Can you believe we’re already half way through 2012? Crazy, right? I remember watching Sci Fi films in the 80s and thinking we’d all be zooming around in hovercraft by now. Oh well, we may not have cute, sparkly, silver jumpsuits just yet but thankfully the world is changing in some pretty special ways.

Have you seen this video making the rounds on Facebook? Philip Wollen on the ethics of eating meat. How awesome is he? I want to become BFFs with him and take him to parties and BBQs with me so when people ask me why I’m vegan, he can be all BOOM, there it is! And I can stand next to him, nodding and being all cool like: “mmhhmm, what he said.”

Seriously though, speeches like this restore my faith in humanity.

Also restoring my faith in humankind today? These sensationally sparkly ideas…

Green July

The super savvy Annette at Wellness WA came up with this fabulous challenge – to drink one green smoothie every day during July to boost your health and happiness. Read about it here and then check out the Green July Facebook page where you can sign up and swap recipes and ideas. I can’t wait to start experimenting with crazy new smoothies throughout the month, and there may even be a guest blog post involved! Stay tuned…

I love this idea not just because it doesn’t involve kissing champagne goodbye for a whole month (aka Dry July), but because everybody can do it and benefit from it – young, old, sick and healthy. And with all that extra energy you’ll have, why not try some fundraising of your own for a good cause? 🙂

Image credits: Wellness WA

Plastic Free July

Could you avoid buying disposable plastic for a whole month? CD cases, shampoo bottles, toothpaste tubes, take-away food containers, water bottles, biscuit packets, those little plastic bags in the fruit & veggie aisle… it’s pretty overwhelming, isn’t it?

Never fear, the amazing Em at Olive on Blonde is here to help! Check out Em’s inspiring Plastic Free July article here, sign up on the Plastic Free July Facebook page to swap recipes and ideas, and then read Em’s 5 Steps to be Plastic Free. I love this initiative for bringing our awareness to the amount of plastic we all consume every day. I’m not sure if I will manage to go completely plastic free for the entire month, but I hope to introduce new habits during July that will see me using less and less plastic every month into the future. If you have any tips and ideas, I’d love to hear them!

Image credit: Olive on Blonde

Are we all inspired yet? Go forth and hover, Earthlings! 🙂

16 Comments on Sparkly Speeches and Inspiring July!

  1. Abigail Rumsey
    June 26, 2012 at 6:56 pm (12 years ago)

    One of my relatives is living a plastic-free lifestyle and blogging about it: http://plasticisrubbish.wordpress.com/
    They’re currently travelling around Asia and documenting the plastic problems over there.

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      June 27, 2012 at 3:41 pm (12 years ago)

      Ohhh, great blog, thank you Abigail! I look forward to following along and learning some great tips! 🙂

  2. Annette @ Wellness WA
    June 26, 2012 at 9:45 pm (12 years ago)

    Thanks for sharing Green July! I’m so glad you are taking part, can’t wait to take this fun journey with everyone :)! X

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      June 27, 2012 at 3:42 pm (12 years ago)

      I’m excited too! Here’s to a super sparkly month. 🙂 xx

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      June 27, 2012 at 3:45 pm (12 years ago)

      Ohh, thank you so much, Reia! You just made my day! 🙂
      And great work with bringing your own plate and utensils to work. I bet it’s a lot nicer than the plastic stuff, too.

  3. Cheerfully Vegan
    June 26, 2012 at 10:14 pm (12 years ago)

    Cute, sparkly, silver jumpsuits? LOL Unfortunately, after spending some time poolside this summer, I’m afraid I’ve seen enough bodies in bikinis who shouldn’t be that all I can see mentally when I think about those cute jumpsuits just ISN’T very cute! LOL It made me laugh. 😀

    Plastic free…wow, that would be very hard. I’ve thought about it before and gave up because I couldn’t see beyond the difficulties. I have recently purchased some cute little lily pad-shaped lids that seal bowls instead of plastic, but they are pricey!! I couldn’t begin to afford enough to use them solely. What did people do before plastic came along?

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      June 27, 2012 at 4:00 pm (12 years ago)

      haha, I’m not sure but I’m keen to find out! I’ll blog about any cool plastic-free ideas I come across during July – and hopefully there will be lots of them! Those lids sound gorgeous! I’d love to see pics and/or details of where to get them. 🙂

  4. Sophie33
    June 27, 2012 at 4:32 pm (12 years ago)

    Going completely plastic free is the thing to do, I agree. But it isn’t that easy to do so. Small steps!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      June 28, 2012 at 8:56 am (12 years ago)

      Absolutely. It’s a huge challenge and every little bit of change helps. 🙂

  5. lazyhippiemama
    June 30, 2012 at 3:59 am (12 years ago)

    My chiropractor is the natural-living girl I hope to be someday. It’s a process. One thing is that I’m really not a big fan of the green smoothie. But she knows, so she just sent me this recipe for one I may be able to live with. Maybe you’ll enjoy it too. 🙂
    Prep and Cook Time: Prep Time: 15 minutes; Freezing Time: 8 hours
    Ingredients:
    1/2 cup canned coconut milk
    2 TBS lime juice
    1/3 cup fine grated coconut
    2 heaping cups of frozen bananas (about 4 bananas), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds before freezing

    Directions:
    Add lime juice and some of the coconut milk to a blender. If the bananas are frozen together pull them apart before adding them quickly one at a time through the feed tube.
    Stop the blender and scrape the ingredients down. Add more coconut milk and scrape down the mixture as needed to keep the mixture moving through the blender.
    Add grated coconut and run the blender, stopping it as soon as the bananas are blended. If blending goes on too long the mixture will get warm and runny rather than cool and creamy.
    Serves 2

    • lazyhippiemama
      June 30, 2012 at 4:02 am (12 years ago)

      Whoops! I just realized that’s totally the wrong one. Hahaha! That kind of day. Sorry! LOL.

      • * Vegan Sparkles *
        July 1, 2012 at 4:49 pm (12 years ago)

        hahaha, I love it. Sounds like a delicious smoothie, anyway! Maybe I could just add greens to it? 😉 mmmmm, I love coconut.

  6. polythenepam
    July 4, 2012 at 12:00 am (12 years ago)

    woah just came up here to say I have got a silver jump suit and what a nice blog only to find family and friends are here before me . Why am always the last to know…and why is no one else wearing a jump suit????

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 4, 2012 at 8:34 am (12 years ago)

      haha, HELLO and welcome! I’ll wear a sparkly jumpsuit with you. It will make cleaning up plastic that much more fun, no? 😉