A Bloody "Meat is Murder" Tabling Event at ASU! April 5, 2009

Posted by Ryan at April 5, 2009 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Written by Kirby Mauro, a member of the Animal Welfare Association at Arizona State University

Meatout 2009 at Arizona State University was a great success! The Animal Welfare Association chose to promote veganism by holding a demonstration to show that meat is murder, and flesh is flesh!

We had a table full of great literature and handed out delicious samples of vegan food catered by Green Vegetarian Restaurant (in order to get the heavenly food they had to pledge to try vegetarianism for at least a day, of course!)



We got great responses from both students and faculty! Most people were genuinely interested in what we were doing and why. After seeing the success with this type of event, we hope to hold many more similar events in the future!

Hosted a Concert for Animal Rights at Brock University! April 5, 2009

Posted by Ryan at April 5, 2009 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Written by Kimberly Costello, a member of the Brock Animal Rights Club (BARC) at Brock University

I recently spearheaded the organization of an outreach/benefit concert titled "Radio-Action for Animals", with the help of many other members of the Brock Animal Rights Club (BARC). The primary purpose of the event was to raise awareness within the local community about how people can live more compassionate lifestyles and make more informed ethical decisions. Our primary focus was on modern factory farming and promoting vegetarian/vegan diets.

At the event we had outreach tables with display boards and literature on many animal exploitation issues such as factory farming, health/ environmental benefits to veg diets, vegan recipes, battery-cages, anti-fur, animal experimentation, and the Canadian Commercial seal hunt. We also had an amazing free vegan food spread to expose people to different types of vegan foods including vegan pizzas, vegan chili rolls, vegan spring rolls, vegan somosas, breaded tofu fingers, pitas/nachos and dips, and lots and lots of vegan baked goods. The food was catered by a local restaurant that was looking to expand their vegetarian/vegan menu options and many of our club members provided the vegan baked goods.



We also had raffle draws for a cruelty-free (no animal testing, no animal ingredients or by-products) household cleaning products donated by Nature Clean, and cruelty-free/vegan personal care products in addition in addition to free outreach door prizes such as Earthlings/The Witness DVDs, animal rights books, vegan cookbooks, and other vegan/cruelty-free products donated by various companies in the local community.



Lastly, we also recruited 5 local bands representing a wide variety of musical genres to play the event; all bands had at least 1 vegetarian band member.



Overall, the event was very successful. We had over 200 attendees and managed to raise approximately $2000 for an amazing animal charity. We received extremely positive feedback about the vegan food and so we were successful at challenging some of the misinformed preconceived notions about bland/vegan foods. Most importantly we were able to expose people to information about animal exploitation that they perhaps would have never been exposed to otherwise. We can only hope that through making this information easily available to all types of people that we were able to enlighten and empower at least some people to live more compassionate ethical lifestyles.

Veganized the Dining Halls at USF! April 5, 2009

Posted by Ryan at April 5, 2009 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Written by Meg Malek, president of Students Protecting the Environment and Animals with Knowledge (S.P.E.A.K.)

I stopped eating at our dining halls a while ago, because they really didn't have the food I wanted to eat. I determined that if I didn't eat there, that I would save money and eat good veggie recipes that I actually wanted, or at least better ones than they were serving. So when a couple friends came to me to discuss a vegetarian/environmental club I was all for it, and soon we discussed our dining options. I emailed peta2 for support. In addition to the campaign pack we got, we heard that a peta2 crew would be passing through town, and they could help us petition for the better menus!

Together, we gathered more than 3,000 petition signatures from students!

When we talked to our dining services, things went incredibly well. They told us that their job is to hear our wants in the food service, and they were happy to respond to our requests. We stated our desires and showed them the thousands of signatures that we obtained over two days of petitioning. We discussed their options for vegans and vegetarians. They had choices, but they were uninspired and repetitive. They would frequently put out steamed corn or steamed vegetables and call it vegan, and although they would have several of these options, we explained gently that we still needing of sustenance, not just the side dish here and there to satisfy us. We gave them the recipes that peta2 recommended, as well as excerpts from other Aramark cafeterias of their success with obtaining more and better vegetarian and vegan foods in their menus.



Within three days, they started labeling the items they already sold that were vegan and vegetarian as such, and people were definitely reacting. The dining halls added veggie bacon and veggie sausages, and they're even looking into soy "eggs" for the omelet bar!

There is a very popular ice cream machine that everyone visits before they leave the food halls. It is and always has been vegan ice cream (something that we were unaware of before our meeting), but now it's clearly labeled!



They still serve a lot of the items they had before, such as a seared sesame tofu over rice, but now they're adding things to the dish to make them a more complete meal. In that case, they added sesame vegetables. Also, they implemented a program where students can go into any restaurant and ask for specific items to be combined in a "make your own meal" fashion. All the appropriate signage has been placed now so that everybody knows the new policies.

Quite a success for a group that's only three months old, huh?

Tabling an Eco-Fair at the University of Ottawa! April 5, 2009

Posted by Ryan at April 5, 2009 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Written by Melissa Galianos of Concordia University in Montreal, QC

When my friend Lucas and I were offered to table for peta2 at the University of Ottawa, we knew we couldn’t refuse! The event was an eco-fair, so of course we discussed the issue of global warming and what can be done about this crisis. Since it’s been well-documented that going vegetarian is better for the environment than switching to a hybrid car, it was a natural fit!

 

The event was part of the University of Ottawa's "Green Week"! Our booth attracted lots of attention to not only the plight of animals, but on the green benefits of a vegan diet on the planet. We also handed out Tofurky, vegan cheese and "egg" salad sandwiches to hungry students while informing them about the impact of a meat-based diet. Everyone loves free food!

 

 

Stunned students watched PETA's "Meet Your Meat" in horror as they learned about the horror behind factory farming! Many students were happy to take action and sign our "Fight Global Warming With Your Fork" petition, which was a huge success!

 

 

All in all, it was a great day of raising awareness and eating awesome vegan food!

 

"I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" Demo at the University of Oregon! April 5, 2009

Posted by Ryan at April 5, 2009 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Written by Ciara Thomson & Curtis Taylor

I decided to do the "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" demonstration after seeing footage of animals being killed for their skins. The idea that there are animals out there, suffering in excruciating pain for someone else's vanity is a sickening thought to me. Unfortunately, I noticed that my college campus was plagued with fur trim coats. Most of them faux, of course, but too many of them were real. I wanted people to realize that they were literally wearing their ignorance on their sleeves, or at least their hoods! By deciding to "bare some skin to save some skin", we were was able to bring awareness of the cruel fur industry to many people. Most people don't want to take the time to watch footage of animals being killed so that some people can wear animals' beautiful skins as fashion accessories.

The demonstration was a big hit. The University newspaper covered the story very well. We ended up on the front page, and this allowed us to reach thousands of more students who may have missed our hour-long demo. The reporter was awesome. We couldn't have asked for a more fair report. We made sure to get the facts out there, because we know the type of abuse in the fur industry is not supported by most students. The demonstration was very well-received by most students, as well. We had so many people tell us that we were brave and doing the right thing. It brought a lot of attention because people would wonder what we were doing naked, and then they would see our banner and signs, and Curtis would hand them a leaflet.

Click on the image to view the full article!

After the demonstration on campus, we were so pumped up that we decided to take the banner and signs and had to Valley River Center, a local mall that has one store, Wilson's Leather, that sells fur. We stood out front of their main sign, approaching afternoon rush-hour, and got a big response with car honks and thumbs up by passersby. The local news came out and did a story on us as well when we were out here and played it at 6 and 11pm.

I am so thrilled that we were able to effectively communicate the horrors of the fur industry to so many people and I hope that others are inspired by this success story to try it yourself!

"Only Zombies Eat Flesh" at the University of Texas! March 5, 2009

Posted by Ryan at March 5, 2009 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Written by Kelly Sloan, President of Students Against Cruelty to Animals at the University of Texas.

Thursday, March 20th, is Great American MeatOut Day, a day devoted to spreading awareness about the effects of meat consumption on animals, humans, and the environment. The University of Texas animal rights group, Student Against Cruelty to Animals, held a rally on campus where we passed out free vegan food while dressed up as zombies to go with their theme of "Only Zombies Eat Flesh"!

People passing by were able to stop at the table, sample some delicious vegan sloppy joes, "beef" jerky, veggie burgers, and sign a pledge to go meat-free for a day, week, or a lifetime! We also left the table with tons of stickers and informational pamphlets.

Overall we felt the rally was really effective. Many people liked the food and chose to go veg for the rest of the day or try it out for a week. The costumes caught a lot of attention as we called out "Only zombies eat flesh, try vegetarian" and many found it hard to resist our leaflets!

Inspirational Video from American University! December 12, 2008

Posted by Ryan at December 12, 2008 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

As you may have heard last month, American University was named peta2's "Most Vegetarian-Friendly College" in the U.S. Of course, this victory didn't just happen out the blue. It was the result of a very dedicated dining staff (can we say "vegan Korean barbecue"?), and an exceptionally motivated student population. The victory was particularly surprising, considering that AU hadn't even placed in the Top 10 last year!

The contest created so much buzz around campus that a group of students decided to compile a video for their class project, talking about the competition! Check it out!

Inspirational story, right? It's like the Mighty Ducks of 2008, in my opinion.

Quack, quack, quack...

Winners of the 2008 Veg-Friendly Colleges Contest! November 18, 2008

Posted by Ryan at November 18, 2008 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBack

After a grueling battle, facing off head-to-head, two schools have emerged victorious from this year's "Most Vegetarian-Friendly Colleges" contest. And the winners are...

United States -

1) American University — Washington, DC
2) Wesleyan University — Middletown, CT
3) University of Oregon — Eugene, OR
4) Purchase College — Purchase, NY
5) UC Santa Cruz — Santa Cruz, CA
6) Ohio University — Athens, OH
7) University of Florida — Gainesville, FL
8) University of Delaware — Newark, DE
9) University of Texas — Austin, TX
10) Georgetown University — Washington, DC

Canada -

1) Mount Allison University — Sackville, NB
2) University of Victoria — Victoria, BC
3) McMaster University — Hamilton, ON
4) University of Western Ontario — London, ON
5) University of Toronto — Toronto, ON

Some of the many cruelty-free dishes that helped push these schools over the top include vegan Korean barbecue, spicy seitan in miso broth with noodles, Italian tempeh mock sausage, and vegan sloppy Joes! Drooooooollllll.

All of the schools in our list deserve mention though, and all of you high school students who are searching around for a campus with great meatless meals should definitely give these campuses a look.

In the unfortunate situation that your current school's cafeteria doesn't rock as much as these ones though, we're here to help! You'll want to start by downloading our "Veganize Your Cafeteria" campaign pack, and setting up a meeting with your Dining Services manager. Then, contact us and we'll work with you get some amazing options too!

Vegan food > everything else. :)

- Ryan!

Why I Went Veg or A Tale of a College Potluck May 22, 2008

Posted by Lara Sanders at May 22, 2008 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

Sometimes I suffer from vegetarian longevity envy. I wish I could compete with Marta, who went veg at age 4, but that was just not the case with me. I decided to go vegetarian in college. A bit late in the game, but better late than never!

Now I used to be one of those obnoxious people who always made fun of vegetarians. I would mock the lone vegetarian in my high school by eating meat in front of him and saying how good it tasted. Lame right?

Flash forward to my freshman year at American University (AU). My next door neighbor, Tara, invited me to a potluck being thrown by AU's animal rights group AUARE. I didn't go because I was interested in learning about animal rights; I went because I was just plain hungry.

There was one catch though. Before we could eat, we had to watch a video. Can you guess what video it was? It was 'Meet Your Meat'. I had never seen anything like 'Meet Your Meat' before. I had no idea that what I saw was what went on in factory farms. I was appalled, grossed out, and lost my appetite.

I didn't go vegetarian right then and there. It happened about a week later when I was in the dining hall about to get a chicken sandwich. I then thought back to the horrific images I saw in the video, and decided to stop eating animals.

I went vegan a few months later. I am not going to say that the transition from meat eater to vegan has been the easiest for me (before I went vegetarian I hated most vegetables). It was slightly hard for the first few months, but as time went on, it became like second nature to me. It actually became easy to be vegan!

So here are two words of advice if you are trying out vegetarianism for the first time:

1. Don't get discouraged! For some people (like me) it takes some time. Don't give up! It really does get easier.

2. Try out my patented recipe for "Vegan Pigs in a Blanket" below. It will prove to you that being vegan is delicious!

Vegan Pigs in a Blanket!

Ingredients:

8 veggie hot dogs (try my fav Tofu Pups)
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 F
2. Separate dough into triangles. Wrap dough triangle around each hot dog. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 375 F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

*For a cheesy take on the old standard, try wrapping a slice of Tofutti American Soy-Cheese Slices on the veggie dog before wrapping in the dough.

xoxo-Lara

P.S. Happy World Vegetarian Week!

Students Vote to Keep KFC Off Campus! January 31, 2008

Posted by Ryan at January 31, 2008 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 19 ) | TrackBack

After gathering over 500 petition signatures from their fellow students, the Power of One student animal rights group at Florida Gulf Coast University has successfully passed a bill in their student government stating KFC is NOT welcome on their campus, for reasons of cruelty to animals!

The true beauty of all this is that KFC never even released plans to move onto the campus in the first place. But by the students passing this amazing bill, they have sent a VERY strong signal to the CEOs of KFC that until they clean up their act, they had better stay FAR away from this campus! :) Not to mention, they educated thousands of college students about the abuse KFC suppliers inflict on animals in the process.

Make sure to check out all of the details on the "Student Spotlight" section of our site, written by the student group president, Regina, herself! While you're there, check out some of the other amazing activism reports from college students worldwide. You'll be inspired, I promise!

- Ryan!

P.S. - This activism also caught the attention of media outlets ALL across Florida. Check out a video from a local station by clicking on the newspaper clip below:



P.P.S. - To run a similar campaign on YOUR campus, email me to get started!