Now, I want to start with a disclaimer - We are not vegan, but we know how cutting down on meat and dairy consumption is one of the biggest (and maybe easiest) ways to help combat climate change. We have reduced our intake of meat dramatically in the last year and often eat vegetarian or vegan meals together as a family. Saying goodbye to cheese and finding the perfect milk replacement for David's beloved cup of tea is proving a little difficult, but every little helps right?

One of my favourite planet friendly recipes is for these vegan pancakes, adapted from a recipe by 'Yoga girl' Rachel Brathen. You can find the original recipe here.

I like to serve mine with either stewed berries or blueberries and maple syrup. A dollop of coconut yogurt makes them extra delicious!

So, this pancake day, why not ditch the diary and try these little fellas? Let us know if you do!

Best Vegan Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

3/4 tbsp baking powder

sprinkle of salt

1 cup non dairy milk (I like to use Koko milk)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Valencian orange essence (you can sub this for any flavour you like! Original recipe called for vanilla, which also tastes great)

1/2 tbsp chia seeds

Vegan margarine or oil for frying (I like to use Flora buttery, but coconut oil works well and adds flavour)

Suggested toppings - 

Fresh or stewed fruit, maple syrup or coconut yoghurt

Method:

* Add all pancake ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together to form a smooth batter. 

* On a medium heat, add around a teaspoon of margarine in a large frying pan until melted.

* Use a ladle to add the batter to the pan to make three small pancakes. 

* Allow the pancakes to cook for a couple of minutes and watch for bubbles to appear on the top. Once the batter looks dry on top, check the underneath to see if they are browned. If so, use a spatula to flip them over.

* Cook for another few minutes until browned on both sides.

* Remove from the pan and stack to keep warm until ready to serve.

* Cook remaining batter in batches until you have the desired number of pancakes. Reserve remaining batter in the fridge and use within 2 days. 

* Serve pancakes with your favourite toppings and enjoy!

As we say hello to a new decade we continue our commitment to doing the best we can for our planet from our little corner of Devon!
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In 2020 we will continue to update you with where your trees are being planted at the end of each month.  For January we decided to help Australia after the terrible fires recently.  Our trees will not be planted until the fires have subsided and the soil is ready, to ensure that the restoration of important wildlife habitats is as successful as possible after such devastation.

As you may have seen on our social media, this is quite a personal one for us having visited this beautiful country.  We are so pleased to be able to start a new year afresh by contributing trees to a part of the world we know and love.

Wishing you all a very happy New Year from everyone at The Drifting Bear Co.⁠

* Image courtesy of 'One Tree Planted'

Plastic is a big issue for us (especially living by the sea). Learning that plastic is getting into the water we drink and the food we eat made us realise it was time to take action.

Since 2018 we’ve been reducing the amount of plastic we buy at home and also trying to eliminate plastic from our business.

Here’s what we’ve done -

At home

♻️ swapped hand gel and shower gel for bars of soap

♻️ swapped to shampoo and conditioner bars

♻️ swapped to bamboo toothbrushes

♻️ invested in a bamboo safety razor

♻️ make our own 'zero waste' dry shampoo 

♻️ use reusable sanitary items

♻️ use reusable fabric wipes or biodegradable wipes for our son

♻️ use biodegradable nappies (and potty trained early to get him out of them)

♻️ use fabric make up remover wipes and coconut oil

♻️ refill washing up liquid, fabric conditioner and antibacterial spray, rather than buying new

♻️ get milk delivered in returnable glass bottles

♻️ buy bread from a local bakery and request a paper bag

♻️ buy loose vegetables from local green grocer (or only buy loose veg in the large supermarkets)

♻️ always opt for items packed in paper or card rather than plastic at the supermarkets (oats, pasta etc)

♻️ go to 'zero waste' shops with our own containers to fill

♻️ always carry a reusable bag

♻️ use a reusable coffee cup when having a take away coffee

♻️ use reusable water bottles

♻️ invested in a 'Guppy bag' to wash clothes made of man made fibres

♻️ try to avoid buying clothes made from man made fibres

♻️ requested second hand gifts and no new plastic toys for our son (I'll write another blog about this!)

♻️ stopped buying gifts made from or covered in plastic

♻️ use recyclable wrapping paper and paper washi tape rather than plastic tape.

♻️ swapped to biodegradable poop bags for Sydney

♻️ buy dog food in paper bags

♻️ stopped buying dog treats and keep a jar with carrot pieces in the fridge instead

♻️ replaced doggy dental sticks in plastic packaging to alternatives in cardboard boxes

At work

♻️ swapped our plastic ended tubes for 100% cardboard tubes

♻️ swapped bubble lined bags to padded ‘Jiffy Green’ bags, made completely of paper / card

♻️ our cellophane sleeves have always been biodegradable ✨

♻️ replaced plastic postal bags for all our cushions and blankets to carbon neutral, compostable bags made from sugar cane

♻️ we've managed to get our cushion supplier to offer 100% organic cotton, rather than man made fabrics. They needed to invest in new machinery, so this was a huge win!

♻️ swapped our packing tape to paper tape

♻️ replaced organza gift bags with reusable cotton bags

♻️ swapped bubble wrap to biodegradable bubble wrap. We’ll be swapping to corrugated card in the office after current stock runs out.

♻️ reduced the number of branded stickers we use on packaging (the backing paper can’t be recycled)

♻️ use twine to tie our Royal Mail sacks rather that plastic zip ties

♻️ requested no plastic packaging when ordering with suppliers

♻️ managed to get our frame suppliers to trial plastic free packaging 

♻️ subscribed to ‘Who Gives a Crap’ toilet roll

♻️ replaced peak time staff treats from tubs of chocolates to plastic free, foil covered (and vegan!) chocolates

♻️ buy plastic free tea bags

We know we're not perfect, but we're doing what we can (the list is actually a lot longer than I thought it would be!). Hopefully we've given you some ideas of how you can easily reduce your plastic waste too.

If you have any other suggestions, please leave a comment below, we'd love to hear them!

Browse plastic free gifts here.

Wow! What a year! Thank you everyone so much for your orders this year. It not only means so much to us, it also means we've been able to plant a huge number of trees to help this little old planet of ours.

For the past 12 months we have been working with reforestation partners to plant 1 tree for every single order we receive. Thanks to YOU we have planted thousands of trees in the places that need them most, including Rwanda, Kenya, Québec, Indonesia, India, Tanzania, Haiti and The Amazon Rainforest.

One of the images to haunt us from the year has been the fires in The Amazon, so we will be donating Decembers trees to help regenerate the rainforest.

Your custom means so much to us and its amazing to be able to give something back in this way.⁠
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We wish you a happy and peaceful new year,

Tanya, David and all at The Drifting Bear Co.⁠

* Image courtesy of 'One Tree Planted'

Guatemala has one of the most extensive and diverse forest systems in Central America. Its name is said to mean "land of the trees" in the Mayan-Toltec language. Sadly, the country is losing these precious forests at a rapid rate. Because of its topography, Guatemala is susceptible to landslides, floods and other natural disasters. However, the biggest driver of deforestation has been population growth and economic disparity. With more than one million hectares of land that could be harnessed for reforestation, planting tree here helps to bring back the healthy forests that have characterised the country since ancient times.⁠
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Thank you for all your orders during November and helping us make a difference - it means so much to us!

* Image courtesy of 'One Tree Planted'

For every order placed with us during October we are working with our partners to plant trees and expand Québec's forests, protecting them against urban sprawl, the timber industry, and resource development projects. This helps to ensure the forests remain strong, and also helps to educate the community on the importance of sustainable forest management in Québec.⁠

Did you know Québec forests are some of the most ecologically rich ecosystems on the planet? They are home to more than 225 species of bird, 50 species of tree, and 60 mammal species including moose, black bear, fox, and caribou.⁠

Thank you for your continued support helping us to take care of this planet of ours and the animals who live alongside us.

*Image courtesy of 'One Tree Planted'

Well September flew by! We're well on the road to Christmas now - gradually getting prepared, but I'm not sure there will ever be a year we are totally prepared, surely that's no fun?!!⁠

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Thanks to all your lovely orders during September we will be working with our partners to plant trees in the Andes.⁠
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Our amazing partners are leading a Latin America-wide initiative to restore 1 million hectares of high Andean forest across 6 countries over the next 25 years. As part of the annual tree-planting festival Queuña Raymi, trees will be planted with the guidance of local leaders using ancient Incan traditions, preserving the landscape and Indigenous culture. The tree planting will help restore wetlands, safeguard existing forest, and protect critical Amazon headwaters. ⁠

* Photo courtesy of 'One Tree Planted'.

Lots of trees will be planted in Kenya thanks to all your orders during a busy August for The Drifting Bear Co! Each order placed on our website plants one tree, and this month we have chosen for our trees to be planted in Kenya’s Kijabe Forest - a place that was once dominated by trees but around two thirds has now been lost due to over-extraction of resources and illegal timber harvesting⁠.
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A community of almost 200,000 people depend on the forest for water, wood, and agriculture. Planting trees here will help protect this vital ecosystem, promote environmental education, and foster sustainable livelihoods through seed collection and ecotourism.⁠

* Image courtesy of 'One Tree Planted'.

Thanks to all your orders during a busy July, your trees are being planted to help protect Orca Whales!

Sadly, there are only 75 Southern Resident Orcas remaining (often referred to as killer whales), swimming the waters off the coast of North America from California to British Columbia. This makes them an endangered species and in need of our help.

We know it sounds strange, but planting trees around rivers and streams that feed into the Orca's habitat reduces water contamination, lowers toxicity, protects salmon spawning grounds, therefore improving the Orca's food supply. These projects will also bring benefits to other species of wildlife, as well as the communities in the surrounding areas.

Thanks again for all your orders and helping us change the world, little by little!⁠

* Image courtesy of 'One Tree Planted'.

This year marks the 50th anniversary since man first landed on the moon.

Apollo 11 launched into space from Kennedy Space Center on July 16th 1969, with three astronauts on board - Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Micheal Collins. 

On 20th July 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin landed the Apollo Luna Module 'Eagle' on the moons surface. Six hours later, Neil Armstrong became the first man ever to step onto the moon. Aldrin became the second, just 19 minutes later. 

As they explored the moons surface, Collins flew the command module in orbit, which would later return all three men safely back to Earth. 

After spending more than 8 days in space, the men splashed down into the Pacific Ocean on 24th July 1969.

To celebrate this historic event, we are offering 20% off any of our moon products from 16th - 24th July 2019 with code the code MANONMOON

You will find an array of moon inspired products, perfect for celebrating different occasions here. There are moon phase prints for those looking for a sentimental wedding gift, to the moon and back cushions to celebrate anniversaries or birthdays, cufflinks for the man in your life, items perfect for a nursery or as a Christening gift and even decorations to celebrate a first Christmas (yep, we said the C word in July!). 

We're sure you'll find something the recipient will be over the moon with!