Enewsletter
 |
Enewsletter • March 7, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||
Notes from Vegan OutreachBig Ag Concedes: We’re Winning
As we’ve pointed out, people in the U.S. are eating fewer and fewer animals. Agribusiness has given up trying to spin it as just part of the recession; as Jim Lochner, chief operating officer of Tyson, admits: “We are operating in a different world than we were a few years ago,” Lochner said. “After decades of steady growth, U.S. per capita consumption of protein [sic!] declined 11% from the peak in 2006, a trend that is likely to continue.” Congratulations to everyone who has dedicated their time and money to creating this new world!
Activist Profile: Yuri MitzkewichContinuing our series of activist profiles, we meet Yuri Mitzkewich! Here is an excerpt:
What made you decide to start leafleting? Trying many different forms of activism for years with little tangible effect, I began to think that a more direct form of advocacy was what was needed. With corporations and our government less and less responsive to the public, it occurred to me that convincing individuals of their own involvement in animal suffering was the way to go. People can then discover the contribution they’re making to this, and also their own leverage to change their beliefs and the world for the better. Convincing people of the importance of their choices, and getting them to boycott the industries making their profits off animal exploitation will be the dynamic that will create the biggest difference for animals. Leafleting to me is the most effective means to this end. What was your most positive leafleting experience and why? Every time I get out and can get any single person to seriously consider going vegan is, for me, as positive as it gets. Every time I see a person stop what they are doing and read a leaflet – that is the reason I keep doing this. What would you say to individuals hesitant about leafleting? Join the club! Being hesitant is a condition I think I was probably born with. After reminding myself of the importance of the information we’re there to share, it gets easier to dive in. It only takes the first leaflet being accepted and from there, the rest is all vegan gravy.
From “Your Daily Dose of Vegan Outreach!” & Jack Norris RD Blogs
Product of the Week
Yuri: “I love the DVD Vegan Cooking for Animal Lovers by the Hardcore Chef, Kerry Weber. This unconventional, easy to follow cooking video is in places inspiring, enlightening, and hilarious – sometimes all at the same time. A must-see, especially if you are a new vegan looking for useful DIY cooking tips that are easy to put to use.” Please submit your favorite products; you can view previous entries here.
Notes from Our Members
For our last outreach in Mexico,
we gave a talk today to a group of high school
seniors. It went really well, the students seemed
really into the lit and the teachers were also
open to vegetarianism. Israel’s mom is so into
it, she took a stack of 50 booklets and gave
it to everyone in her yoga class and said there
was a lot of discussion. She made a list of
all the other people she wanted to give it to,
down to her hairdresser; there went another
50 booklets. We also gave a stack here and there
to professors who wanted to give to their students
and to activists who requested them. Now we’re
out of lit! I was ordering at
Pei Wei yesterday and the man taking my order
asked if I am vegan. He told me that he has
been trying to go vegetarian but finds it hard
although he really wants to do it. I whipped
a Guide out of my purse and he thanked me and
seemed really excited!
Reached over 700 students
on the first day of the semester at Southwestern
Illinois College. It was a great day of outreach!
For example, one student said, “That’s
it; I’m going vegan.” A truly amazing day at
Virginia Commonwealth University, where John,
Jordan, Parker, and I reached almost 4,000 students
– the most booklets handed out on a Virginia
campus ever! Engaged a ton of individuals who
were asking about getting active, going veg,
etc., as evidenced by the dozens of Guides
handed out. New record at the
University of North Florida, where I reached
over 1,500 students. Good reception; e.g., I
saw one student stop in his tracks to read the
pamphlet, and then he found a bench so he could
sit to continue reading. A different student
handed me a pro-veg flier he had made, and thanked
me for leafleting. From a recent batch of Guide requests: Someone
at the University of British Columbia
was handing out your Compassionate Choices
booklet. As a result, I have decided to
become a vegan. Because of your booklet, I’ve
decided to go vegan. Keep up the great work.
I was given the brochure
at El Camino College. I was really struck by
the stories and the pictures so I want to give
it a try. I love animals and I didn’t know about
the procedure farms use to raise them. It is
so cruel and sad that I had contributed to this
horror. So I want to help by not purchasing
animal products. Thank you. A young lady in Chicago,
IL at my school (Malcolm X College) was passing
out literature. I was very interested in this
lifestyle change. Someone
handed me a pamphlet at Harvard
University. It was just what I needed –
I’ve been struggling for a while with the question
of whether to return to vegetarianism or not,
and this information was just what I needed
to inspire me to go for it. It was really encouraging
that the pamphlet said it’s okay to make exceptions
occasionally if that will make a mostly vegetarian
diet more sustainable for you. Taking it one
day at a time is much less intimidating than
the idea of never ever eating any meat again
ever. Thank you so much for helping me do this!
|
||||||||||||||||||
