By Lisa Rimmert, Vice President of Strategic Communications

As the fall semester ends and we gear up for spring outreach, these dedicated campus leafleters have inspired us with their incredible work for animals this semester. They’ve spread a message of compassion to hundreds of thousands of people, making a huge impact in bringing us closer to a vegan world.

Let’s take a look at what they’ve been up to this fall!

Jevranne Martel

Drawing on her experience as a life coach, Jevranne Martel stays upbeat and engages people in thoughtful conversations as she leaflets. As our lone Canada Outreach Coordinator, she keeps her schedule jam-packed, traveling from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island, advocating for the animals. This semester, Jevranne handed leaflets to 26,580 students and showed virtual reality slaughterhouse footage to 198.

Carlos Contreras

Carlos Contreras [above, left] joined Emmanuel Marquez as the two embarked on Vegan Outreach’s first-ever tours in Peru and Ecuador. Encouraged by the positive response in both countries, Carlos finished the semester in his home country of Mexico. He handed leaflets to 25,742 students at a total of 42 schools this semester and he showed virtual reality videos to 220 people.

Emmanuel Marquez

In addition to supporting outreach by numerous volunteers, Emmanuel Marquez personally showed virtual reality videos to 263 people—bringing his total to nearly 5,000 over the past two years! He also handed leaflets this semester to 28,690 people at 54 schools on outreach tours in Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru.

Sarai Garcia

Sarai Garcia wrapped up her second semester of leafleting with Vegan Outreach, covering New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In the spring, she handed leaflets to 13,200 students at 26 schools, and now she’s more than doubled those numbers! This fall, Sarai handed out 35,004 leaflets at 60 schools.

Sam Tucker

Sam Tucker has handed leaflets to 44,530 people throughout Australia and New Zealand, and he’s shown virtual reality videos to 396. He’s also helped develop leaflets for Australia outreach and was instrumental in creating and launching Vegan Outreach’s 10 Weeks to Vegan program in Australia and New Zealand.

Carlos Yanez

Carlos Yanez completed his first solo tour of the Southeast U.S. this semester. He set a personal record of handing out 1,756 leaflets at North Carolina State University on October 10^th, and overall this semester he handed out 49,436 leaflets at 74 schools.

Richa Mehta

This was Richa Mehta’s second semester with Vegan Outreach India. She handed leaflets to 24,775 people and showed virtual reality videos to 403. On top of that, she was instrumental in working with food companies to reduce their use of animal products and introduce vegan options.

Miguel Marron

Miguel Marron received a Vegan Outreach leaflet at his college, then started an animal rights club, volunteered for Vegan Outreach, and is now an employee. He celebrated his 14^th anniversary as a vegan in October, and we’re celebrating that he handed out 44,818 leaflets and showed 330 virtual reality videos this fall!

Sarah Weldon

Leafleting in the southern U.S., Sarah Weldon uses her experience as a Marine Corps veteran and reformed hunter to relate to people who are initially resistant to the vegan message. As a result, she handed out 53,164 leaflets this fall and has had many hunters and farmers shake her hand and thank her for having a genuine conversation with them.

Brian Chavez

Brian Chavez [above, middle] started leafleting with Vegan Outreach in Southern California and has traveled all over the midwest U.S. to spread veganism. Brian leaflets heavily during class changes, then during slow times he takes the opportunity to have more meaningful conversations with curious students. As a result, he has handed out 58,643 leaflets on 55 campuses, and so many people have told him they’re going veg!

Steve Erlsten

Last but certainly not least is Steve Erlsten. Steve began leafleting in an official capacity for Vegan Outreach in the fall of 2013—and he hasn’t stopped since! While handing leaflets to 71,925 students this semester, he reached—and exceeded—his goal of personally handing out one million pro-veg leaflets! Congratulations, Steve, and thank you for your dedication!

These activists’ work is far from flashy—they wake up early, lug heavy boxes, and remain on their feet for hours at a time. We’re happy to be able to celebrate them any chance we get. Thank you for helping us do so! And thank you, of course, to the donors whose generosity made this work possible!

If you want to honor these activists and see Vegan Outreach do even more for animals next year, please consider making a donation by December 31st. It will be matched dollar-for-dollar for twice the impact!

Thank you!

By Josie Moody, Office Manager

I’m still totally in love with one of Vegan Outreach’s most popular pieces of merchandise, created by VO donor David Barnett, the PopSocket!

What’s a PopSocket? It’s a flat piece of plastic that you stick to the back of your mobile device. You pop it up to create a grip to help you hold onto your phone, to act as a stand for your device, or to wrap your earbuds around to keep them accessible and to keep them from getting tangled. Learn more about it here.

PopSockets were created with the help of a Kickstarter campaign. Since going live in 2014, they’ve been the recipients of much acclaim—from NPR calling them “cool” to the Wall Street Journal noting that they’re the “best that they’ve seen” for creating an instant kickstand for your device.

What has been the best part of my PopSocket experience thus far? Something I’d never even considered—meeting more vegans! In one night, I met two vegans because they saw my customized Vegan Outreach PopSocket!

You too can show your support for Vegan Outreach by purchasing one of our custom PopSockets from the Vegan Outreach website for $10.

By Josie Moody, VO Office Manager

If you’re looking for vegan shoes, you’ve come to the right place—my husband Mitch and I have compiled a list of vegan shoes below!

First, there are a number of sites that sell only vegan shoes. Wills is one of Mitch’s favorites for buying professional work shoes.

Other vegan companies are MooShoes, Vegan Essentials, and The Vegetarian Site.

If you aren’t buying from one of the great sites listed above, one invaluable resource we discovered is Vegan Kicks. Vegan Kicks is dedicated to helping you find vegan shoes, avoid ones that aren’t, and contact companies to ask them to include vegan options.

Vegan Kicks includes information about the workers’ conditions in their yearly reports—Vegan Shoe Policies 2015.

After discovering fashionable options from all-vegan companies such as Native Shoes, Newton Running, Unstitched Utilities, Vegan Chic, and Xero Shoes—where you can make your own sandals!—I’ll be spending my money at businesses whose values align closely with mine.

A special shout out to Vans, who, as of this writing, has dozens of vegan options for toddlers, kids, and adults alike!

Are there any vegan shoe companies you didn’t see in the Vegan Shoe Policies 2015 list? Let us know in the comments below!

By Josie Moody, VO Office Manager

They say dogs are a man’s—or woman’s!—best friend, and here at Vegan Outreach we consider ourselves a best friend to animals. Our new collar combines the best of both worlds! Show your favorite furry friend how much you care about all animals by ordering one here today!

The VO collar is:

• black synthetic webbing with woven VO logos;
• includes side release buckle, slide adjuster, and D-ring hardware;
• 3/4″ wide and 12″ to 20″ long (size medium);
• made in the USA;
• $12, plus shipping.

(A very special thanks to our adorable model, Tiger!)

By Josie Moody, VO Office Manager

The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty was so full of wonderful recipes, and I just had to share more with you here (see Part I as well). For those who aren’t familiar with how the beauty industry contributes to animal cruelty, authors Sunny Subramanian and Chrystle Fiedler gently walk you through the issues involved, outlining why “animal testing is cruel, unnecessary, and inaccurate.”

I love all the tidbits explaining the various uses of common household ingredients—I’m talking about you, coconut oil!—as well as the appendices that include a list of favorite natural, organic ingredients and what they do, and a list of vegan-friendly beauty brands.

Enjoy another sampling of these compassionate recipes below!

Lavender Mint No-Poo

I hate washing my hair, but my hair can look oily if I go more than two days without. Enter this fabulous (dry) shampoo! Hair powders such as this (aka dry shampoo) absorb the excess oil from your scalp between washings. If your hair is dark, some powders can be visible on the hair, so the authors offer helpful variations for folks with dark or red hair that will blend better. Kaolin clay was not available at the natural foods co-op where I bought my supplies, but the helpful woman in the Wellness Department suggested I use French green clay instead. As the name states, it is indeed green clay, but the color was not noticeable in my highlighted hair.

Ingredients

• 5 teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons kaolin clay (I used French green clay)
• 5 drops lavender essential oil (or essential oil of your choice)
• 5 drops peppermint essential oil (or essential oil of your choice)

Directions

1. In blender, combine arrowroot powder, kaolin clay, lavender essential oil, and peppermint essential oil. Blend until well combined. Pour into jar.
2. Shake mixture or apply with a clean makeup brush onto roots of dry, unwashed hair. Let stand on hair for a few minutes.
3. Brush hair until all powder is removed.
4. Store at room temperature for up to 6 months.

__________________________________________________

Flax Seed Body Scrub

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sweet almond, coconut, olive, or jojoba oil
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions

1. In a blender, puree together sweet almond oil, flax seeds, and sugar until smooth. (Or, in a small bowl, whisk ingredients together.)
2. Using hands, massage a small amount of scrub all over skin in the shower, using circular motions.
3. Rinse skin with warm water and pat dry with a towel. Follow with your favorite body moisturizer.

Pro-tip

• Be sure to use a hair trap in the bathtub when you use this, and be prepared to wipe down the tub afterwards. I ground my own flax seed in a coffee grinder, so I think that next time I’ll make sure to grind it finer. I modified the recipe by adding orange essential oil, now that, thanks to this book, I’ve discovered how great essential oils are! They mention that you can follow this scrub with a favorite body moisturizer, but I found that I didn’t need to, since this scrub exfoliates and moisturizes.

Do you have a favorite body care recipe or site you’d like to share with us? Mention it in the comments below!

By Josie Moody, VO Office Manager

The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty by Sunny Subramanian and Chrystle Fiedler is so much more than a guide! It’s an awesome, easy-to-read encyclopedia on hair, skin care and beauty products, and, despite the title, it’s not geared only towards women. It’s accessible and full of so much information about why you should be vegan, what ingredients and cruelty go into many traditional beauty products, and of course tons of recipes. Now you’ll know EXACTLY what’s going into your body care products and on to your body! Bonus—it’s chock full of beautiful photography by Vegan Outreach’s own Michelle Cehn!

There was so much that I wanted to share with you, that I’ve decided to divide this blog post into two parts. Stay tuned for Part II!

Peppermint Toothpaste

I’m a practical person, and I just happened to get this book the same day that I wrote “toothpaste” on my shopping list, so that was the first concoction I decided to create.

This recipe was so easy—I thought maybe I’d missed a step! I’d never used essential oils before, and I fell in love with the peppermint scent…it wasn’t overwhelming the way that synthetic fragrances can be, it was just a bright, appealing smell.

There’s an option to add stevia for taste, and I enjoyed it both with and without the added sweetness. I’m a salt-aholic, so I didn’t mind that this was very salty tasting, but for those who aren’t, I’d suggest halving the amount of salt this recipe calls for and then adding more, bit by bit, until you get the taste just right.

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 packet stevia (optional)
• 15 drops peppermint essential oil
• Coconut oil

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together baking soda, sea salt, stevia (if using), and peppermint essential oil until well combined.
2. Mash in coconut oil, a little at a time, until a paste forms and the mixture is the desired consistency. Spoon into jar.
3. Dip a clean toothbrush into toothpaste. Moisten with water and brush teeth. Rinse mouth with water.
4. Store at room temperature for up to 6 months.

__________________________________________________

Hair Spray-bilizer

This DIY hair spray is no joke! My hair is very fine, so I liked this because it added both texture and control. I’d compare this to an ultra-hold hair spray, so you may want to add less sugar if you’re looking for less hold. My biggest concern was that hummingbirds were going to swarm my head, but as of this writing, it hasn’t happened yet. A final note—the spray bottle I used shot more of a stream than a spray, so make sure that you’re using a bottle that will actually spritz your head to hold that style!

Ingredients

• 1 cup filtered water
• 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 4 to 6 drops essential oil of your choice (optional)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring water just to a simmer. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat. Let cool completely.
2. Stir in essential oil (if using). Using funnel, pour into bottle.
3. Spray mixture over styled hair to set in place.
4. Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

There’s more of Sunny and Chrystle’s DIY goodness to come, so be sure to look for more recipes in an upcoming blog post! In the meanwhile, be sure to check out Sunny’s blog, Vegan Beauty Review.