June is National Dairy Month, so it’s the perfect time to learn more about the negative impacts that dairy production has on our health, the environment, and animals–and a wonderful opportunity to explore dairy-free options!
One Month Later: Pita Pit Declares its New Vegan Patty a Success
On May 9, we announced that after working with Compassion Over Killing, Pita Pit, a national quick-service sandwich chain with more than 100 locations, started offering a new vegan black bean patty on all of its menus. We’ve got even more good news to share: in just four short weeks since the launch of this vegan patty, the company considers it a huge hit!
Paul Erwin, Chief Financial Executive of Pita Pit told COK, “We know that a growing number of our customers – and consumers everywhere – are looking for delicious and nutritious heart-healthy options and are also increasingly concerned about animal welfare issues. That’s why we’re excited to introduce a hearty all-vegan black bean patty to our menus nationwide.”
Ask Me Why I’m Vegetarian & New TryVeg.com Cards!
COK’s popular “Ask Me Why a I’m Vegetarian” t-shirt offers more than just a message. When you wear this shirt around town, it encourages others to strike up a conversation giving you the opportunity to discuss the many benefits of leaving animals off our plates.
And to help send this message home, every time someone asks you “Why?” you can now give them our new TryVeg.com business card, reminding them to visit our website for more information and to request a free Vegetarian Starter Guide. The back of the card offers an empowering message: “every time we sit down to eat, each one of us can stand up for animals, our health, and the planet simply by choosing vegetarian foods.”
June 3 is National (Vegan) Donut Day!
National Donut Day was first declared in 1938 and has been celebrated on the first Friday in June ever since. Many donut shops around the country, including several Dunkin’ Donuts locations, are giving away free donuts to customers today. Unfortunately, all of the donuts served at Dunkin’ Donuts are made with eggs and dairy products from animals forced to endure miserable conditions on massive and mechanized factory farms. Watch COK’s undercover video inside one of Dunkin’ Donuts egg suppliers to learn more.
You can put a compassionate twist on this food-related holiday by visiting DunkinCruelty.com today to urge the world’s largest coffee and baked goods chain to offer vegan options. Then check out this this handy vegan donut map to see how easy it is to find–and indulge in–delicious, cruelty-free sweets!
Outreach Tips – Sharing Compassion at Festivals
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!