Most people have never been told how dairy works.
That became clear again and again at the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival, on a beautiful day full of art, wine, music, and, at one booth, a lot of conversations people didn’t expect to have.
Learning How Dairy Works, One Conversation at a Time
Our vegan outreach team kept seeing the same reaction play out. Someone would stop by the booth, curious about our interactive game or drawn in by conversation, and the talk would eventually turn to dairy. Almost every time, the moment landed the same way: shock. One visitor in particular stood at the booth, listening as she learned that calves are taken from their mothers shortly after birth. She had no idea. Few people do. She left planning to learn more, the way so many visitors did that day, once they connected the dots between a glass of milk or a piece of cheese and what actually happens on dairy farms.
A festival visitor plays Animal Outlook’s “Guess the Water-Waster” game, ranking milk cartons at the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival
That reaction, the pause, the questions, the wanting to know more, was the whole day in miniature. It happened over and over, booth conversation after booth conversation, as strangers walked up thinking they were browsing an art and wine festival and walked away thinking about where their food comes from.
What Visitors Took Home
Almost everyone who stopped by Animal Outlook’s booth left with something in hand. Most took a Vegan for the Planet trifold. Nearly all of them left with a Vegan Starter Guide too, ready to keep learning long after the festival ended.
Two smiling visitors with cups at Animal Outlook’s “Guess the Water-Waster” booth at the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival
Thank You to Our Vegan Outreach Volunteers
None of it happens without the people who show up to have these conversations, one visitor at a time, all day long. Thank you to our chapter leader, Bonnie, for anchoring the booth. And thank you to Stacey and Gisela, two brand new volunteers who jumped right in, talked with festival-goers all day, and are already ready to come back. Welcome to the team.
Newsletter