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I'm a mom and my milk is for my baby. A cow is a m I'm a mom and my milk is for my baby. A cow is a mom and her milk is for her baby. As a new mother, it hurts on a whole other level when I think about how often animal mothers are robbed of their motherhood for our appetites. Mama cows spend their entire lives being constantly impregnated and having their babies taken away in order to keep producing milk. They are either forced to procreate with a bull or brutally artificially inseminated. Either way, it's always against their will. There's a word for that kind of violation. It begins with the letter "r" and we all know what is. Please read EVERY word on every slide because @iyeloveslife tells no lies. And this truth hurts. 🥺🐮💔
✨ #unpopularopinions ✨ It literally hurts my s ✨ #unpopularopinions ✨ It literally hurts my soul when I see POC going so hard for meat + dairy, the same industry that profits tremendously off of us having a lower quality of life. Good news is Black Americans are the fastest growing demographic for going vegan, and I love to see it. I want to see more of us rejecting industries that don't give AF about our health, the environment, or animals.
My little Beyond Burger. It took me twice as long My little Beyond Burger. It took me twice as long to take the photo than it did to DIY the costume 💀 PS. And in case you're wondering, no we didn't name our son Beyond after @beyondmeat. Just a coincidence 🌱 Happy Vegan Halloween y'all!
This mom is raising her son to be conscious of how This mom is raising her son to be conscious of how his actions impact the world he has to grow up in. One of the easiest first steps towards sustainability you can make as a family is to #CancelBottledWater in your home and switch to reusable water bottles like @britausa (#ad). Plastic water bottles are a threat to everyone: 1. THE ENVIRONMENT - Over 60% of plastic bottles end up in landfills and oceans and they take 450 years to decompose. 2. ANIMALS - Over 1 million marine animals die each year from plastic waste. 3. PEOPLE - Plastic pollution is an environmental injustice to marginalized communities. My baby boy Beyond and I go on walks every day. Sometimes we see plastic bottled water waste by our local lake, which can affect the wildlife in the area. Thankfully we live in a community that does a pretty good job of keeping our neighborhood clean—but not everyone can say the same. Not all cities equally take care of their people and local environment. That’s why I was happy to see Brita's pledge to deliver clean water to 1 million households in need by 2030, removing their reliance on single-use plastic. Still drinking bottled water? You might be creating 8x more plastic waste than a Brita user! I have Brita’s filtering water bottle that I can take with me anywhere. It filters tap water so I can even use it when I’m traveling vs. having to buy bottled water when I’m on the go. And if you’re at home, you can replace your cases of single-use plastic water bottles with one Brita pitcher or filter faucet system. All Brita filters cut chlorine taste and odor and reduce other contaminants. Will you commit your family to ditching single-use plastic water bottles? If not, what’s your biggest struggle with switching? Let’s talk about it!
Save this for when you’re grocery shopping! Afte Save this for when you’re grocery shopping! After spillin the 'green' tea on why some sugar isn't vegan - I’m following up with a vegan sugar cheat sheet you can quickly reference when needed. If you missed my sugar reel, go back and watch for additional info. 7 Refined Sugar Alternatives that are Vegan: 1. COCONUT SUGAR - made from the blossom of the the coconut palm flower by extracting the sap from the small clusters of buds and boiled to produce a crystalized sugar. 2. BEET SUGAR - derived from the sugar beet plant and is made using a process that involves thinly slicing sugar beets to extract the natural sugar juice. 3. RAW CANE SUGAR - the less processed version of cane sugar, which is made from crystalized sugar from the sugarcane plant that has not been refined and (which means no bone char like I mentioned in my reel). 4. STEVIA - made from REB-A, a glycoside extracted from the stevia leaf that is 200 times sweeter than sugar. 5. MAPLE SYRUP - made by collecting the sap of maple trees and boiling it down to a sugary reduction. Also, maple ranks lower on the glycemic index than white sugar. 6. DATE SYRUP - minimally processed and made when dried dates are chopped, boiled, pureed and strained to create a deep and flavorful syrup. 7. MOLASSES - comes from crushed sugar cane or beets and is a by-product of the sugar-making process. My faves are coconut sugar and maple syrup. What's your favorite sweetener?
Did you know one of the top causes of world hunger Did you know one of the top causes of world hunger is the focus on the production of animal-based foods? For #WorldFoodDay, I want to highlight that little known fact. It sounds odd, but it’s a misconception that animal agriculture is a necessary evil to feed the population. The main reason it fuels world hunger is because of the extensive amount of resources it takes to farm animals. Meat production fuels everything from land use changes and deforestation to water depletion and pollution. None of which is kind to humans, animals, or the planet. Next time you want to impress your friends with a fun fact, let ‘em know how the transition to plant-based food systems worldwide could help bring an end to global hunger in a much more efficient and cruelty-free way!
Cattle ranching has fueled up to 91% of deforestat Cattle ranching has fueled up to 91% of deforestation since 1970 (source: @WorldBank). Also ironically, even though one of the main crops growing in the rainforest is soybeans, a plant-based food, the majority of those soybeans aren't even grown to feed humans - it's produced to feed the animals raised for farming. Veganism is intersectional in so many ways. Some think it's only about health. Some think it's only about animals. Not everyone understands it's also directly tied to the environment (and other social justice issues). There is so much to share on this topic, but today I'm keeping it brief for those who are new to learning about the environmental impacts of the animal agriculture industry. ❗The Assignment: A week ago, @guardian published an article about how the Amazon rainforest is losing 200,000 acres a day and soon it will be too late. Read it if you have time today 🍵 What's one fact you learned about the link between animal agriculture and sustainability that shocked you?
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. For years In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. For years he got credit for discovering America, when credit wasn't due. This colonizer should really be credited for staging a horrifyingly violent coup. So now we pay homage to the real ones who were already here. Indigenous Peoples, We Celebrate YOU. Signed, Not A Poet But I Tried 📃 Here is a list of just *some* of Christopher Columbus's crimes: 1. Columbus documented in his own journal how he kidnapped a Carib woman to "take his pleasure with her." 2. He allowed a crew member to publicly cut off a native's ears to shock others into submission. 3. He enslaved thousands. 4. Forced natives to collect gold for him or be killed. 5. Terrorized over 50,000 natives to the point they took their own lives to avoid being captured. This is who America spent years uplifting as a hero, rather than ackowledging him for the tyrant he was. It's time to update the history books. *I post this little history lesson every year. Share with others who might not be aware of it! How much of this info did you already know?
After spillin the 'green' tea on why fabric soften After spillin the 'green' tea on why fabric softener (both liquid + dryer sheets) isn't vegan and how it's toxic to our health and planet - y'all had some great questions! If you missed my fabric softener reel, go back and read the caption, because there's good info in there about the most common chemicals that threaten our bodies + the animal parts that are used. Here are some tips to help you detoxify your laundry routine: 1. Replace dryer sheets with vegan dryer balls (made from bamboo/hemp). Please avoid wool dryer balls 🙏🏽 On top of it not being vegan for exploiting sheep, it's also bad for the environment because the wool industry is a huge contributor to climate change and pollution. 2. Replace liquid fabric softener by adding half a cup of white distilled vinegar during a load's rinse cycle. It has a low pH, which makes it amazing for fighting stubborn residues, odors, and other build up. And yes it will soften your laundry! 3. Static is caused by over drying. When no moisture is left, this invites static electricity. Allow clothes to dry only until they're not wet anymore. At the end of the day, fabric softener is a giant waste of your coins y'all. Do your wallet, health, the planet and animals a favor and ditch that ish! 💁🏽‍♀️
Support and share these sustainable and vegan Lati Support and share these sustainable and vegan Latina-owned beauty + body care brands, not just for Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month, but now and forever 💋💚 Brands in post: @bombacurls, @axiology_beauty, @myceremonia, @bubblymoonnaturals, @nopalera.co
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Ashley Renne

Live an adventurously green life

My personal stories about travel, being vegan, green living, smart tech, and blogging as a mixed race Black and Indian woman.

Category: Personal Essay

Posted on 1 May 20191 May 2019
7 Truths About How I Travel So Much—and Why Maybe You Shouldn’t

Blog, Money Talk, Personal Essay, Travel Tips

7 Truths About How I Travel So Much—and Why Maybe You Shouldn’t

Traveling is a privilege. If you’re tired of people telling you how easy it is to travel the world, yet it doesn’t line up with your reality, I’m here to share an alternative perspective. 

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Posted on 31 Mar 201931 Mar 2019
Conquering Keynote Speech Anxiety

Blog, Career Growth, Personal Essay

Conquering Keynote Speech Anxiety

How I got past my keynote speech anxiety and 5 tips to help you conquer yours. 

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Posted on 29 Jan 20191 Apr 2019
Why I Changed My Blog Name

Blog, Career Growth, Personal Essay

Why I Changed My Blog Name

Well hey y’all! NEW NAME! WHO DIS? Welcome to Hey Ashley Renne, the blog formerly known as Travel Lushes. New year, new me! Haha, I know, I know, so effing cliché. But real talk, this was a big switch and you may be wondering why on earth did you go from Travel Lushes to Hey

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Posted on 9 Aug 20185 Jan 2019
Black People Climb Mountains? | Climbing a 14er with Coors Light

Black Travel, Blog, North America, Personal Essay

Black People Climb Mountains? | Climbing a 14er with Coors Light

When I first got the invitation to ‘Climb with Coors’ in Colorado, an annual trek to Wilson Peak, the 14,023-foot mountaintop you always see in the Coors Light logo, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. As a mixed-race Black and Indian woman in the travel media space, I don’t often see images displaying people of

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Posted on 20 Oct 20175 Jan 2019
Lost Passport While Traveling – Our Emirates Nightmare

Blog, Personal Essay

Lost Passport While Traveling – Our Emirates Nightmare

Picture this. You’re all set to go on the most amazing adventure of your life. About to board a plane to one of those dream destinations that tends to be a screensaver on most people’s computers (The Maldives) and getting there on what was voted the World’s Best Airline of 2017 (Emirates). On top of

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Posted on 28 Aug 20171 Apr 2019
Women in Travel Summit Inspired Me to Quit My Job

Blog, Career Growth, Personal Essay

Women in Travel Summit Inspired Me to Quit My Job

I first went to the Women in Travel Summit in 2016 and I’m not even exaggerating when I say this conference played a role in sending me down the path that led to me quitting my job to pursue my love of travel full-time.  Yep, sure did. Let me tell you the story. In 2016,

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Posted on 25 Apr 20177 Jan 2019
Why I Quit My $80K Job to Travel the World More

Blog, Personal Essay

Why I Quit My $80K Job to Travel the World More

Watch the Video: Ugh, it sounds like such a cliché right? Here goes another person shouting from the rooftops “I quit my job to travel the world!” Blah, blah, blah. Yep, I did it. And it felt good y’all. But did you notice in the title of my post, I put the word ‘more’ at

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