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my husband and i have been vegan for 2 years. he's a waldorf teacher. we like unschooling for our own kids but we incorporate much of the waldorf lifestyle and childhood ideal into our lives.<br><br>
we're pretty darn strict as far as veganism goes. we will use a few animal products second-hand, such as, i harvest wool from second-hand sweaters for diaper covers, but i don't use lanolin, and i just decided not to do the harvesting anymore either since i've discovered that cotton works just as well. we get second-hand modeling beeswax from my husband's school whenever they buy a new batch, and we feel ok using that. (being vegan is just one aspect of a larger worldview and lifestyle for us. it's not so much about exploitation for us as health, cruelty, and being gentle on the earth. recycling is *always* gentle on the earth and it doesn't hurt anyone to use something second-hand. so please don't attack me for it. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/winky.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink"> ) and other people have given us play silks and we feel ok about that too, since it's not *our* money supporting the industry. (and i make my own playcloths out of thin muslin hand-dyed - which is just as good, so we're phasing out the silks by passing them on.)<br><br>
we really struggle within the waldorf community because we won't buy leather, wool, beeswax, or silk firsthand. i'm really annoyed that i want to buy my son one of those beautiful waldorf dolls but they're all stuffed with wool. i love felting but i guess it's imposible without wool. everything is about silk. and beeswax. "natural" materials. now, we love natural materials, like wood, hemp, bamboo, organic cotton, etc. but there isn't as much impression on those (except wood) in the waldorf world. there's a lot of pressure on us to conform, *especially* my husband. what's a vegan to do? how have other waldorf-y vegans dealt with this issue?
we're pretty darn strict as far as veganism goes. we will use a few animal products second-hand, such as, i harvest wool from second-hand sweaters for diaper covers, but i don't use lanolin, and i just decided not to do the harvesting anymore either since i've discovered that cotton works just as well. we get second-hand modeling beeswax from my husband's school whenever they buy a new batch, and we feel ok using that. (being vegan is just one aspect of a larger worldview and lifestyle for us. it's not so much about exploitation for us as health, cruelty, and being gentle on the earth. recycling is *always* gentle on the earth and it doesn't hurt anyone to use something second-hand. so please don't attack me for it. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/winky.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink"> ) and other people have given us play silks and we feel ok about that too, since it's not *our* money supporting the industry. (and i make my own playcloths out of thin muslin hand-dyed - which is just as good, so we're phasing out the silks by passing them on.)<br><br>
we really struggle within the waldorf community because we won't buy leather, wool, beeswax, or silk firsthand. i'm really annoyed that i want to buy my son one of those beautiful waldorf dolls but they're all stuffed with wool. i love felting but i guess it's imposible without wool. everything is about silk. and beeswax. "natural" materials. now, we love natural materials, like wood, hemp, bamboo, organic cotton, etc. but there isn't as much impression on those (except wood) in the waldorf world. there's a lot of pressure on us to conform, *especially* my husband. what's a vegan to do? how have other waldorf-y vegans dealt with this issue?