Diary of a Reluctant Vegetarian...

My name is Jude, I work for LeafLiving.com, and I am a committed carnivore. My gloriously high metabolic rate means I can (and will) eat whatever you set in front of me - but I’d prefer if it was wrapped in bacon. Not the healthiest long term dietary plan, I know, but what can I say? I adore food. I’ve just never seen the point in discriminating between food groups. The stomach of Jude Crozier is an equal opportunities establishment, thank you very much.

So why, you might ask, am I going veggie? Let me explain how this insanity came about. We were scratching our heads in the office one afternoon, trying to come up with ideas for future Green Drinks themes and speakers, when I had a stellar idea: veganism. I didn’t know a huge amount about it, but this environmentally friendly and über-ethical way of life certainly appealed to my sense of curiosity. I mean, without meat or dairy, what did they actually eat? The Green Drinks regulars were sure to love it, and at the very least, I’d end up with some crazy new vegan recipes to try out.

I then took my lunch break, during which I consumed a large slice of lasagne; archnemisis of vegans everywhere. The delicious irony of my lunch hour led me to reconsider my ways. At Leaf Living, we do everything possible to smoke what we sell, so to speak. We work in a paperless office, and when paper is absolutely necessary, we use a stapleless stapler. Everybody walks or cycles to work, we shun the dreaded plastic bag and recycle religiously. But when it comes to matters of food (glorious food, light of my life) it seems I have little right to comment on anyone else’s dietary habits.

And so I’ve been convinced, cajoled and partially tricked into a vegan experiment. In an attempt not to give my body the shock of its life, I’m easing myself into veganism with a few weeks of vegetarianism, first. Please feel free to comment with advice and recipes (marketing@leafliving.com) to help me along the way, because as much as I’m going to miss my beloved bacon sandwich, part of me desperately wants to disprove my mother’s single, solemn comment concerning the next few weeks of my life: ”Judith… You will be hungry all the time”.

Eco Highlights

Every week we bring you our favourite eco news, articles, blogs and more from around the world!

Launch of Eco Search Engine

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World Species Dying Out Like Flies Says WWF

LONDON - World biodiversity has declined by almost one third in the past 35 years due mainly to habitat loss and the wildlife trade, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said on Friday... Click here to see full story

10 reasons to ground the plane!

Plane Stupid is a network of groups taking action against airport expansion and aviation's climate impact. In "10 reasons to ground the plane" it gives us a comprehensive look at the affects of flying.

From fur to flippers: Endangered and threatened mammals

Click here to view this gallery of endangered mammals…

Mark Bittman – must watch video: What's wrong with what we eat?

In this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on what's wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home cooking), and why it's putting the entire planet at risk.

Click here to view video

Photos of Panda Bear Growing Up, First Three Months

Treehugger has beautiful photos of the first three months in the life of the panda. Click here to see the photos.

National Geographic: Changing The Climate One Advert At A Time

This month’s edition of National Geographic is dedicated to climate change. However, according to The Unsuitablog, this is a blatant example of greenwash! Click here to read more