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The organic movement is growing, and happy gardeners and conscious consumers all over are celebrating. However, many people don't realize that even the “organic” produce they buy at the store may have been grown with fertilizer from factory farms where the animals may have been fed chemicals and hormones—the exact thing that organics is trying to avoid. What's a conscious consumer to do? Enter veganics, the totally plant-based agriculture movement. To get the inside scoop, Vegan Mainstream chatted with Stéphane Groleau and Meghan Kelly of the Canada-based Veganic Agriculture Network.

It’s no secret that vegans care about food. We care about what lives and what dies so we can eat. But how many of us truly know or understand where our food is grown? Extending the compassion we have for animals to the whole food chain is a challenging but important next step in the [...]

Sarahjane Blum is a Jane of all trades when it comes to veganism and animal rights. In this episode Dallas and Ryan chat with her about the decade she's spent working on issues around the production and sale of foie gras - the diseased fatty livers of ducks and geese marketed and sold as a delicacy.

Picture this – enjoying your own gorgeous garden chock full of ripe cucumbers, strawberries, squash, watermelon, pumpkins, peas, spinach, kale, collards, parsley, cilantro, dill, and tons of other amazing produce.  Imagine picking your favorite fruits and vegetables and eating them fresh off the vine anytime you want… Sounds like paradise, doesn’t it? Now, I know [...]

Gardening at home is a great way to eat produce on a budget. It is relatively easy to do this no matter where you live. There are many excellent books to get you started, especially on organic gardening which is growing food without chemical pesticides or herbicides. It took me several years of trial and error to find what works. The most economical way is start plants from seeds. You can follow the directions on how and where to plant right on the seed packet. Companies like Seeds of Change offer organic and heirloom seeds, and they can give you a great deal of help over the phone during the growing process. Their online site also offers great tips on how to started.

So you have big plans for your garden this year. You know exactly what you want to plant, and are already visualizing the terrific summer dishes you will be making with your fresh produce. Terrific. But now that you're getting ready to pop your plants in the soil, you're stumped as to how—as a vegan—you should be preparing that soil. Here is a list of four fertilizers and enhancers you should be sure to steer clear of, and a few earth-friendly alternatives:

Doing  your own gardening – and doing it smart – is one of the ways vegans can save money on their organic produce. Plus, there’s no better way to know EXACTLY where your food is coming from, and how it has been grown. This week on the Vegan Mainstream blog we are going to be [...]

Vegan Foodie Mama combines fail-proof recipes with a little gab about animal rescue and motherhood thrown in the mix.

Alexandra Paul is not only a longtime actress and entertainer, she has also been concerned with the environment, animals and human rights for years. Vegan Mainstream spoke with Paul recently about how she got involved in activism of all kinds, what her favorite vegan books and resources are, and what it takes to live simply.