Bethany Chester

We’ve all heard that meditation can help to reduce our stress levels. Studies have proven that it works, and many doctors now recommend meditation to patients who are stressed.
But have you ever stopped to wonder why exactly meditation is so effective? Is it just that it’s beneficial to escape from our everyday lives for a while and clear our minds?
New research suggests that there’s more to it than that. A recently published study shows that meditating regularly can help us develop certain s...

It’s no secret that many people—students, parents and teachers alike—are becoming disillusioned with the mainstream education system. These days, education is too often about hitting targets and passing exams. That’s how the success of the system is measured, leading an increasing number of parents to opt for homeschooling instead.
But could we take a different approach? What if we pursued an education system which created compassionate, curious students with a deep respect for the planet we ...

Deforestation is a huge environmental issue—worldwide, it’s been estimated that we’re losing 18.7 million acres of forest a year. Agriculture, logging, and forest fires are all contributing to this destructive process, which is one of the main drivers of climate change.
Our forests are sometimes referred to as the “lungs of the planet,” because trees absorb carbon dioxide when they photosynthesize. This process helps to remove some of the pollution we produce from the air and reduce the impac...

An article I wrote about myself and my blog for Simply Vegan magazine.

Veganism is essentially the belief that it's wrong to exploit animals for human gain. As a result, vegans boycott products containing animal-derived ingredients, along with products tested on animals and activities which treat animals as entertainment.

Given this definition, it seems clear that veganism is an animal rights movement. But in recent years, the environmental impact of rearing animals for food has been widely acknowledged. For this reason, many people now say they have gone vegan ...

So you’ve gone vegan, but you miss all the delicious desserts you used to make. Navigating the world of baking without eggs, cream and butter may seem hopeless, but don’t worry – the plant kingdom has got you covered. Many plant foods have properties similar to their animal counterparts, so you can still have all the desserts you used to love – and they’ll probably be better for you too!

A recent paper appearing in the journal Business and Society Review has claimed that researching drugs on animals is both ineffective and misleading.
The authors, Lisa A. Kramer and Ray Greek, looked specifically at the impact of animal experiments on stakeholders. They concluded that animal research does more harm than good, even when the welfare of animals is not taken into account.
Kramer and Greek point out that humans are complex systems which differ substantially from animals, and so an...

The Animal Justice Project has won a grant from The Pollination Project to help fund its campaigns against animal exploitation. The Pollination Project received 550 applications for the grant this year, from which it selected 71 to receive funding.
The grant will support the next phase of the Animal Justice Project’s growth, enabling the organisation to continue working towards the eradication of animal experimentation and other forms of speciesism. It will help to finance advocacy, education...

Most of us are not at peace most of the time.
I was taken aback when this thought first popped into my head. It had just occurred to me that at any given moment, most of us are bored, dissatisfied, restless, angry, jealous, resentful or otherwise distressed. These emotions may be subtle, bubbling just beneath the surface, but they are usually there. I include myself in this! The more aware I become of my thoughts and feelings, the more I realise how much energy I waste on dissatisfaction. I w...

A team from the Computer Science department at the University of Oxford have won a prestigious prize for their work towards ending animal experiments. The prize was awarded by the organisation NC3Rs, which funds research into reducing animal experiments. GlaxoSmithKline were the sponsors of the project.
The team, led by Dr Elisa Passini, built a computer model which can predict with 89 per cent accuracy whether a drug will cause heart problems. This is one of the main reasons why new drugs do...

China is home to one of the world’s largest cosmetics markets, valued at £21.6 billion. It is also one of the few countries which still requires that all cosmetics sold there are tested on animals.
The reasons why are complicated. China has gained a reputation for fakes and poor quality products, something which the government has come under fire for. Although there are now many viable alternatives to animal testing, Chinese labs generally don’t have the required training and certifications t...

The Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA) has written a letter to the House and Senate Agriculture Committee advocating changes in agricultural policy to support the plant-based foods market.
According to the PBFA, current policies unfairly favour meat and dairy producers. It points out that demand for plant-based products is rising rapidly, and that agricultural policy should reflect this. The PBFA’s executive director, Michele Simon, believes these changes are necessary in order for the mark...

Almond marketer and producer Blue Diamond Growers has become the 100th member of the Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA). Blue Diamond is well known for being the maker of Almond Breeze, America’s most popular brand of almond milk. It also produces a range of other nut-based foods such as almond flour and Nut-Thins crackers.
Based in California, Blue Diamond is special because it is a non-profit cooperative rather than a traditional corporation. The company is owned by its almond growers, wh...

It’s something most vegetarians and vegans have heard before: “Why worry about animals when so many humans are suffering? Surely that’s more important.” This argument has obvious flaws – it’s possible to care about multiple issues, and besides, human superiority is a matter of opinion. Regardless, anyone who’s truly concerned about human suffering should eliminate animal products from their diet.

Getting enough protein is often cited as a concern by those considering a vegan diet. Protein is traditionally associated with meat and other animal products, so it's unsurprising that people wonder where they will get it from if they go vegan.
With millions of healthy vegans all over the world, it's clearly possible to meet your nutritional requirements without meat. But how? This article answers that question.