Enewsletter
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Enewsletter • July 4, 2007 | ||
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 Notes from Vegan OutreachHappy New Year!While most of the country celebrates Independence Day on the 4th of July, July 1st marked the beginning of Vegan Outreach's 2007-2008 fiscal year, and the new Adopt a College school year. Speaking of AAC, Marina Berati informs us that 15 activists recently handed out Perche' vegan? at a university in Rome, as part of the 4,000 that they handed out during the spring semester; photos here.
At right, Sue Rattenbury leaflets at UC Berkeley; photo by Victor Tsou. Thanks so much to everyone who has worked hard to reach new people with the animals' message, and to those whose generous contributions have funded the printing and shipping of so many booklets. With your help, we will continue to make this year even better.
Product of the WeekSasha: Goodbaker.com has the best tasting vegan baking mixes ever! So simple, you only need to add water and a little oil for the amazing chocolate brownie mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, chocolate cake mix, chocolate ganache mix, pancake and waffle mix, and more. Plus they also have organic imported dairy-free chocolate chips at a good price. Send your nominees for Product of the Week to product (at) veganoutreach (dot) org; previous products can be found here.
Notes from All OverDesperately Seeking VegansFrom the St. Petersburg Times: "At New Tampa Vegans meetings, Sonneborn and Zacharias often put out pamphlets and brochures with color photos of overstuffed pigs packed in pens where they cannot move and sickly looking chickens. The photos are not gruesome, but they're not pleasant to see. It was enough to persuade Marina Bocciarelli, who lives in Pebble Creek and owns a pet-sitting business. As an animal lover, she hated what she saw in the Vegan Outreach brochures at one of the cooking classes." Read more.
Animal Welfare Issue BoilingFrom the LA Times: "To be sure, animal welfare issues aren't new.... But only in recent years has consumer awareness reached the point that some of the biggest agribusiness concerns have been prompted to reconsider how they raise and kill animals. In May, restaurant market research firm Technomic Inc. asked 600 people who had recently eaten out to name their top five social issues. Health insurance was first, followed by paying people a 'living wage.' Next was animal welfare (including the humane treatment of animals), named by 58% of the respondents." Read more.
Oregon Governor Signs Ban on Pig Breeding Gestation CratesFrom PublicBroadcasting.net: "Governor Kulongoski signed a new law Thursday making so-called 'gestation crates' illegal for breeding pigs in Oregon. The law takes effect in 2013, giving farmers six years to change their practices. Oregon has about 4,000 breeding sows -- a comparatively small number compared to some other states." Read more.
Some Seafood BannedFrom the New York Times: "Because they are often crowded into ponds, farmed fish and shrimp can become sick as the quality of the water becomes polluted by waste and feed. 'You may have 10 to 20 times the density of fish as in a natural environment,' said Robert P. Romaire, professor of aquaculture at Louisiana State University." Read more.
Veg Kids in the NewsIn The Danger of One-Sided Debate, the New York Times Public Editor addresses Nina Planck's anti-vegan article. From the Chicago Tribune: "Vegetarian diets are lower in saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein and have higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. They can reduce the risk of diabetes, some cancers and cardiovascular disease. Vegetarians, meanwhile, have been shown to have lower body mass indexes than non-vegetarians, as well as lower blood pressure, hypertension and blood cholesterol levels. 'With tenacity and proper planning, a vegan diet can meet the needs of 10-year-olds,' said registered dietitian Dave Grotto, a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association." Read more. See also The Veggie Kid, from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Editor's note: Many articles
suggest that a vegan diet is difficult,
requiring, for example, "tenacity."
As the mother of a happy, healthy,
and successful 12-year-old
lifelong-vegan daughter,
I see the extremely poor diets that
some of her classmates and cousins
eat. With more
and more children overweight
and diet-related
diseases like diabetes
on the rise, all parents
should be tenacious about providing
their children with proper nutrition.
Feedback from Our MembersThanks to the many readers who wrote regarding last week's eNewsletter. We appreciate your feedback!
At right, Jack Norris leaflets at the San Francisco Pride festival. At the Warped Tour
stop in Pomona, Susan Rattenbury
and I distributed 11,200 copies
of Even If You Like Meat
booklets. Research has repeatedly
shown that people remember the most
and to a very high degree, what
comes first and what comes last,
be it a classroom lesson, or a lecture,
or any experience. Well, the very
first thing that thousands of young
people were exposed to was the fact
that eating meat is an act of animal
cruelty. And the very last thing
they were exposed to at this concert
was again that eating meat is an
act of animal cruelty.
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For
the first six months of 2007, Vegan
Outreach's distribution has reached
803,767 booklets. For some perspective,
the total for all of 2005 was 863,604.
Thank
you for the most recent
e-newsletter, "