Do you know about The Vegetarian Site? It’s a great website run by wonderful people who care about animals. They have tons of vegan products, including books, vegan food, and even hiking boots. It’s an especially helpful resource for folks who don’t have access to many vegan products locally.
It’s always a great time to buy from The Vegetarian Site, but April is the best time to shop. This month,10% of your sale will go to Vegan Outreach–to inspire people to go vegan and help them stick with it!
Get what you need at The Vegetarian Site today, and feel great knowing you’re reducing animal suffering while you shop!
Buy vegan goods. Inspire new vegans. What could be better?!
On a weekend in late March, about 100 attendees gathered for the inaugural Intersectional Justice Conference on idyllic Whidbey Island, WA–a conference for which Vegan Outreach was a key sponsor.
Vegan Outreach’s Organizational Development Consultant, Alex Bury, drove up from California to my home in Oregon and together we set off to Washington. Before reaching the conference, we had an important mission: to pick up Paige Carter and David Carter at the Seattle airport.
I’d been hearing about David and Paige for months and was excited to meet them. They’re as impressive as you might imagine—focused and insightful activists, while also easygoing and funny.
David Carter, Lauren Sprang, Paige Carter, Alex Bury
As we rode the ferry to Whidbey island, I didn’t know what was in store for us that weekend, or that I would leave more inspired than I have been since I went vegan nearly 17 years ago.
Paige Carter, David Carter, Lauren Sprang
When we arrived, we drove through the darkening woods to the beautiful Whidbey Institute (below).
While the Whidbey Institute wasn’t the most accessible location, the speakers who made it there are leaving an indelible mark on the field of social justice. And although Alex had told me about many of the speakers going in, I wasn’t prepared to be so impacted, intellectually and emotionally!
The conference gave space for voices that have been suppressed–people who aren’t publicized as the face of veganism–including people of color, feminists, and LGBTQ activists.
The questions raised by vegan social justice activists include, “What does racial profiling have to do with factory farming?” And, “What does equal pay for women have to do with LGBTQ rights?”
Such questions encompass a myriad of oppressions including speciesism, classism, racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, anti-semitism, heterosexism, etc. If you can understand the common source of oppression, can you address that source to liberate not only animals, but human communities?
Speakers Aph Ko and Dr. A. Breeze Harper each gave powerful speeches. Both spoke about racism and veganism, including how the southern diet, with its high intake of fried food, was incorporated into black communities as a result of the history of slavery. This diet damages human health and also promotes animal agriculture.
pattrice jones illustrated the example of cow’s milk in free and reduced cost lunches. People of color are more likely to receive free or reduced cost lunches and to be lactose intolerant. Again, this practice affects human health–and likely academic performance–and also promotes animal agriculture.
However the speakers emphasized that it’s not how these issues are similar, but their common source that’s most relevant: the societal institutions that reinforce these oppressions. These aren’t necessarily new ideas—it’s just the first time I’m hearing them.
A. Breeze Harper, Aph Ko, pattrice jones, Brenda Sanders
One thing I learned is that supporting vegan intersectional activists doesn’t mean finding a place for them in the existing animal rights movement. They’re thriving in the spaces that they’ve created. While people in mainstream animal rights organizations may want to work toward diversifying their workplaces, it’s equally, if not more important to stand witness to diverse voices in social justice and either support and promote them, or, to be blunt, let them be. There is no educating that “experienced” animal rights activists need to do. These activists know how to do their work–they’re doing it!
Author of the Sexual Politics of Meat. Heart-opening work of loving and responding with care to this fragile world and its inhabitants has shaped me as a writer and activist.
A collective of vegan businesses in the Baltimore area that has developed a line of delicious, healthy foods that offer an affordable alternative to animal products.
Offering refuge to animals who have escaped or been rescued from the meat, dairy and egg industries or other injurious circumstances, such as cockfighting and zoos.
A hunger relief and animal protection organization chipping away at two of the world’s most immense, unnecessary, and unconscionable forms of suffering. A Well Fed World was a key sponsor of the conference.
Socks are $16 per pair, plus shipping. Proceeds will benefit VO’s work to inspire, help, and retain new vegans.
These are hand-printed at a family-owned, US-based company, using fair labor practices. 85% polyester, 10% nylon, 5% lycra, all synthetic. Packaging made from recycled paper.
For ten weeks this semester, Kimberly Moffatt and I represented Vegan Outreach on a nationwide leafleting and speaking tour of India. The tour generated a lot of excitement and made a significant impact.
While on tour, in each city Kimberly and I gave seminars on veganism, leafleting, and utilitarian advocacy for local animal activists of all stripes. Tour events also included leafleting multiple colleges and giving many speeches titled “The Unexamined Meal” to deeply engaged student audiences, whose attendance was often in the hundreds and sometimes even topped a thousand.
Our question and answer sessions often went long with many intelligent questions. After the talks, many students expressed that they would no longer be “non-veg” or drink bovine secretions.
Our ultimate goal was to use this tour to set up a permanent dedicated activist presence for farmed animals in India, which was accomplished with the hiring and training of Pooja Rathor as Vegan Outreach’s first India Outreach Coordinator.
We worked closely with the local group Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisation‘s (FIAPO) Campaign Coordinator Shweta Sood and her extensive volunteer network. By the time our tour concluded–after only 10 weeks–we had reached over 133,000 people, mostly students, with the case for veganism.
The student interest was massive and hard to overstate with dozens coming back to talk and ask questions every day. Groups of 10-30 people regularly would form around us as we gave condensed, 10-minute speeches.
Readership rates in most places was sky high, and it didn’t take long for us to start meeting students later in the day who told us they were moved by the booklet and would never eat animal products again.
Many also asked for more booklets to show friends.
In nearly every city, activists who do direct animal rescue, such as Priyanka and Amit in Surat, decided to go vegan and many pledged to leaflet more. At the end of the tour, volunteer Tina let us know that she has been dairy-free for 10 weeks since hearing us give a seminar the first day of the tour in New Delhi.
We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to every person in the Vegan Outreach family of members for making this animal saving extravaganza possible. We would especially like to thank Dan Phillips, who had the acuity to see that this was a region in need of our knowledge and experience, where we could play a big role helping to pave change. We’d also like to thank FIAPO, Shweta, and the countless volunteers who joined us leafleting and shared their warmth, enthusiasm, and early mornings with us.
We would also like to thank VO board member Yvonne LeGrice, her husband David Hertel, and President Jack Norris for driving down to Los Angeles from Davis to welcome us home after our 22-hour return flight. What an amazing surprise–it was the perfect end to a great trip!
And lastly thank you to “Billy the Bull” in Varanasi who helped funnel foot traffic to Kimberly, helping us get the message out, and to the macaques in Jaipur for showing their support!
Here’s a 45-second clip of Kim leafleting in India:
And here’s a 4-minute interview with me:
Special thanks to: Verhaen from the New Delhi Nature Society for your above and beyond help in Delhi and scheduling many talks; our adopted mother in India, Delhi volunteer leader Madhu Roy; Varda of FIAPO for all of your help with booklet design and pulling the tour together; Arpan of FIAPO for your insights and letting us stay with your family; Prashant and Puneet for joining us on tour and for booking transport; Sonal and family in Lucknow for coming to our aid and breaking taboo to take us in and to ace volunteer Abhishek; Joe Gonzalez and Sauraub for your help in Varanasi; Rucha in Jaipur; Team RAKSHA; Erika And Claire Abrams; Ashutosh and team and Animal Aid Unlimited in Udaipur; Gautam in Ahmedabad; Ari Nessel for giving us connections and the idea to visit the inspiring Gandhi Ashram; Subru and Mercy For Animals for all of the shipments, providing ammo and joining us; the unbelievable Team PRAYAS and Darshan in Surat, Aneeha, Darshana, Team Pune and so many others in many other cities.
The time for summer bar-b-ques and potlucks is rapidly approaching, so I wanted to get you well equipped with tasty and easy-to-make recipes! This is one of my favorites! It’s a light pasta salad that’s bursting with flavor and high in protein. Your friends and family are guaranteed to love it as much as I do!
Ingredients:
16 oz bag of pasta
1/4 c olive oil
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic
15 oz can chickpeas
6 oz jar artichoke quarters
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Directions:
Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a large pan add olive oil, diced onions, minced
garlic and sauté until onions are translucent. Add chickpeas (drained), artichoke quarters, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and let simmer over medium heat for five minutes. Add drained pasta and mix well. Garnish with cherry tomatoes.
For former NFL star David Carter, lovingly known as the 300 Pound Vegan, it’s not enough to sit on the sidelines. The Daily Collegian shared the story of his recent visit to Penn State University, in which he spoke about the dietary benefits of cutting out animal products.
It’s a short article that starts nice but by the end Lampert calls me out for promoting cheese!
I wouldn’t want [Carter] to go the route of Vegan Outreach president, Jack Norris, and promote eating cheese.
Lampert’s comment is in reference to this recent Facebook post that caused quite a kerfuffle:
This has long been VO’s unofficial position, and while many vegan advocates appreciated the post, many others criticized it.
A couple of the criticisms were misinterpretations–I’m not suggesting that current vegans should start eating cheese, nor am I suggesting that people who eat cheese call themselves “vegan.” And for anyone this post reached who is having a hard time giving up cheese, there were links from the text to some delicious vegan cheeses.
Some activists criticized me for implying that it’s okay to eat cheese. They believe it’s important for us to send a consistent message to the public and, apparently, think the meme should have read:
People say ‘I’d go vegan but I can’t give up cheese.’ These people are immoral.
I hope such critics will consider these two points:
Many people have told us that because we did not push an “all or nothing” view to them, they were encouraged to take the first steps when they otherwise would not have done so–and eventually they became vegan.
While I think we should encourage people to adopt the view that it’s wrong to kill animals for food, we can also promote the idea that any steps taken towards a vegan lifestyle are positive.
I recently had the opportunity to bring together my three top passions: comedy, vegan food, and raising money to help animals. It was a wonderful evening, and I want to share a bit of it with you.
On Saturday, February 27, more than 60 people gathered for a potluck and comedy show in Denver. The Denver Vegans host a potluck once a month, and while they usually host a speaker, they invited me to plan a comedy show, and I’m so glad they did! Attendees savored delicious Italian-themed vegan dishes, then enjoyed a hilarious performance of improvisation and stand-up comedy.
I invited a group of local improvisers that included vegan, vegetarian, and “veg-leaning” folks, and they opened the show with some short form improv games–making everything up on the spot while incorporating suggestions from the audience. Assembled for this event only, the troupe named themselves The Crispy Tofurkys, a fitting tribute to a great vegan company!
[L-R] Host Lisa Rimmert, Vence Singson, Gabby Gutierrez, Rahul Shah, Dave Costa, Asa Erlendson, and Maren WilliamsFollowing the improv comedy came three stand-up comedy acts, starting with one by yours truly! I was so happy to tell jokes to a room full of vegans, and I was humbled and honored to share the stage with two very entertaining comics.
Rahul Shah had the audience laughing with his gut-busting jokes and wonderful timing and delivery. You may recognize his name from the caption above, as he was also one of our improvisers. A true jack of all comedy trades!
I was very excited to have talented comedian Nancy Norton as our headliner for the evening. Nancy performs as a stand-up comic as well as an inspirational speaker. She has been heralded by the Denver Post and the Boulder Daily Camera, and she was so very funny, as always!
Thank you to everyone who came out and supported Vegan Outreach. We raised almost $300 to put toward outreach on college campuses all over the world! Thank you to the organizers at Denver Vegans, to all the performers for their time and talents, and to my wonderful friends who helped to set up the sound, sell merchandise, pack up after the show, and so much more.
Get in on the fun! Make a donation today and I will send you a Lisa Rimmert original joke!
Join Michelle and I as we take you inside Hodo Soy Beanery and introduce you to the fascinating process of tofu-making! Hodo Soy creates fantastic artisan tofu out of their Oakland, CA factory, and they’re responsible for the tasty vegetarian option at all Chipotle locations called Sofritas! Click the image above to see how it’s made!
For the past six weeks, VO’s Director of Outreach, Vic Sjodin, and intern, Kimberly Moffatt, have been touring India, teaching activists about leafleting and reaching tens of thousands of people with a message of compassion for animals and a vegan ethic.
Vic’s trip has not been easy–the conditions have been rough, he has been battling illness nearly the entire time. His days of traveling, leafleting, and speaking have been long and, quite frankly, unbelievable.
With all of this, you’d think the weekends would be a nice beak for Vic to get some rest. Yet it was no surprise when I logged onto Facebook last week to see that Vic was using his down time to raise money to put the kids he’s been coming across on the street in school. Vic’s selflessness and love for his fellow inhabitants of Earth knows no bounds.
To support Vic in his efforts to help these kids, VO is making a special request for donations. You can PayPal a donation to Vic at [email protected]. It doesn’t cost much to help these kids, so any amount will make a difference.
