I’ve got a thing about peanut butter. I love it, almost to a fault.

So what better way to start off the new year than with a post about peanut butter? And not just about peanut butter, but about reducing the environmental destruction that comes as a result of our dietary choices.

Regular readers of Natural Papa have probably figured out by now that I’m a vegetarian (11+ years) and except for the use of honey, a vegan. But I don’t preach it to others, as I think people need to figure out what works for them and follow that diet (however, I am amazed at how many people don’t consider changing their diet when it is negatively affecting their health or their energy levels).

Here’s a cool campaign about simply reducing the amount of animal products you consume – not necessarily becoming a vegetarian or a vegan: the PB&J Campaign.

“Everything we eat comes from plants, whether we eat the plants directly or through an animal intermediary. The basic problem is that animals are inefficient at converting plants into meat, milk, and eggs. Relatively little of what they eat ends up in what you eat because animals use most of their food to keep them alive – to fuel their muscles so they can stand up and walk around, to keep their hearts beating, to keep their brains working.

That cow, pig, or chicken has to eat a lot more protein, carbohydrates, and other nutrients than it yields in meat, eggs, or milk. The result is that it takes several pounds of corn and soy to produce one pound of beef, or one pound of eggs, one pound of milk, etc. This holds true even if we’re measuring calories or protein; it takes several times the calories or protein in livestock feed to produce the calories or protein we get from the meat, eggs, or milk”

At the heart of the campaign is a pledge to replace one or more animal-based meals each week with a plant-based meal. There’s no hard-sell on the vegetarian diet, just a simple calculation of water savings, CO2 emissions reduction, and land spared from from deforestation, over-grazing, and pesticide and fertilizer pollution.

And despite the name, you don’t have to eat a PB&J sandwich (although they are one of the tastiest creations around). Just pick something to eat that has less impact on the planet than an animal-based meal – even if it’s only once a day or several times a week.

Check out the PB&J Campaign and take the pledge.

Mmm… peanut butter.

Image: certified su at Flickr

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On Christmas Day, I found myself thinking about how fortunate I am. When I look at the condition of so many of our brothers and sisters around the world, I know that we can do more, give more, and share more with others.

The holiday season has been described as the ‘Season of Giving’, and I wanted to share a few of my thoughts about giving with you.

Giving of our self – giving back to the world, giving to our families, and perhaps most importantly, giving to ourselves – is the theme of this video.

Image: Per Ola Wiberg (Powi) at Flickr

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• In Praise of the Stash (0)

Visit Joe’s cartoon archive.

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If you have a blog, please consider pledging to post about saying no to child pornography on November 20th, World Youth Day.

As a father, I’m disgusted by the thought of these sick people searching for, and finding, child pornography on the web. And even more so by the thought of the kids that are forced into it by people that they trust: adults – parents even.

Need some inspiration? Check out this video for ideas:

According to the video, these search terms are used to find child pornography: “angels”, “lolitas”, “boylover”, “preteens”, “girllover”, “childlover”, “pedoboy”, “boyboy”, “fetishboy” or “feet boy”. By including these terms in your posts, it increases the chances that your post will come up when pederasts and pedophiles are searching for them.

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As a parent, the health of our kids is a high priority, yet many of the things we bring into our homes can have an adverse effect on them.

Exposure to toxic chemicals in everyday household products can impact the health of our children, and we as gatekeepers are responsible for them. But how can we really keep them safe if companies aren’t required to label their products truthfully?

Isn’t it time to change that?

Mounting scientific evidence points to widespread exposure to chemicals that can cause serious and adverse impacts on human health, particularly for children.

The federal law that should protect us from health-harming chemicals just doesn’t work. Since 1976, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has required safety testing on only 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals on the market. We need a stronger chemical law to keep our families safe and healthy.

Learn more about Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families.

Join the Million Baby Crawl today and lend your voice to the toxic chemical policy reform movement!

Image: Photos8.com at Flickr

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Time Is Running Out to Spend a Buck for Charity

Thanks to everyone who has reached into their pocket and kicked-in a buck for charity. Hundreds of you have responded (many with more than a dollar) as eleven environmental websites team up to make the world a better place. Together, we’re supporting some great charities. And you get to choose the two that receive 100% of the collected donations:

• Sustainable Harvest: Helping farmers and communities in tropical regions
• Kiva: The revolutionary microloan agency
• Healthy Child, Healthy World: Creating safer, greener homes for kids
• Environmental Working Group: The environmental watchdog
• Water for People: Supporting clean, safe water for everyone

Please take a moment to look these organizations over. Pick your favorite, then go to our Buck for Charity Page and vote with your dollar. You can also donate directly through PayPal to this address: 1dollarcharity@gmail.com.

Summer is a lean time for charities

The summer months are always tough for charitable organizations: People are busy, discretionary funds get diverted to well-deserved vacations, and economic times are currently hard. To be honest, donations have slowed since our initial call, and we’re playing catch-up to meet our goals.

We’d love to present the winning charities with a meaningful check. So would you please consider donating right now? Deadline is Wednesday, July 8th. Each of these charities matter, and every dollar counts.

Share this message with others

You can multiply your donation by passing this along to others. Twitter about it; email the article to friends; post it on StumbleUpon or your favorite social media service. There’s still time to make a difference.

Remember: The winning charity will receive 100% of the donated funds. We’re not holding anything back. Together, we can work for the good — a buck at a time. Thank you for your support.

Participating websites: The Good Human, Twilight Earth, Lighter Footstep, Green Upgrader, The Grass Stain Guru, My Green Side, The Smart Mama, A Little Greener Every Day, Fake Plastic Fish, Allie’s Answers, and Natural Papa.

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