Call to Action

For Animal Welfare:

• Some foods, like meat, require animals: it's a direct result of that product. However, you can choose products that are Certified Humane, which helps ensure that animals are treated with dignity from birth to slaughter.
• Many products, such as cosmetics or soaps, are tested on animals even if the products themselves contain no animal product. This is a potentially cruel and harmful process. Choosing products with the Leaping Bunny seal is the best way to know that the products you are buying have never harmed an animal.

For the Environment:

• The Non GMO Project exists to help expand and ensure the availability of seeds that have not been genetically modified. Although crossbreeding has been used for centuries to modify plants, especially those that we eat, GMO refers to organisms whose genetic make-up has been altered in a laboratory and the results of which would never happen in nature.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture allows farmers or food-sellers to label their products as organic if they "use natural processes and materials when developing farming systems—these contribute to soil, crop and livestock nutrition, pest and weed management, attainment of production goals, and conservation of biological diversity." Although there are some loopholes, certified organic foods have fewer ecological repercussions than those without the label. It is also worth noting, however, that some small farms or home-growers follow organic practices even if they are not certified organic by the USDA, so it is always worth asking!