Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The future of fur

With all the animal rights activists protesting the selling of fur, the fashion industry waxing and waning on the subject and certain celebrities getting floured over their choice in outerwear, is there a future for fur?

I know you guys have pretty strong opinions about these sorts of things and I wanted to pose a question to you: Is there ever a good time and place for wearing fur in modern times? So, here's some food for thought...

What about re-purposed or resold furs that were raised and "harvested" years or even a lifetime ago? Is that okay to wear? What about people who sustainably and legally hunt animals for meat and use the fur for fashion purposes? I'm hard pressed to think of why someone would wear a deer or elk fur coat, but you never know - maybe it's really soft.

Perhaps a better example is for those people who raise rabbits for meat and use or sell the fur pelts for making coats. Is that okay? I would argue that since you are using the whole animal and creating less waste it's better than incinerating the "waste" or throwing it to the landfill. And, one could argue, it's even more respectful to the animal.

But, what message does this send out? Some fur is okay and some isn't? How is a consumer able to discern which one is "right" and which is "wrong"? And how is an animal rights activist able to tell who they should be throwing fake blood on?

There are also issues to be considered with alternatives to fur outerwear. Fake fur generally uses a plastic or acrylic material and synthetic coats (nylon, Gortex, etc.) all most likely use a high amount of energy and water in their processing and creation. Leather and wool coats just affect a whole different group of animals. Can it be considered lower impact to raise and harvest animals for both meat and fur rather than promoting an industry of synthetics?

Does there need to be the fur equivalent of the Forest Stewardship Council for furriers to create sustainable products? Or should it just be across the board "no fur" even though there are some good reasons for using pelts from animals used for other purposes? So, instead of eschewing fur, should it be promoted as a more sustainable product than some of the alternatives?

Finally, is it hypocritical to be against fur but turn a blind eye to leather or should both be pursued equally or both let well enough alone?

Phew! That's a whole lot of questions. What do you think?

Related posts:
Down the rabbit hole
Save a horse, eat a cowboy
The other white meat

45 comments:

Unknown said...

Boy this is gonna star something CC! lol

I believe that if you eat meat then wearing the animal's fur is no different. In other words, I don't have a problem if you kill a rabbit, eat it, and then use the fur. Makes perfect sense.

However, 'fashion' is a sickness. Wearing fur that you hunted sends out a message - that all fur is ethically okay to wear. And fashion victims want in on it. Once celebrities start, others follow.

And what this does is create a market for a product. So no longer are we wearing furs of animals we or our neighbour culled. Now there are people inhumanely keeping and killing animals, often the very young (softer pelts), SIMPLY for us to make a fashion statement.

I'm not okay with this at all.

Gretchen said...

Hi Crunchy. Just one thought here: I don't know how animal activists are changing anyone's mind by throwing paint, or flour, or whatever on someone. If their true actions are to change behaviors of people who are buying fur and other animal goods, wouldn't it make more sense to appeal to them in a way that could change their actions? I think destroying their property or embarrassing them in public will only make them angry... then they'll go out and buy another fur coat to replace the ruined one!

I'm not for or against fur, but I certainly am for people creating solutions instead of new problems.

Okay, that's my 2 cents!

knutty knitter said...

I'd wear rabbit or possum fur any time round here - they are pest animals and eat the #$%# out of the native bush.

I have been on rabbit/possum hunts. We mostly keep the meat for dog food but do eat some as well. Selling the skins helps pay for the ammo.

I think you can tell I grew up in a farming area! :)

Of course, the people I would like to punish are the ignoramuses who introduced the pest animals in the first place but that's ancient history.

I would never wear farmed or rare furs unless they were proven to be over say 50 years old or more. The exceptions would be animals bred for all purpose use such as sheep.

viv in nz

Anonymous said...

KK: is there really much ethical difference between farming a fur animal and a fleece animal? Besides, you know, cages? And don't tell me it's a haircut, I've seen you nutty nuwzullenders in sheep skin boots! Also, I'd like to point out that sheep aren't exactly native to NZ. My point is, it's complicated eh? :)

knittinandnoodlin said...

I wouldn't wear fur of any kind. That is an idea that fits in with my ethics, morals, and values...none of which I presume to impose upon anyone else.

I don't like fur, but I am certainly not going to tell someone they cannot wear it because it offends my sensibilities. That is their choice, and if they elect to wear fur, it must fit in with their ethics, values, and morals. Assaulting individuals to make a point is where PETA and its supporters lose me.

I am in favor of working to change the industry from the farming/harvesting end all the way up to the designers that use fur. But attacking a person wearing fur on moral grounds is a shortcut to making no progress on changing things. People don't like to be told they are wrong and approaching the subject with an air of moral superiority is both obnoxious and unfair. Who among us can say with conviction that our moral choices are the only right ones?

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with mon. If you're eating an animal, every part should be repurposed and hence you'd still have pelts (I do think PETA has a problem with that, but so be it). Animal pelts are so much warmer than anything else you can produce in a factory or a lab, that it's unfortunate it's gotten so out of hand.

Although I must say, when Pamela Anderson discovered her beloved, warm UGGs were that way on account of the actual SHEEPSKIN used to make them, it made me wonder just what kind of information some of these paint-and-flour-throwing activists are really working with.

pigbook1 said...

I can't say that my decision to not wear fur is based in ethics or anything. I just think it is ugly.

Missy said...

warning* Tangent

Mon, I agree with you. I do not eat meat, or wear any type of animal skins. I also buy as many products I can find that do not use animal products or testing.

I believe that if you eat meat and wear fur, why not eat and wear all meat and fur? Like your dog? At least then you would know they were treated nicely in their life. If you eat meat, then go ahead and wear fur, the whole animal should be used up. But unfortunately most fur does not come from hunting. The animals are striped of their fur and then fed to the other animals waiting to be used as fur.

I believe in the circle of life but I do not believe in using animals for meat and fur as an assembly line. There are plenty of alternatives to fur to keep people warm. I live in Boston and never turn my heat on. It gets really cold here but I manage with other threads.

Texan Mama, you have a good point. I think most people do not understand what happens to these animals so they do not understand the passion PETA has. They will just get mad and go buy more fur. PETA should work more on education.

Lisa Zahn said...

Fur is one of the warmest things around. When we can no longer make petroleum products like polar fleece and thinsulate, etc., fur and wool are going to make a big comeback, I think, in the cold parts of the world like Minnesota where I live. Unless something else gets invented, I suppose.

Michelle said...

For me, this has practical resonance, as I began raising meat rabbits this past summer. My first three are ready to be "rendered" (yes, it's a euphemism, but I have four little children, and although they know that the rabbits are for meat, I still don't want to say "kill" or "slaughter" or "butcher" until I have to). I also belong to the SCA, and several of my colleagues there have expressed interest in using the pelts in period garb. I expect I'll probably give the pelts to them for that purpose. Because yes, I do believe that if my bunnies are going to be "rendered" to provide us meat, that it's respectful to them to use every bit we can. (I will cook up the bones for my dogs, by the way...) Thanks for opening such a laden topic, Crunchy. It's good to get people thinking and communicating, instead of just reacting!

jewishfarmer said...

I don't have any objection to the wearing of fur or leather from domestic animals - in fact, I think that markets need to be made for these items, so we don't waste. I do think that the same strictures on ethical animal raising should apply to fur as to meat - animals should be raised as naturally as possible, as sustainably, and in ways to don't do major ecological harm. That means a lot less fur and leather to go around.

I own a fox stole with the head on that my Grandmother was given by my grandfather when they finally had enough money after the war to buy such a luxurious item. It is quite honestly the butt-ugliest thing that I've ever seen, down to the glass eyes, but I couldn't throw it away, so it lives on as a comic decoration in my house. Otherwise, no fur and a bit of leather. I'm cheap and busty and I think wearing something big and furry would make me look like a bear, and not in a good way.

Sharon

Greenpa said...

I'll join the chorus- Mon nailed it, right out of the gate. :-)

And raccoon, I can tell you from extensive experience; is very tasty. And man are they pests, now that there are no wolves and cougars to keep them under control.

Deer and elk don't really have fur- they have hair; which is usually hollow (good insulation) and rather brittle. But the hides make first rate leather.

"Fashion" is a problem in more ways than encouraging inappropriate fur- it's a huge purveyor of "planned obsolescence" - a completely destructive and unsustainable idea.

ruchi said...

I don't have much to add because I think everyone already made really great comments.

I don't see why fur is such a big deal when leather or eating meat is not... because furry animals are cuter?

I think sustainable fur is a great idea. To be fair, I do agree with a lot of people that fur is kinda ugly though, so I probably wouldn't wear it anyway. ;)

Beaweezil said...

I just wrote about this on my blog a few days ago!

Fur has a place in our culture and heritage that I feel needs to be respected but I cannot condone the horrible things done to the 'farmed' animals but I also don't buy factory 'farmed' meat.

How could some sort of classification system be put in place to identify ethically harvested fur or leather? Once pelts go through a regional organization like the Fur Harvesters they are unidentifiable as being wild animals.

What about vintage/historical pieces? That's what I was working on earlier this week and I sure don't have an issue with it. I delivered those pillows though and the reaction was so varied. My friend cried, pet the pillow and talked about her Grandmother. Another friend that was there wouldn't even touch them he was so horrified. Interestingly enough, that same man who would touch the fur is a meat eater and sure isn't raising his own!

A couple of links.
http://www.furharvesters.com/index.htm
http://matchfactory.blogspot.com/2008/11/old-can-be-new-again.html

Marimoy said...

People do use the elk and deer fur. They tan it and make leather. This is after, of course the animals meat has been used. I think this is a very respectful way of treating the animal. It is almost a way of saying since it gave it's life so another could live, you won't let any of it go to waste. Sure there is the argument that everyone could just not eat meat, but that is never gonna happen. I think that things like mink, however, are a travesty. Rabbit and most leathers I am ok with since more often than not, the whole animal gets used somewhere.

Anonymous said...

I think everyone overlooks how much the fashion world has changed in response to animal rights activism, including the plain fact that for a while in the late '80s there was a real fear that wearing a fur coat would get you paint-splattered, which is expensive. Even the possibility of being able to buy beauty products not tested on animals is a result of animal rights activism, whether you support their tactics or not. We used to be a lot more wasteful with the lives of lab animals than we are now, and the change has been much for the better by any standard - cruelty, cost, safety of the end product.

Most fur on the market is not from any ethically-justifiable source. It's from animals raised in confinement for the sole purpose of using their skins, and then processed (often in factories unsafe for the people working in them) using harmful chemicals that are released into our water and communities.

That said: I wear leather preferentially to vinyl, for environmental reasons. I have a vintage coat with real fur trim, and I've bought new fur items made from roadkill and hunted-for-meat animals. I would buy rabbit-fur mittens from meat rabbit skins. I have a real goosedown blanket, too. I just wish there were more sources for ethical, sustainable shoes and winter gear - Patagonia is expensive and not always my style.

Anonymous said...

I don't eat beef or lamb, but other people do, so I don't have a problem with wearing leather, etc., since it is eliminating waste (even when I was completely vegetarian).

If someone lives sustainably in the woods and hunts for food and uses the fur and hide for clothes, etc. that is okay too. It is using up all the animal.

I do believe, however, that killing an animal, solely for the purpose of using its fur is wrong. If people stopped eating beef and were killed solely for the leather, that I believe is unethical.

Malva said...

I agree that if you eat meat, it's hypocritical to be against wearing fur.

Personally it's not my style but I would wear recycled fur from this designer
http://www.harricana.qc.ca/
if I was into spending lots on clothes.

In Canada at least, fur trapper is a highly regulated profession. They are like ranchers except their animals are wild and still able to mate without help. They harvest animals tto control overpopulation, according to a bunch of gov regulations and ensuring every usable part of the animal is use. It's very much an "artisan" kind of work and aside from a skidoo to check traplines, every thing is done by hand.

CoCargoRider said...

I am not for farming animals just to get the fur. We need to think the original occupants of this country that we so graciously kicked out, tried to kill off, etc. and use ALL the parts of things.

I dumped fleece and lycra for the most part due to the petroleum basis of making it. I live for wool and think it's great that it is sustainable.

Anonymous said...

I agree with most - the more of the animal used, the better. Killing animals and only using the fur is wrong.

Tangent Alert - Near me, suburban sprawl has pushed the native deer population into overcrowding one of our huge nearby state parks. With no natural predators (besides people), the deer are destroying the woods there and still starving. So every year, the park authorities arrange for a trained sharpshooter to "thin out" the population. I'm pretty sure the meat is donated to local food shelters, but I would much happier knowing that the hides were tanned and somehow donated to a good cause as well.

Anonymous said...

"food shelters"? I meant food banks and other organizations that feed people. LOL!

cheflovesbeer said...

What about down? Those poor chickens, ducks and geese have to be killed to use their feathers in down comforters, sleeping bags and coats. Why no love for our feathered friends?

That said, I have no problem with fur, leather or down products. Just another animal raised for human's pleasures.

Anna Marie said...

I think that second-hand furs, and furs inherited from family are fine. The animals are already dead, and not wearing the furs would be a waste.

In my opinion, if the animal is being killed for meat (whether farmed or hunted), then the hide should be used as well, either as leather or as fur.

Raising an animal just for it's fur is something I don't agree with. A) I don't think an animal should die just for luxury, B) that's a lot of wasted meat, and C) there are animals that are edible who's fur is just as soft.

Leather and fur are the same. They are very useful materials- but not useful enough that it's worth killing an animal just for it's fur. Having said that, I think there's a huge difference between killing a deer (who you're going to eat), and growing a mink just to kill it for it's fur.

CindieLou said...

I work under the assumption that my leather is related to my beef intake... I could be wrong about that since I've never dug into it at all. Which to me is about using the whole animal.

My issue with FUR is raising and killing entire animals for fashion. It's not about living/livelihood/feeding the family - it's ONLY about looking pretty (ugh, I suppose).

If I lived in Alaska and needed the fur for warmth or survival, then I'm a.o.k. with it...

I'm sure I missed a question or two in there lol...

Anonymous said...

I don't eat factory-farmed meat, but I do eat meat from local farmers who I know operate sustainably (and often organically). Likewise, I wouldn't buy a rabbit-fur coat from China, but might (if I could afford it) buy something made from local wild animals.
I had the opportunity to meet some fur trappers several years ago and was really impressed by the the fact that they are real stewards of the land they hunt on. They carefully maintain wildlife populations and are more aware of/involved with preserving large tracts of wilderness than I imagine most urban-dwelling paint-throwing activists are.
Now, of course, I'm faced with a dilemma regarding leather. Some type of regulatory council (as the FSC for wood) would be great! Treating and tanning leather is a fairly resource-intensive, toxin-laden process...but so is making synthetic fabrics.
I do try as much as possible to spend my money in a way that's aligned with my values, but it can be hard.

mudnessa said...

i read an article in the wall street journal months ago about eco-fur. i got a paragraph or two in and just threw the paper up in the air and rolled my eyes.

i personally would never wear fur and really dont like it when people wear it, i find it disgusting, fashion wise at least, i do not have as much of an issue with some one wearing it for actual warmth.

i do have my share of leather things and i have no real issue with wearing that. i do think about it have decided to try and not buy new leather things.

i am not a vegetarian but i do also have issues eating things with bones, chicken on bone and things like that. it gets me thinking about my college courses and how things are connected and how things work and how they go together and i get grossed out thinking about eating a living thing.

bottom line, i think there is a line with everything and it different for everyone. for me, fashion fur NO, actually functional fur fine for you but not me. although if i was to live in a cold climate i bet i would change my mind because i HATE being cold and im sure furs are one of the warmest things out there.

mudnessa said...

clarification: about the article i read it wasn't very well put together and seemed like a lot of mumbo jumbo to me, the idea itself does appeal to me, but the actual article seemed like it was written by the fur industry to justify the way they do things. i was reading it in the middle of work so i could be wrong.

Farmer's Daughter said...

I think the idea of repurposing old fur clothes is a great thing, just like shopping at thrift shops. I always try to opt for natural over synthetic, so in this case the fur would win out.
However, I'm not really a fur-wearing kind of person although I do have a leather jacket. Fur coats just always make me think of Cruella Deville.
I eat meat and I see nothing wrong with wearing animal skins if that's what people want to do. I do, however, feel that all animals should be raised humanely and treated kindly before they are killed for whatever purpose. We'll be slaughtering our pigs on Saturday, so I'll be thinking about not wasting anything. The parts we don't eat will be brought into school for educational purposes.

Erika said...

My long response is on my blog, since it has a graphic section (labeled) and goes on a bit of a tangent.

http://spelledwithak.blogspot.com/2008/11/animal-rights-response-to-crunchy.html

--Erika

Theresa said...

I haven't read all the comments yet, but my first reaction is that humans are too quick to see animals as fodder rather than as sentient beings that share our planet. There are plenty of natural fibre-based options to fur. I'm a vegetarian doing my best to become vegan for this reason.

Anonymous said...

Well, like many, I agree with Mon, but with a bit of twiddle, I guess (but mostly I'm in total agreement). It seems right to me that furs handed down to you are legit; it also seems right that if we eat the meat anyway, might as well use the fur for lack of waste. Sure, logical.

Where that breaks down is that, more or less, it's impossible to tell from the outside what's going on with any given fur someone wears, and that's where the whole "fashion" thing turns up. How can you tell if the fur someone is wearing was just purchased, or a family heirloom? And the meat argument? How many foxes and minks are eaten in this country, exactly? I have little reason to believe that the furs manufactured today come from animals used for meat. This is the case with most leather--animals for food slaughter are raised and slaughtered differently than those used for leather, and often separate animals altogether are raised for these purposes.

Without being able to tell any of this info from the outside, wearing fur in public is an implicit endorsement of the fur trade, in whatever form it currently takes. If, someday, that trade were sustainable and committed to non-waste principles, then that's a good thing. Right now? Not so much.

Anonymous said...

i wear leather and suede, and i don't have any ethical issues with it. i don't really know of anything that is of equal quality and warmth. also, there are some cultures (think aboriginals/first nations/american indians/whatever name you use) where it's a part of their culture. i don't think we really have a right to criticize that...

Breanna said...

Um, you don't have to kill birds for their down. They molt and then you pull the feathers out. They actually sort of like it. It would be stupid to kill them for their feathers-- they molt a lot.

I'd rather wear the 60-year-old fur that I inherited thirdhand than have it go to waste in a landfill somewhere, so I'll continue doing so. If people want to think that means I'm for killing the poor little minks, I guess that's their problem.

Incidentally, I don't like minks. They're small expensive weasles and they kill a lot of chickens. :) So I might be biased.

Robj98168 said...

Finally, is it hypocritical to be against fur but turn a blind eye to leather or should both be pursued equally or both let well enough alone?

I would have to say yes it is hypocritical. And that is coming from someone who thinks PETA should mind their own samn business.

As far as flouring Lindsay Lohan, or throwing paint bombds on people, then I would think the full extent of the law should prevail.

That being said...
I dont think in this day and age anyone needs to wear fur or leather for that matter. Why not wool- it is soft and warm and shorn from sheep who appreciate a haircut? And in this day and age when a person could "faux" anything
it makes no sense to me

That being said...
I have been to mink farms and the such. I think that theyarenomoreevil than a chicken farm, or a Beef Ranch. of course I do eat meat!

Anonymous said...

Regardless of how we feel about wearing fur today, I think we should all acknowledge that without it, many of our ancestors would have frozen to death. By ancestors, I mean my grandparents. So thank you, animals, for helping us have this conversation today.

Susan Och said...

This week I finished relining my deceased grandmother's wool coat so that I could wear it, since it is much warmer than anything I could afford today. I was wondering what happened to Grandma's old raccoon coat, whether my mom still has it, or whether she got rid of it figuring that it would never be safe to wear it again.

Fur is my stumbling block on the road to augmenting my backyard chicken project with meat rabbits. Rabbits would help me to design a sequential grazing system and better use the lawn space for food production, but I can't find anyone locally who knows how to process rabbit furs. It seems to be a lost art and I can't see wasting them.

Unknown said...

Vegetarian, but no problem with the idea of leather and fur. Not a fan of the industry of it, but the materials themselves don't bother me. Leather shoes have always lasted much longer for me, wool sweaters too (can felt and make cushions when they get old, etc).

I think the impact of the natural materials can (not always, but can) be much less than human made fibers, especially when those human made fibers get thrown out and not recycled.

Michelle said...

This is for Susan Och - you might want to Google the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and find a local chapter. This is an educational organization (and a heckuva lot of fun to boot) and its purpose is to live, eat, craft, fight, etc. in a "period" manner, which can be anything from Roman to Renaissance. I'd be willing to bet that you'd find someone in your local group who knows how to tan rabbit skins and would be willing to teach you how. I'm raising meat rabbits now - will harvest my first three just after Thanksgiving - and that's what I intend to do with the pelts. Good luck!

Allie said...

In my view, there is no excuse for killing an animal for the exclusive purpose of using/wearing its pelt. Likewise, there is no excuse for NOT using any part of animal which has been killed for food. Which means an animal hunted for food should have its pelt used. And conversely, an animal who is killed for its pelt should be eaten.

Something I think many people forget is that hunters tend to be among the greatest, most dedicated conservationists. It's not just all fur.

In terms of older furs, there's no reason not to wear them. The animal has already died and to eschew the use of the fur simply because it's fur is to treat that death with disrespect.

Anonymous said...

Jedimomma, I think it's pretty clear to the eye which furs are vintage (though I guess someone might be manufacturing new "vintage" coats - though I only see those in faux, usually) and which are new. Ditto the kind of handmade stuff you can get that's made of roadkill fur - though I bet there are places you can get really high-quality manufactured leather & shearling, most of the new fur I see is cheap, imported pieced rabbit coats. But I don't hang out where rich people go. I do see a *lot* of new industrial leather, though.

Like I said before, I think the industry changed a lot in response to animal rights activism. I never see middle-class women in mink, and that was totally standard in the 50s and 60s.

salmonpoetry said...

i have an old beaver fur coat i inherited from my grandmother. i used to wear it in the winter when i lived in new york city, before global warming.
as with my stance on eating meat, i feel that if you're going to do it, you should be actively involved in the process. if you slaughter your own animals, by all means use the hide (or the fur) for a good purpose.

the idea of fake fur is a little bit like those fake meats. if you want to eat meat, go ahead and do it and face up to the consequences. otherwise, appreciate vegetables for what they are. producing fake fur out of environmentally-harmful plastics is even more ridiculous than fake meat. it also gives the wrong idea- that we need or should be wearing fur.
someday, in a more sustainable world, where our fashions are a bit more tied in to natural cycles and lives, there might be a place for ethically produced fur. but until then, it sends the wrong message, and more often than not contributes far more to suffering, for the furbearing animal as well as all living things on earth, than it does good.

TDP said...

I used to sell fur for a living, albeit only for 6 months. It made me look at fur in a deeper way then I did before I was a fur salesperson.

It takes nearly 100 minks to make a full length mink coat and 40 beavers to make a full length beaver coat. Sheared beaver is the softest fur out there, but heavy! Mink is also used for the musk and oil their body creates - for colognes and hair treatments, so they are giving more than just their pelts. If cared for properly, a fur coat will last longer than a human lifetime. Passing on a coat and wearing it is a fine way to continue to honor the lives that were originally sacrificed for the coat. How to tell if it is an heirloom fur coat? Fur, while removed from an animal, is still an organic material and changes over time. A white fur will yellow as it ages. The darker the yellow, the older it is. Same for all these: Light minks and foxes (and any other animal plet with light fur) will get orangy-red, and dark browns and blacks will get a mahogany tint to it. The leather beneath the fur will get stiffer over time too,and if not protected from heat and stored in plastic bag (BAD!!), the leather will dry out, crack and rot.

I never understood how throwing paint or flour on a fur was respectful to the life of animals. The paint and flour permanently damage the underlying leather and will shorten the life of the garment. The animal(s) already gave up life for the garment, don't insult it by rendering it's pelt useless via vandalism.

I also do not understand why fake fur is ok but real fur is not. If the idea is that fur is ugly, why make an imitation at all and hail it as fashionable? It's still glamorizing fur.

Despite having sold fur, I have not personally had a fur coat. I've had a fur scarf, ear muffs, and a fur collar. Mostly I'm allergic.
Fur lined gloves are almost too hot to wear, as are sheep skinned slippers and boots. I've lived in Minnesota in 40 below weather, and those things did come in handy. For the regular around freezing temps, fur is just too warm!

There are plenty of people who also have heirloom garments made from exotics that are now banned or endangered species. If they are, they CANNOT be sold AT ALL. Super huge fine if it is done.

Susan Och said...

You need to be careful while traveling, as well. My childhood piano was a 1905 Steinway upright that my parents had scavenged after it was left behind by some friends who couldn't afford to take it with them when they moved. When I moved from New York to Michigan, we had to go the long way, not through Canada, because of the ivory on the keys. We could have gotten into Canada, but not necessarily out again, at least not with the piano.

Susan Och said...

If it's wrong to wear old fur, then it would also be wrong to play my piano, right? After all, I'm running my fingers over dead elephant. ut what else am I supposed to do? Landfill it?

Krista said...

Breanna- Actually, goose down is forcible torn from the goose as often as possible, not only when they're molting. It's a very painful process.

I eat the vegan way, but have a hard time with leather because if animals are still being eaten then I think the whole animal should be used. To do otherwise would be wasteful and disregarding the life of that animal.

The problem with leather is most leather sold in America is NOT made from "beef" cattle. It's made from cows from India. Poor families sell/give up their pets because they can't take care of them. They think the cows are being sent to a place where they'll be taken care of. Instead they're killed for their skins. And because most Indians are Hindu they don't eat the flesh.

The other sad thing about Indian leather is it exploits the human workers, because they don't have the proper protection from the tanning chemicals and are being poisoned.