Expanding League Power! And - NoMeatPoWeek!

Hopefully, you've heard about the super-cool initiative that is BlogHersAct Canada. It's a sister-project to BlogHersAct that draws upon the talent and energy of Canadian women bloggers (although participation is by no means restricted to Canadian bloggers), and the cause that it is championing this year is the environment. Which is awesome, because we all the environment, right? And we all want to make it safe and lovely and long-lasting for our children, no?

Of course we do. Which is why LMJ has struck up a partnership with BlogHersAct Canada and another super-cool online eco-initiative that you almost certainly already know, Green Mom Finds, to join forces and kick some serious ass in saving the planet. You know, for the kids.

BlogHersAct Canada's mandate this year is to spend the year issuing and meeting monthly eco-challenges, to push people to make realistic objectives around helping the environment and to help them meet those objectives by generating oodles of blogosphere support. From here on in, LMJ and Green Mom Finds are going to getting really, really naggy with our supporters and do everything we can to drum up participation in these challenges (okay, naggy, but sweetly naggy, and also bribey - there'll be prizes!!!)

SO. Shall we get started?

The first challenge of the year issued by BHA-Canada was to reduce meat consumption for the month of January (read about it here, and here), by at least a few meals per week. Well, January is almost over, but there's still time to make a last-ditch effort. Can your family go without meat for a week? Are you willing to try?

We're going to make it manageable - from Monday to Friday of next week (so, you have this weekend to gorge on bacon sandwiches, if you need to), make your best effort to keep vegetarian in your kitchen, and keep a record. Write a post, or append an update to your regular posts, every day (or as many days as you can), and then post a wrap-up sometime between next Friday and next Sunday, midnight, explaining how it went, what worked, what didn't work, any recipes that were life-savers, what-have-you. Note that we're not going to hurl Tofurkey at you if you don't make it through the week - the point here is to TRY, and share our experiences in making this effort with each other. Also, we think it will be funny ("day five: I thought that husband was nibbling my toes to be sexy, but turns out that he - having gone five days without sausages - was trying to eat them")

Grab a Button:

<a href="http://www.leagueofmaternaljustice.com/nomeat.html"><image src="http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o274/mother_bumper/league%20of%20maternal%20justice/button_v1.png"></a>


<a href="http://www.leagueofmaternaljustice.com/nomeat.html"><image src="http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o274/mother_bumper/league%20of%20maternal%20justice/NoMeatPoWeek_piggie.png"></a>

Comments

[Monica]

I am definitely in! I have been a vegetarian for so many years I've lost count. (15?) But my family still eats meat. I'm going to spend the whole week in the kitchen coming up with tasty concoctions to lure them away from the dark side.

Great idea and love the graphics!

[Leeanthro]

I'm in, but I'm not sure if we count because we are already vegetarian (with the exception of the occasional serving of fish).

But I'll be sure to post (or re-post) some recipes this week.

[Naomi (Urban Mummy)]

We're in! I've posted my weekly meal plan on my cooking blog, and will post at the end of the week as well, on my other blog.

[jaelithe]

My husband and I could pull this off. Or I should say, my husband could pull this off-- I've already been a vegetarian for over a decade, so, I don't even have to try.

However, I think my uber-picky son (who will not eat peanut butter, beans, or tofu, despite all his hippie veggie mother's best efforts) would actually die without a steady stream of chicken nuggets. He WILL eat the faux-chicken soy nuggets, but not reliably. So he would have to be an exception.

Best of luck to everyone who is trying this, though! Cutting out meat is really not as hard as it seems at first, even when you're surrounded by carnivores the way I am. Readers of LOMJ are welcome visit my blog for my email address and contact me for some good vegetarian recipes.

[Liz]

I'm a BIG fan of last-ditch efforts and am giving go meatless a shot, this week. Since, I love Canada, and all ;o)

[Monica]

Is that a leather purse in the prizes? Because that would be hilariously ironic.

[Kristen]

It's VEGAN :)

[Monica]

Are you SURE?

http://www.lycheeline.com/handbag_forestswirl1.html

Says leather there.

Not that I wouldn't use it! Hey, that cow's not comin' back to life. :)

[Katy]

You can all definately do this! I am the vegetarian in this household, but, aha! I do a lot of the cooking, and therefore, so is everyone else.

We will not be eating any meat this week, and I haven't for um, let's see, about 16 years (I feel old).

Check out my site for some tips for feeding vegetarian kids with a nut allergy (it's not as hard as you think).

Katy
Non-Toxic Kids
http://nontoxickids.blogspot.com

[M.F.]

Check this out if you call yourself an environmentalist but still eat meat:
http://goveg.com/environment.asp

Kudos for the effort! Everything helps!

[Lactivista]

Ha. Yes. The bag that will be given away will be cloth or vegan leather.

While I love the irony, I'm sure the cows do not. :)

[Nnella]

Yeah! I am so in! I just started this diet which has very little meat in it - actually, I think the only meat it allows is turkey. We've already had two meatless nights, oops, but I almost forgot about that hot dog for lunch. Damn that was good. Anyway, I can do this - and I could stand to lose 15 pounds like Monica up there. Zamba Bam, Here I Come!

[Littlevegan]

I am so impressed with this website, your mission (s), and your gutsy-woman attitude. As a Canadian living abroad, and a fellow blogger with a mission (sharing vegan recipes all over the world) I am totally jazzed by your energy and your site.

Excellent. I am meat free everyday, all day, all year....only way to be!

VeganCowGirl

[Lindsay]

Fun and challenging week! Here's the link to my wrap-up:

http://lindsayskiddos.blogspot.com/2008/02/nomeatpo-week-verdict.html

Lindsay

[Julie Artz]

Although we're already vegetarians, I think this is a great idea and was happy to promote it on my blog!

A few thoughts on vegetarianism and a new veg recipe I made that was a hit with the family can be found in my wrap-up at:
http://chezartz.com/?p=184

[Crunchy Domestic Goddess]

here's a link to my wrap-up post:
http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2008/02/03/the-nomeatpoweek-challenge-wrap-up/
thanks for hosting the challenge! it was definitely good for me. :)

[Leeanthro]

http://soyisthenewblack.blogspot.com/2008/02/nomeatpoweek-wrap-up.html

Here's my wrap up post. I have both veg and non-veg readers, but I think all of them enjoyed reading about where to get a good veg meal in our town.

This was a great idea. Maybe we can make it even bigger next time!

[Monica]

Wrap up post here:
http://cootiechronicles.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-kind-of-creepy-food-scientist-puts.html

[zeveheemy]

One fine day, the bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus,
and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops -- a few
people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well. At the next
stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a
wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said,
"Big John doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.
Did I mention that the driver was five feet three, thin, and basically
meek? Well, he was. Naturally, he didn't argue with Big John, but he wasn't
happy about it. Well, the next day the same thing happened -- Big John got on
again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the
one after that, and so forth. This grated on the bus driver, who started
losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of him. Finally he
could stand it no longer. He signed up for bodybuilding courses, karate, judo,
and all that good stuff. By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong;
what's more, he felt really good about himself.
So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus
and said "Big John doesn't pay!," the driver stood up, glared back at the
passenger, and screamed, "And why not?"
With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, "Big John has a
bus pass."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://ebloggy.com/calebpadilladr

[Damncemearm]

I'm new here, just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.