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SAY YES TO THE TREES

7/13/2015

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TREES are essential to us - mankind would not be able to exist without them and the oxygen they produce for life on this planet.

Did you know that a mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year?


Trees and their impact on the quality of life on Earth are invaluable.

Most of us tend to take things for granted when we look at trees and a forest, we admire the optical beauty while forgetting the fact that ...
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  • Trees also act as filters, cleansing the air that we breathe and the soil from pollutants and chemicals.
  • Trees shield us from the noise we produce.
  • Trees provide us with natural shade.
  • Certain trees like Colorado blue spruce can make all the difference in flash flood endangered areas as the roots absorb water from the soil. By holding the soil in place, the movement of sediment and erosion is reduced.
  • Trees are Nature's windbreaks which help in preventing soil and vegetation from drying out.

So next time you plan on cutting down a tree in your yard because it looks messy later in the year, remember that each one of those fallen leaves had a purpose and did a great job: It helped you breathe.

When it looks like there already are plenty of excellent reasons for maintaining and planting trees, there is the value that trees add to homes with all the benefits for human development and lifestyle: a soothing and relaxing green ambiance, lowered energy costs for air conditioning by up to 30%, reduced particle and sound pollution, protection from UV-B exposure by about 50% and the opportunity to plant fruit trees and grow food for humans, birds, insects and wildlife.
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Last but not least, the monetary value. Mature trees - planted in the right location -  increase a home's value by 7 to 19 percent and help selling properties more quickly as well.
Forget the lawn - the value is in the trees.

And when it comes to selling properties nobody knows better than Real Estate Professionals about the impact that trees, well chosen plants and landscaping have. "What you plant now, you will harvest later" ~Og Mandino, words that inspire agents to sow the seeds of their business by handing out TREE SEEDS for green marketing and as a memorable message of appreciation, reminding home owners to start growing their property value today.
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Links:

http://www.realty101.com/value-of-a-tree-in-your-yard
http://whyfiles.org/107flood/3.html

htttp://chemistry.about.com/od/environmentalchemistry/f/oxygen-produced-by-trees.htm
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putting lawnmowers out of business

2/5/2015

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Thinking GREEN is more important than ever and growing herbs, veggies, fruit and flowers at home is not the latest hype but essential for environmental change and for improving the future health of our planet and its inhabitants.

People are beginning to second guess the all American symbol of proud home ownership - the forever green lawn.
The resources needed for its care can be considered wasteful, after all the prettiest lawn has nothing more to give back than the image of a well groomed property, when that very same space and irrigation investment can be used to create food for people and nourishment for nature's winged pollinators, which are declining at a disturbing number and speed.

Drought issues and the concern over genetically modified produce, and commercially grown fruit, vegetables and herbs that are treated with pesticides and fungicides motivate many to
recreate their backyards, porches, decks and balconies into functional gardening spaces, enjoying the experience of working with nature while growing plant based foods for healthy family meals.
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The fact that gardening and growing vegetables and herbs is not limited to the outdoors and to the warmer seasons at all, makes SEEDS ideal for gift giving at any time of the year; what can be more inspirational and meaningful than something that symbolizes good things like Growing, Nurturing and the endless cycle of Life itself.








Links:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/07/serious-green-turning-lawns-yards-into-edible-gardens.html

Seed Gifts:
http://www.welcometoplanetvegan.com/seed-products.html
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Sowing thoughts, inspiration and plant food with SEEDS.
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LEMONS, cabbage and birds at the bay

1/19/2015

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Off the beaten path in San Francisco is a true green jewel, a peaceful oasis hidden in the Marina District and only visible to those who are on the look out for places to experience beyond Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square.
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The lovely Fort Mason Community Garden caught my forever searching eye on the way back from a city hike to my hotel, and I just couldn't resist adding time to explore the unexpected find with its organized chaos of the garden layout, plants, gardening tools, recycled household items, figurines and beautiful birds. The warm and gentle late afternoon sun was my perfect partner for catching the spirit of this retreat.
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A delightful blend of fruit trees, vegetables, herbs and flowers awaits the senses and one wants to linger under in the calming ambiance of ripe lemons, gorgeous cabbage and fragrant rosemary, and simply absorb the beauty of the moment under the watchful eye of the Garden Buddha and the kind bee.
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The garden is also a paradise for many bird species, including a number of nesting birds, some of them living there all year round, such as the community of House Finches and the Lesser Goldfinches. One can find Mockingbirds here, Ravens, Hummingbirds and many other winged friends, and in Spring the bird lover's eyes and ears can welcome the Hooded Orioles back, which only reside during the warmer months and after their return from their winter retreat in Mexico.
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Wish I could have stayed longer but then again ... there is always a next time in San Francisco  - with a visit of Greens Restaurant at Fort Mason Center.


Links:

Photography Susan Placek @ http://www.cocoonworx.com/

The rules for playing in the dirt : http://playndirt.com/listings/fort-mason-community-garden/

Fort Mason Center http://fortmason.org/

Greens Restaurant -
http://www.greensrestaurant.com/the-cuisine/the-cuisine

For more than twenty years, San Francisco's beloved Greens Restaurant has been in the avant garde of the cooking revolution in America. Through its endlessly inventive, ever-changing menus and bestselling cook-books, Greens has introduced millions of delighted fans to a sophisticated, meatless cuisine packed with transcendent, satisfying flavor. The heart of Greens cookings to use the best, freshest ingredients.

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the soup dilemma

12/11/2014

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Coffee time at a dear friend's place with nice people.

I skip the pastry with the whipped cream and ask for almond milk for my coffee knowing that my friend always has it in her fridge.

Someone say's, "You don't take regular milk?"
I go, "No, I'm vegan".
"Oh." Short break. "Why?"
I go, "Well, first and foremost for ethic reasons".

Everybody looks puzzled and someone says, "What do you mean by for ethic reasons?"
The lady next to the one asking discretely explains with her voice lowered and her head slightly tilted, "You know, she means how they treat the animals and such ..."
I nod, "That's right", and I add that there actually is an advantage for me too as I don't get all the nasty stuff, and I start talking about antibiotics, hormones and all the "goodies" that come into the body with the consumption of meat and dairies ...

The room suddenly turns very quiet and the eyes and faces around the table tell me that this is not exactly what they want to hear and that everybody hopes the conversation topic will be changed soon. After all, who wants to talk disgusting things over coffee and cake. "We all have to die someday." someone says.

Soon after the topic "immunizations" and flu shots is brought up. I am asked if I get flu shots and I go, "No, never. I try to keep my immune system healthy through good food and a somewhat healthy life style."

"Exactly!", agrees the lady who explained what "ethic reasons" means. "I don't get them either. No way. It's all bad for you. When I don't feel so great I make myself some good old-fashioned chicken soup and that gets me back on track. And, I stay away from hydrogenated fat, that's a killer, therefore I read all labels when I go grocery shopping".

Then my friend announces that I make terrific vegetable soups and that she loves them so much with all those spices and veggies in there, yum .... She's right, I think I really do make great soups. When I cook I usually end up with a huge pot of it and so she has been treated to my soups many times.

The chicken soup lady says, "I too love vegetable soup. Do you use chicken stock ... or are you not allowed to use that either?"
I go, "No, I don't use chicken stock or anything from the animal and it's not about not being allowed but I choose not to use it for the reasons I previously explained."

"Oh." Another short break. "But then, how DO you make vegetable soup?"

This time I am puzzled and quiet and it painfully dawns on me ... we still have a long, long way to go.

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Vegan Soup Links:
http://www.marlenewatsontara.com/category/recipes/soups-recipes/
http://mouthwateringvegan.com/http:/mouthwateringvegan.com/vegan-life-magazine/soups/
http://ohsheglows.com/categories/recipes-2/food-sides/sides-soup/
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the powerful orange root

9/2/2014

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ORANGE is a powerful color, it is one of the healing colors, stimulates enthusiasm and creativity. Orange also means vitality and endurance.
The CARROT, a highly popular and common vegetable, versatile, healthy and enjoyable raw or cooked. The list of recipes using carrots is endless and the fact that the root with the pretty orange color is high in potassium, beta carotene and vitamin A makes it a powerful addition to one's daily nutrition.


Carrots offer another big advantage.
The seedlings mature fast, they can be grown easily and it doesn't even require a garden to do so.

Many people are not aware of the fact that carrots can be planted and grown INDOORS all year round, which makes ...

CARROT SEEDS perfect for meaningful and memorable promotions and affordable business and client giving for any industry or recipient.



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CARROT SEED Postcards with logo personalization
Plenty of sunlight provided indoors is the only requirement needed along with keeping the soil/sand mixture (50% high quality rich potting soil and 50% sand - no play sand) on the dry side.
Carrots do not appreciate wet soil.


Links:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21

http://www.gardenguides.com/79857-grow-indoor-carrots.html

http://www.thecreativeideashop.com/seed-gifts.html
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That's a whopper!

8/25/2014

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Burger Kind, the second largest burger chain in the U.S., is about to swallow a big bite.
After their revenue fell 6.1 percent to $261.2 million in the second quarter of 2014, the meat monster sensed the smell of profit in coffee.

In the future they will not just kill millions for food, by merging with a Canadian coffee and donut chain they will also be able to save millions.
Dollars that is.

The purchase of Tim Horton's would not only give birth to the world's third largest fast-food chain, it would also be Burger King's passport to move headquarters to Canada and to escape Uncle Sam's taxes.
Talks about the merger with 'modest political risk' according to
Will Slabaugh, analyst at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock, Arkansas, caused both of the company's shares to soar on the New York Stock Exchange prior to the deal (18% for Burger King and 21% for Tim Horton's).
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In the past Burger King has been brewing Seattle's Best coffee (owned by Starbucks), the marriage of the two companies would also promise a sweet wedding gift for Burger King by getting access to the grocery business and selling packaged coffee at North America's supermarkets.
By the way, both of the burgers pictured are real. The one above has been and the one below IS sold at Japanese Burger King locations. Quite a contrary to Japan's traditional low fat food ... but that's another story.
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Links:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/burger-king-may-buy-canadas-tim-hortons-to-cut-its-taxes-2014-08-24

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-24/burger-king-in-talks-to-acquire-tim-hortons-restaurant-chain.html
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The liberation process of the cash cow

7/28/2014

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Susan Placek, Owner of THE CREATIVE IDEA SHOP
The famous question, "Got Milk?" has already been dropped early in 2014 by the dairy industry to be  replaced by "Milk Life", and obviously that's not done to keep the slogan fresh but a sign of despair and an ongoing rescue operation by the U.S. diary giants to save their cash cow and to gain back ground, preventing what can't be denied anymore: Milk sales are going downhill.
More and more consumers are not drawn to the white mustache anymore and are turning their backs on fluid milk. Whether that decision is based on lactose intolerance or compassion with the animals (also known as "cultural changes"), clearly, a segment of those who make a living based on the extortion of sentient living beings and their bodily fluids is getting worried.

While the decline of milk sales in 2011 and 2012 was the highest in more than a decade, 2013 was even worse than the previous three years.
The trend of switching from milk to other beverages or non-dairy milks isn't new at all, in fact it started almost 40 years ago but the latest numbers speak for themselves.
The credit clearly goes to a rapidly growing world wide community of people, activists, bloggers, scientists, doctors, organizations, groups and every day social net workers who dedicate their time and hard work to raise awareness, and to educate the masses about the negative and severe health effect dairies can have on the human body, undermining the dairy industry's decades old brain washing strategies while exposing the ugly and cruel truth behind the "Happy Cow" fairy tale. There is really nothing white about milk.
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What used to be considered "fake food for weirdos" turns out to be the future real food for real people. Soy milk has gotten company and today store shelves are filled with a variety of nut milks (almond, hazelnut, coconut and cashew) as well as rice milk and hemp milk, and making nut milks at home is as easy as brewing coffee.

WhiteWave Foods Co. - a daughter company of the traditional 90-year-old dairy company Dean Foods Co.  -  manufacturing plant-based foods and beverages, reported 62% profit increase during the past 12 month. 
"Getting drinkers back in the barn won't be easy. "It is going to be tough to buck the trend of declining consumption of [cow] milk in the U.S.," says Ryan Oksenhendler, an analyst with Arlon Group LLC, a New York-based fund manager that owns WhiteWave shares. He says shoppers quitting cow milk and embracing soy, almond and coconut milks are feeding WhiteWave's gains." (1)
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And who needs dairy milk for calcium when so much plant based calcium is available to us, always has been. Slowly people begin to realize the irony that even gallons of cow milk consumed daily does not prevent osteoporosis from happening; it isn’t a lack of dietary calcium causing the weakening process of the bones but in reality the excess of animal protein taken in, which leaches calcium from the bones.

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The liberation process is well on its way - for the animals,
for the planet and for human kind.



Links:

http://www.allergiesexplained.com/pages/Milk%20Effects%20on%20Brain%20Function.htm

http://engine2diet.com/question/can-i-get-enough-calcium-eating-a-plant-based-diet/

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/americas-move-to-soy-hobbles-dairy-1405729869?mobile=y


3 Comments

Where kind food is on the rise

5/18/2014

1 Comment

 
Susan Placek, Owner of THE CREATIVE IDEA SHOP
If you think Austria is all about The Sound Of Music, white horses and Mozartkugeln, think again.
This tiny little state in the heart of Europe seems to become a trendsetter for change into the right direction and for a new lifestyle, and I must say, I am mighty proud of my old home country.
Not a day goes by without exciting news about new vegan shops, restaurants, bakeries and ice cream parlors opening up. I will gladly write about them in the WELCOME TO PLANET VEGAN Blog and feature them one by one as each deserves special attention.


If there is one place that I can't wait to see and visit, it is the one in Vienna, where the feast starts visually with the restaurant design and interior.
What used to be an Indian Fashion Boutique "Dancing Shiva", is now an explosion of colors, and the brand new gourmet temple "Dancing Shiva Superfoods", specializing in raw vegan foods and dishes.
Cocoa, Goji Berries, Maca Roots and other Superfoods are processed into delightful dishes, satisfying eyes and taste buds.
As Professional Master Pastry Chef, having had my training at "Demel", one of the most prestigious Viennese pastry shops, I especially appreciate what "Simply Raw Bakery" has to offer: Sweet raw vegan delicacies made from the best of nature's treasure chest, organic fruits, nuts, seeds, superfoods, vegetables and herbs. Pastries for a new age, loaded with Love, Compassion, Kindness, Vitamins, Enzymes and Trace Elements. Simply raw, available in Vienna.
About 45 minutes outside of Vienna is another stunning vegan restaurant, "Schillinger", cooking for the local community since 1793.
After 200 years of serving authentic Austrian cuisine based on meat and tons of dairies, Schillinger's owners made the impossible possible and turned their place into a vegetarian restaurant at first, before converting it into 100% vegan, without sacrificing a single classic Austrian dish from their menu. Meat and dairies have been replaced with numerous national and international awards for this remarkable transition.
Who would have thought that Fritattensuppe, Gulasch and Schnitzel can actually be kind and peaceful!

Austria, here I come!

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Dancing Shiva Superfoods
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Simply Raw Bakery
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Schillinger
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All images published in this article have been downloaded from the internet to support promoting the featured businesses, hoping that this doesn't cause any copyright infringement in any way. Please do feel free to contact me should there be an issue.

Links:

http://www.dancingshiva.at/


http://www.simplyrawbakery.at

http://www.schillinger.co
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deliciously guilt free fast food at 24 locations

5/16/2014

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Susan Placek, Owner of THE CREATIVE IDEA SHOP
Driving back home from the airport the other day I came across one of the VeggieGrill locations here in town. I had left LAX hungry as currently all restaurants at the International Terminal are closed due to construction. The VeggieGrill had been on my "vegan restaurants to go to list" anyway, so it seemed like perfect timing to pop in for a bite and a sip.
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The fast-food style restaurant offers a nice variety of dishes, from Starters to Bowls - the Bombay Bowl with herb-roasted veggies, super grains, steamed kale, cannellini beans, cilantro/green curry sauce with coconut milk, almonds, hemp seeds was very tempting - Homestyle Plates, Burgers, Sandwiches, Soups of the day, Taco Plates and plenty of Sides to choose from. Patrons may pick pairs from each menu category.
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After some consideration I decided to order 2 Sides, Steamin’ Kale for $ 3.50 with ginger-miso dressing,  sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and Cauli-Mashed Potatoes + Gravy for $ 3.25, made from fresh cauliflower blended with mashed potatoes, topped with porcini mushroom gravy with fresh rosemary, a combination that's right up my alley.
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The Strawberry Lemonade from the drinks bar was most refreshing, I mixed it with organic unsweetened green tea and while waiting for my food to be brought to my table I noticed that the VeggieGrill even offers locally produced craft beer and wine choices.

Even though the interior has "fast food" written all over, the silverware sets wrapped in napkins already waiting on each table give the place a bit of a more upscale feel.


The steamed kale was just right, tender but not overcooked, and so was the perfectly seasoned ginger-miso dressing
. Mashed potatoes is one of my comfort foods, the blended in cauliflower and the savory mushroom sauce turns this simple dish into a creamy and fluffy delicacy.

There was no room left for one of the reasonably price desserts, Carrot Cake for $ 3.75, with fresh carrots, walnuts, topped with cream cheese frosting. Maybe next time.
I must have liked the food, when I was done the bowls were (almost) licked clean.
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Links:


The VeggieGrill has currently 24 restaurants in Southern and Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
http://www.veggiegrill.com/index.html



Photography: http://www.cocoonworx.com
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SEEDS FOR SOWING GOODNESS

5/8/2014

3 Comments

 
Don't we all have those days when we wish things would be as simple as black and white with nothing in between, without the millions of shades of grey that make our world as complex as it is? All the madness on this planet might be fixed easily if there was only either "good" or "bad".
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For some unknown reason though the Universe doesn't work like that. Instead, we are all part of that mind blowing web called "life", where all is connected, where each single action of each single person matters and all is one.

It is my deepest desire to be part of something good, to be one of the many tiny little seeds in our society who crave for fundamental change on this planet, and who want to contribute somehow with something in this process of awakening the kind of human qualities that are lacking, but essential in becoming what we claim to be: HUMANE.

I chose Vegetable Seeds as a symbol of life, of new beginnings and of nurturing the human mind and soul, and combined them with one of my passions - being creative - for sowing Goodness and ultimately growing KINDNESS, COMPASSION, PEACE, HARMONY and HAPPINESS, envelope by envelope and seed by seed.

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Contact
for free logo personalization for businesses, organizations and non-profits and for wholesale.


Links:

http://www.welcometoplanetvegan.com/store.html


http://www.thecreativeideashop.com/seed-gifts.html

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