March, 2018
Marin Vegetarian Education Group
Happy March! Spring comes this month, and the shooting stars,
poppies, popcorn, fiddle heads, and other wildflowers are ready to
bloom. Let's celebrate the long awaited rain, and look for
additional reasons to smile every day.
Saturday, March 10
Conscious Eating Conference
David Brower Center, Berkeley
The seventh annual Conscious Eating Conference will be held on
Saturday, March 10 at the David Brower Center - 2150 Allston Way -
in Berkeley. Registration begins at 9 AM, and the program begins
at 10, ending at 6. Sponsored by United Poultry Concerns and the
Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocacy, the conference asks and
answers "What are the most compassionate choices?"
Pre-registration is $20, at the door registration is $30. To see
the schedule, speakers and to register, go to http://www.upc-online.org/forums/2018/
Friday, March 23
Wine & Goats in Santa Rosa
From 2 to 6 PM on Friday, March 23 you can tour Goatlandia to
meet the animals, then harvest organic veggies and herbs from the
garden, enjoy a hands on cooking class, and sit down to a five
course dinner with wine pairings. The cost is $125 per person.
Goatlandia is just outside Santa Rosa. Learn more and sign up at
https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/50816
If you can't make it on March 23, this event will be offered
also on April 14, May 26, June 23 and July 7. Learn more about
Goatlandia and their group tours, yoga with the goats, and how to
join their mailing list at https://www.goatlandia.org/events/
Sunday, March 25
Dairy Activism in Fairfax
Dalila Cunha and Marin Voices for Animals will be meeting at
The Good Earth on Sunday, March 25 at noon for lunch, followed by
peacefully offering informative postcards to shoppers outside
about the downsides of dairy. The postcard event will last just
under an hour. For more information, contact Dalila at personal@waterfallhealing.com
Thursday, March 29
Chef Bryant Terry
Demo and Dinner in Novato
Join Bryant Terry, award-winning vegan chef and author of
Vegan Soul Kitchen, Afro Vegan, Grub, and The Inspired Vegan for
a food demonstration and full dinner in Novato to benefit shelter
and job training programs of Homeward Bound. This event will be
from 6:30 to 9 PM at The Key Room at Hamilton Field. To see the
menu and purchase tickets ($60) go to https://www.cookingschoolsofamerica.com/freshstartscookingschool/index.php?page=classes#227
Olympic Athletes Ditch Dairy
A number of Olympic athletes have gone vegan, and
some of them made a television commercial that urges everyone to
go dairy free. Cyclist and vegan activist Dotsie Bausch was the
catalyst for the campaign. The ad ran in six U.S.
markets during the closing games and afterwards, and you can watch
it at http://switch4good.org/ Thanks to A Well
Fed World (one of my favorite not for profits - awfw.org)
for sharing this exciting ad.
Dairy Industry's Answer to Veganuary Doesn't Work As
Planned
In response to the success of Veganuary, a campaign that
encourages us to go vegan for the month of January, the dairy
industry launched a campaign called Februdairy this year. It fell
flat. Here's a report from Plant Based News about why it failed.
Hooray for vegan activists who won't stay quiet about the harm
inherent in the dairy industry.
https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/februdairy-complete-misfire-purpose-planning-mission
Farm Sanctuary's Orland, CA Branch to Close
After 25 years, the Orland Farm Sanctuary
will be closing by the end of this year. Home to more than 2600
rescued animals over the decades, the Northern California Farm
Sanctuary will be transferring its resident animals to the Acton
sanctuary in Southern California and the Watkins Glen sanctuary in
upstate New York. Read more about the move at
http://www.redding.com/story/news/2018/02/22/farm-sanctuary-near-orland-closing/365199002/
Two New Films About Vegan Athletes
Two new documentaries focus on athletes who are choosing to go
vegan to improve their health and performance in sports. One is
called From the Ground Up and the other is Game
Changers. I have not seen either film, and don't know
where/when/if they will come to Marin theaters. But here is what I
do know.
From the Ground Up is available on demand, and there is a
review, trailer, and links to it via itunes, Amazon, Google Play
here:
https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/review-rich-roll-and-torre-washington-vegan-documentary?utm_source=Plant+Based+News+Subscribers+Combined&utm_campaign=3808c95ec4-Weekly+News+Updates&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5651a57357-3808c95ec4-192762809
Game Changers focuses on athletes as well as soldiers,
scientists and others who discover the power of a plant based
diet. Dr. Michael Greger, who is featured in the film, gives it
two thumbs up here:
https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/dr-greger-game-changers-best-documentary-evidence-based-eating
Available in select theaters, there is more information about it
at http://gamechangersmovie.com/
Plant Pure Nation Now on YouTube
Speaking of films, Plant Pure Nation, a 2015 documentary
inspired by the work of T.Colin Campbell, is now available on
YouTube. There is a $4 charge, but you can watch a trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-YwkrJ-jos
Where Do You Get Your Protein?
If anyone knows that you're a vegan, you have most likely been
asked where your protein comes from. Dr. John McDougall recently
shared his article about protein. In total, it's an excellent
article, but I take exception to the categorical claim that MS and
other diseases "can be easily resolved by a diet based solely on
plant foods." This is often, but not always the case, and making
categorical health claims can set up veganism to fail This is
one of the themes of my most recent book, Even Vegans Die (https://lanternbooks.presswarehouse.com/books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=511453).
You can read the McDougall article here: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/apr/protein.htm
Vegan Travel
In 2010 I traveled to Thailand with VegVoyages and enjoyed a
week of fabulous food, visits to an orphanage, a monastery, a
gibbon refuge, people's homes, cooking classes, Thai massages, and
the company of wonderful fellow travelers and excellent guides.
At that time, VegVoyages was the only vegan tour company I knew
of. Now, there are many, including Colleen Patrick Goudreau's
tantalizing trips. Forbes magazine just published an article
about the different companies offering vegan travel, and I was
delighted to see that CPG and VegVoyages were highlighted among
others in the field. I'm so glad to see that the market for vegan
travel is burgeoning. https://www.forbes.com/sites/katrinafox/2018/02/21/how-the-travel-industry-is-responding-to-the-rising-demand-for-vegan-vacations/#351bea132eb0
Hampton Creek in the News
Hampton Creek, the company that makes Just Mayo has changed
its name to Just. I love that name, as food justice is an often
neglected topic when people talk about food choices. Just was
recently the subject of a piece in The Washington Post about
working to stop malnutrition in Africa. Read it at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/02/23/the-silicon-valley-food-start-up-best-known-for-its-vegan-mayo-thinks-it-can-cure-malnutrition-in-africa/?utm_term=.a81e6c5d1177
Hospitals Offering Plant Based Foods for Patients
The future we envision, in which hospitals serve healing food
and not harmful food, is one step closer thanks to a hospital in
Florida where plant based foods are offered. While Kaiser
Permanente has been offering healthy choices for years, this is a
first in Florida. https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/florida-hospital-launches-vegan-menu-better-health
And Kaiser 's excellent booklet about plant based diets
is available to anyone on the web: https://share.kaiserpermanente.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/The-Plant-Based-Diet-booklet.pdf
Farm Sanctuary's Orland, CA Branch to Close
After 25 years, the Orland Farm Sanctuary
will be closing by the end of this year. Home to more than 2600
rescued animals over the years, the Northern California Farm
Sanctuary will be transferring its resident animals to the Acton
sanctuary in Southern California and the Watkins Glen sanctuary in
upstate New York. Read more about the move at
http://www.redding.com/story/news/2018/02/22/farm-sanctuary-near-orland-closing/365199002/
The Guardian Series on Animal Agriculture
We can sign up for monthly installments of a new
investigative series called Animals Farmed being published by the
British newspaper The Guardian. The series will focus on the
impact of global industrialization of meat and fish on people,
animals and the planet. Reporters will be publishing news from
around the globe on food and farming systems. I'm suspecting that
it won't be pro-vegan or anti-vegan, but might offer a chance to
learn what's working and what's not. And, perhaps, opportunities
for comments. Sign up (free) at https://www.theguardian.com/animals-farmed/2018/feb/21/animals-farmed-join-us-for-monthly-updates-newsletter-updates
The Road to Vegan Has Detours and Curves
Registered dietician and author Jack Norris of Vegan Outreach
was curious about a report that showed that there are many people
who tried to go vegan, but "failed." In this new report, Dr.
Alison Lenton describes the process of change and why there are
often setbacks and reboots on the way to changing our food
choices. It turns out that the road to a vegan lifestyle is often
a process, not an overnight decision. She encourages activists to
acknowledge this process, and she explains how it works here: https://veganoutreach.org/rocky-road-behavior-change-omnivore-veg%E2%80%A2n/
Thanks to Jack for sharing this.
Pacelle, Shapiro Leave HSUS After Accusations of Misbehavior
Wayne Pacelle and Paul Shapiro have stepped down from their
leadership roles at the Humane Society of the United States in the
wake of allegations of sexual impropriety.
Here is the story from Politico: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/30/humane-society-sexual-harassment-allegations-investigation-216553
And a follow-up report from The Washington Times: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/feb/5/how-the-humane-societys-sexual-predator-problem-is/
And here is some critical thinking from Carol J. Adams, author of
The Sexual Politics of Meat, who helped Wayne Pacelle write his
letter of resignation. Scroll down to read about why women need
better apologies from men, other women's voices in the AR
movement, and also the report from a conversation with Paul
Shapiro, Carol Adams, pattrice jones and lauren Ornelas: http://caroljadams.com/carol-adams-blog/
And a third perspective from HumaneMyth.org This essay is too
long, in my opinion, but it touches on other problems with HSUS
that have concerned me for many years.
http://www.humanemyth.org/dominationgames.htm
Vegan Dogs
We have known for years that dogs thrive on vegan diets. Here
is a recent blog post from wild earth pets that explains why.
https://www.wildearthpets.com/blog/you-can-feed-your-dog-meat-free
Worth Singing About: Avocados
Thanks to Ann Wheat for sharing this link. Billy Bramblett,
formerly with Wildwood and now with Miyoko's, wrote and sings a
song
about avocados with a marvelous a cappella quartet. This song
stays in my head for days every time I hear it. If you like
avocados, I think you will like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bajfyQ5pydI
Hold The Date
Wednesday, April 11
Patti Breitman speaking in San Francisco at Wellness Central
Details to come next month, but mark your calendar now. I'd
love to see you at this all you can eat buffet dinner and talk at
6 PM in the Community Room at Opera Plaza on Van Ness. Check out
Wellness Central for more information about their weekly events in
San Francisco. https://www.facebook.com/SFWellnessCentral/
They have their own meetup group, too: https://www.meetup.com/SF-Wellness-Central-Vegan-Events/
Additional March Happenings
As always, visit www.bayareaveg.org/events.htm and www.meetup.com/marin-vegan/ to find out what's happening in March. 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 a terrific organization.
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