Marin Vegetarian Education Group
December, 2016
All of a sudden we have frost on the roof in the morning, and it's
dark before dinner. Brrr! Please wear light colored clothing if
you're walking in the dark, and stay safe. Drivers are often
distracted, and headlight glare can make it difficult to see
pedestrians. What good is eating a healthy diet if we are not smart
about other risks?
I wish you a joyful season, and I believe that joy is possible even
in the midst of troubling times. There is plenty of work to do in
this wounded world. We can do it with heart and stamina if we
remember all we have to be grateful for. In my view, sharing what
we know and what we have, supporting the good work being done for
justice, and being kind at every possible opportunity is the best
way to celebrate every day.
Only 21 days until the winter solstice! Enjoy every one of them and
whatever holidays you observe this month, too.
Sunday, December 4 from noon until 4:00
Vegan Cooking Class with Syndee Collison
There are only a few spaces left in Syndee's fabulous, fun
hands-on cooking class this coming Sunday. Enjoy making marinated
stuffed mushrooms, Sweet brown rice pesto croquettes, grilled tofu
satay with peanut sauce, and much more. The cost, including all
this delicious food and recipes is $60. RSVP required. Contact
Syndee at syndee.fullonfit@gmail.com or by phone at 415-215-9802
Slaughterhouse Update
Hooray for the many people who showed up and spoke against slaughter
houses at the Planning Commission meeting on November 28 and who
wrote letters to the local papers. There are still two more
meetings, and we are hoping to get more people from outside the
vegan world to speak against bringing slaughterhouses to Marin. The
next meeting of the planning commission is scheduled for Monday,
December 12 at 1 PM. There may be a board of supervisors' meeting
before then where we might also speak up. I will keep you posted.
It does not look to me that we are going to win this battle, but it
is a noble fight, and we must continue to be a voice for farmed
animals and compassion. How often must some people be exposed to an
idea before they consider it and take it in? Our words may be the
first that the commissioners ever heard on what is wrong with
raising and killing animals for human consumption. Each message is
important, even if we cannot see the results we want every time. I
know that I dismissed vegetarians for years before I was ready to
hear what they had to say.
The November 29 Marin IJ ran this cover story about the November 28
meeting:
http://www.marinij.com/general-news/20161128/marin-factions-on-animal-slaughter-ban-battle-to-sway-commission?source=most_viewed
And here are two letters from today's Marin IJ. Thanks to Sarah Lux
and Rebecca Smith for writing them.
Slaughter runs contrary to Marin
values
I’m
writing to voice my opposition to amending Marin County’s
development codes to allow for slaughter.
I
oppose slaughter in Marin County because of my deep concerns about
the negative animal welfare, environmental, public health and
public safety impact it will have on residents, animals, workers
and the planet.
Marin
County has shown time and time again it values quality of life and
progressive stances. Please stand on the right side of history
this time, too — say no to slaughter.
— Rebecca Smith, San Rafael
Slaughter would hurt property values
Slaughter
in Marin County would be a giant step backward for residents,
animals and the environment.
The
stated purpose of the proposal to allow slaughter is “to create a
pathway for agricultural producers to start small and scale up to
meet market demand.” This would allow for small-scale onsite and
mobile slaughter across districts, as well as full-scale slaughter
and rendering plants in industrial and agricultural districts.
Bad
idea.
Scaling
up to meet market demand for animal products has brought factory
farms, illness, animal abuse, crime and more to an already
overtaxed planet. The growth of animal agriculture in our county
already far outpaces the growth of our plant agriculture.
Slaughter
operations are among the largest polluters of water and are
water-intensive. They produce tremendous waste, with up to 60
percent of a slaughtered animal unusable for consumption.
Slaughter
operations drop property values. Would you want to live next door
to that?
Most
farm animals are killed in federally regulated slaughterhouses
where abuse is rampant and local regulations could not intervene.
Ranchers
could begin intensive transport into and out of the county,
creating unsightly and destructive impact on once scenic country
roads. And, animals could be killed in numbers up to 20,000
annually without so much as a use permit.
Instead
of slaughter, Marin County officials would do well to provide for
sustainable and humane solutions that will keep small farms small,
increase market demand for plant foods, and keep Marin the idyllic
community that it is.
— Sarah Lux, San Rafael
What About Grass Fed Beef?
An excellent article by Janice Stanger, PhD, explains the
problem for the environment with grass fed beef. This was published
on the Forks Over Knives web site, well worth checking out
regularly.
http://www.forksoverknives.com/no-grass-fed-beef-not-better-planet/
Very Short Survey Request
Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat, is writing a
book about burgers. She asked me to share this very short survey.
Thank you for taking a minute (that's really all it takes) to
complete it.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2CRJ62M
Ongoing Rift In Vegan World Explained
An article in Quartz, a digital business web site, exposes the
rift in the vegan movement between abolitionists and those who
want to gradually eliminate meat eating. I can see merit on both
sides of this debate. Reducing animal consumption is good.
Veganism is good. Divisiveness helps nobody.
http://qz.com/829956/how-the-vegan-movement-broke-out-of-its-echo-chamber-and-finally-started-disrupting-things/?utm_source=Quartz+Morning+Brief&utm_campaign=188a285d21-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_11_19&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1ff2527dbb-188a285d21-54931201
College Scholarships for Veg Activists
The Vegetarian Resource Group is offering two $5,000 and one
$10,000 scholarships to vegetarian or vegan students who will
graduate from high school in June of 2017. To learn more, go to
http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm
Change is Happening
Nancy Loewen sent this movie recommendation with good news
about an ad that ran before the film. (I have not seen the film
or the ad.) It makes me feel encouraged to read this kind of
news:
Somehow I wanted to tell you that I went to see Michael Moore's
new film "Moore in Trumpland" which I thought was fabulous.
Anyway, before the film, there was an advertisement for some
car, perhaps it was a jeep, I just don't remember. But what did
catch my eye big time was that the ad showed, in the very slick
and fast way that ads do, numerous other wonderful things in
life other than this car, and so suddenly there was a shot of a
vegetarian restaurant, and another of a bumper sticker that read
"I Love Animals." I nearly fell off my seat, although my
surprise and delight may not be quite as warranted these days,
in a way. Still, I was so delighted with this little bit of
cultural change.
Also, at one point in the Michael Moore film, Moore
predicts that after 8 years of a black president, we will have
8 years of a woman president, and then 8 years of a gay
president, followed by 8 years of a transgender president, and
then, of all things, 8 years of a PETA president. Fabulous
once again!
No Connection
Last month I wondered if the money Veggie Grill was spending to
expand its chain of restaurants was related to the investment in
Beyond Meat by the Tyson Corporation. There seems to be no
connection, even though Veggie Grill will be offering the Beyond
Meat burger soon. Thanks to Michele Simon of the Plant Based
Food Association for telling me this. I trust her to keep me
from slipping into cynicism, and she's doing a great job.
Goings On for Vegans
Remember to look at these web sites for all kinds of events you may want to know about:
http://www.bayareaveg.org/events.htm
http://www.meetup.com/marin-vegan/
www.socoveg.org/
www. SFVS.org.
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