the

which is crazy. It’s great, that influence is

time, they’ve made me want to close the restaurant

massive, we’re seating between 5500 and 6500

a thousand times over. The amount of mornings I’ve

people at the restaurant a month, maybe 75%

woken up and just been like, “Fuck it. Why do I even

of those are of meat eaters that are not eating

bother?” But then we’ll have one of those great days

meat because they’re eating at our restaurant,

and that’s why I do it. People complain but what

that is a massive impact. Some of those will be

we’re doing is huge. We’re getting renowned chefs

like, “Shit, if it’s this good, maybe I’ll give it a

to contemplate doing vegan dishes that used to

go!” But, if they went and got that raw lasagne

take the piss out of veganism. We’re showing them

and green shit smoothie, they’re gonna be like,

a whole different direction which probably wouldn’t

“See, I told you this was shit.” That’s not helping

have happened if I was vegan chef. I’m stuck in the

anyone. I’m really proud of what the restaurant is

middle ground of meat eaters hating me for giving

doing in terms of changing people’s minds and

vegans something close to meat, and vegans hating

just reducing, if anything, if it means they’re not

me because I’m not vegan. I’m getting it from all

gonna eat dairy and meat.

angles, but really the more shit you get, the more

You need to approach meat eaters with the right

your message is spreading. No one says it to our

angle. If a vegan tells them they’re not going to

faces, we’re there every single day, people could

believe it, but because I say it they believe me

come and talk to me about it if they wanted to, but

and it makes an impact. So for anyone that gives

they don’t. It’s really easy to call someone a whore

the business a little bit of grief for me not being

over Instagram isn’t it?

vegan, the impact that we’re actually having en masse is really quite big.

WHAT WAS THE AIM WITH YOUR NEW COOKBOOK ‘SMITH & DELI-CIOUS’?

The deli is accessible food, it’s everyday, it’s your bible to show you how to make mayonnaise, how to make your simple meat pie, your shepherd’s pie, your basics. Everything can be made in a short time, the old school vegan cookbooks are quite timeheavy with a lot of soaking things and dehydrating things which no one has any fucking time for anymore. People get home and don’t even look at their food when they’re eating anymore, they sit on their phones and shovel stuff in and that’s the reality of how we live now. So the Smith & Deli book is to give people the opportunity to make an incredible vegan meal when they get home at 5.30pm and be eating at 6pm on the couch doing whatever they need to do. That’s what this book’s about.

‘Smith & Deli-cious’ is out now on Hardie Grant Books. See more from Shannon on

™shannon_martinez ™smithanddaughters PAGE 68

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BRIGHTZINE.CO PAGE 69

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INVESTING IN A PLANT-BASED FUTURE Kale United is a Swedish company creating a global ecosystem for plantbased businesses to flourish. Launched in October 2018, their mission is to increase the global availability and awareness of plant-based products.

Kale United provides its member companies with services that help them grow, and become a long-term shareholder in selected businesses.

Kale United founder MĂĽns Ullerstam tells more about the company, their goals and helping to build a future for plant-based businesses.

I have a background as an investor and

I spent over a year developing the concept

entrepreneur

with

spanning

and strategy for Kale United, harnessing

technology,

telecoms,

carbon

my experience as an investor and problem-

comparison. I’ve been a vegan since 2015,

solver to come up with the right solution. I’ve

and had reached the point where I wanted my

successfully lead fundraising initiatives in

professional work to authentically mirror my

the past, including raising US$ 6 million from

ethics - I want to use my skills and experience

prominent investors such as Google Ventures

to help the plant-based sector continue to

for my last technology venture, Resolution

flourish, and to establish a global community

Games.

experience and

of active plant-based investors.

I see Kale United as uniquely positioned The idea for Kale United started when I tried

there are very few investment opportunities

to invest my retirement savings in ethical,

that allow individuals as well as companies

plant-based companies and realised it was

and funds to invest ethically and sustainably,

not possible.

let alone in a company owning a portfolio that spans global plant-based industries. I

And I realised there were lots of people like

want to democratise access to an investment

me out there - individuals who want to take

portfolio, making it possible for anyone to be a

an active investment role in the global plant-

shareholder in this new high growth sector with

based growth market. So the driving force

ethical and sustainable standards and goals.

behind Kale United is the desire to solve the issue of lack of ethical, plant-based

Kale

investment opportunities for people all over

advisory board with strong experience in

the world.

the vegan and plant-based sectors. I am

PAGE 70

United

is

supported

by

an

expert

B R I G HT

delighted that Tobias Leenaert, co-founder of

about the brands Kale United is supporting,

startup accelerator ProVeg International, and

and the future of the global plant-based

David Stenholtz, an oncologist, and founder

movement

and chairman of Doctors For The Future, are

community will - hopefully - also help to

Kale United advisors.

spread the word about Kale United too!

Together with my own extensive network and

I believe we will see thousands of plant-

that of other external partners - including

based startups launching globally in the next

investor network GlassWall Syndicate - Kale

18 months spanning many sectors including

United already has strong connections to a

health, fashion, food and publishing.

as

a

whole.

And

this

active

global plant-based business and investment community.

My goal is for Kale United to help make plantbased brands game-changers on the global

And as we grow our ecosystem, those that

stage and increase the global availability and

participate in the crowdfunding will not only

awareness of plant-based products. So the

own equity in Kale United, but may also be

question I’d like to ask Bright readers is, who

invited to help us in future decision making

should we invest in next?

processes, for instance helping decide on which brands we could consider next, or

See more from Kale United, their plans

even receiving samples of new products from

to help plant-based business and their

member companies.

Crowdfunding campaign on their website, kaleunited.com

The idea is to empower an active, committed

t mullerstam

community of shareholders that really care

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M INIM A LIS T G I F T G U I DE - SIX GIFT IDEAS THAT SPEAK VOLUMES Written by Emma Oldham™plant_powered_emma

Sim ple, purposeful and beautiful. That ’s how we like our gif ts to be.

A splash of thought behind any gif t goes a long way. It’s nice to feel loved without clogging up our wor ktops and cupboards with things we don’t really need (or want)! Here are 6 minimalist gif t ideas - where less is actually far more!

They’re all kind to the planet, kind on the wallet and com pletely cruelty-free.

N AT U R A L H A N D M A D E S H A M P O O B A R , THE PRINTED PEANUT We’ve all become big fans of ditching plastics wherever doable. Well, The Printed Peanut has made this super easy for us. Their delightful shampoo bars are completely plasticfree, yet offer the same amount of product as 3 plastic-bottles worth of shampoo! The scent relaxes you and your hair feels great. Each bar is stamped with a lovely smiling face and comes wrapped up in bright and beautifully-illustrated paper packaging. Guaranteed to make you feel good. theprintedpeanut.co.uk

LEM ON & L IM E H I MA L AYA N S A L T S C R U B , KIT E N EST “Smells like Starburst” they say, and It’s true. As soon as you open the lid, the refreshing scents of lemon and lime transport you to a bag of starburst. These scrubs are magical. They’re loaded with super ingredients which help with skin rejuvenation and stress-relief.

Homemade in Lincoln, this Himalayan Salt Scrub, gently exfoliates and hydrates at the same time, leaving your skin soft, supple and radiant.

They’re zero-waste too as they come packaged in recyclable and reusable glass jars with aluminium lids. Why not upcycle your leftover jar into a candle holder or terrarium? kitenest.co.uk

™ kitenest PAGE 72

™theprintedpeanut

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COTTON FACE CLOTH, THE KIND STORE The per fect companion to soap. These gorgeous 100% pure cotton yarn facecloths are incredibly sof t on your skin. Our quick and easy dependence on wet wipes has become a bad habit of ours - over 14,000 wet wipes are disposed of ever y single second! So welcome these cloths with open arms, as they really are the per fect remedy to weaning us away from wet wipes. They are washing-machine friendly (at 30 o C), so you can use them over and over. Which colour will you choose? Blue, mustard yellow or purple? thekindstor eonline.co.uk

™thekindstor euk

SOY WAXED FOOD WRAPS, JUST LITTLE CHANGES Who’s been loving the buzz of food wraps?

A fantastic alternative to clingfilm, plastic food bags and tinfoil, there’s now a veganfriendly version of bee’s wax wraps. These 100% cotton wraps are sealed with soy wax and are great for covering food, bowls, cups and jars. If you’re craf ty you can secure them in place with string, ribbons and buttons. The best thing about this: once you’ve used up your wrap until the ver y end, it will completely biodegrade! justlittlechanges.com ™justlittlechanges

PAGE 73

planthub W e a r e c r e at i n g a H u b .

A p l a n t p ow e r e d s p a c e to i n s p i re p l a n t p a s s i o n , c r e a te c o n n e c t i o n s a n d n u r t u re yo u r p l a n t c u r i o u s i t y.

A n a c a d e my to e m p o we r yo u w i t h knowledge and skills through accessible and inspirational courses and workshops with r evo l u t i o n a r y chefs.

A k i t ch e n t h a t c re a te s b e a u t i f u l lunches, deli produce and c re a t i ve p o p u p d i n i n g eve n t s .

A g l u te n f re e b a ke r y m a k i n g d e l i c i o u s c a ke s and wholesome b re a d s .

F o l l o w ™p l a n t h u b u k a s w e l e a d u p t o t h e l a u n c h

PLANTHUB.NET 2 1 7 M a r e S t r e et , E 8 3 Q E , L o n d o n

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TOASTE D H AZEL N U T & V A N I L L A C H O C O L ATE, CORN WAL L ’S C H O C O L AT E C O V E I m a g i n e t h i s - c r u n c hy t o a s te d h a z e l n u t s s w i r l e d to g et h e r w i t h o r g a n i c S r i L a n k a n c o c o n u t o i l to p p e d w i t h t h e wa r m t h o f M a d a g a s c a n va n i l l a . T h i s s q u a re o f ve g a n c h o c o l a te i s n o t o n l y i n d u l g i n g b u t a l s o a ( b e l i eve i t o r n ot ) h e a l t hy t re a t f o r yo u r b o d y. T h e c o c o n u t o i l w i l l h e l p s u p p o r t yo u r c a r d i ova s c u l a r s ys te m ,

while

the

p r o te i n - p a c ke d

hazelnuts

will

a i d w i t h g l ow i n g s k i n a n d s t r o n g m u s c l e s . T h e s e l i t t l e b e a u t i e s a r e a l l h a n d m a d e i n C o r n wa l l , a re c o m p l ete l y p l a s t i c - f re e a n d w r a p p e d i n c o m p o s t a b l e packaging. cornwallschocolatecove.com ™cornwallschocolatecove

P L A S T I C F R E E B AT H R O O M K I T , AND KEEP SHOPPING A plastic-free bathroom has never been easier (and in need!). In the United States alone, between 850 million to 1 billion toothbrushes

end

up

in

landfill

ever y

single year. Made from a combination of plastic and rubber, these will never leave Ear th ever again. This bamboo toothbrush, on

the

other

hand,

is

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Hydrophil’s

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mug is also made from liq uid wood, while their swabs are com posed of pure cotton and bamboo. Wave bye-bye to single-use plastic pollution! andkeep.com

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SEE YOU NEXT TIME ISSU E E I G H T MARCH 2019

BE THE FIRST TO GET EACH NEW ISSUE PLUS FREE GIFTS, EXCLUSIVES AND EVENT INVITES

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Treasure me. Keep me on your coffee table. And when you’re done with me, give me to a friend, leave me in a cafe or in a library, or recycle me.

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