An Eco Activist's Journey to Optimum Planet and Animal Friendly Health

I am SO very blessed to be running my triple bottom line business. It is leading me in such a positive, fulfilling and gratifying direction of personal and professional growth. Every day with Visionary is a gift!
For example, over the summer Visionary Mobile attended Worldfest ,and we haven't been the same since.

That is where I really got inundated with information about the vegan lifestyle. I got to meet

Paul Watson,Captain of The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society that day. I first learned of the Sea Shepherds about a year ago on their show Whale Wars on Animal Planet.

At Worldfest I got to hear Paul Watson speak first hand. That speech started me on a track I can't seem to shake. It was during that speech I learned that an incredible %40 of the fish coming out of our already overfished sea today is fed to pigs. Amazing but true! Imagine,we're depleting the world's oceans to support the pork industry?! Yuck!Bye bye bacon!

I also learned the hard truth that day,that %90 of the ocean's big fish are GONE. I find that all at once devastating and motivating. It motivated me to write this post, so we can raise awareness and hopefully reverse some of the horrific damage us humans are wreaking on our precious planet.
I was fortunate enough to attend and volunteer at an art show fundraiser,Sea No Evil, for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society last week. Check out the photos .

I often say,"Once you go green you can't go back". Anyone with a conscience who gets this sort of information simply can't go on in the same old ignorant patterns.Check out these 15 reasons to stop eating meat.

I am planning to watch Earthlings soon. We met them at Worldfest too.The trailer alone is so horrific it may take me a minute to muster the courage. I saw Food Inc. the day it premiered, and must say I will NEVER eat another fast food hamburger,or non organic soybeans again. Call me crazy but I just don't want ammonia soaked beef or GMO processed foods in my body. I'm about %25 through the book Skinny Bitch,which is helping me along my path in a most entertaining way. I also listen to CLOUT with Richard Greene on Air America,where he holds a "Meatless Monday" Show that focuses on a conscious meatless lifestyle. I get a lot of great tips and information there.

My journey towards conscious eating really accelerated in 1998 when I was pregnant with my daughter Lula. My body craved fruits and vegetables like never before, and I was repulsed by meat.As of today,this is where I am in my journey. I eat local and organic whenever possible. I frequent my local farmer's market(and covet the $1 wheatgrass shots!).I am a member of my local CSA. You can't beat a $25 bag of locally grown organic produce for $25!I've cut out beef,pork,and chicken so far,and am eating wild caught fish just once or twice a month now. I suspect once I get around to see End of the Line,that may change. I make conscious choices when grocery shopping and choosing what to eat-wherever I am. Another great resource we met at Worldfest is The Healthy Voyager, a great blog about finding healthy eats while traveling.
I plan to join the program at The Optimum Health Institute when time allows, to get closer to my goal of optimum planet and animal friendly health. This to me means going completely raw.
I learned a lot about the raw lifestyle while working our mobile boutique at the Raw Spirit Festival over the summer.I do think my journey may take some time as I think my addiction to cheese will not be releasing me anytime soon.The raw lifestyle has been steadily growing in the last several years,with a "no sacrifice" approach facilitated by a crop of "visionary" raw chefs like Chef Be Live, and master of raw desserts D Raw's Jason Wrobel. One of the leading educators in the raw food movement today is Lou Corona. I have been fortunate enough to hear him speak twice.

And of course conscious eaters are bound to be conscious dressers too.Vegan fashion is really coming up with some great animal friendly solutions. Just look at The Girly Girl Army,the go to guide for any vegan fashionista.
I'm thinking that in my case,a gradual education and transformation is the best path for long term success.
Please tell me about your journey,and share your resources and inspirations in the comments....