Celebrating World Environment Day | 80% Partner Renewal | 30,000 Students Engaged!

In the previous quarter, heat waves in India and the El Niño event reminded us that the climate is changing rapidly. However, we also encountered numerous individuals who, like us, are committed to positively impacting the fight against climate change by choosing a vegan lifestyle. Here are some key highlights from the last quarter.

More than 80% of our GT Partners Renewed Their Pledges!

This World Environment Day, our existing Green Tuesday Initiative partners pledged to continue their fight against climate change by reducing animal product consumption. More than 80% of institutions and organizations that implemented the Green Tuesday Initiative have renewed their pledges and agreed to continue inspiring their employees to eat plant-based food to reduce their food-related carbon footprint.

Awareness webinars organized at TATA Power.

Highlights of last quarter:

  • Hetero Limited has been a Green Tuesday Initiative partner since 2019. They renewed another year of partnership as a commitment to food sustainability, continuing to serve meat-free meals daily across their campuses.
  • TATA Power joined the Green Tuesday Initiative. As part of the World Environment Month celebration, they served plant-based food throughout June. To kick off the campaign, we conducted a webinar on “Fighting Climate Change with Diet Change,” which drew over 75 engineers from their Dharavi campus.
  • We welcomed SRM University to the Green Institute Initiative.
    • SRM’s Hotel Management Department will reduce their use of animal products by 2,268 kgs/5,000 pounds of chicken, 22,680 eggs, 3,780 kgs/8,333 pounds of paneer (cottage cheese), and 11,340 liters of milk annually.
    • They also added a module on vegan cooking to their catering curriculum. This will help 1,000+ hotel management students to learn vegan cooking.
    • SRM Institute’s Kattankulathur hostel will reduce their use of animal products by 10,080 kgs/22,223 pounds of chicken, 100,800 eggs, and 50,400 liters of milk annually along with adding plant-based options every day.

In June, we achieved a notable milestone, reaching 51% of our annual goal. This accomplishment translates to a reduction of 255,300 kgs/562,840 pounds of animal products.

Awareness webinars organized at TATA Power.

We Are Halfway Through Our Goals!

We are excited to share that more than 30,000 students signed up for the 10 Weeks to Vegan program in the first half of 2024. Here are some key highlights from the last quarter:

  • 11,822 students signed up for the 10 Weeks to Vegan program last quarter.
  • 239 colleges participated in the Food Planet Health webinars.
  • 56 webinars were organized.

We also organized one of the biggest webinars in the last quarter with the Industrial Training Institute, Tarsali, Vadodara, where 1,132 students from different departments participated and learned about speciesism.

 

Left: One of our Food Planet Health sessions at CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University. Right: Our Outreach Coordinator, Nija Dhillon, conducting a Food Planet Health session at ITI, Tarsali.

A Special Thank You!

Our achievements in helping animals and inspiring thousands to go vegan wouldn’t be possible without our incredible supporters. We would like to give a special shout-out to our incredible supporter Yvonne. Her unwavering support empowers us to do more for animals. Thank you, Yvonne, for your dedication and generosity.

Join Us in Making a Difference!

Our journey is far from over, and we need your support to continue making a difference. Your donations help us reach more institutions, educate more people, and save more animals. Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a significant impact.

Become a monthly sustainer.

With Gratitude,

Richa Mehta

Creamy Cashew Vegan Mac and Cheese

Cashew Vegan Mac and Cheese, Easy Recipe

Creamy Cashew Mac and Cheese. This is one of our favorite recipes from the 10 Weeks to Vegan mentor group using cashews and vegan cheese.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1-1/4 cups raw cashews, soaked for 3 hours or more
  • 1 -1/4 cups plain, unsweetened vegan milk of choice
  • 3 cloves peeled garlic
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp paprika powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite vegan cheese, cheddar style, shredded

Directions:

Drain the soaked and softened cashews. Add all the ingredients except for the cheese to a high-speed blender. Blend well.
Stir in the cheese and then toss with hot, freshly cooked pasta and serve.

Retro Vegan Mac and Cheese

Retro Vegan Mac and Cheese, Easy Recipe

Alex Bury first made this recipe in 1998—back when we didn’t have good vegan cheeses. It’s cheap, easy, and yummy! We think it’s stood the test of time.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Whisk together dry ingredients, then mix in water, oil, mustard, and apple cider vinegar. Gently cook on medium-low heat, whisking often, until it thickens. Taste and adjust seasonings. If you want it thinner, add more water.

Stir into hot, freshly cooked pasta and serve.

Vegan Advocacy in India



Since 2016, Vegan Outreach has been working to end violence toward farmed animals in India. With the demand for meat and dairy rising in the country, we’ve been working to educate the masses on more compassionate food choices.

Starting with an international expansion tour, the India team has now grown to 10 staff and a country-wide volunteer network. From outreach and education programs in colleges to institutional campaigns, read on to know more about how we’re helping animals in India.

Inspiring thousands of students to go vegan

Vegan Outreach’s dedicated staff and volunteers conduct in-person and online outreach programs at over 3,122 colleges and high school campuses each year, as well as at festivals, fairs, and conventions in 28 states.

Our Adopt A College program involves interactive classroom presentations, showing virtual reality videos, and tabling with our persuasive booklets to raise awareness about the suffering of animals raised for food. We focus on reaching the people who are motivated enough to make changes now—of which there are always many in our target audience of college students.

Support for making changes

We conduct outreach with the aim of signing people up for our 10 Weeks to Vegan guided challenge. Everyone who signs up receives weekly emails or WhatsApp messages with easy recipes, product recommendations, nutrition information, and lots of motivation. The content is tailored for an Indian audience and available in both English and Hindi.

We also offer a free mentorship program for those who need one-on-one support in making the transition.

The Green Tuesday Initiative

In addition to in-person outreach, Vegan Outreach also runs the Green Tuesday Initiative, a campaign to help companies, educational institutions reduce their environmental footprint by introducing plant-based food policies.

So far, we’ve helped 53 educational institutions and corporate offices in India implement more sustainable food policies and reduce large quantities of animal products from their menus. Some of our recent victories include our latest success with Tech Mahindra which implemented the Green Tuesday Initiative at their newly opened campus in Pune to reduce their animal product consumption up to 20%.

Read more about our latest campaign successes here.

Our impact in numbers

By steadily increasing the number of vegans we’re laying the groundwork to more quickly reach a tipping point. Here’s our success in numbers:

  • 212,607 students signed up for our 10 Weeks to Vegan guided challenge.
  • 3,122 colleges and high schools visited in 24 states.
  • 211,740 students attended classroom presentations and attended webinars.
  • 26,333 people watched virtual reality videos.
  • 1,418,984 people reached with informative vegan leaflets.
  • 53 universities, corporate offices, and hostels joined the Green Tuesday Initiative.

Excited to join the movement? Here’s how.

Our work is possible because of generous supporters. Make a donation today to help animals in India!

We also need dedicated volunteers to help us reach more students and community members to spare more animals from suffering. With just a few hours of your time, you can change several dozen students’ lives forever. Sign up via our Volunteer Form.

Tomato Gazpacho (Cold Tomato Soup)

Recipe by Lena, 10 Weeks to Vegan, Japan Consultant

Here is my favorite soup that I make on sizzling, hot summer days. It’s a super easy but nutritious soup for busy bees!



Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of chilled tomato juice
  • 1 tbsp of chilled coconut cream
  • Salt to taste
  • Drizzle of oil (olive, coconut, flax, hemp, etc.) (optional)
  • Nutritional yeast (optional)
  • Vegan cheese (optional)

Directions:

  1. Pour tomato juice into your favorite bowl.
  2. Mix in coconut cream and salt to taste.
  3. Top with oil, nutritional yeast, or vegan cheese.

Processed Vegan Meats: Faux or Friend?

By Chef Alex Bury, Vice-President of Development

tofurky-roasted-red-pepper-panini
Tofurky’s Roasted Red Pepper Panini

I went vegan in 1995 while living in Anchorage, Alaska. We didn’t have many vegan options back then! And I made all the newbie mistakes.

For a few years, I tried not to eat processed foods or vegan meats (also known as “faux” meats). It didn’t work well for me. I was often hungry and sometimes had low energy.

A friend of mine had a similar experience and wrote about it (see Story from a Once-Failing, Now-Thriving Vegan).

There’s some scary information floating around about vegan meats. But here at Vegan Outreach, we’re big fans!

Vegan meats can make the transition to a vegan diet easier. They provide the familiar and satisfying meal experiences you’re used to without hurting animals. You can use your favorite traditional recipes by replacing the meat with vegan meat. It’s convenient. It’s fast. It’s delicious.

These days, you can choose from so many different vegan meats it’s almost ridiculous! Here are some of my favorites:

  • Lunchtime sandwiches with Tofurky deli slices, mustard, mayo, and lettuce
  • Gardein fish filets with coleslaw
  • Burgers or hot dogs with tater tots and a side salad

I love almost all the burgers in the freezer section, from Beyond to Gardein to Impossible to Field Roast.

Another important reason to eat vegan meat is that it might be a convenient way to get protein. While there are other high-protein vegan foods, such as tofu and beans, most vegan meats made from soy or wheat gluten contain more protein than any other plant foods.

Many new vegans are nervous about eating vegan meats. Diets consisting of vegetables, but not enough protein or calories can make you tired. You might only feel energetic if you eat higher amounts of protein.

Vegan meats can help you feel full, satiated, and emotionally comforted. They prevent animals from suffering and help show your non-veg friends that vegan food is familiar.​​ They can help you meet your protein needs and feel more energetic.

While vegan meats may not be for every vegan, we hope you’ll try adding them to your diet for a few weeks to see how you like them!

Lasagna

lasagna

By Jack Norris

While in Cincinnati visiting my family, my mom made a delicious vegan lasagna that had even the non-vegans at the table going for second helpings. Here’s how she made it:

  • 1 lb lasagna noodles
  • 1 lb meatless crumbles (any brand)
  • 2 x 24 oz bottles tomato basil or marinara sauce
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  •  5 oz fresh spinach
  • 16 oz fresh button mushrooms – sliced
  • 2 x 10 oz Teese mozzarella – sliced and cut in small pieces
  • Large pan – we used 17″ x 12″ x 3″

Directions:

Boil noodles as per box. Mix crumbles and sauce in a bowl. Divide noodles, crumbles and sauce, spinach, and mushrooms, and Teese into thirds. In a large pan put down one layer in this order:

  • One-third noodles (if any left over after covering pan bottom, place vertically along sides)
  • One-third crumbles and sauce
  • Sprinkle salt and pepper
  • One-third spinach and mushrooms
  • One-third Teese

Repeat two more times.

Serves about 8-10.

Beany Bites

By Wendy Gabbe Day, Guest Contributor

Raising Vegan Kids—Protein-Packed Snacks!

Beans, beans, the protein-packed snack, the more my kids eat, the more they come back—for seconds! Beans are little super foods. They’re an excellent source of protein, complex carbs, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

And best of all, beans are inexpensive and super versatile. I blend beans into sauces, mash them into oatmeal, toss them on veggies and main dishes, and even whip them into creamy dips and desserts.

My kids love hand-held snacks, so these beany bites are perfect to munch on at home or to pack along on adventures. These bites are very easy and quick to make, and a wonderful nutrient-dense snack for any time of the day.

Beans-2

Beany Bites

Yields 3 ½-4 cups.

Ingredients

  • 3 ½-4 cups cooked beans (i.e., kidney, pinto, etc.)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (melted)
  • Salt
  • Onion powder

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  2. Drain and rinse beans—if using canned. Pat dry with a towel.
  3. In a large bowl, toss beans with soy sauce, vinegar, and coconut oil.
  4. Arrange beans in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt and onion powder.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. They’ll still be soft and a bit moist. Bake longer if you want a drier texture.

Recipe Tips/Variations

  • You can toss the beans with a little barbecue sauce or ketchup in step 3 above. And feel free to sprinkle with garlic powder, pepper, thyme, oregano—or any spices you enjoy!

Gungjung Tteokbokki (Royal Court Rice Cake)

Vegan Gungjung Tteokbokki or Royal Court Rice Cake Recipe

Tteokbokki, a Korean dish, is typically known for its spicy flavor, but this recipe has a soy sauce base, giving it a different twist.

Ingredients:

Tteokbokki

  • 20 pieces of rice cake for ‘tteokbokki’
  • Mushrooms (any variety works)
  • 1/2 cup of carrot
  • 1/2 cup of onion
  • 1/2 cup of cabbage
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • Cooking oil

Sauce

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • Black pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. If the tteokbokki rice cake is too firm, soak it in lukewarm water until it becomes soft.
  2. Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Cut the mushrooms, carrots, and onions into bite-sized pieces and mince the garlic.
  4. Heat oil in a pan, lightly sauté the minced garlic, then add the mushrooms, carrots, onions, and cabbage. Stir-fry until the onions become translucent.
  5. Add the rice cake and the prepared sauce to the pan. Continuously stir-fry until the sauce coats the rice cakes (about 5 minutes).
  6. Bon Appétit!

Women Making a Difference at Vegan Outreach!

March was Women’s History Month, and in this newsletter, I’m excited to share some amazing campaign successes by the women of Vegan Outreach in India and Vietnam. Scroll down to learn what inspired Astha Gupta to leave her city life and live with animals in a sanctuary and how Nija and Sarani inspired students to go vegan.

Bhavya and Sowndarya Help Companies Reduce Animal Product Consumption in India

In the last quarter, Tech Mahindra Ltd. implemented the Green Tuesday Initiative at their newly opened Pune campus. They’ve also added vegan milk options for their employees. Bhavya Vatrapu, our Senior Campaign Manager, India & Vietnam, has been working with the Tech Mahindra team since 2021. She aims to implement the campaign in all Tech Mahindra campuses across India. The change last quarter will replace ~53,000 kgs/116,845 pounds of chicken with plant-based food and make vegan milk accessible to 17,000 employees.

Left: Sowndarya Ganesan and Bhavya Vatrapu with Tech Mahindra Pune Zone Head, Vishy Shaligram; Right: We got served Soy lattes during our meeting.

First Green Tuesday Initiative Win in Vietnam!

In March, we had our first significant win in Vietnam. Trang Vương, our Green Tuesday Initiative Consultant, helped FPT Corporation add vegan options by replacing meat dishes in their cafeteria. FPT Corporation has implemented the campaign in their Ho Chi Minh City campus.  Read More about the success here!

Trang is a vegan advocate based in Ho Chi Minh City. She joined the Green Tuesday Initiative since January and will be working with corporations and educational institutions in Vietnam.

Nija and Sarani Inspire Students to Try Vegan!

Ninja Dhillon and Sarani Bhattacharya have inspired 8,593 students to try veganism in the last quarter. Nija, our Outreach Coordinator from Gujarat, organized 25 webinars in the first quarter of 2024 in the western states of India. Sarani Bhattacharya, a nutritionist turned activist, has been working in the eastern states of India and has also organized 11 webinars.

Why Astha Decided to Live in an Animal Sanctuary?

Astha Gupta, our Outreach Coordinator has been with Vegan Outreach since 2018 and has reached out to thousands of students through college outreach programs. Let’s hear why Astha moved her entire life to Kerala to live in an animal sanctuary.

Our staff is doing massive outreach to spread veganism, and every day brings us a step closer to ending animal suffering. Monthly giving helps us plan effectively.

Become a monthly sustainer.



With Gratitude, 

Richa Mehta