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Tag: animal advocacy

Civic Engagement for Animals

Posted in Food For Thought Podcast.

The Power of Local Political Activism

Join me today in conversation with Tim Anderson, animal advocate, co-founder and board member of the East Bay Animal PAC, and engaged citizen.

We met over a decade ago working to stop backyard animal slaughter from becoming legal in our city, and as a result, he became one of my closest friends — and biggest inspirations.  

In today’s episode, Tim

  • shares ideas for effective engagement with elected officials
  • talks about the power of local civic engagement to promote compassionate policies
  • offers numerous ways to get involved locally on behalf of animals — finding friendships and our own authentic voice along the way.

Citizen Tim

Tim has been involved in grassroots organizing for 25 years. His efforts include work on the successful senatorial campaign for Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, and the 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama. Locally, he’s worked on various Oakland mayoral and city council elections, as well as city-wide ballot initiatives. 

He used to volunteer as a photographer at the Oakland Animal Shelter, where he adopted his adorable dog, Rex. And among many other things, he is responsible for a weekly clean-up group in his neighborhood, which came out of neighbors joining this guy who was outside every week picking up garbage.

Tim also spoke at my Compassion in Action conferences two years in a row, volunteered with me on numerous occasions when I needed help tabling at speaking events, and was a long-time supporter of my Food for Thought podcast.

with State Senator Nancy Skinner
with City Councilman Dan Kalb
with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf
Colleen and Tim at conference
Tim speaking at Compassion in Action
with District Attorney Nancy O’Malley
with Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin
with Rex

FUN FACT

Tim and I have spent a lot of time at Farm Sanctuary together, and I’m very lucky to have been on the receiving end of his photography skills. If you visited the page for the podcast episode The Burden of Burros and the Plight of Donkeys, you’ll see many photos of me with my donkey friends. Tim took many of those photos (see below), along with hundreds of others of me and other animals.

Yeah, he’s amazing.

Does Being Vegan Really Make a Difference?

Posted in Blog.

Why Even Bother Being Vegan?

I think every vegan (and probably vegetarian) has heard some variation of this:⁠

  • one person being vegan doesn’t save animals.⁠
  • just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean animals aren’t killed.⁠
  • the problem is just too large; individual behavioral changes just don’t have an impact.⁠

⁠That’s the big question, right? Why do anything at all when you know that there isn’t a direct correlation between YOUR behavior and an act of violence? ⁠

Why, indeed? ⁠

The answer is…because it’s the right thing to do. ⁠

As I say in The Joyful Vegan, the world isn’t one big math problem to solve. Even though I can’t quantify the benefits to the animals and our planet, I’m vegan, because I don’t want to contribute to the culture of violence that IS (by design) the meat, dairy, and egg industries. ⁠

I may not be able to save the 9 to 10 billion land animals brought into this world only to be killed, but I can at least put my head on my pillow each night and know that *I* didn’t consciously partake in something that is anathema to my very being: HURTING ANIMALS.⁠
⁠
For me, being vegan is about being⁠

  • compassionate⁠
  • consistent⁠
  • in alignment⁠ with my values

After all, what’s the point in having values and principles and ethics if they don’t manifest themselves in our behavior? ⁠

How to Be a Joyful Vegan

Posted in Blog.

Millions of people are choosing veganism—or plant-based eating—as a logical and sensible response to their concerns about animals, the environment, and their health. And yet, despite their positive intentions and even the personal benefits they experience, many revert back to consuming meat, dairy, and eggs.

I’m trying to change that. For the animals. For our planet.

For my fellow humans. After decades of gathering stories, drawing on my own observations and experiences, studying the data that’s available, and hearing from thousands of people, I’ve come to learn that people stay vegan or stop being vegan depending on well they navigate the social, cultural, and emotional aspects of living vegan in a non-vegan world:

  • constantly being asked to defend your food choices
  • being outside of the status quo and not having a sense of belonging (where you once did)
  • feeling the pressure (often self-inflicted) to be perfect
  • and experiencing guilt, remorse, and anger

All common experiences that—if not addressed—can lead to giving up entirely. In my latest book, The Joyful Vegan, I provide the tools for navigating and overcoming the most common challenges, arming readers with solutions and strategies for:

  • cultivating healthy relationships (with vegans and non-vegans)
  • communicating effectively
  • sharing enthusiasm without proselytizing
  • finding like-minded community
  • and experiencing peace of mind in a world that wants you to eat meat, dairy, and eggs.

By implementing the tools in this book, I believe that readers will find that they can live ethically, eat healthfully, engage socially, remain a joyful vegan—and help others do the same!

20 Years Vegan!

Posted in Blog.

This year, I’m celebrating 20 years being vegan, and to celebrate, I’m publishing my 7th book: The Joyful Vegan: How to Stay Vegan in a World That Wants You to Eat Meat, Dairy, and Eggs. It comes out in November 2019 and is available for preorder!

People who support me at $20/month and above have received special recognition in the book, and I want to thank them here. I’m so grateful to the special individuals below who generously support my work as monthly patrons. On behalf of the animals, thank you for helping me help people manifest their values of compassion and wellness in their everyday lives.

 Alexander Gray and David Cabrera

Anke Keilich

Ann Merrill

Bailey Manlosa

Becky Peters

Belen Melendrez

Boni Lamson

Brece Clark

Brooke Bussard

Brooke Hueper

Caroline Dyar

Cheri Brown

Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein

Cristina Fisher

Debra Knutson

Delfina Lopez

Geneviève Okuma

Gina Carr

Heather Elise Goodwin

Janet Ratliff

Janette Gilmour

Jayson Biggins

Jennifer Guerra

Jennifer Watkins

Jerilynn Hilmar

Johanna Veth

Jonathan Brant

Joseph Sailor

Kari Parker

Katariina Forsberg

Kenda English

Korshi Dosoo and Davide Galli

Kristin Beecraft

Laura Lichterman

Leana Lovejoy

Liv Larsen

Liz Dee

Lydia Ruth Huston

Lyndall Sargent

Marie-Eve Bedard

Matthew and Nina King

Max Goodman

Megan Lindeman

Melissa Amarello

Michael Rooney

Michal Stone

Michelle Mabe

Mike McNeeley

Morgan Hall

Nikki DeSarno

Nina Bircher

  1. J. Schuster

Paul Zhang

Patricia Hagmann

Patrick Reilly

Ranjini Mohan

Rassmus Peterson

Roland Reid

Rosalie Black

Sandy Kraus Smith

Sara Dee

Sheri Mersola

Sue Ellis Dyar

Susan Kiger

Tammy Robertson

Thomas J Baechle

Tim Anderson

Tina Strasheim

Todd Hilson

How to Stop Being Vegan!

Posted in Blog.

Got your attention, didn’t I? Put it this way: the majority of people who become vegan stop being vegan, and I want to end that. HENCE, my new book, The Joyful Vegan: How to Stay Vegan in a World That Wants You to Eat Meat, Dairy, and Eggs. It comes out in November, but it’s available for pre-order TODAY!

As a 20-year vegan and long-time animal advocate and after hearing from thousands of people who’ve become vegan, stopped being vegan, or struggled with staying vegan, I’ve come to identify common threads within all of these stories—threads that provide insight into why some people stay vegan and others don’t. SPOILER: it’s not because there’s nothing to eat. It’s not because of lack of protein.

In fact, I believe that the food is the easy part of being vegan. What is most challenging is dealing with the social, cultural, and emotional aspects:

  • being asked to defend your eating choices
  • living with the awareness of animal suffering
  • feeling the pressure (often self-inflicted) to be perfect
  • not being part of a like-minded community
  • experiencing guilt, remorse, and anger
  • …and so much more

In The Joyful Vegan, I share what I’ve learned about navigating and overcoming these challenges and arm readers with solutions and strategies for staying confident with family and friends, creating healthy relationships, communicating effectively, sharing enthusiasm without evangelizing, finding a community of people who share your values, and experiencing peace of mind as a vegan in a non-vegan world.

By implementing the tools provided in this book, you will find you can live ethically, eat healthfully, engage socially—and remain a joyful vegan.

Please let me know below what your challenges are! I want to make sure I’ve covered everything in the book. In the meantime, while the book will be available everywhere books are sold, it’s currently available at Amazon.com and other book vendors!

P.S. You might want to look at my Events page to see if I’m speaking in a city near you while on my book tour!

Vegan Conference Presentations — Don’t Miss Out!

Posted in Blog.

This year’s one-and-only Vegan Conference (Compassion in Action) may be over, but you can still experience all of the phenomenal presentations — from the comfort of your own home!

Go to CompassionInActionConference.com to PRE-ORDER our SIX main sessions on:

  • Unconditional Compassion
  • Self-Compassion
  • Effective Forms of Advocacy
  • How to Be an Effective Advocate
  • Zero-Waste
  • Turning Your Vegan Passion into a Profession

BONUS: There is also my Welcome Presentation as well as our Open Q&A! The price will go up AFTER the conference, so PRE-ORDER to save $$! Thanks for the inspiration!YOU’LL ENJOY HOURS OF VALUABLE AND LIFE-SAVING CONTENT! PRE-ORDER TODAY!