Blog Posts

The Marauders as Animal Rights Activists

7/19/2022

It has been 23 long years since Potterheads were introduced to Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs and their mischievous misadventures at Hogwarts. Fans have fanatically fantasised about the Marauders in their youth as so many questions remain unanswered.

To celebrate the anniversary of when we solemnly swore we were up to no good, we have cast our inner eye to focus on our beloved Marauders as magically inspiring animal rights activists. Read on to find out what type of activist we think each Marauder would be!

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How You Can Help Stop Plastic Pollution

7/14/2022

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Did you know that 10 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans every year?

Plastic can take 20 to 500 years to degrade. This means that the plastic produced and used today will continue to impact the lives of future human and non-human animal populations for generations to come.

We have a real plastic problem on our hands, and it’s not just affecting us. It’s affecting the environment and the livelihoods of all creatures, from the Grindylows and Merpeople who live in the Black Lake to the sea turtles, whales, and seals who live within oceans around the world.

Imagine how different the second task of the Triwizard Tournament would have been if the champions had to swim through a lake full of plastic!

Join us this Plastic Free July (and beyond!) to help create a world without plastic waste.

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Attracting Bees to Your Garden with Neville Longbottom

6/21/2022

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Forget Fizzing Whizbees! After following this Muggle-worthy guide to magical insects and flora, your garden will be a fuzzy, buzzy bee’s greatest desire. (Now try saying that five times fast!)

Bees are one of the planet’s most hard-working and loyal creatures. They even have the Hufflepuff colors to prove it. Like “interdepartmental memos” for the natural world, bees carry pollen from one flower to another, allowing them to bloom and grow forevermore.

Without bees, there would be no flutterby bushes, honking daffodils, or the 250,000 other species of flowering plants, trees, and crops that rely on pollination. Thankfully, we know a Herbology master with expertise in this subject, Professor Neville Longbottom! Even passionate gardeners such as Molly Weasley and former Hogwarts Herbology professor, Pomona Sprout, have been known to take advice from Professor Longbottom.

Without further ado, we’ll hand it over to Neville…

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Deforestation: 5 Actions You Can Take to Make a Difference

6/6/2022

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When we think about forests in the wizarding world, most minds jump to the Forbidden Forest. Located on the Hogwarts grounds, the mysterious forest is the home to many enchanting creatures, including centaurs, Acromantulas, unicorns, and Thestrals.

Other forests are also seen in the Fantastic Beasts films. In the newest instalment, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Newt Scamander wanders through the woods in southern China to search for Qilins.

However, unlike these magical forests, our Muggle forests are threatened by mass deforestation. These ecosystems are home to thousands of animal and plant species. Every two seconds, a forest the size of a football field is destroyed. This pollutes our air and water and ruins the habitats and homes of over 400 species of animals in forests that date back as far as 70 million years. This impacts human life as well, as deforestation is one of the leading causes of world hunger.

So what actions can you take to help stop deforestation? Here are five tips to get you started.

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Turning "Pests" into "Guests"

5/2/2022

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Based on our recent episode of ProtegoCast, “Pest’ Control with Tylor Starr”, (Season 2 Episode 11), we’ve decided to delve into the harmful forms of “pest” control that we see in the wizarding world and how we can advocate for safe alternatives in the non-magical world.

You’ll notice that throughout this blog, when writing “pest,” we’ve chosen to put it within quotation marks. This is because we don’t see these creatures (magical or non-magical) as pests. They are simply creatures who are living alongside us. Some may be a little closer than we want them to be, but that doesn’t mean we should refer to them as “pests.” Instead, we prefer taking a kinder approach and calling them “guests!”

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Sustainable Crafting: Yarn Guide

4/27/2022

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From Hermione’s hats and Molly’s jumpers to Dobby’s socks and Hagrid’s blankets, you would be forgiven for wondering why there wasn’t a single mention of a “Hogwarts Witchcrafting Society” or even a yarn shop throughout the seven books.

However, like vegan butterbeer and plant-based potions, just because something exists inside our heads, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t real (as a certain famous collector of knitting patterns would say!).

That being said, just like butterbeer and potions, yarn often isn’t inherently vegan - and that is where we need to channel our inner Trelawney and broaden our minds! What’s more, here at Protego, we like to think that no character would have done this with more enthusiasm than everyone’s favorite free elf (and our chosen animal rights champion), Dobby!

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Fleur's Tarte Tatin

3/28/2022

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We’re back with another one of Fleur Weasley’s recipes!

This vegan tarte tatin, also known as an upside-down apple tart or caramelized apple tart, is a traditional French dessert that is sure to sweeten up your afternoon and become one of your new favorites.

Tarte tatin takes its name from its creator, Stéphanie Tatin. She owned a restaurant with her sister in the town of Lamotte-Beuvron in the region of Sologne back in the 19th century. The legend tells us that an overworked Stéphanie forgot to put the pastry in the pan before baking an apple pie. Realizing her mistake, she added the pastry base on top of the apples before putting the tart back in the oven.

Since then, many have tried their own hand at this dessert with much success. We’ll hand it off to Fleur, who will teach us her favorite way to bake this classic!

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Fantastic Fan Features

2/24/2022

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Fan creation is an art form that uses the magic of words and expert wandmanship – whether by pen, paintbrush, or digital technology. In the Wizarding World fandom, talented Potterheads have long led the way in Transfiguring their imagination into pieces of art and fiction to share with fellow fans.

At The Protego Foundation, we are Riddikulusly obsessed with fan art and fan fiction – just check out Season 2, Episode 10 of ProtegoCast with the folks at Fanatical Fics and Where to Find Them.

In February, we encouraged our talented supporters to share their inspiring and empowering creature-friendly creations. The theme? Creature liberation within the wizarding world!

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10 Vegan Recipes from "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

2/20/2022

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Harry Potter’s fifth year at Hogwarts is filled with emotions. Harry becomes the epitome of an angsty teenager as he has to put up with Umbridge’s regime, Dumbledore ignoring him, navigating a romantic relationship, and constantly attempting to prove that Voldemort is back. Most tragically, he ends up losing one of the people who mattered most to him – Sirius.

No one would be able to survive all of that without some good wizarding food. We’ve put together 10 veganized recipes from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for those times when you need to take a moment to ignore all of the intense things going on in your life.

Which will you choose when you fuel up for your next adventure?

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Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition Review

1/25/2022

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Located in Covent Garden, the new (and permanent!) Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition displays an extensive collection of behind-the-scenes photos, sketches, and original props and replicas from the movies.

As soon as you enter the premises, you’re greeted with the Weasleys’ flying Ford Anglia - before its trip in the Forbidden Forest, that is! A garland of Hogwarts letters leads you down the stairs (the exhibition is underground) to the start of the display.

We move through the exhibition in the same way that Harry discovered the wizarding world, starting with an oversized replica of Harry’s acceptance letter to Hogwarts and continuing on to a section devoted to Diagon Alley. Shop signs and original costumes are some of the special items that you might want to have a closer look at here.

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