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.

citizen's briefing book

Before heading out to D.C. for the Inauguration, we wanted to pass along this new feature on the Obama administration's Change.gov site called the Citizen's Briefing Book.  It's an online forum where you can share your ideas and rate or offer comments on the ideas of others.  The best-rated ideas will be printed out in a briefing binder and presented to the President every day. 

Conceptually, it's a pretty cool idea.  Read the Citizen's Briefing Book and share your ideas. 

bookstore reprieve

We recently told you about the problems facing our favorite independent bookstore, Bookery II in Ithaca, NY.

Two weeks ago, we drove to Ithaca and spent a good deal of time at Bookery II, meeting with owner/operator Gary Weissbrot to express our support (and buying quite a few books in the process).   

This weekend, we received the following piece of VERY encouraging news via email:

Dear amazing friends and Bookery II patrons,

I'm not going to wait the three weeks as stated in the May newsletter before announcing my decision as to whether or not Bookery II will imminently close. As I stated in that letter, the financial situation of the store hasn't changed much. But I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the amount and level of support I've received in response to my initial "shot across the bow." Customers, some that I know well, and some that I don't know at all, have offered realistic, practical advice, emotional support and have also generously volunteered their time and energy in an effort to keep open the last and only independently-owned, comprehensive bookstore selling new books in a thirty mile radius of Ithaca.

I am also very, very lucky to have understanding and generous supporters who have been willing to rearrange my debt payments because they believe in, not only me personally, but the significant and very important position Bookery II occupies in our community. I specifically want to thank the IURA and my landlord and friend (two words not often seen together), William Downing. There are also other friends, who I am sure would prefer to remain nameless, who have stepped forward with generous offers of financial support. Whether or not I take advantage of these offers is secondary to the emotional encouragement that has forced me to admit, "Bookery II is not yet ready to give up."

With sincere thanks,

Gary Weissbrot
Bookery II

The loss of independent businesses

Is there anything we can do?

Our favorite bookstore, Bookery II, is a locally-operated gem in Ithaca, NY. It has a cafe, events and readings, and a knowledgeable staff who care about their products and who genuinely love to read. It's also going out of business.

We patronize the store every trip we take to Ithaca, several times a year. I don't know what, if anything, we can do.

I'm hoping by posting, maybe someone has an idea and could help, or forward to someone who can.

Here's the email we received from Gary Weissbrot, owner of Bookery II:

"Dear Bookery II customers,

As the owner of Bookery II, I am writing to inform you in advance that the prospects of our
store remaining open are, sadly, very slim.

Even in Ithaca it seems we are not immune to the larger realities of socio-economic trends. We're
not belly-up quite yet. But the end is near.

There are numerous reasons for having to make this announcement and I invite those of you truly interested in the national, even international pattern of independent bookstore closings, to read the attached document. It includes a list, with links, of independent bookstore closings that is sobering to say the least.

After reading the attached statement, I welcome those of you with an interest in the value of Bookery II not only as a business but as a community asset to contact me as soon as possible. Perhaps, with your input, we can find a way to stay viable.

Again, I strongly recommend a reading of the more detailed description of the situation, attached, prior to contacting me.

Please feel free to call me at 273-5055 or email me at Bookery2@hotmail.com.

Thank you for your business and support. And thank you in advance for your time.

Yours truly,

Gary Weissbrot
Bookery II"

Download before_actually_closing2.doc

do we really need more STUFF?

Rather than buy more STUFF for our loved ones, how about a gift that benefits all? The gift of a donation, of charity, or of service for/to your friends and loved ones. Sure, there's something nice about a new sweater or pair of earrings, but there's more to life than that. Consider donating your time and experience. See our "take action" list to find out more about a few local places that could use your time, experience, and expertise. Not local? There are plenty of places near you who desperately need your help. Many of these links will help you find something close by you.