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Best of the Vegan Internet for August, 2009

Here are some of the especially interesting things I saw on the internet in August. Not all exactly vegan, but all related to our work in promoting veganism and animal rights.

Interesting Commentary

Time Magazine looked at the real cost of “cheap food.”

Erik Marcus shared some perspective on the Whole Foods boycott on vegan.com.

Wayne Pacelle commented on the American Veterinary Medical Association and their support of factory farming.

I’m going to cheat and dip into July because I missed this excellent post last month by Judith Kingsbury, […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-09-04T11:47:00-04:00September 4th, 2009|1 Comment

Choosing Resources For Vegan Education

Going vegan is a whole lot more than learning to make chili without meat. Most Americans eat and wear animal products, rely on a multitude of products that are tested on animals, and depend on animals for entertainment (whether it’s playing soccer with a leather ball or spending the afternoon at the zoo). There has been no other social justice movement that has asked all people to change their lives so extensively and fundamentally. Comparisons to other movements and societal changes are pretty limited. We are truly in uncharted territory.

With no one to really show us the way, […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-09-02T14:43:00-04:00September 2nd, 2009|Tags: Resources, Vegan activism|3 Comments

When “Go Vegetarian” Is The Right Message

I’ve been lately dipping into one of my all-time favorite books, Simple Food For The Good Life by Helen Nearing. She and her husband Scott were back-to-the landers, pacifists, and simple lifestyle pioneers in the 1930s through 1970s. They were vegetarian—almost vegan.

I love this cookbook not so much (or really at all) for its recipes, but for the amusing snippets throughout, as well as some delightfully radical ideas (for 1980) about animal rights. But be forewarned: Helen’s thoughts were not in sync with some of the absolutist positions that some activists take today. She was a straight talker […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-08-13T09:59:00-04:00August 13th, 2009|Tags: Vegan activism|32 Comments

The Best of the Vegan Internet for July, 2009

I found so much great vegan stuff on the internet last month that I wanted to do a little round up of my favorite things from July, 2009. (And yes, I know it’s already the end of the first week of August; I blame it on a computer crash earlier this week!)

Here are just a few of the wonderful items that made me laugh or think or want to head straight into the kitchen to cook or out to the street to advocate for animals.

Funny Stuff

From Vance Lehmkuhl, I loved […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-08-06T11:46:00-04:00August 6th, 2009|3 Comments

Be a Sneaky Vegan Activist

A month or so ago, I wrote a little missive to the editor of my local newspaper about the rationale for going vegan. A friend emailed to say how much he had loved my “take no prisoners” letter. Yikes. I wasn’t sure if I was pleased or mortified. But there are times when it makes sense to lay it on the line, and letters to the editor are among many good opportunities for that.

There are also times when it pays to be a little bit more subtle. I’ve written before about what it means to live as a […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-31T10:25:00-04:00July 31st, 2009|Tags: Vegan activism|13 Comments

Vegan Before Six: Did Mark Bittman Help or Harm Vegan Efforts?

In my examiner column last week I wrote about Mark Bittman’s decision to add small amounts of meat to his Vegan Before Six plan while training for a marathon. If you don’t follow Bittman, he is a celebrity chef who devised a plan to eat vegan meals before 6:00 p.m. and then whatever he wanted for dinner. He wanted to reduce his cholesterol and weight without entirely giving up his favorite foods.

As I’ve stated here more than once, I don’t like the health argument for vegan diet (not to mention the fact that there is no health […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-30T10:44:00-04:00July 30th, 2009|Tags: Vegan activism|10 Comments

Say Yes to Bigotry and No To Veganism With the Fattening Food Tax?

Will we have a fattening food tax? I doubt it. But even the discussion of this idea is disturbing to me for two rather different reasons.

First, the current conversation about this approach involves some appalling bigotry. In their statement of why they think the food tax could work, The Urban Institute says that part of the rationale “involves personal responsibility, argued as follows: People have the right to buy food that will make them obese. But they need to take responsibility for the costs they impose on the rest of us. They do this by paying a […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-28T15:01:00-04:00July 28th, 2009|6 Comments

Everyone Is a Potential Vegan

One of my favorite organizations, Vegan Outreach, focuses efforts on college students and other young people—those who are most apt to listen to a vegan message. Given the huge task of moving society toward a more vegan ethic, it makes sense to start wherever success is most likely.

That’s why it’s disappointing to me when activists disparage those who truly have vegan potential—vegetarians (of the lacto-ovo variety) and people who are moved by animal welfare issues, but not animal rights.

I volunteer at my local animal shelter where the other volunteers obviously love animals and are committed to […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-16T11:12:00-04:00July 16th, 2009|Tags: Vegan activism|37 Comments

The Tipping Point: Lessons For Vegan Activists?

Taken from the field of epidemiology, a tipping point is the moment at which a contagious disease “tips” and becomes an epidemic. From a sociological point of view, it’s the point at which momentum for change becomes unstoppable. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is about turning messages—about ideas, behaviors or products—into epidemics.

How do we spread a vegan message to the point where it tips? Obviously this book doesn’t offer a blueprint for that. But it gives some ideas—and some fascinating food for thought—based on research from marketing, sociology, and education.

A few concepts:

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-14T14:43:00-04:00July 14th, 2009|Tags: Resources, Vegan activism|0 Comments

A Vegan’s Ode To The Chickpea

I have very few brilliant ideas of my own and must admit that this one—a poem about chickpeas—was inspired by some friends on twitter—ReluctantVeggie and LeafyV. You can find links to their work and words of wisdom at the end of this post. But first..my ode to everyone’s favorite bean.

A Vegan’s Ode To The Chickpea

If you’ve been to a vegan pot luck
Where everyone brings a dish
You’ve tasted six kinds of hummus
Thank goodness it’s so delish.

It’s tasty because it has chickpeas
A very delectable bean
But hummus is just for starters