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Do you believe there are slaughterhouses in heaven?
December 1, 2004
This issue sponsored
by Vegan
Essentials.
Mention Vegan Outreach
with your order, and Vegan Essentials will donate
5% of your purchase price to us!
News from Vegan Outreach
Reports from the Field
The Adopt a College Program has passed 70,000 booklets for the fall term, and over 150,000 overall. Thanks to everyone who has taken part and those who have donated to make it possible.
Jon Camp (leafleting here at Temple University, with students reading Why Vegan in the background)
On November 23, Camilla Berretta and I handed out nearly 1500 copies of Why Vegan and Try Vegetarian at Temple University in Philly during our four hours leafleting.
I
received quite a lot of feedback, including:
- "I got this last time you were here and I'm now a vegetarian."
- "I just read this and I'm never eating meat again."
One man had been thinking about vegetarianism and was extremely serious about giving it a shot. I gave him a Vegan Starter Pack and told him to read the nutrition section, as a lack of nutritional understanding seemed to be a hindrance towards him going veg in the past.
One young woman said that she went veg for two weeks recently but that it was too expensive (while another guy told me that his friend went veg for reasons of frugality -- to send the money he saved to charities). She said that this brochure will push her back in the veg direction, as she is seriously concerned about the animal suffering. I suggested that she keep the Why Vegan readily available so that she can remind herself of the suffering. I gave her a VSP and some feedback regarding the cost issue, highlighting that I'm quite frugal.
One student told me she got the brochure the last time I was there and said that she wants to get more active. She asked for some advice and I hopefully pushed her in the right direction. I also gave her a copy of A Meaningful Life.
Another person asked, "If God didn't want
us to eat meat, why did he put meat in animals?"
I told him that he put meat in humans as well
and that this is not a justification for cannibalism.
I also stated that my humble opinion is that
a merciful God would want us to reduce unnecessary
suffering, especially since we can be healthy,
happy people without causing cruelty to animals.
Finally, I told him that if there is a heaven,
I doubt there are slaughterhouses there. The
man was very receptive and said that those were
some really good points.
On Nov. 29, I leafleted at Middlesex County College before and after picking up more booklets from the printer. During my afternoon shift, I asked a young woman if she would like a brochure. She said, "I got one of those from you this morning. Believe me, I'm never going to eat meat again."
Josh Balk
Today, I handed out 250 booklets at Georgetown University. There were three notable events:
- One student said, "Oh my God! I was just talking to my roommate today that I wanted to be a vegetarian!"
- Four people lined up just to get the brochure. Each took their turn to get one and each thanked me.
- A male student told me that getting a brochure on campus last year is the reason why he's vegetarian.
It was a great day!
EI Update
Last week, we announced the production of a new booklet, Even If You Like Meat. Thanks to everyone who commented (we especially appreciate this one: "I keep thinking that I can no longer be impressed and amazed by what y'all do, since you do such great things, but, there you go again :) "), and those who donated to help us print more. Our goal is $7,000; we've received $2,300 so far. We'll be going to press in the next week, so any contributions in that time will allow us to print more, lowering the per-piece cost. You can donate with a credit card securely on-line, or send a check to:
Vegan Outreach | P.O. Box 38492 | Pittsburgh, PA 15238-8492
We'll announce as soon as the booklets are available for orders.
Thanks!
Holiday Shopping for the Animals!
Just about anything you can buy, you can buy on-line via one of Vegan Outreach's affiliates. Buying via the links on this page and mentioning Vegan Outreach will lead to the distribution of more copies of Why Vegan and Try Vegetarian -- what a deal! Everything you can imagine is available via our Greater Good store!
Vegan Outreach Upcoming Schedule
The Vegan Outreach office will be closed December 21 - January 4. So please -- look over your calendar for the next few months, and order what you will need.
Matt Ball, along with Ellen and Anne Green, will be speaking in Phoenix, AZ, on December 29. Details here.
Notes from All Over
Compassionate
Cooks DVD Is Excellent!
One of the most common questions vegans get is "What do you eat?" There is a seemingly insatiable desire for recipes and cooking demos.
With the release of Compassionate Cooks Vegetarian Cooking DVD, you don't get just recipes, cooking and shopping tips, but acres of additional information and, perhaps most importantly, a real appreciation for the joy of vegan cooking. Along with Michael Greger's Maximum Nutrition, this is an amazing tool for anyone who wants to learn more about vegetarianism, or who wants to fully enjoy the cheer and fun of compassionate cooking!
Vegans Need to Eat More Greens, Beans, and Nuts
Via Dr. Michael Greger's Nov/Dec newsletter, a PCRM study notes:
"Although the intakes of most vitamins and minerals improved or stayed the same, the consumption of some nutrients dropped. They conclude: 'To increase intakes of these nutrients, people following a low-fat vegan diet should emphasize legumes [beans, lentils] and whole grains for protein; supplemental sources of vitamin D and B12, such as fortified cereals and soymilk to increase vitamin D and B12 intakes; leafy greens, beans, and fortified soymilks and juices to increase calcium intake; and whole, unrefined grains, nuts and seeds to increase phosphorus, selenium and zinc intakes.'"
Dr. Greger's newsletter also lists his current 2005 talk schedule.
McDonald's News
"McDonald's (MCD) has taken yet another body blow to its battered but resilient executive suite. The fast-food giant's cancer-plagued CEO stepped down Monday, less than one year after the previous CEO was killed by a heart attack."
From Our Members
I was thrilled when I heard my friend Mark Orlowski of the Responsible Endowments Coalition was organizing a long overdue national conference at the UPENN Wharton Business School on student activism and socially-responsible investing. But when I found out they were planning on serving animals for breakfast and lunch for the two-day conference, my first instinct was to lecture and scold Mark on how serving dead animals is not only cruel but also socially-irresponsible in every sense. But instead, I made an offer to Mark that I’d take care of finding a caterer, plan out the menu, arrange deliveries, and meet his budget if he would simply let me make all the meals served at the conference entirely vegan. And he agreed.
With help from the fine folks at Kind Café in Philadelphia, I met their budget and needs and arranged entirely vegan and organic meals for the conference (with such yummy selections as peanut butter & banana and apple-cinnamon agave nectar wraps for breakfast and Philly "cheesesteak," Happy Tofu "Chicken," and BBQ "Chicken" sandwiches for lunch) served in biodegradable containers and utensils made of corn. After and during the conference weekend, many conference attendees -- both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike -- commented on how much they loved the food and how pleased they were that the conference was entirely vegan!
-Patrick
Kwan, Student
Animal Rights Alliance, 11/27/04
Vegan Outreach | P.O. Box 38492 | Pittsburgh,
PA 15238-8492
VO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization;
all donations
are tax-deductible.