Enewsletter
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Enewsletter • January 13, 2010 | ||||||||||||
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Notes from Vegan Outreach
Jon Camp Coming to the Northeast!Between late February and early May, Jon Camp, VO’s Director of Outreach, will be leafleting colleges throughout the Northeast. In order to save valuable funds, he depends on housing from those willing to put him up. Jon still needs housing in select areas of MA, NH, VT, ME, QC, and upstate NY. If you would be willing to house America’s Most Courteous House Guest for 1–3 nights – or if you’d like to leaflet with him or have him give a talk on advocacy to your local group – please email jon (at) veganoutreach (dot) org. Thanks!
Activist Profile: Brianne DonaldsonContinuing our series of activist profiles, we meet Brianne Donaldson. By the time you read this, Brianne will have reached nearly 90,000 individuals with Vegan Outreach booklets! Here are excerpts from her profile:
What was your most positive leafleting experience and why? I have a “most positive experience” nearly every time I leaflet. Truth be told, leafleting has renewed my hope in humans and our longing for inspiring visions. I wouldn’t have expected that, but the sincerity and curiosity I witness among students on college campuses or death metal concertgoers reminds me that personal transformation is not a passing fad and the space between who we have been and what we might be is rich with compassionate possibilities that have a seemingly infinite reach. When someone is uncertain about their ability to go veg, it is always satisfying to represent the spaciousness of VO’s philosophy to encourage others to take a next step, to reduce the number of chickens and fish one eats, to choose a few meals each week …to go for a sustained commitment, rather than a crash and burn attempt at vegan “purity.” Because we don’t need to have all the answers nor are we trying to convince others of the impossible, we can offer the literature without expectation or apprehension, trusting that if others are ready to consider this issue, they will take the information. If not, maybe next time. VO’s philosophy respects the freedom of human decision as well as the freedom of animal lives. Read the full profile!
Product of the WeekBrianne: “The vegan Wrap Boot from TOMS Shoes. For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair to a child in need. One for One. Comfortable, saucy shoes and fashion philanthropy at its finest – not too shabby!” Send your product of the week to product (at) veganoutreach (dot) org; previous entries here.
Notes from All OverVegGuide Relaunched!Derek Coons of Mercy For Animals has joined up with the good folks at Compassionate Action for Animals to create an updated joint version of CAA’s VegGuide.org: “We hope that VegGuide.org will be your one-stop site for finding veg-friendly restaurants wherever you are. With listings in over 70 countries, whether you’re in Pittsburgh or Paris, Los Angeles or London, Toronto or Taipei, we’ve got you covered. The site is collectively maintained by a community of users from around the world. We encourage you to visit the site and contribute your expertise to the guide as well.”
Lightning Round
Notes from Our Members
This was a badly cold,
below-zero-windchill evening leafleting with
Mikael (Nielsen) by Columbia and DePaul. The reception
was good; a few unlikely targets asked for a
booklet, including a group of cops and a couple
of tough-looking guys who said they were veg.
One guy tried to poke fun at me saying, “You
could have picked a different day to do this,”
but after hearing, “Animals don’t
get a break from this. I can handle standing
here for an hour,” he nodded with a serious
face. I met a woman who
had gotten a booklet from me last semester and
had drastically reduced her meat consumption.
She was very happy to receive a Guide
and thanked me profusely for providing her with
such valuable information. Six guys (all taller
than me, and I’m 6') were walking
together towards me and I offered them booklets.
We formed somewhat of a circle and I was able
to successfully “bro-down” with
them about animal cruelty and veganism. One
commented how he liked soy milk, and they all
wanted Primal
Strips. They yelled out lots of thanks as
they walked off. Pretty amazing experience. At the University of South Florida,
Tampa, a member of the school’s environmental
group said he would show the leaflet to others
in the group. A vegetarian student chatted awhile and pondered about how many people would
continue to eat meat if they had to kill the
animals themselves. We joked (and lamented)
that most self-proclaimed “carnivores”
are actually vultures, since they’re eating
animals who are already dead (carrion) –
killed by someone else. The carrion just happens
to come in nice, neat packages. I used to eat
from those packages without thinking about it.
Now I’m helping others think about how
gross and awful the meat industry really is.
Montgomery College,
Takoma Park was solid for the first day of finals.
Within minutes, a young fellow let me know that
he got a booklet from us in January at Frostburg
State U, way on the other side of MD, and has
been veg since. He took a Guide. Additionally,
a young woman let me know that she got a booklet
from me last month and subsequently did a report
on the issue for a class of hers. Pretty good take rate at
Oakton Community College, despite the snow and
wind. One young man was especially happy to
see me because he wants to go vegetarian for
the animals. He had questions about nutrition
and how to handle the issue with his meat-eating
friends. Heard
from 11 vegetarians and three
vegans at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
One of the vegetarians let me know that it was
getting the booklet from me in the past that
moved him to become vegetarian. With our persistence,
the norm is changing.
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