Today's show is a special one. It's a sponsored show- sponsored by Cruelty Free Designs, which is the brain child and love project of Deborah Rosenberg, of DiMare Designs in Miami, Florida. Deborah has been on the show before, on episodes #82 and #117 and now she's sponsoring three shows, to tell you- her colleagues, all about Cruelty Free Design. Listen in to find out more. These three shows will cover firstly what it really means to be Cruelty Free Design, then the resources which are available for Cruelty Free Design and then there will also be a special episode with a Designer who has taken Deborah's course. LuAnn really hopes that you will enjoy this little series! Listen in now, to the first episode, with Deborah Rosenberg, where we're going to take a little time to give the back story of why this is so personal to Deborah- why she has transitioned to making her whole business cruelty free and why this really is such an important thing for you to think about. Show highlights: Deborah has developed a Certification Course in Cruelty Free Design and she explains how this came to be an undertaking for herself and her Firm to develop and also why it's so important to her. The really cruel and inhumane ways that animals are treated, within the corporate industry, being viewed as commodities, rather than sentient creatures. It's really hard to believe what human beings are actually capable of doing to animals! There really is no such thing as responsible wool, or responsible fur. Does it really cost too much to be compassionate? This cruelty mostly happens in countries where there are no regulations. The really awful conditions for humans in tanneries. 56% of Americans stop buying from sources that they view as unethical. The importance of getting educated about all this, as a Designer. Going vegan and the environment- these things are all connected. Sixteen million people in the US are now vegan- many of these people have become aware of the cruelty in these industries through watching videos. The different ways that you could approach this, as a Designer. Animal fur, or leather can cause problems for children with autism, or for people with allergies. Deborah's Certification Course In Cruelty Free Design has now become accredited. websites: http://www.certifiedcrueltyfree.net http://www.dimaredesign.com