Are you one of the many People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, but love a big juicy steak? Well you may be in luck due to recent technology. Readers, have you heard about In Vitro Meat? In Vitro is real edible meat that does not include butchering an innocent animal. In Vitro Meat may offer a solution for carnivores to have their meat and eat it too.

Though the process is still being developed, In Vitro Meat is a hot topic right now. In Vitro is causing a stir of ambivalence among both meat eaters and vegetarians. PETA is offering $1 million to the scientists who are able to develop edible chicken flesh using test tubes and animal cells. The New York Times has even published some articles on this issue.

Sure, In Vitro alleviates many of the implications of meat production (environmental, health, animal rights, etc.), but will it better America’s meat addiction? I really want to hear what people have to say about this issue. Would you be happy eating synthetically grown meat? Do you think this is an unethical approach to solving an ethical problem?

TAGS: Animal Rights, In Vitro Meat, Peta, New York Times, Ethics, Green, Test Tubes

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Everyone’s first is always memorable, and First Book is inviting readers everywhere to share which book(s) first launched their love of reading. Now until September 15th, go to First Book and share the memories from childhood when you first discovered the joys of reading. The What Book Got You Hooked campaign’s idea is to help kids discover titles that may get them hooked on reading. Not only does this campaign seek to spark a wave of nostalgia, but First Book is also utilizing this approach to allow readers to vote on which state they believe should be granted a generous donation of 50,000 books.

The hype about this campaign is CRAZY and First Book invites celebrities to share their memories of favorite childhood books as well. If you were ever wondering what books helped form the minds of creative geniuses such as Neil Patrick Harris, Edward Norton, and Scarlett Johansson (to name a few) you’re in luck! First Book has a page of their website dedicated to allowing celebrity supporters to share what books kept them up at night. Authors like RL Stine and Lois Lowry also give readers a taste of what stories inspired them to write the books that many of us love reading.

The objective of First Book is to give children of low-income families the chance to read their own first new book. A new study proves that children of low-income communities only have access to one age-appropriate book for every 300 children. Statistics also prove that there is a direct correlation between literacy and poverty. Of adults with strong reading skills only 4% live in poverty. There are 26 million children living in poverty in the US. First Book is aiming to get already avid readers involved in helping children of low-income communities gain access to books that may improve their futures.

Remember, 50,000 books can help a lot of children. Last year’s 2007 What Book Got You Hooked campaign generated over 130,000 votes by the end of its two month voting period. I think we can do better than that this year (Yes, I did just challenge you). Readers, you have until midnight September 15th to cast your vote. Please help spread the word, and check back for updates about this awesome project! I look forward to reading your write-in responses about your childhood memories, and hope you look forward to reading mine as well!

TAGS: First Book, What Book Got You Hooked, NPH, Lois Lowry, childhood memories, celebrity, Books

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July celebrates Eco-Libris’s first birthday! I am happy to write this blog to attest the many accomplishments this amazing company has achieved in just one short year! Eco-Libris has had measurable success in its first year, success that pacifies both the environmentalists and book enthusiasts in each of us.

As many of you know, Eco-Libris strives to lessen the environmental impact of book production, allowing readers the chance to plant a tree for every book they read. Eco-Libris also works with many book publishers, as well as authors, who seek to become more green. One goal of Eco-Libris is to work with readers to balance out half a million trees by the end of 2008, a goal that is challenging but attainable through the efforts of readers like you and me.

The success of their first year in business has been quite monumental! Already 50,005 books have been balanced, consequently planting 65,586 new trees in developing countries with help from their planting partners. Eco-Libris has also formed alliances with publishers and bookstores to help make balancing books even easier for readers.

Eco-Libris seeks to be an agent of change for the book industry, urging book publishers to make reading more environmentally sustainable by using recycled and eco-friendly material in book production. Please read my previous blog about his extraordinary company or visit theEco-Libris website if you’d like more information.

(above photo courtesy of AIR)

TAGS: Eco-Libris, Birthday, Green, Trees, Books, Balancing

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Countless lives have been altered due to the recent tornados and floods that have plagued the Midwest, and many people are still in need of aid. The tragic floods have been incredibly personal for Indie artist Mark Kozelek, as he grew up in Massillon, Ohio. Since Mark has such ties to the Midwest he felt compelled to help raise funds for The American Red Cross Disaster Relief efforts by conducting a charity auction on eBay Giving Works.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Mark Kozelek I highly recommend you check him out. Mark is the front man of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters. He also has an amazing collection of solo work, and has been featured in films like Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, and ShopGirl. He is an incredibly inspirational artist and philanthropist.

Mark will be auctioning 5 of his rare and vintage guitars; proceeds will benefit victims of this tragedy through The American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. This is a great way for music enthusiasts to get involved and help expedite the reconstruction of the Midwest. I am excited for this auction, not only because I love Mark’s music, but I really do believe in this cause. The auction began July 20th (this past Sunday) and ends July 27th, so mark your calendars!

People affected by these tragedies genuinely need our help, especially with food and gas prices rising so drastically. If you can help, please do. The American Red Cross also accepts donations and volunteers, and every little bit helps.

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TAGS: Mark Kozolek, eBay Giving Works, American Red Cross, Floods, Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon

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As you celebrate Independence Day this year, don’t forget to check out eBay for some awesome auctions. I am particularly excited about the Independents Day 08 charity auction. This auction celebrates the independent music scene, the sector that allowed many of our favorite artists launch their careers. Not only will this auction draw attention to the importance of the indie scene, but this auction will also facilitate fan interaction and donations to MusiCares.

MusiCares Foundation is a place where musicians can turn in times of crisis. The foundation aims to aid musicians in financial, personal, and medical crisis. The foundation also provides assistance with addiction recovery, senior housing, and outreach and leadership programs. The foundation was established in 1989, and implemented the Musicians Assistance Program in September 2004.

The Independents Day 08 auction allows fans to attain a piece of musical history, while supporting a great cause. A wide variety of music memorabilia as well as once-in-a-lifetime experiences are available to bid on.

No matter where your music skill or passion falls, this auction allows fans amazing opportunities; including the chance to play Guitar Hero with Dragonforce, and/or shadow indie label Beggars Group US CEO Lesley Bleakley for a day. Check out all the awesome listings, but keep in mind you’ll have some competition for the Ani Difranco tickets from yours truly.

It gets better! A digital-only album will also be available for a 72-hour period commencing July 4th. This album looks AMAZING! Listings include a wide array of musical talent performing rare, unreleased, and live tracks. The album is comprised of artists, such as, Ani Difranco, The Donnas, Atmosphere, and Pacifika.

I cannot believe it is already Independence Day weekend! The year has flown by, and it is already July. Regardless of where you are this weekend there are quite a few reasons to be stoked for this years’ festivities. I hope everyone has a safe, fun and memorable holiday!

TAGS: eBay, Independents Day 08, Musicares, Album, Ani Difranco

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In 2005 the members of Linking Park formed a charity called Music For Relief. This charity has helped aid relief efforts to thousands of victims of natural disasters. Not only does this charity aim to aid victims of tragedies, it also hopes to use its funds to help educate people on ways to reduce their carbon foot prints as well as reduce the chances of future tragedies. The charity has raised over $2.5 million, the money going towards aiding the victims, especially children, of natural disasters. This charity has planted over 790.000 trees, and aims to help reduce global warming.

Linkin Park is auctioning VIP packages for this summer’s Projekt Revolution tour. Each stop on the tour (which sadly does not include Utah) has its own auction. The package includes two tickets, a private meet and greet with two band members, meet and greet with Linkin Park, and one Linkin Park large Molotov t-shirt. 100% of all proceeds will go directly to Music For Relief.

The auction is available on eBay Giving Works and is running now through June 26th. So, if you’re as excited about this event as I am, I hope you start your bidding now!

Projekt Revolution has an awesome lineup this year! The Projekt Revolution tour includes a Main stage, as well as a Revolution stage. On the Main stage Linkin Park, Chris Cornell, The Bravery, Busta Rhymes, and Ashes Divide will be performing. On the Revolution stage Atreyu, 10 Years, Hawthorne Heights, Armor For Sleep, as well as Street Drum Corps will play.

I love hearing how bands and celebrities use their fame to promote positive messages. I think it is very respectable when figures the public deems as role models help raise money or create charities to give back to the community.

TAGS: Linkin Park, Projekt Revolution, Music For Relief, Natural Disasters, eBay Giving Works

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I am filled with nostalgia when I think of Vans Warped Tours now past. I cannot wait to again experience the thrill of meeting members of my favorite bands, moshing and crowd surfing to some righteous songs, and all the while rushing back and forth with my friends to various stages to catch our favorite acts.

The lineup for Warped Tour is amazing this year! I was slightly more than stoked when I heard that 22 of the WT bands are participating in some upcoming auctions to benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation. Fans are able to bid on the chance to bowl alongside (on teams!) their favorite Warped Tour bands. I am not particularly known for my bowling skills, but the thought of bowling next to Tom DeLonge of Angel & Airwaves is reason enough for me to practice.

Here’s how it works, beginning Sunday June 8th the T.J. Martell Foundation and Vans Warped Tour will launch 22 separate auctions for their first ever Charity Bowling Tournament. The auction will run for seven days through eBay Giving Works. The bidding begins at .99 and the actual bowling party will take place on June 23rd in San Diego, CA.

The T.J. Martell Foundation was founded in 1975 and has raised over $230 million to help combat leukemia, cancer, and AIDS. The foundation was created by music exec Tony Martell after his son, T.J., fell victim to leukemia. Tony’s connections in music industry have enabled the foundation of raise funds using a multitude of exciting and innovative tactics. For over 33 years the T.J. Martell Foundation has helped fund research on the world’s three deadliest diseases at the eight leading research facilities in the United States.

The 22 bands participating in this event are: Against Me!, Anberlin, Angels & Airwaves, Beat Union, Between the Trees, Broadway Calls, Cobra Starship, Everytime I Die, Forever the Sickest Kids, From First to Last, Greeley Estates, Gym Class Heroes, Maylene, Norma Jean, Say Anything, Set Your Goals, Story of the Year, The Academy Is, The Fabulous Rudies, The Lordz, Valencia, and We the Kings.

I cannot wait for this event! It is going to be so much fun!

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TAGS: Warped Tour, T.J. Martell Foundation, Moshing, Disease, eBay Giving Works

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A few weeks ago I was introduced to a company called Eco-Libris, which gives avid readers like me the opportunity to balance out the books they read by planting trees.

Until recently I didn't put too much thought into the environmental stipulations of book production. Yes, I know trees are necessary for paper, and paper is necessary for books. However, I did not know that over 20 million trees are cut down annually to supply the United States with books. That number IS ridiculous; especially when you consider that it only pertains to one country. In fact, of the 4.15 billion books produced in the US annually only about 5% of the paper used in production is recycled.

For every book that you read, Eco-Libris gives you the chance to plant trees in developing communities for an affordable price. Eco-Libris wants one tree per book to be planted. Just $10 and you can balance out the last 10 books you read, 13 trees will be planted to assure the survival of at least 10. The trees that readers purchase are planted in communities in Latin America and Africa, where deforestation is a crucial problem. High ecological and sustainable standards were considered when Eco-Libris teamed up with their planting partners to decide which communities would be chosen. By planting trees where the threat of deforestation is high, we are able to fight climate change, conserve soil and water, and also benefit many locals by offering an investment in their futures.

"The bottom line is that the trees planted to balance out our customer's books are planted where they have the most value both environmentally and socially and we're very proud of that," says Eco-Libris CEO, Raz Godelnik.

Not only will the bookworm & environmentalist in YOU be satisfied after working with Eco-Libris, but you'll also receive awesome stickers to place inside each book you balanced out to display your contribution.

Keep in mind; it's not just readers who can become involved to make reading greener. Eco-Libris aims to work with anyone in the book industry who wants to go green. Eco-Libris teams with publishers, authors, and bookstores.

So far over 45,000 books have been balanced out, and 60,000 new trees have been planted! Let's all tally the books on our bookshelves and plant some trees. Help Eco-Libris reach their goal of balancing out half a million books by the end of 2008!

Check out Eco-Libris today!

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If you want to get technical, I am a lacto-ovo-pescetarian (which means I eat dairy, eggs and seafood), though I usually just tell people that I am a vegetarian with a weakness for sushi and French toast . True, I don’t go out of my way to eat dairy products and eggs; I certainly don’t avoid them either. It’s almost humorous if you think about how much importance is placed on food. So when Rosemary blogged about her experience , I had to tell my story :)

During my first few years of college I was a big advocate for animal rights. Don’t get me wrong, I am still passionate about the humane treatment of animals, I’ve just mellowed out a bit. I had a stage where I was really into dark-haired vegan/vegetarian musicians who encouraged me to join them at anti-meat rallies. And I admit, proudly, I have been to a fur protest or two in my day.

I met a boy named Kory who was vegan, political, and into punk rock. He even had a tattooed sleeve that invited any on-looker to intake his political stance on a variety of issues, and though “fascism” was spelled “facism” on the headstone of his tattooed graveyard scene, I thought he was beautiful and idealistic. Young and impressionable, I fell deep into folds and frustrations of teenage infatuation.

One night a group of us got together and on our way to our destination I felt a rumble in my stomach. I asked Kory to pull over at Taco Time and we went in and I got a veggie burrito. Mind you, I did not eat fish at this time in my life. I was “higher up on the vegetarian food chain,” nearer to Kory’s peak vegan position. Excited as I received my food, I remember taking those first few bites, sour cream and cheese goodness flooding my taste buds. My stomach was silenced and oddly enough, Kory was too. I remember gazing into his dark seductive eyes and nearing in for a kiss (I was infatuated, remember?). Just before our lips met Kory stopped me and asked if I could drink some water to get the “dairy taste” out my mouth. Offended and a little confused, that was the beginning of the end of our relationship.

I’ve done my research, and feel comfortable having an educated conversation about the pros and cons of meat and with anyone up for it. There is a wonderful book called Diet for a New America by John Robbins that gives plenty of information on many aspects of a vegetarian diet. There are also a variety of websites that can fill you in, my favorites are: chooseveg.com, vegan.org, and gentleworld.org. If anyone is interested in books on the issue I will gladly suggest some titles.

As long as the person I am dating respects what I choose to eat, I will do my best to respect their eating habits as well ;-)

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Denial is the defense mechanism of choice of our generation. So many people sit back and watch problems surround “others,” waiting to address an issue until it is obviously out of hand. I believe I can safely assume that everyone knows someone who's struggling with a deprecating habit or thought process of one form or another, whether it’s an addiction, a mentality, or a prejudice. I am currently residing in Utah, a state where the popular trend is to brush many critical issues under the table until affected directly. I am sure there are many communities, not just Utah, which project promises of perfection that its residents cannot live up to.

Utah is the leading abuser of prescription drugs in the country; this statistic is often unacknowledged because it contradicts the image as well as many of the values that the state tries to embed within its culture. We are also one of the national leaders of Meth use and production. I’m sure most readers of this article are aware that the state is very conservative and religion is very prominent in Utah, and because of its strong presence many victims of drug abuse and addiction feel they must endure their addictions incognito, unaware of where to turn for help without being judged.

A few weeks ago I was sent an e-mail invite to view the premier of a documentary entitled “Happy Valley” on March 26th. This documentary gives a voice to an expanding addiction and drug abuse problems that the majority of the culture denies. The film won the grand prize at the 2007 Breckenridge
Film Festival in Colorado, competing against many films from around the country. The movie identifies and intensely interviews many Utahans who have been affected by drug-induced tragedies, and follows their steps to recovery. Ron Williams, the director, gives the audience an honest and raw portrayal of how lives are altered and lost due to denial and unawareness of this globally growing phenomenon.

The film is soon to be released nationally, aiming to draw attention to the drug epidemic plaguing our populace. My goal in writing about this is not to necessarily to inspire everyone to see this documentary, but to encourage communication, support, and outreach to those who may be struggling with a self-deprecating habit of any kind. Often, I find myself so absorbed with general topics of concern (ex. Literacy, Planned Parenthood, etc.) I sometimes neglect to remind those who surround me on a local level (friends and family) that I am available to help pacify their problems as well. So please, lets all try to reach out on a local level and remind our friends that we are there to hear and help appease their problems.

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