Subject: Marin VEG December News
From: Patti Breitman <eatplants@earthlink.net>
Date: 2017-11-30 5:00 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients: ;

December, 2017
Marin Vegetarian Education Group

The trees this year have been particularly colorful in Marin. I hope you are enjoying them - and the green grass sprouting up on the trail edges - as much as I have.
Only three weeks until the solstice and the beginning of longer days!
Wishing you a joyful and peaceful December!

 
Monthly Vegan Lunch Date Change
The meetup group that gathers for lunch every month at Taj of Marin (909 Fourth Street, San Rafael) is changing its lunches to the first Sunday of every month.  Please rsvp through Meetup if you want to join these lovely people for a vegan buffet and great company.   https://www.meetup.com/marin-vegan/

Dairy is Not Thriving
Thanks to PlantbasedNews.org for these two stories about the decline of dairy. The first is about how a major dairy's sales are down 91% https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/revolution-dairy-producer-dean-foods-dramatic-91-drop-profits?utm_source=Plant+Based+News+Subscribers+Combined&utm_campaign=1e551a3568-24thOct_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5651a57357-1e551a3568-192762809&ct=t(24th_Oct_Newsletter).  This second story is about how non-dairy milk is gaining ground https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/revolution-dairy-producer-dean-foods-dramatic-91-drop-profits?utm_source=Plant+Based+News+Subscribers+Combined&utm_campaign=1e551a3568-24thOct_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5651a57357-1e551a3568-192762809&ct=t(24th_Oct_Newsletter)  If you subscribe (free) to PlantbasedNews.org, you will receive emails about vegan trends, and not have to click these ridiculously long url links.


Is Veganism Racist and Classist?
Have you ever been told that being a vegan was racist or classist? This seven and a half minute video responds to that accusation with facts and stories from around the world.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FJoy8yBpOQM


New York Times Front Page Story on Blacks Going Vegan
and book called APHRO-ISM
On Wednesday, November 29, the Food section of The New York Times had a very positive, front-page article about the growing trend among Black Americans to go vegan.  The article refers to a book I am in the middle of reading, APRHO-ISM: Essays on Pop Culture, Feminism , and Black Veganism from Two Sisters by Aph Ko and Syl Ko.  The afterword is by Carol J. Adams.  Regular readers of this newsletter know that I admire Carol Adams tremendously, and that I had the privilege of writing three books with her.  APHRO-ISM is an in-depth examination of race, feminism and advocacy. It advances a theoretical framework for looking at our culture, our history, and our movement, including how and why veganism is often thought of as a White movement.  I have learned a lot so far in the book about how people of color have been "animalized," - called animals (considered less than human) -and how oppression works both consciously and unconsciously in our society.  Also, there is much here about the interconnected oppressions among different groups who have been oppressed.  The Times article only mentions the book briefly and is more about different people of color who are embracing veganism.  You can read the story here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/dining/black-vegan-cooking.html?_r=0


If Everyone Went Vegan
There were dozens of articles last month about a new study showing what would happen if everyone in the United States were to adopt a vegan diet.  The study was published 
 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and it  found that a vegan diet by all people in the U.S. would cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 28 percent.  It also warned that people's nutrition would be harmed. But wait! The authors of the study are  Robin White, of the Virginia Tech department of animal and poultry science, and Mary Beth Hall, a U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher in Madison, Wisc.  So is their conclusion about frightening, nutritional fallout must be taken with a proverbial grain of salt.  Here is one of many articles about the study: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/11/what-would-happen-if-all-americans-went-vegan

VegReady now on Kickstarter
Mark Perlmuter's new,  ready-to-eat, customized vegan meals - now has its own Kickstarter account. Learn more about these healthy and delicious meals and help create the company with a pledge of a contribution of any size at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vegready/vegready-the-fusion-of-convenience-taste-and-ecolo


Vegan Cities by 2025
Three organizations are joining forces to collect one million signatures that will be presented to the United Nations, asking that body to include animals in its Universal Periodic Review.  This is the kick off of their Compassionate Cities Campaign which asks cities to give animals legal protections around the world. DxE, The Save Movement, and In Defense of Animals are circulating a MoveOn petition to bring compassion to cities across the globe: https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/one-million-signatures?source=c.em&r_by=15286042


Dharma Voices for Animals - Creating and Supporting Veg Buddhists World Wide
I am delighted to invite you to look at the on-line auction items being offered to raise funds for Dharma Voices for Animals and its new project in Sri Lanka.  "Dharma" refers to the teachings of the Buddha, and I am a co-founder and board member of this organization.  Buddhism calls for practitioners to live without harming living beings, but many Buddhists do not follow this precept.  DVA is working to remind and encourage millions of  Buddhists to follow this precept in their food choices, and nuns and monks in Buddhist countries are joining DVA and spreading the message of non-harming among their followers.   Even if you don't want to bid on any item, consider a gift to this unique organization.  Learn more and see the auction items at  http://www.biddingowl.com/Auction/home.cfm?auctionID=12493  Click on "view items" on the upper left to see the auction items.

Forbes on the Future of Vegan Fast Food
This article about the current and future state of vegan fast food encouraged me. Veggie Grill is just one of many vegan fast food restaurants that are expanding across the country. https://www.forbes.com/sites/katrinafox/2017/11/14/move-over-mcdonalds-the-future-of-fast-food-is-vegan/#30c25614ac2f

More in December
Remember to look at  www.bayareaveg.org/events.htm  and  www.meetup.com/marin-vegan/  to find out what's happening in the coming weeks. Also, check out Compassionate Living in Sonoma County. Their web site is  www.socoveg.org/.   And The San Francisco Veg Society at www. SFVS.org is worth knowing about and supporting.



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