Enewsletter
 |
Enewsletter • July 29, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||
Notes from Vegan OutreachLink of the Week: Team Vegan – The Cutting Edge!
By Anne Green & Matt Ball; excerpt: It has been thrilling to be a part of Team Vegan! The runners, donors, sponsors, and volunteers have been like double shots of espresso. You stuck it out and dropped the hammer, blowing through your fundraising goals and continuing on to new records! As Alex wrote: “We hoped to raise $75,000. Insane! An impossible goal! But the team raised $93,211! With John and Fany’s match, that is $168,211 to help animals and create a kinder, saner, vegetarian world.” How can we express just how much good this money will do? As always, we wish we could show pictures of the animals saved, or tell specific stories of the individuals rescued.
But if we stop and think about the world we all want, we know that it will have to be rooted in one simple realization: our fellows aren’t food. To create this world will require opening hearts and minds, one at a time, which is what Vegan Outreach activists are doing, many times over, each and every day. Of course, none of these activists’ efforts would be possible without John and Fany, as well as the other donors who stepped up for the animals. As Jack summarized, “Know that because of what you’ve done, Vegan Outreach leafleters will be out there in full force, taking another step in this marathon towards eventual animal liberation.” It is no exaggeration to say that each of you, who made Team Vegan 2009 such a success, are truly the cutting edge, making the necessary change happen, every single day.
Companies of the WeekIn addition to the companies that made the SF Vegan Prom a success, we also have to thank Team Vegan’s sponsors: Clif Bar, Turtle Island Foods, and Wildwood Organics. And, of course, prize providers Millennium Restaurant, Greens Restaurant, Pangea, The Vegetarian Site, Vegan Essentials, and Trader Joe’s. Send your product of the week to product (at) veganoutreach (dot) org; previous entries here.
Notes from All OverCovering Big FoodAn interview with the director of Food, Inc.; excerpt: “One example was that we were dealing with chicken farmers who were involved with Tyson and Purdue, who I think are very big in the Southeast. And one chicken farmer said that she was giving arsenic to her chickens, and Purdue said, well, we’ve stopped that practice. But they had defended the practice of giving arsenic to chickens a few weeks prior to our filming with the chicken farmer. I ended up taking that out of the film, but the fact is they were like defending that just a mere few weeks before. But I felt, you know, we’ll, we’ll take it out.” Full transcript, w/ audio.
Lightning Round
Notes from Our MembersAt Northwestern, one man stopped and told me we should worry
about human suffering first. I said we can prevent
terrible suffering simply by choosing vegan
foods. After talking a bit, he said it seemed
like the right thing to do and that he would
give it a try. Another student held up his hands
as he was walking by and said, “You already
won me over!”
I was
handed one of your brochures today.
I’ve been vegetarian in the past, but stopped
because it was too difficult. Thank you for
the graphic reminder that each decision I make
in the supermarket is an important one. I think
this kind of literature, showing people what
they’re eating, is the way to go, especially
when so many people are beginning to take note
of the food industry’s horrendous practices
as they are coming into more light in the media.
Keep fighting for a safer world please. Leafleting
Food, Inc. again, a high
school age guy said, “I LOVE meat.”
When I asked, “But do you like to make
animals suffer?” his girlfriend replied,
“We don’t kill them.” She and I talked
about supply and demand, that animals wouldn’t
be killed if no one paid the butchers to do
it, etc. She wondered how in the world one could
be vegan and, “Don’t you miss cheeseburgers?”
I told her I still eat cheeseburgers, tacos,
pizza, etc., just the cruelty-free versions.
She said her mom buys her Boca burgers and she
likes those. She ended up taking a Compassionate
Choices and Guide.
Leafleting on the Pearl Street Mall later, a
young woman came up to us and said she’d gotten
literature at the theater last week, and it
caused her and her boyfriend to go vegan. I turned
vegan from reading your pamphlet.
It took me a year to make the transition because
my family was against it, but I made changes
gradually until I made it permanent. I lost
80 pounds. I have not gotten sick since starting
my diet, not even a cold.
Dan
Miller and I found a very receptive
crowd at the Concord (CA) farmers’ market. Several
school field trips were visiting the market, and
one teacher told all his students to make sure
they each took the educational information from
me. He thanked me for being there. My sisters
Lubica and Petra are visiting
me [from Slovakia] for the summer. Right after
their arrival, I put them to work tabling the
Michigan Peace Fest. The best part was that
we were able to speak to the crowd from the
stage a few times throughout the Fest. The speeches
always drew new people to our table, and we
had very positive reactions overall. At the
Ani DiFranco concert, I gave a
woman a Compassionate Choices, and
she showed it to her husband. He looked at the
cover image and said, “It’s a chick!”
in dismissive way. A little while later, the
couple walked past me and the man pointed to
the open booklet in his other hand. He said,
“This is very compelling.” It was
tough leafleting at the Slightly
Stoopid/Snoop Dog Concert, until I started holding
the Even If You Like Meat booklets at eye level.
This worked. They only took it if they wanted
it or were otherwise interested in it and wanted
to keep it and read it. You can’t help but get
it, even if you like meat. I took great satisfaction
in watching their silly smiles turn into serious
sad frowns, and seeing their blank faces turn
into forced nervous smiles and teary eyes.
At Oakton
College, one student came back
to happily tell me he doesn’t eat meat anymore,
only chicken. I told him chickens actually suffer
the worst and in greatest number. I opened one
of the leaflets to show him the pictures and
give him a bit more info. He was surprised to
hear that. I asked him to consider at least
cutting back on his consumption of chicken,
and he said he’d give it a try. I am
so impressed with A
Meaningful Life. I’ve written a lot
of brochures and pamphlets in my time (I’ve
been doing full-time activist work for 25 years),
and I’ve got to tell you, yours wins out over
all others for clarity, brevity, inspiration,
and friendliness. Congrats on that masterpiece. I’m
looking forward to reading your
book. I am really moved by your writing.
It’s very inclusive and nonjudgmental. You’re
building bridges instead of barriers. I believe
that alone will make a huge impact on how vegans
are seen and the impact on animals.
|
|||||||||||||||||
