Antispeciesist Gifts: 10 Ideas to Raise Awareness

Antispeciesism is not a lifestyle. Neither a fad, nor a marketing strategy. Rather, antispeciesism is an all-encompassing ethical system; a way of thinking (or of believing: there is always faith) that is based on deep values ​​and that, through daily and conscious practice, extends to all areas of existence. From food to entertainment. From clothing to art. From the own, to the shared. And what better way to share than to make a gift?

Here are some proposals for Kings renewed, vegan friendly and free of animal suffering.

For adults

1. Vegan leather accessories

The fur industry does not belong to the meat industry. Therefore, skinning is not a “harvesting” practice and, in most cases, the animals raised for their skins are not the same as those raised for food. Contributing to the exploitation of these non-human animals by buying accessories made from their fur when vegan alternatives exist is perpetuating the damage. To help break this pattern, it is enough to change the traditional bag, pair of shoes, wallet or belt for a piece created from a material that does not come from the pain and death of a sentient individual.

You can start by consulting the lists of Good On You, Cogo and Mochni to find out which firms do not use animal skin in their articles and, from there, choose the gift that best suits your preferences and needs.

2. Cruelty-free cosmetics

Rabbits, mice, dogs or primates are subjected to constant torture by large beauty corporations. These animals live locked up and suffer burns and injuries of all kinds, as well as amputations and irreversible damage to their vital organs so that, after an existence of immense suffering (which can last weeks, months and even years), they die from their injuries. or be killed because they “no longer serve”. The results obtained with animal experimentation are not very precise, but they are cheaper than carrying out studies with people or using tissue samples.

The good news is that more and more beauty firms are giving up testing their products on animals; something totally unnecessary and that generates extreme suffering to millions of sentient beings around the world. On the other hand, the number of new vegan and cruelty-free brands that start from an anti-speciesist concept continues to grow. Fragrances, make-up or personal care products and even candles and aromas for the home with the cruelty free seal are leading the change towards this more ethical, more informed, more conscious beauty consumption. Any names to bet on? Freshly Cosmetics, Lush, The Body Shop, 3ina, Kat Von D Beauty, and Bityah.

Of course, you must always bear in mind that some cruelty free formulas, despite not having been tested on animals, do contain ingredients of animal origin (and vice versa). The Bunny Free app uses a constantly updated PETA database to verify both.

3. Cooking courses and plant-based cookbooks

900 million animals are killed every year in the world just for food. An alternative to the typical gastronomic experiences in speciesist restaurants that are usually given away on these dates? Plant based cooking courses. Because vegan food is full of flavor, innovative ingredients and combinations to discover. Banishing myths and bringing this ethic closer to all people through an act as universal as eating is becoming easier. In addition to training, there is also a proliferation of online recipe books, apps and Instagram accounts that are free and accessible to everyone. Try Guakame, La Gloria Vegana, Recetasveganas.net by Jenny Rodríguez, Veganning Better or The Island Pantry. Because you can eat everything without eating anyone.

4. Vegetable or synthetic fiber clothing

How many wool scarves, sweaters or socks are given away for Three Kings? Exactly: too many. While most people believe that this part of the textile industry does not cause any harm to animals, even thinking that they benefit from being "sheared", millions of sheep, alpacas or angora rabbits kept in captivity they keep literally tearing off the skin to make fabrics.

Some fashion firms such as Stella McCartney, 100% vegan, or Boss, increasingly committed to change, represent an expanding ethic that is based on replacing this type of material with other vegetable or synthetic ones whose effect is the same. On the other hand, local and sustainable projects such as Black Oveja, a vegan wool shop in Madrid where you can buy the material in bulk, widen the range of possibilities.

As a general rule, we recommend you check the composition of the garments on their labels and choose those that do not involve animal suffering. It all adds up!

5. Grow kit

In her book 'There is someone on my plate', edited by Plaza y Valdés, Barbara J. King reflects on the cognitive abilities of pigs: “Are pigs really smarter than a three-year-old child? (…) At Penn State University, pigs excelled in the tests they were given and became part of the scientific literature. Ms. Candace Croney and her collaborators approached the university pigs carrying wooden blocks shaped like Xs or O's, but only the ones wearing the o's fed the animals. The pigs immediately began to run towards the bearers of the o's, thus ignoring the bearers of the x's, who would not give them food. These are not surprising results. The jaw-dropping factor is that when the researchers put down the blocks and put on T-shirts with the X or O symbols on them, the pigs continued to approach only the humans wearing the o's. The animals had transferred their three-dimensional knowledge about real-world objects into the realm of two-dimensional symbols, a considerable feat of intelligence, perception, and understanding."

Unfortunately, in Spain it is customary to give away speciesist food products such as sausages, pâtés and cheeses, especially at these holidays. Animals such as the pigs that the author speaks of, cows or goats, sensitive beings with a high level of intelligence and a developed perception of reality, become the main victims of this macabre tradition.

But what if instead of continuing to finance the meat industry, we made an effort to promote the food transition, also through gifts? In Planeta Huerto or Plantawa they have kits for growing fruits, vegetables or aromatic herbs that, in addition to promoting the consumption of foods of plant origin, also encourage self-sufficiency.

for girls and boys

6. Toy animals

The objective of giving a toy animal to a girl or a boy is precisely for them to learn that animals are not toys. Well, with the right guidance, a cuddly friend of another species can help. It is a simple and conscious alternative to games that recreate spaces such as farms, circuses or zoos that, from childhood, teach that animals are there to serve human beings, whether in the form of food, clothing or entertainment. Animal puzzles or constructions also go along these lines and stimulate cognitive abilities, helping to educate in antispeciesist ethics.

7. Vegan and cruelty free stationery

Some pencils, markers, paints or pens are tested on animals. And not only that, but their inks also contain ingredients of animal origin. These can range from the gelatin or fat of mammals and fish, to the shells and bones of insects. Many brushes are made from natural hair. And there are even some types of paper that are created with the help of materials from animal exploitation.

Choosing cruelty-free and vegan friendly stationery that also supports sustainability such as Staedtler, Muji, Tacto Estudio, Ökonorm or Crayon Rocks and making it a gift that stimulates creativity can change everything.

8. Faux Down Coat

Frequently, whether due to inertia, ignorance or practicality, down jacket-type outerwear is given to girls and boys. Most people do it without knowing what is behind it. The victims? Geese, ducks, geese and ostriches, intelligent and sensitive birds raised on farms to pluck their feathers.

Again, always look at the labels. On the other hand, there are specific firms that, in addition to avoiding these materials, try to cause the minimum impact on the environment by using recycled plastics or vegetable waste to create outerwear.

9. Visit an animal sanctuary

As long as zoos and aquariums continue to have visitors, confined animals will continue to suffer. And the girls and boys will continue to think that it is good to visit these spaces; that the exploitation of living beings is a spectacle and that they do not feel sadness or longing for their natural habitat when they are kept in captivity. Knowing an animal sanctuary can become a great opportunity to fight against this mentality through care and show the true reality to which other animals are subjected by our species. It is about learning by helping. To educate in antispeciesism from antispeciesism itself. Some can be visited by contacting them, others will be easier to meet virtually, but it will always be enriching.

In these times of crisis, most sanctuaries need volunteers, as well as other forms of help such as donations or sponsorships. And, above all, they need their work to be known and what those animals that are usually treated as "food" really are.

10. Antispeciesist Tales

Changing the narrative of some traditional stories such as Little Red Riding Hood or The Three Little Pigs, where certain animal species are shown as "bad", for anti-species stories, that is, for plots that promote diversity and respect for all living beings, is every easier time. Publishers like Diversa Ediciones make it possible. The revolution of consciousness also begins in childhood. And it can spring from a story. From a story that, over time, will grow until it becomes a story of its own; in a way of being in the world arising from love and empathy.