OrganicAthlete -- Sustainable Alternatives

...here's a short but very good article about the vegan lifestyle.

Contributed by Lennie Mowris
Friday, 16 September 2005

The vegan lifestyle extends beyond the realm of food and is based in compassion for all life. PETA has best encapsulated the vegan ideal on many bumper stickers, t-shirts and buttons found in their catalogue that states, “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment.” This is a strong statement, clearly embracing that all animals, like us, are born free and within that right should stay free. Many people adopt a vegan diet for health and ethical reasons but don’t as often take the next step towards supporting this freedom by boycotting other animal-based items.

read the rest of the article here

...this is from the Organic Athlete website.
...their Statement of Principles is worth a read:

Topsoil

...here is a pretty good, thogh short article about the nature of soil.
...i think this is important to point out, since most people don't realize its vital importance, and just see it as dirt.
...and commercial agriculture blatantly destroys the intricate biology of the soil with their techniques of artifically producing 'look good' fruits and vegetables, but which are lacking in nutrients and many are ridden with hazaradous chemicals.

"Topsoil or the organic layer, is one of the least respected, yet most important parts of our lives. Without topsoil, life on Earth would not be as it is… Topsoil is the constant struggle for life to return to its beginning, and through this, be renewed into other forms of life… Topsoil in and of itself is a layer of organic materials that accumulate and deposit over thousands of years. Topsoil is far more than just a layer of organic matter; top soil is a teaming world of life, filled with beings that have as much the right to live as human beings."



read the whole article here.

...for a more indepth treatment go here.
...and here.
...there are also microscopic images of the different organisms.

Cooked Food Versus Raw

"Cooked Food Versus Raw

Some Of The Known Differences

Cooked foods cannot create true health because they are missing some very vital elements needed by the body for its optimal functioning; things like enzymes, oxygen, hormones, phytochemicals, bio-electrical energy and life-force. When foods are heated above 105 degrees F they begin to lose all of these. By 118 degrees F, most food is dead. Yes, the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats and proteins are still there, but in a greatly altered state - not at all what nature provided."
read the whole article