Around the turn of the year, you constantly read about "VEGANUARY" – a concept behind which lies the organization of the same name. Its goal is to motivate as many people as possible to spend January vegan. A great New Year's resolution!

And it's even more fun together with your four-legged friend. Countless animals must also suffer and die for the pet food industry. Furthermore, many climate-damaging gases are released. In its 13-year life, a 15kg dog produces CO2 equivalents corresponding to 13 flights from Berlin to Barcelona and back. The mostly meat-heavy diet plays a not insignificant role here, as nutrition actually accounts for 90% of it! But it doesn't have to be this way, because it is also possible for humans and dogs to eat vegan. This not only protects the environment, but above all, it saves many animals' lives.
On our blog, you will find many tasty and healthy recipes with which you can bring your furry friends huge joy. Even beyond VEGANUARY.

Everyone is surely familiar with pictures of turtles with straws in their noses or fish swimming in a "sea of plastic." And yet, it is always shocking. Plastic is a major problem that threatens not only our environment and especially our oceans, but also our own health. We humans consume up to 5g of microplastics weekly. That is about as much as a credit card. Frightening, isn't it?

As in all other areas of life, a lot of plastic is produced and consumed for our beloved pets. In food packaging, toys, and especially poop bags (of which usually more than one is needed per day). About 500 million bags are used annually throughout Germany. And the crazy thing: A biodegradable product is packed in plastic and thus cannot be recycled. It ends up in the residual waste and is incinerated.
However, there are now some alternatives: Instead of letting them chew on plastic bones, let them chew on coffee wood, and instead of conventional poop bags, prefer those made of compostable material (e.g., based on corn starch or sugarcane) or cardboard.
And if you can't go without plastic: It's better to get one large package instead of several small ones. Why not try to reduce your plastic consumption together and reward yourselves with a long walk.
We also strive to avoid plastic in our products. Feel free to watch our video on packaging:

Shopping is fun. And even more so when you pay attention to sustainability while doing so. There are now many manufacturers who have dedicated themselves to protecting our environment. Alternatively, you can buy second-hand and thus help ensure that no new resources are consumed. 
Another great way to do good with your purchases is, for example, animal shelter festivals (which will hopefully be able to take place again soon). There are great things to discover there – for both humans and animals. Leashes, toys, cushions ... And the proceeds benefit the animals. That way, you’re not just making your own dogs happy.

The most sustainable option, of course, is not to shop at all. Before every purchase, ask yourself if it is really necessary to buy the fifth collar or the tenth ball, or if your dog isn't still happy with what he already has. Even if we sometimes forget it: our dogs are less demanding than we think. They don't mind if a toy already has a corner chewed off, the leash doesn't look quite so new anymore, or a little stone is missing from the collar. Sometimes we could learn a thing or two from them 🙂

The DIY approach is now applied in many areas of life. So why not for your dog, too? Your furry friends will surely prefer playing with toys made by you with love and without any plastic anyway. And you get double the fun: first while making them, and then while playing with your dogs. And this even brings upcycling aspects into play. It hardly gets better than that.
For example, you can simply take an old box (e.g., a shoebox) and fill it with many old corks. Mix in a few treats, and the sniffing and snacking fun can begin! 
For a sock octopus, you need four old, somewhat longer socks and a tennis ball. On all the socks, make three cuts from the opening down to the heel at roughly equal intervals, so that you have three "arms" of about the same width. Push the ball into the first sock all the way to the end (where the toes would be) and pull all the other socks over it. Now braid each set of three "sock arms" into a strand so that you end up with four braided arms. Done! 
You can find even more great ideas for homemade toys here.

And you can also conjure up great things from our empty packaging! How about, for example, flower pots made from an empty wet food tin?

But you can make more than just toys yourselves. How about a plastic-free, vegan paw balm for well-groomed dog paws? Especially in the cold season with ice and road salt, it helps prevent cracked pads.

Ultimately, the most important thing is that you have each other, you and your dog. And that you can enjoy every minute together. Whether playing, cuddling, or going for a walk. We should always remind ourselves that it hardly takes more than that.
Memories are sustainable because we love looking back on beautiful moments, we can always recall them, and they simply do us good. A relaxed, extended walk through beautiful nature strengthens the well-being of both human and dog (keyword: forest bathing) and brings you closer together.
And if you can make your trips for walks by bike, or in the best case start right from your front door instead of getting into the car, our environment will be happy too.

Would you like to know more about how to make your dogs' paw print greener? Then you will find many more suggestions in the book "Grüner Hund – Handbuch für nachhaltiges Hundeleben" (Green Dog – Handbook for a Sustainable Dog Life). And who knows, maybe we even found a place in it? 😉

Wishing you and your furry friends lots of fun on your journey together, on which you will hopefully leave behind many green footprints and paw prints 🐾