Goodwill to All Living Beings

Photo: Mark Fergusson

Aloha. ‘Tis the holiday season, a time of goodwill to all.

Despite this noble spirit, somehow the holidays are also the season for the consumption of even larger numbers of chickens, turkeys, pigs and cows! Approximately 10 billion animals a year, which is over 30 million animals a day, are cruelly slaughtered in the USA alone. I am not sure how many are slaughtered for the holidays, but the numbers are likely astounding. So, this Christmas season, as we think of goodwill to all people, let’s also show compassion and goodwill to all living beings, including the innocent animals.

For your dinner this Christmas, please make the choice to not eat an animal. It’s the best Christmas gift you can give to another living being—life! At Down to Earth we make this choice easy by selling great meat-free alternatives that you can plan your holiday meal around, such as Tofurky and other great tasting turkey substitutes.

2009 has been a rough year for many, having been a year of global recession. However, due to our customers’ support, Down to Earth has continued to prosper and grow. The November 7th Grand Opening of our new store in Hilo was a huge success. This is our first store on the Big Island and we are thrilled to become part of the Big Island community. On another front, we are in the process of remodeling and expanding our Kahului store on Maui. We are excited to offer these improvements to residents of Hawaii’s outer-island communities.

Our new website has launched and is a big improvement over the old one, featuring lots of great resources on health, the environment and vegetarian topics, including lots of great tasting recipes. The new site incorporates my blog, which is back up with my blunt and direct commentary on many of today’s important issues. You’ll find discussions relating to your health, the environment, and animal protection, all from a down-to-earth perspective! Please join in the discussion; I’d love to hear your comments. Check out the new site for yourself: www.downtoearth.org

I hope you have a great holiday season, a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year. As always, thank you for shopping at Down to Earth.

Mark Fergusson
Chief Vegetarian Officer
Down to Earth ALL VEGETARIAN Organic & Natural

(Oh by the way, notice my new job title, Chief Vegetarian Officer! My hope is that one day all businesses will have a Chief Vegetarian Officer!)