By Kimberly Moffatt, Outreach Coordinator

A few weeks ago, I detailed my vegan food adventures for the early summer trip my partner and I took to the beautiful country of Costa Rica. This week, I’ll fill you in on the types of activities we did while visiting.

As many of you can probably relate, we didn’t want to go to tourist attractions that exploited animals or humans. We were careful in our planning and found some fun activities that allowed us to explore different parts of the country and see many different types of animals in their natural environment.

Jon and I knew that we wanted to hike, spend a lot of time outdoors, and hang around the beach, so we decided to start off by doing the Two Volcano Extreme Hike in Fortuna. There were three guides that took us on a 12-mile hike through Cerro Chato—a dormant volcano—which offered incredible views of Arenal Volcano.

When we got to the top of Cerro Chato, we scrambled down to Emerald Lake for a quick dip and lunch break. After splashing around in the lake, we spent a good three hours hiking back down to what looked like the gallimimus herd flocking scene in Jurassic Park. We had one more view of the Arenal Volcano before we were taken to a hot spring to relax.

Our next stop was Monteverde, where we did a night hike to see nocturnal animals. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the ecosystems and animals in the area. We saw many spiders and frogs, a sleeping motmot bird, and two kinkajous. The next day, we hiked the Sky Walk Hanging Bridges, and let me tell you, it’s a surreal world up there.

In between each bridge, we walked through lush jungles. We saw a family of howler monkeys moving through the treetops, hummingbirds—who were not shy at all, toucans, and other types of birds. On the taller bridges, we watched the clouds roll in and out, and we were blown away by the beauty.

At the end of our trip, we decided to head to the town of Manuel Antonio. We spent an entire day wandering around, enjoying the beach, and hiking in Manuel Antonio National Park. The trails were relatively easy and we saw a lot of wildlife, including a poison arrow frog, sloths, squirrel monkeys, raccoons, a coati, iguanas, and capuchins—just to name a few. The beaches were beautiful, as were the views from higher elevations. We relaxed on the beach and watched raccoons and capuchins try to steal people’s belongings and food.

Overall, Costa Rica is a great place to visit! There are several animal and human-friendly activities to do. And with a little bit of preparation, there’s good vegan food to enjoy while touring the country. If you’re like me and enjoy traveling, I highly recommend adding Costa Rica to your list of places to go! You won’t be disappointed!

By Lori Stultz, Communications Manager

When I think back on my journey to veganism, I feel an extreme amount of gratitude for the local vegan group that was already established in the city I was living in. I had people around me who could answer my questions and recommend different resources to help me better understand the wide scale violence against animals.

Thankfully, I never lacked a community or felt completely alone. And having met many other vegans over the course of my vegan journey, I know my experience is not typical. A good majority of them are quick to tell me how they feel lonely and isolated.

That’s why I’m taking the time to introduce Vegr, a soon-to-launch online tool where vegans will be able to connect with other vegans based on specific interests and locations. Whether you’re looking for a vegan running partner, someone to share vegan recipes with, or you’re needing advice on how to organize a circus protest, Vegr will be able to meet those needs.

And while Vegr can act as a tool for vegans to seek out a like-minded romantic partner, its primary goal is to provide resources for those wanting to find and build a vegan community.

Founders, Gerry Warren and Alex Moller describe it best—

The world does not need another dating app. Vegr is a tool. A tool that will be used to connect plant-based people all over the world… and pave a road for, as they put it, ‘us to meet more of us.‘

Before sending you off to the Vegr website, here are a few other things you should know—

• Vegr is in the process of building an online movement before launching an Indiegogo campaign. The goal of the campaign is to bring the Vegr project to life to then deliver it to the vegan community and backers who believe the world benefits when the plant-based community is united.
• They’ve been featured in large media publications, including Vegan Magazine, About Time Magazine, Global Vegans, Living Clean Now, and Gary TV.
• Vegr plans to give 10% of their profits to support vegan related causes.

We’ll announce the launch of Vegr’s Indiegogo campaign in the coming months, as well as the release of the tool itself. In the meantime, check them out their website, Facebook page, and other various social media channels.

By Janet Kearney, Guest Contributor

It’s that time of year again. Parents jaded from the long days of summer, buying backpacks and notebooks, checking bus schedules, and daydreaming about the glass of wine they’ll be treating themselves to after all is said and done.

Yep, it’s back to school season.

As vegans with young children, we also have the added worry of school lunches and influences from our kids’ friends.

My son, Oliver, is starting Pre-K this year. At age four, he is aware that we don’t eat animal products, but he also doesn’t fully understand everything about veganism. Kids want to be like their friends, and my husband and I worry that he might get picked on for his packed vegan meal while his friends eat the macaroni and cheese served at the school cafeteria. Or that he might be bashful on Fridays explaining why he doesn’t participate in “Pizza Friday.”

The last few weeks, my husband and I have been preparing Oliver—and ourselves—for dealing with school and food. We’ve done a few things to help make the situation easier, and I thought it might be helpful if I share a few suggestions.

Everyone is Different and That’s OK!
We spoke to my son about how some of his friends have allergies and can’t eat certain foods. We explained that, like his friends with food allergies, he doesn’t eat certain foods, and that it’s OK to be different.

A community member on the Vegan and Pregnancy Facebook page shared with the group how she tells her kids that the dinosaurs were all different—some were herbivores and some were omnivores. We shared this analogy with Oliver and now he thinks he’s a herbivore giant. When his friends ask him why he isn’t eating something they’re eating, he proudly tells them that he’s a dinosaur and roars.

Coming up with something creative and fun that your kids can relate to and tell their friends may help eliminate feelings of confusion or “differentness.”

Teach Them About Food
When I go grocery shopping, I’ll show Oliver the different foods our family chooses not to eat, like fish sticks and chicken nuggets, and gently explain to him why we don’t buy them. I encourage him to help get the foods we do eat—by letting him grab them off the shelves—and that helps him visually remember those items.

It might be helpful for you, like it has been for us, to encourage your child to participate in the grocery shopping. Not only will it help them understand why the family chooses not to eat animal products, but it may also help them feel empowered and proud of the vegan foods that are packed in their lunch boxes.

Meal Plan
Try to plan meals with your kids on the weekends before mid-week stressors pop up and you find yourself scrambling to put together a nutritious lunch that your kids will eat. Ask them to tell you what they want and don’t want to eat for the week.

Similar to involving them in the grocery shopping, it may help your kids feel more comfortable and confident at lunch time. It will also be less stressful for you as the parent because there’s a better chance they’ll eat their lunch and feel satisfied through the rest of the school day.

I’m also sensing a lot of cupcake requests—sorry!

Reach Out
Don’t be afraid to tell teachers, other school staff members, and the parents of your kids’ friends that your child is vegan. You can ask staff to watch your child a little closer during meal times. You can also let the school nurse know that there might be tummy pain if your child accidentally ingests dairy or other animal foods they don’t normally eat.

There will most likely be mistakes and stumbling along the way, but this isn’t about perfection. It can be a challenge to raise vegan children in a non-vegan world. And one of the most important things you can do for yourself is to know that you’re not alone. For more tips and discussions about raising vegan children, check out the Vegan Pregnancy and Parenting Facebook page and the newly launched accompanying website.

Janet is the Founder of the Vegan Pregnancy and Parenting Facebook page—which has 27,000+ members—as well as one of the contributors to the Vegan Pregnancy and Parenting website. For more information about Janet and these vegan parenting resources, check out her recent interview with Vegan Outreach.

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 Kimberly Moffatt, Outreach Coordinator

Costa Rica is a country I’ve wanted to visit for years, and I finally made it there this summer. I had the joy of sharing the experience with my partner, Jon.

In the first of this two part series, I’ll share about our vegan eating experiences while touring this beautiful country. In part two, I’ll give the details about the activities we did in between eating!

The first day, we flew into the country’s capital, San José. We stayed in an Airbnb and had access to a kitchen. We made rice and lentils that evening. In the morning we took a bus to La Fortuna, where we stayed at local lodge in the jungle. We had our own bungalow and pool—and the most amazing view of the beautiful Arenal Volcano!

The lodge provided breakfast each morning that consisted of rice and beans, fried plantains, fresh fruit, juice, and delicious Costa Rican coffee. Before digging in, we made sure the rice and beans weren’t made with lard or chicken stock (as that’s pretty common).

While staying in La Fortuna, we did the Two Volcano Extreme Hike. Lunch was provided for us, and consisted of fruit juice, fresh fruit, chips, and a sandwich made with veggies and mushrooms. It wasn’t the most exciting lunch, but for us, it was better than non-vegan food or going hungry! We also found a local fruit market and decided to try a few fruits we’d never had before.

Thanks to Happy Cow, we found a sushi restaurant nearby called Kappa Sushi. The restaurant offered a full vegan menu—including a sushi boat! It had a mixture of plantain rolls, fried tofu skins, vegetable rolls, and other vegan items.

The next day we headed to Monteverde. We checked into our hostel, Monteverde Backpackers—and to our surprise—it had a full kitchen! We walked to a nearby grocery store to pick up a few items, and we ended up chatting with another traveler who invited us to continue our chat over a meal. We cooked green beans, potato and bean tacos, broccoli, and we prepared a small salad with papaya. Our meals for the next few days were roughly the same.

The last few days of our trip were open, so we decided, last minute, to head to Manuel Antonio. Our final hostel also had a kitchen, so we made our favorite bean and potato tacos, and enjoyed more plantain chips than we care to admit.

Manuel Antonio State Park was closed on the Monday we planned to visit, so instead we explored the small town and enjoyed espresso at a local restaurant. There was a coffee shop near our hostel, and it offered soy and almond milk. I ordered a black cold brew and Jon enjoyed a fresh coconut. There weren’t many options to eat in this tourist town, so we cooked for ourselves the remainder of our stay.

While it’s a bit trickier eating out, the grocery stores always offered a wide variety of whole foods—ideal if you have a kitchen—and many packaged vegan items. You can buy soy and almond milk, as well as other specialty foods. However, the prices on those items tend to be marked up quite a bit.

If you’re vegan and interested in going to Costa Rica, rest assured that—even if you have to get a little creative—you can enjoy the beautiful environment and eat completely vegan! I’d recommend staying in a few places where you can cook your own food and pack vegan snack foods for the times you need fuel in a pinch—Jon and I packed a lot of granola, and Clif and LUNA bars for snacking.

And now that you’ve got the scoop on the vegan grub, we’ll see you back here in a few weeks when I share all the fun activities we did while touring the country!