Treegans.com: the continuing adventures of KC and Dooz - two vegans living in the woods

gulf aid all-stars on iTunes

"It Ain't My Fault", a benefit single for gulf coast restoration, is now available on iTunes. 

Recorded by the Gulf Aid All-Stars - featuring Mos Def, Lenny Kravitz, Trombone Shorty, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band - all proceeds from the single and video support organizations focused on wetlands and coastal restoration and local fisherman in the gulf. 

Great tune, great video, great cause.  Cough up the $1.99 and buy 'em both on iTunes.

become a virtual volunteer for the gulf

Anyone who knows us understands our deep affection for Louisiana and the gulf coast.  The events unfolding in the weeks since the Deepwater Horizon disaster have been heartbreaking to watch.  And it's going to get a lot uglier in the weeks and months to come.  But you can support the people and animals of the coast without ever leaving home.  

Here are just a few ways you can become a virtual volunteer for the Gulf, and an advocate for change. (You can also find links and resources in the Gulf Coast Oil Disaster Response section of our blog.)

• Make a donation, or adopt a bird through one of the responding rescue organizations, including our local responders from Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research in Newark, DE  - who are leading the wildlife rescue efforts in the Gulf, or to the International Bird Rescue Research Center.
• Donate to help support restoration of the wetlands via the Gulf Coast Restoration Network.
• Support local fishermen and communities that are being financially devastated by the spill with a contribution to Gulf Aid or Protectourcoastline.org.

Can't make a donation?  Try one of these options:

• Use social media as your voice!  Blog, tweet, speak up!!  The National Wildlife Federation is asking for support from those who aren’t able to volunteer or donate by spreading news of their cause via  Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites.
• Contact your elected officials and ask them to support funding of coastal restoration projects.

BP, Transocean and Halliburton may have caused the environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico - but it's not their disaster.

This is our disaster.  We need to own it.  We need to make it right.

Do what you can to help.  And feel free to leave additional resources in the comments section of this blog entry and we'll pass them along.  Thanks.

happy memorial day

Happy Memorial Day to our friends and family around the world.  And a heartfelt THANK YOU to all the men and women serving in our military.  We salute you!

earthquake relief

Give now to aid victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti at Mercy Corps: http://www.mercycorps.org/

happy holidays!

Our girl Rosie celebrates her first Christmas at home.  You've gotta admit - she's got some mad dance skillz. Happy Holidays from The Treegans - Kasey, Rick, Priscilla, and the star of our show - Rosie! 

holiday message from michelle obama

We received the following email as a result of being on the Obama mailing list.  We thought it would be nice to share this message with you, as it provides links to a couple of organizations that could use your help.

Here's the message:

This holiday season, the grassroots movement you helped build can make a big difference for those in need.  I hope you will join me in supporting your favorite charity or contributing to causes that are especially meaningful to me and my family.

While many of us will spend the holidays counting our blessings and sharing dinner with loved ones, millions of people around the country won't be so fortunate. Donating to your local food bank will help provide a holiday meal to people in your community who can't afford one.

Talking with the families of deployed troops was one of the most rewarding experiences I had during the campaign. Giving to Operation USO Care Package is a great way to send members of our military stationed around the world a reminder that someone back home is thinking of them.

This is a time to celebrate our blessings, the new year, and a new era for our country. But it's also a time to come together on behalf of those who need our help.

Do what you can to help today by locating your local food bank and giving your support:
http://my.barackobama.com/foodbanks

Or send a care package to an American in uniform:
http://my.barackobama.com/carepackage

Thank you for all that you do and have a very happy holiday season,
Michelle

nyt op-ed: secretary of food

An interesting op-ed piece in The New York Times this week from Nicholas Kristof concerning candidates for the Secretary of Agriculture in the new administration. 

Similar in theme to Michael Pollan's Open Letter to the Next Farmer in Chief, Kristof provides a strong argument for reform of the current farm subsidy system, based on his own experience.  "One measure of the absurdity of the system", he explains, is that "every year you, the American taxpayer, send me a check for $588 in exchange for me not growing crops on timberland I own in Oregon (I forward the money to a charity). That’s right. The Agriculture Department pays a New York journalist not to grow crops in a forest in Oregon".

Read his article in The Times, and check out Food Democracy Now for more info.

proposition 8: the musical

In case you haven't seen or heard about this yet, you've gotta check out Prop 8: The Musical at Funnyordie.com.  It's a brilliant statement about the hypocrisy of those who wish to legislate morality.  Great stuff!

happy december

Only 24 shopping days left till vacation!

happy tofurky day 2008

We'll be heading out later today to celebrate Thanksgiving WITH the turkeys (along with the chickens, geese, emus, pigs, cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, llamas, horses, and burros) at Chenoa Manor Animal Sanctuary in Avondale. 

After the farm, we'll come back home to celebrate with a traditional Tofurkey feast - Treegans style.  Enjoy your holiday!