Enewsletter
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Enewsletter • July 27, 2005 | ||
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Notes from Vegan OutreachActivist Profile: AnonymousAs we continue to profile the top leafleters in our Adopt a College campaign, this week we turn our attention to a Chicago activist. Throughout the 2004–2005 school year, this person handed out 5,885 Vegan Outreach booklets directly to college students. A prolific person, she also spends her time leafleting concerts and high schools, giving out free vegetarian food at Chicago festivals, and running a weekly public access cable program that promotes vegetarianism. Below are some excerpts from our interview with her: What made you decide to start leafleting, and, if you were nervous the first time, how did you get over it? I decided to give leafleting a try after Josh Balk (of HSUS) and Jon Camp explained to me how effective leafleting is by quoting the numbers of vegetarian starter guide requests that came in as a result of their work. I couldn't argue with those numbers, so I had Jon leaflet with me one day. At first, I was extremely nervous and very pessimistic about leafleting. I was not sure how individuals would react, although I got over the nerves by going out with others as much as possible. It also helped that most people I leafleted were actually quite friendly. Why do you leaflet colleges? I try to promote vegetarianism as big business promotes products: I target my message to audiences that are the most receptive.… What was your most positive college leafleting experience this year and why? Well, my favorite experiences used to be when I would hear a passerby say, “Thanks for being here,” or “I’m vegetarian!” Now, however, I really enjoy visiting schools that are a harder sell. I remember just six years ago, before I was vegetarian, when I made fun of a person leafleting vegetarian literature on my college campus. I was extremely defensive, because somewhere deep inside me I knew that eating meat was causing suffering and that I should change. I didn’t want to change, so I closed myself off until years later. Now, as a leafleter myself, I’d rather hear defensive reactions than apathetic or even supportive comments. This way I know that I am hitting a crowd that needs to be hit.
Notes from All OverVegan Ultra-Marathon ChampionVia DawnWatch.com: "There is a delightful article in the Friday, July 22, Seattle Post-Intelligencer that should be read by every vegan who has had to face questions about whether she/he gets enough protein, and whether the diet is really healthy. Headed, 'Seattle man amazes everyone in 135-mile marathon--including himself,' it is about Scott Jurek, a vegan athlete who just won the Badwater Ultramarathon and who has won the Western States 100 mile race seven times in a row. "And then the great news about
Jurek's compassionate diet:
Wegmans CrueltyA film about the fraud of "Animal Care Certified."
Student Successfully Fights Campus "Free Speech Zones""School officials told student she could hand out animal-rights leaflets in one area of campus..."
Vegan Realtor to Donate Half of CommissionsLisa Reveen of southern California is donating half of her commissions to animal charities, including Vegan Outreach. Contact her at lisa@homesbylisareveen.com if you are looking to buy or sell -- even a referral can help print more copies of Why Vegan and Even If You Like Meat.
Notes from Our MembersI'm already a VO supporter
and just wanted to
let you know I was watching Morgan
Spurlock's new series 30 days
on FX yesterday (July 13) and it
chronicled 2 "city slickers"
living in an eco-community. At the
end of the show, one of them became
interested in a vegan diet and she
was reading your Vegan Starter
Pack. It was pretty cool to
see. Note: If you've missed an issue, you can get caught up here.
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