During the spring and summer months, community-based festivals pop up everywhere, and they offer amazing opportunities to reach out to others about the benefits of leaving animals off our plates. Last weekend, Compassion Over Killing staff and volunteers were hard at work in both Washington, DC and Los Angeles staffing educational booths at two popular events: Strut Your Mutt on May 21 and WorldFest on May 22.
Two Ag-Gag Bills Die, Two Still Pending
This year, four states — Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, and New York — have introduced bills meant to shut down undercover investigations exposing the abuses behind the closed doors of animal agribusiness. While these bills have slightly different language, each one, if passed, would criminalize the act of taking of a photograph or videotaping farmed animal facilities without explicit permission from the owner.
These “ag-gag” bills are not only an attempt by animal agribusiness to hide the cruel and inhumane conditions on factory farms and inside slaughterhouses, but they also infringe on the freedoms of animal advocates and the press. Here is the current status of each bill:
COK Hits a Home Run with Vegan Feed-In at Nationals Stadium!
COK staff and volunteers were out on the streets of DC again to promote compassion: this time, in front of the Washington Nationals’ baseball stadium. On May 2, before the game started, we gave away over 100 free Field Roast vegan sausauge samples to veg-curious passersby! The response was wonderful: in addition to dozens of people asking where they could get veggie hot dogs and sausages, several people came back after tasting the Field Roast to tell us how much they liked it and to pick up more information about vegetarian eating to share with their friends and family.
Vegan Documentaries Highlight Plant-Based Eating
This summer, encouraging a friend or family member to choose vegan foods can be as easy as taking them to a movie, thanks to two new documentaries highlighting the benefits of vegan eating: Forks Over Knives and Planeat.
VegWeek 2011: Federal, State, and Local Officials Take 7-Day Veg Pledge
For the third year in a row, Compassion Over Killing hosted VegWeek in April, a week-long celebration encouraging others to take 7-day veg pledge as a simple, yet effective way, to help protect their health, the planet and animals.
Launched in 2009 in our hometown of Takoma Park, MD, our first-ever VegWeek was inspired by Md. Senator Jamie Raskin and officially recognized through a Mayoral Proclamation. Sen. Raskin was the first person to sign up for our one-week veg pledge—and it’s a pledge he’s kept to this day!
Subway Becomes the Largest Restaurant Chain in the World
At the end of last year, Subway became the world’s largest restaurant chain, beating out McDonald’s by just over 1,000 stores.
For many vegans, the “Veggie Delight” is a convenient and affordable dining option—when dashing out to lunch, for a quick bite while traveling, or even for parties.
And while it’s great to have this option, oftentimes, vegans, vegetarians, and those looking for a more healthful alternative are left wanting something “meatier” to go with their sandwich, such as vegetarian turkey, chicken, or ham slices.