January, 2010

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Vegan Bake Sale for Haiti (guest post by Gabrielle Pope)

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Vancouver Vegan Bake Sale with Musical Performance by Frazey Ford - Radha Yoga and Eatery - February 4th, 2010 from 6:30 pm – 10 pm

On the 13th of January of this year, many of us woke up to the devastating news that the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere had been rocked by 7.0 magnitude catastrophic earthquake, which has since claimed the lives of at least 150,000 people, injured innumerable people, destroyed national landmarks and ravaged homes, hospitals, communication, electricity and transportation systems, and left a desperate country with far‐ranging needs regarding medical care, sanitation (and the necessary development of mass graves to bury those killed by the effects of the quake), emergency services, and a general rebuilding of an already shaky Haitian human and political infrastructure.

Those are the facts, neither sensationalized nor exaggerated, and as I sat at my computer in my heated apartment eating a morning bagel and reading of the calamities while people in Haiti were struggling to live, witnessing countless deaths and dread too horrific for me to even imagine, I felt, as many others, a disparate sense of injustice and a longing to do something, anything, to give those affected by the quake a sense of aid, no matter how minimal.

Since the event and in response to the sizeable amount of aid given by individuals, organizations and governments in an attempt to provide Haiti with the emergency services so badly needed, on blog posts and in editorial OP’s I’ve heard cynics collectively sneer about the sense of self‐righteousness donors were enjoying in response to their philanthropy. I’ve read accusations that those putting their face on relief efforts all but ignore aid needed elsewhere in the world (including, but not limited to, the Middle East). Celebrities are mocked for their self‐promoting very public donations, and obvious targets such as the Georges (Clooney and W. Bush) are torn apart because their efforts are not great enough, nor sincere enough, nor even acceptable according to whatever sins they’ve yet to be publically absolved of in the past.

This is no request for sentimental appeal to the Georges, but far be it for anyone to criticize any type of aid in times of tragedy. What good does it do for me to compare myself as a significantly indebted grad student to someone like George Clooney, and to claim that he should be doing a lot more, because he “can”? It is my feeling that anyone who cares about the situation in Haiti and realizes that they can help in whatever way possible for them should put their money and their efforts where their mouths are. The looting, sick, desperate, stranded, mourning people of Haiti aren’t waiting around for us to argue about ethics and manners of giving.

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is a vegan activist and cookbook author. When the call for need comes, she answers as any compassionate vegan would: bake sales. Bake sales can be scoffed at for garnering minimal funds, but when those of us without the means to personally send significant donations off to Doctors Without Borders, the Humanitarian Coalition and the like put our heads together to hustle up a series of worldwide vegan bake sales under Moskowitz’s original manifesto of sorts for this worthy cause, what is the result? So far: over 10 thousand dollars from vegan bake sales alone(held in the US, Canada, Britain and beyond). That’s a lot of baking, a lot of volunteers, a lot of happy bellies stuffed with vegan goodies, and a lot of Earth Balance. Upcoming bake sales in Portland, LA, NYC, Minneapolis, Miami, Seattle, Ottawa, right here in Vancouver and many more promise to add significantly to that pool of support.

It was through Moskowitz’s website’s forums that several of us from Vancouver came together and decided to rally up our baked goods and be proactive vegans.

Initially turned down by UBC (turns out there are only certain foodstuffs okay to sell on campus, and those do not include vegan baked goods with all‐natural and mostly organic ingredients) and denied donations by some bigger natural health markets, we turned our attentions to Radha Yoga and Eatery, the city’s best vegan restaurant doubling as a non‐profit organization and committed to community and the environment (in 2009 Radha closed their doors for several months to undergo green renovations that include an air‐source heat pump, solar light tubes, LED and fluorescent dimmable lights, and a green roof). I was genuinely touched and thoroughly uplifted by Radha’s enthusiasm to not only host us, but also support a full‐on event complete with live music from a (volunteering) Frazey Ford of the Be Good Tanya’s, an art opening, and of course the sale, held during Radha’s Thursday night dinner service and featuring baked goods by a slew of Vancouver talents including Radha themselves, Vegan Mania, the Vancouver Vegan Cupcake Queen, and the bakers behind blogs such as Pistachio Rose and Epicurvegan.

On February 4th, 2010, we invite you between the hours of 6:30 and 10 PM to join us for music, art, cupcakes and beyond, and to witness a community sense of compassion and giving that will make your sweet treats taste all the more decadent, with a lingering impression that these small‐scale activist efforts really do make a difference, and the more they happen, the more we foster a local spirit for compassion for all types of animals, humans included.

Vancouver Vegan Bake Sale with Musical Performance by Frazey Ford
Radha Yoga and Eatery
728 Main Street
Vancouver BC
Thursday February 4th, 2010 from 6:30 pm – 10 pm
Note: Radha’s regular dinner service will be served, and we encourage you to taste the best vegan food in the city. Menu here.

All proceeds go to the Humanitarian Coalition’s efforts for Haiti. Whatever we raise will be matched by the Canadian government.

Special thanks to our amazing sponsors: Radha, Karmavore, Mainly Organics, Anita’s Organics, Indigo, Horizon Distributors, Wholesome Sweeteners, Queensdale Market, and all our amazing volunteers! We’re still happily taking contributions for baked goods.

Gabrielle Pope is writer of fiction, plays, nonfiction and children’s literature completing an MFA in Creative Writing at UBC. She is an avid (yet self-taught) vegan chef and animal right’s advocate. She is currently working on a vegan cookbook, young adult novel, and collection of short stories.

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Goat for Gold, not a good idea

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

In the last few years–and especially recently–we’ve been hearing a lot about charities that will donate a live farm animal to impoverished people.   Some of these include Heifer International, Oxfam, and more recently, the local Goat for Gold:

B.C. businessmen Joel and Danny Nagtegaal were drinking beer and decided last spring to buy one goat for a poor family in Africa each time the Vancouver Canucks won a playoff game. Other Vancouverites decided to do the same thing and 1,073 goats were purchased for African families. Now, the brothers plan to buy a goat for an African family every time a Canadian wins a gold medal. (Goat for Gold No!, Lifeforce Foundation)

Sounds nice, huh?  I’ll admit that when I first heard of these sorts of programs, I thought the same thing. But it turns out that the charming photos of children holding cuddly baby animals don’t reflect the full truth of the matter.

“Farming animals is an inefficient, expensive and environmentally destructive way of producing food,” Tyler continued.

“Sceptical readers might accuse me of dressing up a concern about animal welfare as a concern for the world’s poor. There are major animal welfare issues involved in sending animals to, for instance, the Horn of Africa, where earlier this year up to 80% of the cattle perished in a drought. Many of the remainder were washed away in the floods that followed.

But this is not about cows taking precedence over people. Reality is that animal gift schemes are, in the words of the World Land Trust, ‘environmentally unsound and economically disastrous.” (Animal Aid director, Andrew Tyler)

Another point is that two-thirds of the planet–particularly the people who live in poverty-stricken nations–is lactose intolerant.  Many of these send-an-animal programs advocate a gift of a cow or a goat, as the animal can be milked (assuming the people can find another animal, for mating purposes) and then slaughtered for her meat.   Even without accounting for the numerous health problems associated with dairy, one might think that there is a better way to feed the hungry than with a product they cannot properly digest.

From the Vancouver Humane Society:

  • Animal donation programs can fail (and the animals die) because the recipients don’t have the money to afford proper vet care (if it is even available), and donor programs sometimes don’t account for that in their funding (It costs a lot more than people are willing to pay per goat as donors.)
  • All farm animals require proper nourishment, large quantities of water, shelter from weather, and veterinary care. It is questionable whether it is worthwhile to devote such resources (in critically short supply in many developing countries) to such an indirect way of feeding people.
  • Animal donation programs perpetuate dependency of people on donors (versus working with  recipients to address their own needs, be it acquiring animals or seeds or whatever, but by themselves)
  • Animal donations are easy for donors and make them feel good, but what is needed more are the less “sexy” things like leadership, peace building, psychosocial assistance, basic business training (how to save money and get where you want to be), and training in how people can help themselves out of poverty.
  • Supplying cows, goats and chickens to impoverished people with limited resources can just add to their burden.

More info:

And a few groups that feed the hungry without hurting animals:

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Animal Advocacy Camp: stepping forward

Sunday, January 24th, 2010
Speaking to the circle

The circle (photo by Amanda Daniell)

This Saturday, we held the first Animal Advocacy Camp in Vancouver. 80 people from across the spectrum of animal advocacy in Vancouver came together to learn and teach about being more effective advocates for animals.

The event was organized as “Open Space,” a meeting format where the attendees set the agenda at the beginning of the day. This sort of format removes a lot of the distinction between “experts” and everybody else, and also gives everyone the opportunity to host a conversation about a particular question or topic they are passionate about.

The energy in the room was amazing. I think a lot of the people were just excited to be able to come together to be with other activists and talk about our work. Many people made new contacts and new friends, and conversations got started that will hopefully carry on to successful projects.

Creating the agenda

The Agenda (photo by Amanda Daniell)

Some of the topics being discussed included:

  • How Can I Speak More Effectively?
  • Education and Critical Thinking
  • Art and Literature’s Role in Animal Advocacy
  • Presenting animal issues with creativity
  • Media Relations

Many of the attendees have said that they want to do another event of this type. Bringing the community together in this way can serve to share information and knowledge, to plan future campaigns and objectives, to strengthen our personal bonds. We will definitely be organizing some events in the coming months to bring people together again to push forward.

Keep an eye open for announcements!

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Faulty Arguments Against Veganism, pt. 7

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Read parts 1-6 here.

Can you imagine the world in twenty years if everyone were a vegan?  These poor people are so weak, they can hardly walk. Imagine a 90 lb. Marine trying to defend our country. He couldn’t even carry the gear he needs. Imagine a Iron worker, a connector, who tool pouch weighs more then him…the bottom line is a vegan is not as strong physicaly or mentally as a meat eater.

I’m fairly sure that this guy actually hasn’t met any vegans.  We certainly aren’t any weaker than the general population, and we’re generally in better health.  As far as whether we’re weak, well…

Bodybuilder Robert Cheeke

“In 2002 Robert started Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, a company dedicated to promoting the vegan fitness lifestyle, empowering vegan athletes, and living by the words, ‘healthy food defines you.’”  (RobertCheeke.com)

UFC fighter, Mac Danzig

“…the 27 year old Danzig has carved his own path and along the way shattered stereotypical images. The lightweight fighter’s success evidences a fighter can be successful without the consumption of animal products.”  (The MMA Digest)

Dr. Ruth Heidrich

At over 70, Dr. Ruth Heidrich has been a vegan for over 25 years.  She is “a six-time Ironman Triathlon finisher, holder of more than 900 gold medals from every distance from 100 meter dashes to 5K road races to ultra marathons and triathlons.  She has completed more than 60 marathons all over the world…”  Read more here.

Vancouver's own Brendan Brazier

“He’s a professional Ironman triathlete, bestselling author on performance nutrition, and the creator of an award-winning line of whole food nutritional products called VEGA.” (BrendanBrazier.com)

Bodybuilder Kailla Edger

She claims to have “taught and/or taken up pilates, yoga, karate, mountain biking, swimming, water aerobics, step aerobics, kickboxing, bodybuilding, boot camp exercises, jogging…and that’s just the few I can remember right now.”  (VeganBodybuilding.com)

I didn’t stop because I ran out of vegan athletes.  I stopped because unlike them, I’m really lazy.

Note also that the Dieticians of Canada and the American Dietetic Association agree that:

…appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life-cycle including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence and for athletes.

A few more links:

VeganBodybuilding.org

VeganPersonalTraining.com

VeganFitnessTeam.com

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Senseless violence on a dairy farm

Friday, January 15th, 2010

A rescued dairy cow, now safe from senseless violence

This Monday, someone stabbed 4 cows on a Comox Valley dairy farm. According to the Comox Valley Echo:

A senseless stabbing attack on four dairy cows at a farm on Dove Creek Road has the Comox Valley RCMP appealing to the public for information.

One of the four cows was so badly injured that she had to be put down, while the other three are expected to recover.

But one of those three cows was pregnant, due in June, and she has now aborted the fetus, likely due to the stress.

The owner of the farm, Barb Milley, is quoted as saying “Who would hurt innocent cows that have no grudge against anybody?”

This is a truly senseless attack on innocent animals. But it’s important to keep in mind that this is a working dairy farm that “has more than 200 cows of all ages and produces about 2,650 litres of milk per day.” So, in answer to Barb’s question, my answer would be: Barb Milley. How many innocent calves has she sent off to slaughter? How many cows has she sent to the slaughterhouse when they are past their prime milk-producing time?

Here’s another part of the story that’s not quite what it seems.

The cow that had to be put down was stabbed on both the left and right hand sides in the soft part of her belly, just like the pregnant cow, but the wounds were bad enough that a five-pin bowling ball-sized portion of her internal organs was outside her body.

She was sent to the slaughterhouse.

Being “put down” is not quite the same as being put on a truck, hauled to a slaughterhouse, getting hit by a captive bolt, hung upside-down, and bled out. What sort of merciful euthanasia is that?

No mention is made in the article that all of these “innocent cows that have no grudge against anybody” are destined for the slaughterhouse, where lots worse than getting stabbed will happen to them. This after having countless babies stolen from them, all so they can be forced into milk production, over and over again. Where’s the story about that? Why aren’t the police talking to Barb Milley about her systemic abuse of innocent animals? Why aren’t we outraged about the crimes committed on her farm every day?

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Frogs Are Too Cool for School

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Guest post by Lesley Fox, Creator of Frogs are Cool

orange eyed green tree frog

image by flickr user rainforest_harley

For some, it’s a right of passage, a curiosity or maybe a fascination. For others it’s an upsetting, cruel or even offensive reminder of our disregard for other species. Whatever the perception, dissecting animals is controversial.

Fortunately, the BC Ministry of Education does not mandate that animals such as frogs, mice, rats, fetal pigs or insects be used as teaching tools in the K-12 provincial curriculum. In fact, all the Ministry cares about is that students simply achieve the learning outcomes for science/biology. This means to pass the course, students must demonstrate an understanding of basic anatomy and the function and location of various organs, respiratory, circulatory and other systems. To teach these learning outcomes, teachers can choose animal specimens or alternatives – the BC Ministry of Education does not take a position either way. Sadly, most teachers simply opt for old-fashioned ‘rubber-stamped’ animal dissection.

Speaking Out Against Dissection

A high school student has enough to deal with, so voicing opposition to dissection can be intimidating, particularly when the teacher is perceived to be in favour of animal dissection. In my research, many students simply believe that animal dissection is imperative, or is just “part of the course.” But rather than voicing their opposition, some students will choose to just take the easy way out and avoid the sciences altogether, or happen to become “sick” the day of the animal labs.

If a student does actually voice their concern, the teacher may provide them with an alternative assignment, library research or computer program such as Digital Frog. But other teachers may excuse students from “hands-on” participation only and encourage them to watch and/or not leave the animal lab. In rare circumstances, some teachers may give the students a failing grade. There is no particular way of dealing with students who object to dissection, it’s all up to the individual teacher.

This is the problem.

In order to ensure that all students who object to animal dissection receive fair and equal treatment, it’s important to have a specific policy about handling dissection objections on the books of each and every school district. In some Canadian districts and in some states, such a policy does exist. It’s called a Student Choice Policy. It’s a written policy that protects a students’ right to refuse dissection. The only cities in Canada that have this policy include Vancouver (BC), Toronto (ON), and South Shore (NS).

A Student Choice Policy notifies students in advance and protects the right of students to refuse to participate in animal dissections. Ideally, the policy would also be written in handbooks and/or course outlines so students understand, in advance, that they do have choice. Those who request a non-animal alternative are provided one, without hassle or jeopardizing their grade.

Getting a Policy Passed

You’d think having a Student Choice Policy would be a no-brainer. But it’s actually quite difficult to pass.

In the beginning, when first approached, most teachers and school board trustees agree that no student should be forced to participate in animal dissection. Everyone also tends to agree that adequate non-animal alternatives such as computer programs and plastic models are available.

The problem though is when you simply ask to have that in writing (an actually policy) school officials are reluctant to do it. This is where I get confused. After all, a choice isn’t a choice unless you know you have one! And if alternatives exist, why is no one willing to tell the students that?

I suspect this is because of sheer laziness. Creating new policies takes some work and maybe some science teachers don’t want to “promote” the idea of alternatives or perhaps some teachers don’t want to have to create two different tests, lesson plans or assignments. Who really knows.

What’s even weirder is that animal alternatives have so many more benefits than real animal specimens. Computer programs for example are cheaper and are more environmentally sustainable as they can be shared between classes and used over and over.

Need Your Help

In order to help facilitate change for students and animals, we need to work together as a team and voice opposition.

Frogs are Cool is an online Canadian resource helping to educate schools and the Ministry of Education about the importance of Student Choice Policies. Visit www.frogsarecool.com or become a fan on their facebook page.

Currently there is a Student Choice Policy campaign underway in school district #41 of Burnaby, B.C. If you would like to lend your voice or support, contact lesleyfox@hotmail.com.

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The words we use

Friday, January 15th, 2010

I just read the latest post on the Chicken Farmers of Canada blog and noticed the language in this paragraph:

Did you know that uncooked chicken pieces will keep in your freezer for up to six months? And a whole chicken can be frozen for up to a year? Stocking your freezer with chicken can be a great timesaver, but you can also save money if you buy chicken in bulk and freeze it.

Here’s my rewrite:

Did you know that uncooked chicken parts will keep in your freezer for up to six months? And a whole chicken can be frozen for up to a year? Stocking your freezer with chickens can be a great timesaver, but you can also save money if you buy many chickens and freeze them.

Some subtle changes that illustrate the ways that our language serves to shift animals from sentient beings, individuals with their own lives and perspectives, to objects that we can pack away to serve our own desires.

I try to watch the way I talk about animals when I speak or write. It’s difficult, since this objectification is so deeply embedded in our society.

Animals are not “something” or “it”. They are “someone,” “he” or “she.”

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Pigeons and Teamwork

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Once again I must post about the frequently overlooked pigeon, described in this DailyMail article as “among the most intelligent of all the bird species.”

After waiting for the fountain to be free, one bird jumped on the lever and pushed it down to fill up the bowl, while another kept watch and the third splashed in.


When it had drunk its fill and cleaned its feathers, the third pigeon hopped up to the handle and let his friends have a go.

Pigeons have been proven again and again to be quite smart–something that shouldn’t surprise us considering their remarkable ability to adapt to cities after thousands of years living on the remote cliffs of Europe and Asia.  I’ll admit that in all that I’ve read about pigeon intelligence, though, I’ve never seen anything quite like this!

Are you a bird-lover like me?  Learn more about these gentle doves here.

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Spent Chickens in School Lunches

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Remember how when you were in school, everyone made fun of how horrible the cafeteria food was?  At my school, at least, there was a rumour that our food was grade F, and that prisoners received grade D.

Regardless of how true that is, there’s a reason that school food sucks.

It’s this:

This is what we're feeding to schoolchildren.

“USA Today just reported that over the past eight years, the government has handed the egg industry $145 million taxpayer dollars for flesh that would probably otherwise be turned into pet food or compost.” (Vegan.com)

That’s right, after the chickens have basically laid eggs to the point of death–usually at around 1 1/2 to 2 years of age (they can live between 10 and 15 years normally)–they are considered “spent” and basically thrown away.  (It’s the same in the organic and free range industry, incidentally.)  There was a fairly famous case in which a farm in California killed 15,000 spent hens by tossing them live into a wood chipper; though cruelty charges were raised against the farm, they were dropped because it was proven to be “common industry practice.”  (You can read more about this case at our page here.)

The bodies of spent hens are so weak, bruised, and depleted that their meat is almost useless; in the true spirit of the industry, of course, there’s always something to do with it.  Usually it goes into soup, pot pies, baby food, and any other product that easily hides bruising–low quality meat products, basically.  And school lunches.

Eat up, kids.

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Faulty Arguments Against Veganism, pt. 6

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Parts 1-4 here.

Argument: I keep hearing people argue that some of the more omnivorous among us would flagrantly protest animal cruelty, but that we’re very fond of tearing off huge, tasty pieces of our living cows while they scream for mercy. And I am very much against animal cruelty. I love animals. But guess what? There’s a gigantic difference between shooting your neighbor’s cat and eating pork. Smacking your dog isn’t the same as killing a chicken for the purposes of eating it.

Response: Uh yeah, in one case, you’re abusing the animal yourself. In the other, you’re paying someone else to abuse the animal for you. Oh, and the animals you want to defend are pets, while the ones you want to eat are what are commonly known as “food”. What kind of stupid idiot wrote this thing, anyway?

Oh right. That would be me. Like, eight years ago.

I think it’s pretty common knowledge that often, the angrier and more defensive a person gets when presented with the concepts of veganism, the guiltier they feel about it.

At the time I wrote that absurd diatribe, I had long since stopped eating fish and pork because I was particularly fond of those types of animals and couldn’t justify killing and eating them.  I didn’t even wear leather, because I felt it was wrong to wear fur, and the two seemed too similar.  Since childhood I’d considered myself a major animal lover.  As a little kid I’d run lemonade stands in an attempt to raise money for the local animal shelter.  Some of my best friends were the neighbourhood cats.  I’d seriously considered a career in veterinary medicine.

Whenever presented with the idea of giving up cows and chicken and turkey, though, (I hadn’t even heard about how cruel the dairy and egg industries are) I would feel vaguely uncomfortable and try to think about something else.  So what in the world inspired me to get so irrationally angry?  I’d found a website that discussed BSE and in an abrasive way suggested that it was the fault of people who were “cruel” enough to eat cows.   I don’t remember a lot of the details, but I do know that I felt defensive and infuriated because I knew I loved animals.  How dare these people suggest that I was cruel to them?

And what brought me around to veganism only a year or so later?  A few volunteers at my university who had a table of literature and stickers, who listened patiently when I told them I didn’t think I could really go vegan, or even vegetarian, because of my food allergies (wheat, soy, and nuts, for anybody having similar concerns), and who cheerfully answered my questions about why people go vegan in the first place.  Hell, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to stop eating animals.  I wasn’t convinced that it was necessary–couldn’t I just eat free-range meat?–and besides, fried chicken was one of my absolute favourite foods, and had been for years.   As of this May, I’ll have been vegan for 6 years.

Think of it this way–every single person you talk is a potential vegan, a potential animal activist. Treat them that way. Be kind. Respectful. Try to remember how veganism was explained to you–what made it seem reasonable and realistic?–and answer their questions accordingly, and politely.

Just don’t wear yourself out.

duty_calls(from xkcd.com)

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