October 1 was World Vegetarian Day, October 2 was World Farm Animals Day, and all of October we’re celebrating Vegetarian Awareness Month. In the spirit of the season, here are 29 actions you can take to encourage plant-based eating—to help protect animals, the planet, and our health.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a bit of a walking encyclopedia on vegetarian eating. You know which store near you sells Daiya cheese at the best price, which kind of non-dairy milk goes best with your favorite coffee or tea, and know a heavy handful of compelling statistics on how factory farming pollutes our water and air, wastes resources, and is a truly horrific system to live and die within.
Even with all of this important knowledge running through our heads, it’s always good to take a step back and re-evaluate our strategies and talking points in an effort to try to be as effective as we can when advocating for animals.
On Sat., Sept. 24, 2011, more than 6,000 visitors joined us at the DC VegFest, making this event—the largest vegetarian celebration in the nation’s capital— even bigger than last year’s festival!
The excitement started even before the event officially kicked off as hundreds of people lined up hoping to take home one of the 500 free commemorative bags, loaded with free vegan food samples, product coupons and more.
When the world’s largest restaurant chain tweets about Vegetarian Awareness Month and asks for your feedback about its menu items, it’s a good sign that the interest in veg-friendly food choices is shifting further and further into the mainstream.
This was Compassion Over Killing’s (COK) third year in a row at the eco-conscious Abbot Kinney Festival, one of the biggest street fairs in Los Angeles attracting 150,000 attendees to the sunny Venice community. It also marked our 50th event of the year!
Late last month, we announced that COK uncovered yet more unethical behavior by dairy industry giants. Our initial research led to a class action lawsuit, filed by Hagens Bergan on behalf of consumers, accusing several dairy industry groups of working collectively to implement a $9.5 billion price-fixing scheme that involved killing 500,000 young cows in order to inflate the price of milk nationwide.
For years, Compassion Over Killing (COK) has led public education, legislative outreach, legal advocacy, and corporate campaigns for animals. In that time, we have helped countless people discover the benefits of choosing vegetarian foods, and supported them with free resources such as starter guides, recipes, meal ideas, and several local veg dining guides.
In addition to educating others about vegetarian eating, we also make it top priority to motivate and empower other advocates to effectively speak out for animals.
With classes in full-swing for students across the country, for many this time of year also means a return to eating cafeteria and vending machine fare. But, with more information and resources at their fingertips than ever before, students are increasingly demanding healthier, more humane and more environmentally conscious cafeteria options.
In the last year, coverage of vegan eating and its many benefits has abounded in the mainstream media — from