In the previous issue of Poultry Press we reported on the horrific plucking of live ducks and geese to obtain feathers and down (the soft breast feathers of birds) for “comforters” and winter clothing. See Poultry Press Winter-Spring 2013: www.upc-online.org/pp/spring2013/feathers_ripped.html

• Don’t EVER buy a coat, jacket, comforter, pillow or any other clothing, bedding or household product filled or decorated with feathers/down, fur or fleece. Read labels. If down/feathers or other animal products are involved, skip the purchase and choose an item made with synthetic materials only. Inform the store’s customer service department how down/feather-filled products originate and why you refuse to buy them. There are plenty of luxuriant, super warm feather-free products available. Educate your family and friends and look for opportunities to write letters to the editor & participate in online media forums about the cruelty of down/feather products.
  
  
• When making hotel reservations, arrange in advance to have only fiber/polyester-filled pillows/coverlets in your room when you arrive. Explain that you want this guarantee the same as no smoking. When you get to the front desk the day of your arrival, reiterate your request for feather-free pillows, and when you get to your room, examine the pillows! Remove the pillow slips until you get to the pillow and READ THE TAG. It will say if the pillow filler is down/feathers or polyester. If down/feather pillows are in your room, call the front desk and ask that the pillows be immediately removed and replaced with feather-free pillows. Politely inform hotel personnel that you are ALLERGIC TO ANIMAL ABUSE and that their “pillow policy” will influence your future hotel choices.
  
  
• Urge LOEWS HOTELS & RESORTS to replace their down pillows with feather-free pillows. Explain your reasons and request a written reply.
  
  Paul W. Whetsell, President & CEO
  Director of Public Relations
  667 Madison Avenue
  New York, NY 10065
  Phone: 212-521-2000
  
  Sarah Murov
  Loews Hotels Corporate Head Office
  667 Madison Avenue
  New York, NY 10065
  Phone: 212-521-2495
  Email: smurov@loewshotels.com
  
  
  
• Urge L.L. BEAN to replace their feather/down-filled wearing apparel with feather/down-free materials. If L.L. Bean tells you they require their vendors to source their materials using only suppliers who adhere to ethical procedures and practices (i.e., slaughterhouse products) politely reply that manufacturers and retailers who say they don’t use down from live-plucked birds cannot prove their claim and that slaughterhouse feathers do not derive from “ethical procedures and practices.” Contact:
  
  Carolyn Beem, Manager, Corporate Affairs
  L.L. Bean, 15 Casco Street, Freeport, Maine 04033
  Phone: 800-813-7309; 800-441-5713
  Fax: 207-552-3080
  Call from UK: 0-800-891-297
  Website: www.llbean.com (Scroll down to Customer Service to send them an Email.)