Do you just *LOVE* those sunny days chillaxing on the beach and catching some waves ... but HATE the way your drink always dribbles condensation all over your hand, and warms to an unpleasant temperature WAY before you've reached the bottom?

I know I do. Aside from the heatwaves, my wilting vegetable garden and sunburn, that's pretty much my #1 complaint about the Aussie sun. Well we can't do a lot about the heat, but now there IS a way to manage all your drinking needs in style...

That's right, it's the Unleashed drink cooler, loved by people, and dogs!

If you want to get your hands around one of these numbers then here are your options:

1) Grab a credit/debit card and buy one online right now, or
2) Enter our cooler comp to win one for free!

What's this about a cooler comp you say?? Well I'm glad you asked! See, I was so inspired by my trip to the beach that I felt the need to share the cooler love a little further. So I convinced the office pixies to let us give away three Unleashed coolers for free! I know, cool huh? ;) All you need to do is comment below and tell us what the Unleashed cooler is cooler than.

All the coolness could be yours...

UPDATE: Gee the competition was hot! But the coolest entries have finally been picked. So congrats to Tweesa, diane77 and ecochick1800 for scoring themselves an Unleashed cooler!

So the Winter Olympics are coming to a close. I don't know about you, but I keep watching The Games thinking how much fun it would be to try some of those sports out. I think I've decided the skeleton is for me :-P

Anyway, with one very impressive run down the halfpipe and a gold medal around her neck, Torah Bright has become a household name. Not to mention scoring herself a place on a stamp. Top marks to her.

But I wanted to take a moment to tip my hat to the girl who won the silver medal in the halfpipe, Hannah Teter. This warm-hearted winter Olympian is a passionate vegetarian, and has said: "My plant-based diet has opened up more doors to being an athlete. It's a whole other level that I'm elevating to. I stopped eating animals about a year ago, and it's a new life. I feel like a new person, a new athlete."

And for this veggie powered athlete her compassion doesn't stop at her plate. When she's not busting out 360's on the halfpipe Hannah is busy endorsing eco-friendly sponsors, raising funds to help homeless AIDS victims in Kenya, donating her prize money to the Haiti relief appeal, and speaking out against the Canadian seal slaughter.

Way to go Hannah! I may not have a gold medal to give you, but you definitely deserve a gold star for your efforts.

Not long ago we unveiled to you the 3 cutest badges in the world. To celebrate we asked you where you would pin these animal activist accessories, and promised to make five lucky entrants very very happy by sending them out a pack of all 3. Well today's the day... so the question is: Are you feeling lucky?

Without further ado, congratulations to tomatoslater for wanting to add some flare to her cruelty free kicks; to Rainer for suggesting she'd turn her piggy companions into advocates; and to Georgie who is going put a smile on sick kids' faces when she shows off her cute new badges. We also loved the idea that the student's in Vic's math class would learn that 'animal + exploitation = sucks', not to mention 'teacher + Unleashed badges = cool teacher'. Finally congrats to corkface for not only coming up with some great spots to sport these badges, but being so eager to get her hands on them that she just kept on coming back with more great ideas.

And if it wasn't your lucky day, then a quick trip to the Unleashed shop can set things straight ;)

The Winter Olympic Games: It's an event scribbled in bold on every Australian's calendar, counted down to, day-by-day, from the closing ceremony 4 years ago. For 2 weeks straight, Australians sit glued to the television, with little on their mind other than the absolute excitement that is curling, being beamed from the other (and much colder) side of the world.

OK! So maybe it's not! But the location of The Games this year offers us, and more importantly animals, a potentially life saving opportunity.

Last year in Canada, over 60,000 baby harp seals were run-down by sealers and mercilessly bludgeoned to death on the ice, their parents watching on in terror and crying in horror. It's estimated that over 95% of the seals clubbed to death last year were less than 3 months old. These animals will never learn to swim and will never chew on their first solid meal.

So what can we do about it?

Well, just like any major event, the organizers want it to run as smoothly as possible - and the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee is no different. One thing they don't want is for the good reputation of the Winter Olympic Games to be tarnished by this cruellest-of-the-cruel hunt, which already hangs over Canada's international reputation.

The Committee carries a lot of political clout, and with their pressure on the Canadian government, we'll be all the closer to having the seal fur industry right where we want them: off the ice for good!

Please write to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee ([email protected]) and urge them to help bring an immediate end to the seal slaughter by pressuring the Canadian government to end this brutal slaughter for good.

See you guys on the slopes,

Matt. (Guest blogger)

Most of us grew up with songs and stories of idyllic farms where all the animals lived happy lives together. It's no wonder most people just assume that the pig on their plate or the chicken who laid the egg they're scrambling lived a happy life and was cared for before she died. But as you know, that's not how the story goes... and Animals Australia's new radio ad campaign is out to burst that bubble. So have a listen here.

We couldn't have been more thrilled with the impact of our recent TV ad campaign - Woolworths reported that sales of pig products dropped following the campaign. Finally people are realising that mother pigs in factory farms aren't 'cared for' - they're locked in barren crates where they can't turn around for months at a stretch. You could even call them battery pigs :-(

Please share this new ad campaign with all your friends. For the animals!

So the Big Day Out is over for another year. And wasn't it a stinker! (the weather, not the bands – the bands were rad) If you were there, I hope you signed our petition, and scored yourself a free sticker (if not, then don't miss us at Soundwave)!

After a long day speaking up for animals – there were some awesome bands to see. Anyone catch Rise Against? Keep your eyes peeled cause you might even be seeing a bit more of them very soon ;)

Anyway, check out some action shots from the Big Day Outs:

So it's that time of year again - time to pack your bags, dust off your uniform and head back to school. I know how you're feeling ... if only the holidays could've lasted a bit longer, right? But on the up side, a new year at school is full of great opportunities to help animals. So here are a few reasons to jump out of bed and embrace the new school year with enthusiasm!

Top 5 Tips for Helping Animals at School:

1. Make Your Presentations Count
   What better chance to speak up for animals than when you've got a captive audience. Are you outraged that 10 million chicks are ground up alive or gassed to death by the egg industry each year? Or that rabbits have chemicals rubbed into their eyes to test everyday household products? Then make your class talks count and do them on issues your classmates should know about. Besides, when you're doing a presentation on something you know and care about, you'll get better grades!
   

2. Ditch Dissection
   Just because an animal is small green and slimy, doesn't make it ok to kill her and cut her open. And as for our furry friends, rats - think of them as little dogs - these little guys are smart, playful and really, really cute. There's just no need for violence in science. So let your teacher know you don't want to dissect. Then prove there's no need for dissection by using animal friendly resources (eg. text books, videos and computer simulations) to stay ahead of the class.
   

3. Make Your Uniform Animal Friendly
   I don't know about you, but there's no way I want to wear the skin of a dead cow on my feet. And seriously, with so many faux leather alternatives, there's just no need. If your school has a uniform policy with compulsory leather shoes, or woolen jumper, why not write a letter to your principal asking them to change their policy. Sometimes all it takes is one letter.

4. Sticker Your Stuff
   What else are note pads, pencil cases and laptops for except to put stickers on? Grab yourself a sheet of the best stickers in town (or enter here to win some) and get stickering! Not only will you have the most stylish school gear around, you'll have all your classmates thinking about animal issues, asking questions, and of course wanting some flashy stickers of their own (so don't forget to tell them where they can score some for themselves).

5. Veganise Your Tuckshop
   If your tuckshop is anything like mine was, then the menu is chock full of dead animals. Aside from the animal cruelty, it's not gonna do students' waistlines or the planet any favours either. Ask your tuckshop to offer more tasty vegetarian and vegan food. That won't just give you more to choose from for lunch, it'll give other students the chance to sample some cruelty free food.

So there you have it. That should keep you busy for a while. And that's just the beginning! There are heaps of other creative ways to help animals at school. We'd like to hear your ideas. Leave a comment below to share your tips for helping animals at school.