Marin Vegetarian Education Group
April 2018
Last week there was frost on the roof in the morning. Now I need
my ceiling fan in the afternoon. As the seasons and weather change,
I am reminded of what the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said:
"The only thing that is constant is change." I wish you
ease with ever changing conditions, and joy in the coming weeks of
bright green leaves, new wild flowers, frog choruses and bird song.
Hope to see you on April 11. Details below.
Wednesday, April 11
Vegan Cheese Making Workshop
The Fairfax Backyard Farmer (135 Bolinas Road, Fairfax) is offering
a class called Intro to Cheese Making: Vegan Cheese with Miyoko
Schinner on Wednesday, April 11 from 6 to 8 PM. Space is limited,
and there are only a handful of slots still available, so do not
hesitate if you want to learn from the master. This is part of a
series The Backyard Farmer offers on cheese making, usually dairy.
I'm delighted that enough vegans asked for this class that they
added it to the course. I hope it is well attended and that it
won't be the only time a vegan cheese making class is offered. The
cost is $75. To register, go to http://www.fairfaxbackyardfarmer.com/cheese.html
Read more about the wonderful Miyoko a few paragraphs later in
this newsletter.
Wednesday, April 11
Patti Breitman speaking on Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned
I will be the guest speaker at Wellness Central's vegan buffet
dinner in San Francisco's Opera Plaza Community Room (601 Van Ness)
at 6 PM on Wednesday, April 11. My talk is called Mistakes Made and
Lessons Learned in 32 Years of Vegan Living. The cost is a suggested
donation of $15, and it includes an all you can eat, home made vegan
dinner. If you're not attending Miyoko's cheese making class that
night, I'd love to see you in San Francisco. Dave from Wellness
Central was a little hyperbolic in the write-up for this event, and
I feel some pressure when I read what he promises for this talk.
Still, I do think it will be a fun evening, so if you venture over
the bridge for this, I will be grateful! https://www.meetup.com/vegetarians/events/249251378/
Sunday, April 22
Berkeley Earth Day and
Wild & Scenic Film Fest
Celebrate Earth Day on Sunday, April 22 at the David Brower
Center (2150 Allston Way) from 10 AM to 6 PM. Discover crafts,
speakers, food, eco-vendors and more at this event which is
sponsored by Compassionate Living and The David Brower Center. This
year, as part of the celebration, there will be a film festival
featuring movies that transform viewers to become committed
activists. There will also be an optional series of short films for
children. The event is free, but we need to buy tickets for the
films. Learn more and find the link to buy film tickets at http://berkeleyearthday.org/
The End of Dairy
While I can become giddy with joy when more and more dairy farms
are going out of business, I am mindful also of the grief and
despair that can come with the loss of a job, a career, and a family
business. And while I celebrate the move to plant based milks and
cheeses and away from the inherent cruelty in dairy farming, I also
hurt for the farmers who are losing their livelihood. The same
happened to people who bred, groomed, and housed horses when cars
were growing in popularity and those who manufactured and repaired
typewriters when computers came on the scene. There is no going
back, and still, it can be a challenge when you are caught in the
evolution. Here are two articles from March that highlight both
sides of the dairy story. The first is from Mercy For Animals about
the largest dairy company in the U.S. closing more farms. The
second is from The New York Times about the desperation of dairy
farmers in New York State. I am all for the continued progression
to a plant based future. But I don't want to exclude the farmers
from my circle of compassion.
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/dean-foods-ends-contracts-with-dairy-farmers
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/nyregion/farmer-suicides-mark-tough-times-for-new-york-dairy-industry.html
Read about one former dairy farmer who switched to almond milk
in the next item.
Plant Based Foods Association
Now Has Research and Education Fund
Congratulations to the Plant Based Foods Association and its
founder Michel Simon on their two year anniversary! When I became a
vegan in 1986, I used to lament, "Why isn't there a lobbying group
for the vegetable growers to counter the power of the dairy and beef
industries?" Well, the Plant Based Food Association is that
lobbying group, only better than I ever imagined. Close to 100
producers of plant based foods are on board, and more are joining ,
even big companies, like Cambell's Soup,
that see the value in offering more plant based options. The good
guys now have a voice in Washington. Among the members of PBFA is
Elmhurst Milked, a former dairy supplier - one of the largest in New
York City - that now sells almond milk instead of cows' milk. https://elmhurst1925.com/our-story
Recently, the Plant Based Foods Association added a fund for
research and education, and that part of PBFA is a 501(c)(3)
organization in its own right. This means that we can make tax
deductible contributions so it can further its work in showing
companies and consumers why and how the future is vegan. I am
thrilled to support the good work of the PBFA. Check out the
stellar list of members, and consider a gift to their new
not-for-profit fund. https://plantbasedfoods.org/donate/
Hardy Ever and Only A Drop
An excellent article from Free From Harm explains how people who
only use a little bit of milk or only eat meat on occasion, are
choosing a "trivial indulgence" over the suffering of a conscious
being. I like the way this argument is framed. https://freefromharm.org/common-justifications-for-eating-animals/scalable/
If Humans Were Food for Aliens
What if aliens arrived on our planet and found humans to be tasty?
Thanks to Dawn Watch for telling us about this engaging essay from
The Telegraph. The concept of eating sentient beings, and being
eaten by them, inspired the writer to move away from his
meat-centric diet. Read it here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11761701/We-all-need-to-stop-eating-meat-now-and-this-is-why.html
Burger
A New Book by Carol J. Adams
Hot off the press! A new book by Carol J. Adams is called
Burger, and it is the newest addition to a series called Object
Lessons published by Booomsbury. The series includes books about
Shipping Containers, Bread, Shopping Malls, Eye Charts, and many
more subjects to which we may not pay very much attention. The
publisher describes the series as books about the hidden lives of
ordinary things. As we have come to expect from Carol Adams, Burger
goes much deeper than a history of the burger and includes incisive
writing on the burger's social implications, the changing nature of
what a burger is, and the future of meatless burgers. This is a
slice of American life as seen through our relationship with
burgers, and it is fascinating. Whether or not you like the
Impossible Burger or the Beyond Burger, this book will make you
think more about Burgers' role in our lives and in our country.
Learn more at https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/burger-9781501329470/
Miyoko: The Queen of Vegan Cheese
Hooray for Miyoko Schinner who was on the cover of the spring
issue of CL (Compassionate Living), the magazine of Mercy for
Animals. They dubbed her The Queen of Vegan Cheese, and we are her
adoring subjects, indeed. Miyoko's wisdom is in evidence in many
of her answers to questions posed by MFA. When asked "Why is it
important to you to mentor other vegan businesses?" she says, "I
don't see vegan companies as my competitors at all. I often give
props to other vegan cheese brands. We can't grow the category
alone. We may want to be the leaders, but we can't grow if the
space given to plant-based cheese is only one shelf. We need to
create an entire section of the grocery store." Look for new flavors
coming soon, she says, including the first lox-flavored cream cheese
called Unlox your Dreams.
Hold the Dates and Register Now
August 24-25
Compassion-in-Action Conference
Oakland
Register before April 15 to receive bonus gifts from this summer's
Compassion in Action Conference, hosted by Colleen Patrick Goudreau.
Read about the speakers, see the schedule and testimonials from
earlier conferences, and buy your tickets at
http://www.compassioninactionconference.com/?inf_contact_key=6406c28f6863523bd4674a5621ecbba5e8b30745a921be0ad76797f97a425417#a7015112-836b-4a95-b690-e41cdec7ab64
More in April
The web sites www.bayareaveg.org/events.htm and www.meetup.com/marin-vegan/ offer other opportunities to meet with other veg folks. 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 supporting.
*********************************************************************************
This
e-newsletter from The Marin Vegetarian Education Group is free.
Please share it freely.
To subscribe, send an email to eatplants@earthlink.net
with the word Newsletter in the subject line.
To unsubscribe, send an email to eatplants@earthlink.net
with the word Unsubscribe in the subject line.