By Katia Rodríguez, VO Mexico Campaigns and Spanish Media Coordinator

Last month, Emmanuel Márquez, Vegan Outreach’s Mexico Outreach Coordinator, and I were invited to the Gira Expo Conciencia Animal (GECA), a tour of events that promotes respect for animals, namely dogs and cats. GECA travels to various areas throughout our Mexican state, Nuevo Léon, and includes conferences, adoption opportunities, and spaying and neutering services.

It was a great occasion to do outreach because the people attending the event were already interested in helping animals. We felt that these individuals would be open to expanding their circle of compassion to farmed animals, but that they needed to be informed about the abuses that take place on factory farms.

Emmanuel and I, along with Vegan Outreach volunteers Constanza Zuñiga, Luis Zepeda, Carlos Contreras, and Ángel Ramírez set up a table at the GECA event in Monterrey, Nuevo Léon with information and tablets for Pay Per View (PPV).

For those of you unfamiliar with PPV, it’s an effective form of outreach where people are typically paid a few dollars to view a short video that briefly describes the inhumane treatment of animals in the meat and dairy industries. Immediately following the video, viewers are prompted with a survey asking how likely they are to make changes to their diet.

Instead of paying people money at this event, we decided to give them a pack of vegan chocolate cookies instead. We wanted to debunk the myth that vegan food has no taste or is not good. Everybody loved them!

More than 150 people saw the video and over 300 received a leaflet. Most people who stopped to watch the video expressed interest in making changes to their eating habits! We engaged in some good conversations and invited everyone to visit the Spanish section of the Vegan Outreach website. We also told them about the Spanish Vegan Mentor Program, Programa Mentor Vegano.

Overall, this was a great and effective outreach event!

Vegan Outreach’s Director of Outreach, Victor Sjodin, will be presenting “Leafleting 101: The Art and Science of Personal Advocacy” at the Conference on Animal Rights in Europe (CARE). This event will be hosted in Warsaw, Poland on Friday, July 29 – Sunday, July 31, 2016.

Thank you, Victor, for taking this important message to our friends in Eastern Europe!

By Lisa Rimmert, VO Director of Development

Now is not the time.

This is not the place.

Those thoughts entered my brain last night and this morning as I considered bringing up a sensitive topic at the Animal Rights National Conference (ARNC), which begins today in Los Angeles.

The topic? Police brutality. State sanctioned violence against black men. Racism in general. What white animal rights activists like me can and should do about it.

Perhaps now you’re thinking, “It has nothing to do with us.” I have felt similarly. I too have those thoughts inside my head, telling me that this isn’t my business, that it’s not my place to say anything, that violence against black people has nothing to do with violence against animals. But after listening to black voices, including those of my coworkers, I will make it a point to ignore those thoughts in my head.

As many people have said, “Black lives matter more than white feelings.” People are being murdered. It’s too important not to address. And I’m precisely the person to say something.

As an animal rights activist, I stand for justice—for everyone. I stand against oppression in all forms. I speak up against violence, period.

As a white person, it’s my duty to use my privilege to speak up. And if you’re a white person reading this, it’s your duty too.

Yes, it’s uncomfortable to wade into the racial justice “arena.” I worry that I won’t say the right thing, do the right thing, be a perfect ally. I worry that people will judge me or misconstrue what I say. I worry that people will think my support of the Black Lives Matter movement means I condone or support killing cops (I don’t). But I need to recognize that, while I have the luxury of deciding whether to address this issue, my black friends and colleagues don’t have that choice. They’re living this. There’s no “arena” for them—there’s just everyday life. The black men who are being shot and killed by police are their brothers, fathers, uncles, and sons. With privilege comes responsibility.

There’s a lot of information online about what white people can do right now. A Google search will yield many great results. Some actions seem too small, but it’s the little things that accumulate to create cultures of injustice, so we need to change the little things to dismantle it too.

I won’t try to say what others have already said very eloquently. Instead I will do some reading and invite you to do the same. And when we’re mingling and listening to presentations at the ARNC, let’s have some of this information in our minds. Just like in our activism for animals, there’s a lot we can do if we put aside fear of judgment.

When we’re talking with fellow activists, let’s gently call them out if they make an unintentionally racist comment. Let’s question our own use of words that may perpetuate oppression. Let’s support activists of color by letting them know we’re here, and listening to them when they tell us what they need.

As I head to the conference, I do so knowing that it is the time. It is the place. There are too many people today who are grieving loved ones—the families of black men and the families of police officers—and it’s fitting and necessary that we include humans this weekend in our discussions about justice.

By Alex Bury, VO Organizational Development Consultant

Go Big Or Go Home. This is a common idea in our movement. And to be fair, we have achieved great things for animals by taking on big projects!

But you know what? It was a lot of the smaller projects that got us to where we are today. If a lot of dedicated grassroots activists hadn’t slowly convinced their offices, families, or local restaurants to become more vegan, we probably wouldn’t be seeing today’s huge demand for vegan foods.

And that demand fuels some of the big projects.

Take the sweeping corporate changes we’re seeing now. Companies would never return our calls if they weren’t first seeing a demand for vegan food. That demand would not have happened without individual people changing their eating habits because someone in their community impacted them.

For example, Chipotle, a thriving restaurant chain worth hundreds of millions of dollars, would not have added sofritas to their menu—and the word “vegan” to their menu—if vegans hadn’t first made it known that they really like Mexican food!

It’s hard to encourage people to go vegan if the products aren’t convenient and delicious. We’d be lost without all the wonderful corporate work. And the corporate victories wouldn’t be happening without first creating a grassroots demand for change. Our movement needs a diversity of strategies and campaigns just like we need a greater diversity of people leading the groups and the campaigns. Different forms of activism complement each other. Together they work hand in hand to change society.

I was reminded of this last week while I was eating lunch at ChickPeas restaurant here in little Davis, CA. It’s amazing how fresh, warm pita bread can fire up the brain neurons.

Anya McCain is a local Davis resident who has a demanding, full-time job. She’s vegan and active. She doesn’t work for a vegan group and she doesn’t have hours and hours every week to volunteer. So she created something super effective—COOL Cuisine.

COOL Cuisine is an initiative Anya started that focuses on getting Davis restaurants to add vegan food to their menus. Anya teaches them what vegan means and gets them to mark dishes “vegan” on their menu—she also gives them high praise when they do all of these things. She makes sure they get new business when they agree to sign up for the COOL Cuisine initiative, and she organizes group dinners where 25+ vegans show up to support the restaurant.

Selfishly, I like her work because it’s easier for me to eat vegan in Davis now. I was at ChickPeas because they’ve added a new vegan shawarma plate thanks to Anya, and I wanted to show my support for their efforts.

Not only had ChickPeas added a new vegan dish, but when you walk up to order you see a big sign that reads: “New! Vegan Shawarma!”

And this is how it spreads to non-vegans. A meat-eater who’s been reading about vegan eating will read this sign and see that vegan food is more convenient and popular, thus, more attractive to try.

Anya’s done this at several other restaurants and the local farmers market, which now offers a ton of vegan options! When I moved to Davis three years ago I didn’t see any of those options. She’s really done great work! Her social dinners are one more step in the process. She makes vegan eating warm and welcoming, and offers newbies a community to help their transition.

More people will try vegan food because of Anya, and some of them will end up ordering vegan food often—and even become vegan—because of her social events.

When vegan food seems inconvenient or bland, meat-eaters are less likely to consider a change. Anya is removing this hurdle. These new vegans and flexitarians are going to add to the increased demand for vegan entrees, and that in turn will make it easier for big corporate campaigns to succeed.

One person + one local grassroots campaign = many animals saved!

“Go big or go home” might sound exciting for a group or team, but let’s not forget how powerful individual grassroots activism can be—our entire movement rests on it.

Anya proves you can do effective activism and still have a life. Anya, from all of us at Vegan Outreach, thanks for your hard work and all the good food we’re eating in Davis now!

By Lauren Sprang, VO Board of Directors Secretary

Welcome to the first of three posts on traveling through Utah and visiting its dramatic Utah national parks (see Part II here and Part III here).

In April 2016, my husband—Steve—and I stopped in Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah on our way to Arches National Park in Utah.

Food

Immediately after arriving, we set out on foot to one of SLC’s six vegan restaurants—Sage’s Cafe. Sage’s began at a farmer’s market in 1998 and soon transitioned to a restaurant in 1999. It was inspired by Millennium, a gourmet vegan restaurant now in Oakland, California.

Sage’s is 100% vegan and it has lots of options, including sandwiches, pasta, tacos, and a stir-fry. We tried the Asian lettuce wraps as an appetizer, which were tasty and salty. I enjoyed the mushroom stroganoff, and I would’ve loved more of the creamy sauce! Steve ordered the tacos and they were super flavorful. My favorite part of the meal was the tiramisu, which was dense but delicious. Sage’s wasn’t as fancy as Millennium, but it has an interesting menu and lovely food presentation.

The next day we ventured to Buds Sandwich Company, which has walk-up ordering and outdoor seating. We’d been strolling the long blocks of SLC and were delighted to find delicious vegan grub!

I had the pesto sub, which had a lot of greens and vegan chicken on sourdough bread, and I added a generously sized garden salad. Steve enjoyed the buffalo salad. On another visit, I tried the fresh veggie sandwich, which is good for those who don’t like veggie meats, however I’d get the pesto sub again next time.

Coffee

Next we went looking for a cup of coffee and settled on Salt Lake Roasting Co. It has two floors and comfy couches that we used both times we visited. Not all of their coffee is organic or fair trade, but the woman who helped me was patient and made sure I got the kind of beans I wanted for my cappuccino. There’s a smaller, fancier coffee shop down the street, but I liked the relaxed atmosphere at Salt Lake Roasting where we saw friends chatting and studying.

Amazing French Cafe

On our way out of town we stopped at my favorite find—Passion Flour Patisserie. It’s a vegan, French-themed cafe with delectable croissants, tarts, cookies, sandwiches, and direct trade coffee. It’s relatively expensive for the amount of food, but the quality is excellent. Also, I hadn’t had a croissant in 15 years, so I was very excited.

On our way back through SLC we stopped at Passion Flour Patisserie again. I got croissants to go and tried an amandes bleu—a croissant filled with almond creme infused with espresso. I also tried an avocado tartine, an open-faced sandwich with organic avocado, maple-glazed pumpkin seeds, white pepper, and black lava salt. Yum, yum, yum!

Exploring

SLC didn’t grow up around a port, or a river, or a particular industry. When Brigham Young, former leader of the Church of Latter-day Saints (LDS), arrived in the unsettled area of Utah he decided to colonize Salt Lake City according to his vision. The resulting roads are wide—often with two lanes on either side—with a relatively high speed limit, and unusually long blocks. He wanted the streets wide enough that a horse-drawn carriage could turn around easily.

There are a number of beautiful buildings, including the Utah State Capitol perched on a hill above the city, an enormous library, Mormon temples, parks, and museums dedicated to the LDS Church. The downtown has high-rise office buildings, a number of hotels, and a convention center. And there’s a Whole Foods!

SLC has a big city feel without seeming very busy. I had a hard time wrapping my head around this city, but I found it more approachable once it was the weekend on Saturday. We saw residents running and cheering for a marathon, lining up at a record store, and generally being outside and walking their dogs.

Eventually, we ventured up to Temple Square where a woman offered me her Book of Mormon with a personal message written in the front. I accepted the book in exchange for her looking up Vegan Outreach on her phone. She said that she’d read more at home and that some of her daughter’s friends are vegan. I read her personal message and thought it was a good swap.

I don’t know when I’ll be back to SLC, but you can guarantee I’ll be getting a croissant!

By Lauren Sprang, VO Board of Directors Secretary

Welcome to part two of three posts on traveling through Utah and visiting its dramatic Utah national parks (see Part I here and Part III here).

Back in April, my husband—Steve—and I drove from our home in Oregon to meet my sister-in-law—Heidi—in Moab. Moab is home to Arches National Park, and is only thirty minutes from Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. If you’re headed that way or just want to read about it, here are some tips and pics!

On our first night we arrived hungry and wandered the few blocks of town. We found Twisted Sistas’ Cafe, which is a quirky place and offers one vegan dish—an Indian curry. All three of us ordered it and I added a side salad. If you’re hungry and you like curry, it’s a good bet: although they mostly serve meat dishes.

We began our first full day at another cute restaurant, Eklecticafe, and sat outside in the morning air. Their menu is more veg-friendly and they have a few breakfast options that can be veganized. The portions are large, so they’re great if you’re looking to get fueled for hiking or mountain biking, or even ATVing.

The first park on our list was Dead Horse Point State Park, since Heidi and Steve hadn’t spent much time there, and it was all new to me! Despite its name, the park is a beautiful place. There’s a 5-mile+ loop trail that’s longer if you want to do the spurs to the overlooks. We chose to do just part of the trail, making it an out-and-back, taking the West Rim Trail to Rim Overlook. It was recommended by a ranger because of the “potholes” in the rocks that hold water and tiny, unique organisms. You’ll only see these in the spring soon after the snow has melted. After our hike we drove to all of the overlooks, including the main one, Dead Horse Point.

The second park we visited was Canyonlands National Park, where we spent another day. There are two portions of the park, Needles and Island in the Sky. We visited Island in the Sky and hiked the 0.5-mile trail to Mesa Arch, the 1-mile trail to Upheaval Dome, and the 1-mile trail on Whale Rock (distances roundtrip). These were all spectacular and unique hikes.

One of my favorite places to eat while we were going in and out of Moab was Moonflower Community Cooperative. It’s a charming little health foods store with a lot of vegan products. We bought pre-made tofu sandwiches, house-made soup, and a peanut butter chocolate mousse that was amazing! We also stocked up on chips and crackers. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos.

Armed with food for breakfast, we got up before dawn, drove into Arches National Park, and hiked to Delicate Arch to watch the sunrise. Delicate Arch is popular—and crowded—at sunset, and maybe more spectacular, but I loved hiking in the dark of the morning and watching the sun spread over the red rocks.

Later that day we visited a few other arches, including Broken Arch.

For our last lunch in Moab we ate at Red Rock Bakery & Net Cafe. They offer a sandwich called “The Vegan,” so I couldn’t resist. It’s served on house-made bread with hummus, avocado, roasted bell pepper, and greens. We also ordered a coffee and a smoothie.

Our final food stop in Moab was Love Muffin Cafe for breakfast. This is a vegan-friendly cafe and I preferred it to Eklecticafe, although I’d recommend both. Love Muffin has a couple more options, including muffins and a chia pudding with fruit. Steve and Heidi had breakfast burritos.

There were a couple of Mexican restaurants that looked vegan-friendly and we did try one, but it wasn’t my favorite place and they seem to change management often. However, if you’re craving beans and rice, give one of them a try!

Moab is definitely a cool place to visit, and it’s close to three spectacular parks. It’s a small town situated on the highway and feels like a tourist destination, but with enough character to make it fun.

In the next post I’ll talk about eating near Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. Stay tuned!

By Katia Rodriguez, VO Mexico Campaigns and Spanish Media Coordinator

On Saturday, June 18, a diversity march to support the LGBTTI community—that is, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, and Intersexual community—took place at the Macroplaza, the most iconic plaza in Monterrey, Mexico.

Various groups were invited to this event, including Vegan Outreach, and we couldn’t have been more excited since we personally support the LGBTTI community.

This was the first time that the LGBTTI community and the animal rights movement united for the event in Monterrey.

We believe that the fight for LGBTTI rights and the fight for animal rights are strongly connected. Most people inside the LGBTTI community understand firsthand what it’s like to be constantly oppressed and mistreated, and this is something that happens to animals on factory farms every single day. Injustice is injustice—it doesn’t matter where it occurs. It shouldn’t be tolerated or normalized.

Volunteers Carlos Contreras and Ángel Ramirez joined Vegan Outreach’s Mexico Outreach Coordinator, Emmanuel Marquez, and me during the event. We were not surprised that we met over a half-dozen people that told us they were already vegetarians!

Event attendee, José Enrique, was overly excited to see that we were promoting veganism at the event. He told me he was interested in pursing a vegan lifestyle, but that he needed some support. I told him about Vegan Outreach’s Spanish Vegan Mentor Program and the Spanish version of the VO website. He immediately signed up to receive more information.

We handed out a total of 1,700 leaflets and had several people visit our table. This was definitely a great experience with a very receptive crowd! We hope to do outreach again at this event next year!