01 November 2013

Free For All Friday No. 259

The 1st of November is World Vegan Day which celebrates the start of World Vegan Month.
I eat less meat than I used to and have sometimes considered becoming a vegetarian, but I've only ever owned leather Filofaxes. One of my practical concerns would be regarding how hard wearing a fabric filo would be, in comparison to a leather one.

This all got me to wondering how many readers only own non-leather binders for ethical or other reasons? And are you happy with the choices available?
How about a Filofax made out of decommissioned fire hose like this wallet? It's not cheap, but I think it would make a beautiful vegan-friendly binder.

And as always as it's Friday, please feel free to discuss anything ring bound planner related. Have a great weekend!

18 comments:

  1. I saw a personal Apex in the wild yesterday. It was being used by a student. I too mainly prefer leather but the Apex looked smart. When I asked if I could take a picture she was happy to let me. She turned out to be a Philofaxy fan too.

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  2. I have seen a couple of fills in the wild recently. One at my new place of work, and another with a lady I met randomly. I am sure I am seeing more around. I still don't see many men with them though.

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  3. While I am here, I should probably also own up to now having a personal malden ochre... I see what the Malden lovers mean now :)

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  4. I have a binder organizer (like Filofax personal size) I bought in Indonesia from a company called Dyrt Design (which stands for Do You Recycle Too?) makes bags accessories and more out of old billboard and banner materials. It doesn't sound like they would be, but their products are beautiful and very heard-wearing. I kept meaning to do a review of the binder when I got it, but then I moved soon after and forgot.

    I can't find a website for Dyrt but they are on FB and Twitter.

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    1. Dyrt was (is?) a firm based in Jakarta. Their website was www.dyrtdesign.com. However this domain name has been in the hands of a Denver, USA web domain company since 2008 and is lying unused.

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  5. I am what is technically known as a lacto ovo vegetarian. However I still have leather filos and I wear leather shoes. Seeing as I don't preach to other people about what they should do I don't see why anyone should criticise me for that. I don't claim a certain way of life to be correct, I just make my own choices. I would prefer a good alternative but for smart work shoes I have found there to be little choice of leather alternatives. I tried and suffered from blisters (and sweaty feet but that may be tmi!). One day I expect I will realise how gross leather is and never buy anything leather again. I would have to find alternative homes for any leather items I own though as I would find it very disrespectful to the animals to just dispose of them. I am aware that my logic is flawed in several areas but I am a complex person so it is what it is.

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  6. Through unemployment and the cost of food, I have discovered a wider and broader range of vegetarian meals and options, and must say, I am loving eating less meat. I would love to be fully vegetarian, and in fact I would go the ovo lacto route too. Just worry about getting all my nutrients balanced and making such a huge change seems a little scary, but right for my health just now too... having enough recipes to hand for example, bothers me, as I tend to use the same old faithfuls. It's finding the time too, to put recipes onto index cards in my new to me PVC pocket filo... chosen for *wipe downability* in the kitchen. So, for now, I am what I term a semi veggie...... half and half..... but..... feel so guilty about eating meat though nowadays as I am at heart an animal lover.I too have leather filos and shoes,so that seems a contradiction in terms. However, I do try to buy hard wearing leather items when purchasing, always have, so that they are looked after, last years and I am not wasteful. A good ethic anyway for anything purchased I think. I agree with you Sydney and feel the same way as you here.

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    1. Hi. I am a vegetarian ( a high raw vegan) for health purposes. I just feel great eating this way! It is not that hard to get all your nutrients, and I know many web sites with amazing recipes (pm me on facebook, I will send you the links and share tricks of the trade). I do own leather goods and planners, and do think it is better for the environement than PU leather...I would be interested in recycled material planners...hmmm...is reselling recycling? :D

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  7. Well, I just thought about the vegeterian and leather issue and I believe that making shoes, leather gloves, bags and even organiser (given these items are well looked after so they last longer) would not need as many animals slaughtered as the high meat consumtion of the industrialised western world causes. That's why I eat about 70% vegan and the rest vegetarian but I'm not giving up to cherish good leather items whilst taking good care of them. Still my leather filos/organisers are only making up for about 50-60% of my collection and I hate wearing PU-shoes that make my feet sweat.

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  8. I try to be vegetarian, although I do eat fish sometimes. The ethical side of using leather is probably coloured by one's reasons for choosing to follow a particular dietary ethos. My aim is to eat in a sustainable way, and I don't generally find it in conflict with owning and enjoying leather products.
    For Filofaxes, I stick almost exclusively to old items from the 1980s. I try to take good care of them, and keep them in service.

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  9. DW is a vegetarian *most* of the time, so I get to eat a lot of vegetarian food, which is great - I don't have a 'must have meat' thing going on at all. However, that doesn't extend (for me) into accessories as my messenger bag and two Filos attest!

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  10. I am vegetarian and have been for years - for reasons of preference, health, and sustainability. But I also love good quality leather goods - shoes, bags and planners. I can understand that some people would see this as a contradiction, but I'm fine with it. I'm not trying to prove a point with my choices, just trying to make the ones that are right for me!

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  11. I actually did some research on this topic a few years ago and found that cattle are not slaughtered for their skins to make leather, the leather is a byproduct of the meat industry. So by buying leather you are not contributing to more cattle being killed, and in fact if the skin were not sold as leather it would go to waste.

    However, don't get me started on the environmental and human health impact of the leather dyeing industry!

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  12. The First of November is also Fountain Pen Day!!!!

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    1. Seriously?! That should *definitely* be celebrated!

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  13. If God wanted us to be vegitarian, why did he make meat so tasty?! Seriously, no offence meant to all the vegetarians out there. I do love a good leather planner or bag but feel like, personally, I have to draw the line at the snakeskin, lizard, etc covers. They just remind me too much of the animal. That's why I've sold or traded any of the ones I had. But I can't bear to part with my leather planners. I know, a contradiction in terms!

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    1. I hadn't thought of that before, but I can definitely see where you're coming from. I feel a bit differently about the Ostrich line, though, as I've never seen a custard-yellow or crimson ostrich before!

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