Subject: October News from Marin VEG
From: Patti Breitman <eatplants@earthlink.net>
Date: 9/30/2018 11:58 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients: ;

Marin Vegetarian Education Group
October, 2019

I'm happy to report great news from Berkeley and from Ross this month.  And I hope you will be traveling on October 27,  to San Francisco for World  Veg Day and/or to  Vallejo to protest dolphins in entertainment at Six Flags. A vegan night in Vallejo awaits you on Oct. 23, and a new animal protection organization is fighting cruelty to pigs in Taiwan. Read about these and other items below. Happy Autumn! Happy rain in the forecast!


Wednesday, October 3
Tony Tutto Pizza Scheduled to Re-open in Ross
After 9 years in Mill Valley, the popular, vegetarian Pizza restaurant Tony Tutto's is scheduled to re-open at 16 Ross Common in Ross on Wednesday, October 3.  This is wonderful news for central Marin, and I am looking forward to the many vegan pizzas on offer.  Read more about the restaurant and the move at https://www.marinij.com/2018/09/18/michael-mina-to-open-first-marin-restaurant-in-tiburon/ Don't be misled by the headline; the first part of the article is all about Tony Tuttos.

Tuesday, October 23
Vegan Night at Taj Grill in Vallejo
5:30-7:30 PM
Though not a vegan restaurant, on Tuesday, October 23 Taj Grill in Vallejo (758 Admiral Callaghan Ln., near Safeway) will be offering a 100% vegan buffet from 5:30 until 9:30, with Bay Area Veg folks dining together from 5:30 until 7:30. This buffet will include eight main entrees plus salad, dessert, bread, rice, appetizer and fresh fruit. If the event is well attended more vegan nights will be planned for Taj Grill and other restaurants as well.   Let's help make the evening a huge success. The cost is $15 (not including gratuity).  For more information, go to http://www.bayareaveg.org/events.htm?EID=3212#3212

Saturday, October 27
World Veg Festival
San Francisco
10AM - 6PM
Wonderful speakers, terrific food demos, great vendors, compassionate people, tantalizing food and good times are planned at this year's World Veg Fest.  2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco  Veg Society, and this Veg Fest will be one of the best ever.  I will be speaking at 4:45 in the Garden Room, and hope you will come to hear me.   All day there will be speakers in three rooms with food demos, information and inspiration for everyone, those new to a veg lifestyle and long time vegans alike.  Admission is free for members of  SFVS. Seniors and students with ID, $5. General admission $10. See the schedule, read about the speakers, and buy tickets at http://www.worldvegfestival.com/#about

Saturday,  Oct. 27
11:45-1:45
Six Flags Protest, Vallejo
It was relentless protest of circus elephants that brought down Ringling Brothers, and Six Flags has already stopped offering elephant rides. Now lets put pressure on Six Flags to stop using marine mammals for entertainment. Join Advocates for the Animals at Vallejo's  Six  Flags Discovery Kingdom and be a voice for captive dolphins.   Let the business know that keeping dolphins in captivity to entertain humans is cruel and must stop.  The peaceful  protest is at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, 1001 Fairgrounds Dr. S.W., Vallejo, CA 94589  You can park for $20 at the Courtyard Marriott across the street or for free by turning east onto Sage Street, driving under Highway 37 and parking on Griffin Drive. For more information contact Janet Locke at Janet.advocates@gmail.com or 415-328-0164.  And mark your calendar also for Saturday, November 17, same time, same place, same mission.

City of Berkeley Adopts Green Monday
In September Berkeley became the first city in the country to pass a Green Monday, resolution.  According the the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition who worked hard to make this happen, it is much more than a symbolic gesture.  The resolution states that the City Council will eat vegan meals before city council meetings; All city-owned or operated facilities will serve plant based meals on Mondays; All  libraries and community centers will host educational programming and displays; and the city will work with local restaurants to encourage them to feature plant-based Green Monday specials. Hooray for Berkeley and for FFACoalition for this wonderful achievement.  If you would like to introduce a  Green Monday program in your city, workplace, school or community group, contact GreenMondayUs.org

New Organization Fights Against Cruel
Pig of Gods Contest in Taiwan
A new organization called Arukah Animal International is calling attention to a horrendous contest in Taiwan to grow the biggest pig possible. Arukah in Hebrew means healing, restoring, repairing, and this group aims to heal relationships between human and non human animals. Watch a heart wrenching video here https://youtu.be/9pbq4Cp7NHE (warning; graphic content, but happy ending),  and learn more about this ambitious, fledgling not for profit here https://www.facebook.com/ArukahAnimal/

Ikea Adds Vegan Hot Dogs
If you shop at Ikea you can now enjoy vegan hot dogs while you're there.  Made from kale, lentils, quinoa, onions, carrots and seasoning, the  hot dogs were a big hit in Europe, so now they're on offer at Ikea stores in the U.S.  Read more at https://vegnews.com/2018/9/ikea-vegan-hot-dogs-finally-available-nationwide

Cowspiracy's Facebook Page Taken Down
I do not use Facebook. Friends who do told me that the FB page for the film Cowspiracy has been taken down as of June 29.  If you are on Facebook, and if the Cowspiracy page has been restored, please let me know.  You can read more about this, and why, some suspect, the reasons for taking it down are not given, at http://www.cowspiracy.com/blog/2018/8/28/cowspiracys-facebook-page-remains-unpublished

Plastic and Waste
I am waging a losing battle against plastic. While I bring a reusable coffee cup, water bottle, and shopping bag wherever I go, I am complicit in the growing accumulation of plastic waste in our oceans. My eye drops,  vitamins, and shampoo all come packaged in plastic. I've written to some of the manufacturers to request that they find a bio-degradable alternative to plastic, but have not received any optimistic responses.  A 2016 report from the World Economic Forum predicts that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. This is killing sea animals and breaking my heart.  California has banned plastic straws in full service restaurants, but that's a tiny step up a huge mountain.  Despite some  of the tips referring to dairy and meat, I find inspiration and good ideas here: https://myplasticfreelife.com/plasticfreeguide/  And this thoughtful piece with excellent suggestions from Main Street Vegan should be required reading for everyone who weeps for our planet awash in trash: https://mainstreetvegan.net/zero-waste-vegan-by-cindy-thompson-vlce/

Prop 12 on November's Ballot
Because many of us vote by mail and may vote before the November newsletter, I am including my thoughts on Proposition 12.  If passed, Prop. 12 would establish minimum requirements for confining certain farm animals and prohibit sales of meat and egg products from animals confined in a noncomplying manner.  This would impact every state in the country.  While some animal protection organizations oppose the measure, I support it.  The fact that egg, veal and pork farmers oppose it and that The Humane League, the  Animal Legal Defense Team, Compassion Over Killing and In Defense of Animals are all in favor of Prop. 12, sways me to support it.  I am basing my recommendation to vote for Prop 12 on the information from this web site:  https://preventcrueltyca.com/responses, which rebuts the claims of The Humane Farming Association which opposes the measure.   As always, do your own research and vote your conscience.

Science Is Not Always Scientific
An article in The New York Times addresses less than stellar research in food studies and shoddy journalism that reports on those studies. I learned about "data dredging"  for links between foods and disease and weak statistical evidence that make their way into published, peer reviewed journals which are often, but not always retracted.  You can read the story at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/29/sunday-review/cornell-food-scientist-wansink-misconduct.html



To find out what else is happening in the coming weeks be sure to visit these excellent sites:
 
www.bayareaveg.org/events.htm   www.meetup.com/marin-vegan/    www.socoveg.org/ 
  www. SFVS.org



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