peta2 Debates: Shakin' Things Up Down South! February 15, 2010

Posted by Ryan at February 15, 2010 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 13 ) | TrackBack

This past week saw the return of our legendary peta2 campus debates, and boy did these two pack a punch!

First, at the University of Florida (UF), PETA vice president Bruce Friedrich faced off against the UF College Republicans over whether animals should have rights.

To be clear, we don't think animal rights is a partisan topic—but we also never turn down the opportunity to get people thinking about the issues. We even worked with the fabulous student animal rights group at UF, the Animal Activists of Alachua, who helped provide free vegan turkey wraps to all of the 150 students in attendance. The event was such a big deal, that I was featured on the front page of the student newspaper—in a pig costume—on the morning of the debate!

After planting our peta2 flag in the UF campus, it was time to move north to shake things up at the University of Georgia (UGA)! Facing off against the UGA debate team over whether it is ethical or not to eat animals, Bruce brought the heat—this time speaking to a crowd of more than 250!

Once again, the student newspaper put the event in the headlines, and I snapped some more photos for your viewing pleasure:









Pretty cool, right? Well rest assured, we're just getting started.

So where do you think should be our next stop?

peta2 Vs. the Florida College Republicans? November 17, 2009

Posted by Ryan at November 17, 2009 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

Put your Awesome Hat on—it's peta2 College Campaign update time!

For starters, our Most Vegetarian-Friendly Colleges contest is really heating up, with less than one week left to vote! This past week saw the massive upset of the little school that could—Oberlin College—overtaking the University of Illinois. Was it Oberlin's seitan pepper steak and vegan barbecue tofu pizza that helped push them over the top? Mayhaps. Will it take them all the way to number one? Possi-be.

Further south, the storm at the University of Florida (UF) continues to brew. As you may recall, peta2 recently hosted an event called "Meet Your Meat" at UF, which was well-attended and got lots of people talking. Unfortunately, it looks like the UF chapter of the College Republicans took the wrong lesson from our talk, because shortly afterwards they decided to host a "People Eating Tasty Animals" barbecue on campus.

Now here at peta2, we don't think cruelty to animals is a partisan topic, but we're also never one to pass up an opportunity to discuss the issues. Indeed, we responded in the student newspaper challenging the club to a debate about whether animals should have rights. Word has it that the group is taking us up on our offer, so stay tuned for the event info on that this spring!

Finally, out west, Adrianne (check out her new staff bio!) brought our provocative Liberation exhibit to the campus of Arizona State University (yup—that same ASU.) She worked with the student group there to educate thousands of Sun Devils about why animal rights is the most important social justice issue of our time.





Well, that's it from us! Stay tuned for next week, when we take California, and turn it upside-down ...

peta2 + Florida Colleges = <3 (PICTURES!) November 3, 2009

Posted by Ryan at November 3, 2009 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 7 ) | TrackBack

The peta2 College Campaigns division has really been running at full throttle over the past couple of weeks, so we figured it was time for an update! Sure, you've heard about our all-star campus outreach crews, dominating colleges from coast to coast, but what else have we been up to?

Well, for starters, I traveled deep into the heart of Swamp territory to visit the University of Florida. Working with the superstar student group at UF, called EnVeg, peta2 helped host PETA vice president Bruce Friedrich for an on-campus talk titled "Meet Your Meat." The event even featured free vegan ice cream!

Of course, as anyone who has ever seen our "Start a Buzz" video knows, it takes more than flyers to ensure a large event turnout. We had to pull out the sidewalk chalk! Enter the students of EnVeg, taking over the campus in the middle of the night ...



As expected, we caused so much of a stir that a packed room of UF students turned out to hear what all of the fuss was about!



The event even caught the attention of the student newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator, which wrote a great article, helping us to reach thousands more students.

Elsewhere in the state though, my buddy Adrianne was holding down peta2's Liberation display at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the University of South Florida (USF). For those who haven't checked it out, Liberation is a traveling educational exhibit that draws the parallels between the abuses humans have inflicted on each other, with the abuses we currently inflict on animals.

While at UCF, our crew couldn't resist the opportunity to join the student group, BARC, at the legendary vegan hotspot, Ethos Vegan Kitchen. Here's our buddy Kortney enjoying a delicious curry tofu wrap ("one of the best things on the menu, next to Yo' Mamma's Lasagna").



At USF, we worked with the student group, SPEAK, to really focus on animal testing issues. Some students on campus even admitted to performing cruel tests on hammerhead sharks! Who does that?



Well, that's it for this week. Stay tuned for more updates soon. You never know where peta2 is going to pop up next!

University of Florida’s Amazing Animal Activists April 5, 2009

Posted by Ryan at April 5, 2009 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Animal Activists of Alachua (AAA) is one of those campus groups that you want to join even if you don't go to the school. This University of Florida-based group does it all—from regular leafleting to holding free vegan cooking demonstrations. AAA’s copresident Beth Murdock recently had some time to answer a few questions about what makes the group so successful. Here's what she had to say, in her own words:

What are some of the most successful events that you have held on campus?

Every year, Animal Activists of Alachua hosts VegFest. We serve free vegan food (donated by local and national vendors) to over 600 students on campus. Students are offered animal rights literature, and AAA volunteers answer any questions they have. We also bring two speakers to the event to expose students to even more animal rights. Last year, we brought vegan bodybuilder Kenneth Williams and Farmer Brown [a vegan and former farmer who raises awareness about factory farming]. Another major event was Vivisection Awareness Week, which included tabling, an Animal Testing Film Festival, debates on the efficacy of animal experimentation, and a speaker. There was also a march through campus and demonstration against primate experimentation attended by over 50 people and covered by radio, TV, and print media.

What advice can your group offer to other student organizations looking to promote animal rights at their schools?

Be organized—plan events well into the future. Be persistent—with every failure, there is a victory around the corner! Learn from your mistakes; do not let them overcome you. I would say to have a plan: Know what you want to do and come up with milestone goals to meet along the way. One thing I would do differently is be proactive rather than reactive: Don't let others dictate your agenda, and don't react to every single animal issue on campus; you’ll spread yourself too thin too fast. Pick your battles and see them through to the end. Two things are important to building membership: social ties (people want to meet other kids with similar interests and feel like they are a part of the group) and a campaign with a foreseeable end. We had a bunch of people jump on board for the gestation crate initiative, and when it was over, we had this group of people who wanted to help animals with a lot of energy and nowhere to put it; this makes a great foundation for a visible campus/community AR organization.

How are the dining options for vegetarians and vegans on campus?

The Hare Krishnas serve vegetarian lunches, always with a vegan option, on campus every weekday for $3. The dining halls have a "Vegan Corner" that serves meals like Tofu Creole and Zucchini Lemon Couscous. Vegan Corner's options are limited, but we hope to change that soon!

What are your plans for the upcoming year?

We hope to increase awareness of animal rights issues to both students and community members by tabling and fliering more. We would like to encourage the University of Florida to use only cage-free eggs in its dining halls. We would also like to revamp VegGuide, a Web site that lists vegan-friendly restaurants across Florida. We want to increase the social bonds between members of Animal Activists of Alachua by holding more events to get to know one another. At the end of the year, we hope to compile a recipe book of our members' favorite recipes.

The peta2 Road Warriors in Florida January 22, 2009

Posted by Marta at January 22, 2009 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBack

Hello Readers!

It's your peta2 Road Warriors checking in from our recent college tour. We've been in Florida for the past week rocking it on the campuses of the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida (which also happens to be one of our top 10 most veg friendly colleges).

While on the UCF campus, we worked with their student animal rights group to help ban the Shrine Circus from coming to their campus. We let people know that animals in the circus are beaten to "train" them to perform.

To find out more on the evil doings at circuses, just head over to Circuses.com. Also while in Orlando, we stopped by Ethos for some amazing soy cheese pizza—directly after helping the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) group protest the Ringling Bros. Circus.




To find out how you can be part of awesome experiences and journeys like these head to peta2.com/jobs.

Today marked our first day of college work at the University of Florida with our Meat's Not Green campaign. We hit up the campus to gain support and spread the word on how badly our planet needs us to take charge and change the global warming problem we face. The number one way to do so is to stop supporting the factory farming business, which, according to a study done by the United Nations, is the number one cause of greenhouse gases.


We were also treated to a great vegan lunch at UF's Broward Dining Hall. They have an all you can eat buffet that features some mouth watering vegan dishes, including vegan chili and penne pasta.

Well that's it from us for now, but make sure to keep an eye out for us and definitely come say hi. Keep our animal friends in your hearts and minds!

Keep rockin'!

Joey

Student Undercover Investigator Documents Gruesome Horse Slaughter December 23, 2008

Posted by Ryan at December 23, 2008 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 9 ) | TrackBack

We all know the horrific treatment of animals killed for meat intended for human consumption, but what about animals killed for dog and cat food? What happens behind the scenes of this shady industry? One University of Florida student went to find out...

After a little investigative research, the student tracked down the Moses Dog Food company, based in Ocala, Florida. He managed to arrange a tour of the facility, which is located directly next to a local high school, in the self-proclaimed "Horse Capital of the World".

What he discovered is disturbing to say the least, so be warned!

You can find the rest of the investigator's photos, as well as contact information to voice your concerns with the company, on his website, titled "The Meat They Eat".

The fact of the matter is that abuse is standard in this industry (as with any industry that uses animals). The majority of animals killed for dog and cat food come from factory farms, and are often categorized by the four D's — dead, dying, diseased, or disabled. Their bodies are then ground up, and fed to the animals that share our homes.

Thankfully, there are plenty of humane, non-animal alternatives available, such as the legendary V-Dog vegan dog food available on our website.

Leave your kudos for the student investigator below, since he has clearly been through hell and back to bring you this information!