Book Illustration from "Lightfoot the Deer" (credit: Harrison Cady)

Their event, “‘Stories from the Wild’ at Central Library” will feature the classic children’s book, Lightfoot the Deer, written by Thornton W. Burgess and illustrated by Harrison Cady, which tells the story of a deer and his hunter, from the deer’s point of view. Storyteller Loretta-Lucy Miller will act as the storyteller at this event (an event which is making me wonder I should reserve a seat on the Bolt Bus — because the City of Brotherly Love is calling!). Artist Zipora Schula and dancer Lara Vracarich will be helping to lead the kiddies in the hands-on portion of the afternoon. It will take place on Saturday, February 18, from 2-4 p.m., at Story Hour Room of the Parkway Central Library Children’s Department, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. The event is free, and it is recommended that you make reservations, by emailing publiceyephilly [at] gmail.com.

For those of you not in the Philadelphia area (and if you’re not, you should probably find yourself there sometime soon, since the new vegan hotspot, Vedge, just opened), it is pretty easy to host an event like this all by yourself. You can either use Lightfoot the Deer, or you can browse around on VegBooks for other animal-friendly books. Be sure to include pro-animal themed activities that make the young ones not only engage in artistic expression, but also begin dialogue with their friends (and with you) about why animals are our friends — not our food.

Basically, what FreeAnimalVideo.org does is provides high-quality clips of animals in all kinds of situations — animals in entertainment, animals in sports and fashion, farm animals, laboratory animals, wildlife, companion animals — and allows anyone to download and use them for free. The videos you can download include everything from general footage that can be placed into a larger context (like a nibbling lamb or a close-up on a goose), to absolutely horrific stuff, like a white fox being anally electrocuted. There are promotional videos for animal advocacy organizations as well. The videos are made available in either HD (suitable for TV), or lower-quality that will suffice for “the internet machine” (I stole that term from Rachel Maddow — who, now that I’m thinking about it, should totally use some of this footage and actually cover an animal story on her show). You can also submit videos, either by uploading them, or sending in physical tapes.

This brilliant activist resource is the brainchild of founders Sandra Mohr and Patty Shenker.

Here is an example of how the footage has been used. The clip below shows our friend Jane Velez-Mitchell (who was on our podcast last year), of CNN’s HLN show, “Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell.”

A pinup model... WHO KNEW? (We're on the top right.)

The calendar is not only a fun and accessible way to help change these stereotypes, but, you’ve gotta admit, it’s a wickedly creative campaign! I’ve long gawked at the calendar models — both the human and non-human ones — which is why, last year, I decided to take my chances, because what did I have to lose? Getting model and performer Bettina May to do my photos and make-up was icing on my cruelty-free cake, because not only is she a well-known modern-day burlesque superstar, but she’s also an outspoken vegan. She has even created vegan versions of burlesque gear that traditionally uses animal products, like boas made out of fiber instead of feathers, yet look just like the “real deal” (minus the exploitation). My Rose was a trooper that day, too, and thoroughly enjoyed the attention and spotlight.

This is Rose. She totally knows how gorgeous she is. (As she should.)

Pinups for Pitbulls is certainly a think-outside-the-box type of organization, which is another reason why I’m gaga for them. Indeed, it’s not just the attractive women (many of whom have tattoos — sigh…) that draws me in, nor is it the perfect pits who steal the show. PFPB was founded in 2005 by Deirdre “Little Darling” Franklin. Little Darling was increasingly saddened and frustrated by “shelters” euthanizing totally adoptable pit bull-type dogs, simply because of their breed. So she tapped into her experience, skills, and interest in modeling, fine arts, and education, and started this truly one-of-a-kind organization. 7 years later, I am basically ecstatic to be among the women and dogs who can call themselves “Ms. February.”

Photo by Bettina May

In addition to getting the calendar (quick! before it’s March!), and supporting this organization, there is also a lesson to be learned from this organization. A strong takeaway from PFPB is that nobody has to sit idly by and be frustrated by an animal issue. Much like Little Darling demonstrated when she grew this positive, accessible, and fun organization out of a desire to change the world — and a refusal to become complacent and accept a world where pit bulls are put down for no good reason — we can all plug our talents and skills into animal advocacy.

Another takeaway from PFPB? Rose is ridiculously gorgeous. And the 1940′s were a much more fashionable era.

This girl is having a much better day than the summers I wasted at day camp. Woe is me...

Though I have tried, unendingly, to block it out, I still remember it all. Days were spent suffering through competitive contact sports like dreaded dodge ball (where I was, without question, chosen last for the team); or being mortified as I changed into my swimsuit, so that everyone — including my prepubescent campmates and snotty teenage counselors — could gawk at my early-to-bud body (blame it on the cow’s milk I guzzled all throughout the 1980′s); or, no matter what activity we were gearing up for, lagging behind the rest of the kids, dragging a stick through the dirt behind me, humming the score of “Gypsy” almost to myself, while the other kids just stared, — or, more accurately, uproariously laughed. On the bus ride home, as the other kids sang “The wheels on the bus go round and round…,” I listened intently to my walkman, thanking god for Ethel Merman, who single-handedly got me through many sad afternoons. Just call me Augusten Burroughs.

If you haven’t guessed, I would not wish day camp on anyone. Camp, as far as I’m concerned, should be reserved solely for song and dance, and, if you’re lucky, for frivolous fun. It’s not like camp could change the world… Could it?

Turns out that camp, shockingly, can be good for something other than a future prescription for therapy. Though, much to my dismay, I’m about 20 years too old to take part in the amazing Youth Empowered Action Camp that arms kids with the resources and creative prowess necessary to change the world, there is one other groundbreaking camp that I have my eye on. I’m not too old for it, nor too awkward for it, and the fact that I have breasts would most likely not come up in discussion. (If it did, I’d know enough now to slap someone silly.)

Note to self: Attend (or organize?) "Animal Advocacy Camp"

It’s called Animal Advocacy Camp, and it is headed up by our friends over at Liberation B.C. — including, of course, the brilliant and dashing Glenn Gaetz. Glenn, who we not only interviewed on our podcast (along with his equally-brilliant partner, Joanne Chang), has guest-blogged for Our Hen House about, among other things, the concept of Open Space as a model for a more effective movement. The thought process of Open Space is that it’s the attendees — not the organizers — of a conference/workshop/camp who set the rules and the agenda. That includes proposing topics for discussion. In the case of Animal Advocacy Camp, some possible suggestions might include how to talk to the public, how groups can better work together, discussions on tactics, and historical precedents. Sounds totally unhierarchical, fair, fulfilling, and timely. This camp, I must say, sounds up my alley. (MOOOOM? ARE YOU LISTENIIIIING?!)

Animal Advocacy Camp — happening this February 25 and 26 in Vancouver — will be using the Open Space format. According to the website:

There is a lot of room for discussion within the framework of this event. We all can learn a lot from each other. This is a great opportunity to tap into the collective knowledge of many other experienced people in your community. Bring along your tough problems, questions you’ve been struggling to answer, problems you’ve been trying to solve.

Though Open Space sounds — I gotta admit it — a bit crunchy, don’t let the hippie vibe fool you. The goal of this camp, which is also being called “Vancouver’s Animal Rights UnConference,” is to work and learn together so that activists can build a stronger community, and, ultimately, “make a greater difference in the lives of animals.” And there is indeed still structure to this format (including fantastic speakers, like Sarah Kramer and Camille Labchuck).

It sounds, to me, incredibly refreshing — especially when other conferences are sometimes too dense with speakers and information, to the point where you every time you attend one workshop, you miss a dozen others that you wanted to attend. That’s not to say that there’s not room for the more “generic” types of conferences, but seeing as how everyone learns in different ways, Animal Advocacy Camp might very well be on to something.

For those of you in the British Columbia area (and — sigh — lucky you, if you are…), check out this game-changing weekend. And if you’re too far away to be able to attend, perhaps it’s high time for a similar workshop, conference, or, hey, camp, in your neck of the woods. Even if you’ve never organized an event before, starting these kinds of dialogues about animal issues and activism, and letting attendees decide what is important to focus on, can sometimes be more empowering than a set itinerary, or someone else’s agenda. (Be sure to check out the Open Space User’s Guide, too.)

As for me, I have certainly moved on (for the most part, anyway) from the drama of being an oddball, ostracized child at day camp, and so perhaps it’s time to wipe that slate clean and start fresh. While, for my mid-1980 campmates, it was the wheels on the bus that went round and round, perhaps for us grown-ups in the 21st century, the way to change the world is to come together — all on the same damn team! — so that, through shared experience, pooled ideas, and delegated responsibilities, the wheels in our brains can go round and round, coming up with more and more new ways to change the world for animals.

By appealing to individual intellect, creativity and compassion, CAF believes we can awaken people to the plight and grandeur of kindred animals – and ultimately build a deeper understanding of human-animal relationships and a greater respect for basic animal rights.

Can we say “well put,” Tom and Nancy?

I admire Culture & Animals Foundation so deeply for their ongoing support of creative and academic projects that aim to change the world for animals. Foundations like this one, I believe, are among the unsung heroes of our movement. They are behind so much greatness.

If you have a project that you think is up their alley, you need to get on that immediately, because their deadline (the only one for the whole year!) is coming up on January 31. And you don’t need to be a non-profit to apply, either. Previous grants have gone to authors, composers, filmmakers, and performance artists.

Bonne chance.

"Vegans Are Cool" (and hot, apparently)

In addition to interviews with us, you’ll find interviews with Brazil-based designer Julia Harger, Australian entertainer Renata Halpin (who is “Teaching Kids to Go Green, the Musical Way“), as well as vegan activists from countries including Iran, South Africa, and Mongolia. There are also eye-opening articles written by movers and shakers from around the globe, including activist Leigh-Chantelle (who was on our podcast), dietician Amanda Benham, and environmentalists Gerard Wederburn-Bisshop and Lefkothea Pavlidis.

Though we’re clearly huge fans of using the internet to influence others to adopt a vegan diet and, what’s more, get involved with changing the world for animals, there is sometimes nothing more powerful than reading a real, live book. Plus, whip out a copy of Vegans Are Cool the next time you’re settling in for a soy latte at your favorite café, and you can bet people will take notice — especially once they see the sexy cover models, Noel Polanco (of “Noel Vegan Fitness Star“), along with the ridiculously cute pup, Bianquita.

Though I knew this before getting the book, it is clearer than ever before that vegans are, indeed, cool.

Photo at top of blog: Courtesy of Neil (photo called “Pig at sanctuary”), uploaded from Vegan Stock Photo.

***

Helping Vegan Parents Navigate the Not-So-Vegan Landscape

By Robyn Moore

I recently read an article that asked the question, “As a vegan, should you raise your child vegan?” To me, that question is absurd on many levels. As parents, we are responsible for making decisions for our kids based on our own sets of values and beliefs. Typically, we do not allow kids to make their own decisions when it comes to things that are dangerous to them physically or developmentally, or that we find morally abhorrent. So if we believe that eating animals and animal products is morally wrong (or unhealthy, or detrimental to the environment), then why would we let our kids engage in that behavior?

Charlotte

As a vegan parent, I encounter messages, and experience situations every day, that contradict what I’m trying to teach my daughter, Charlotte. Some of these (“milk is necessary for strong bones,” “you need meat for protein,” etc.) come directly from the industries whose livelihoods depend on our buying into them. Yet many others come from less obvious places: story time, gym class, music class, books, cartoons, the playground, the toys we buy. Our world revolves around the idea that animals are here for our personal use — this includes food, clothing, products, and entertainment — so being a vegan parent can sometimes feel like an uphill battle.

One example of this is story time at the library. The books that are chosen often center around “blissful” farm and zoo animals — only reinforcing society’s misperceptions about animals in confinement. Many of the books that Charlotte grabs from the shelves show animals in some sort of exploitive situation, such as a circus, or they include pictures of kids eating hot dogs or drinking milk. In music class, kids sing songs such as “Fried Ham,” “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” and “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” In gym and other group settings, toddlers tend to share (or grab) one another’s snacks, so I have to be keep a watchful eye on Charlotte to make sure she doesn’t take somebody else’s goldfish or string cheese. And then, of course, there are the playground and play date conversations with other parents. Food always comes up, and, much to my dismay, I hear about what other kids are eating. More often than not, it’s chicken nuggets, or macaroni and cheese, always accompanied by a big glass of milk.

But if examples like these are what I’m up against, I can handle it. I will trade these minor inconveniences any day for the satisfaction of knowing that my husband and I are raising our child based on principles of integrity and compassion.

Robyn and her family at the NYC Walk for Farm Animals

Still, I’m acutely aware that Charlotte is only a year and a half old. She’s still at the age where I can, for all intents and purposes, control what she eats and drinks, who she plays with, what books she reads. Charlotte is our only child, and, being in the (quickly growing!) vegan minority, we’re also learning as we go. Just as we adults evolve and change, so will Charlotte. That means that, 10 years from now when little Charlotte is in middle school, my challenges as a vegan parent raising a vegan child will radically shift. There will be a whole new set of joys and happiness that we’ll share, and, with that, a whole new set of questions. No doubt things will get more difficult as she becomes an autonomous person. Of course, my hope is that, as Charlotte grows, her values – respecting animals, and not exploiting them – will be so instilled in her, that even as she grows to be a teenager and an adult, she will carry her moral compass and live her life according to these ethics.

Every age has its own set of issues and growing pains, and as a mother of a vegan child, that is something I am looking forward to handling. But if we, as parents – and aunts, uncles, grandparents, and neighbors – trust that we are doing the right thing, then my hope is that everything else will fall into place. It is up to us as parents to be activists not only for the animals, but also for our own kids.

With that in mind, here are few tips to help vegan parents navigate the not-so vegan landscape.

1. Read books and watch movies that affirm and reinforce vegan values. VegBooks lists over 500 titles.
2. Visit an animal sanctuary. Exposing vegan kids to rescued farm animals is so important — it helps them make the connection between their cruelty-free lifestyle and the animals they are saving.
3. Get together with local veg families so that your kids will have the opportunity to meet other like-minded kids, and you’ll get to meet other like-minded parents. If you live in the NYC area, join my meet-up group: NYC Vegetarian and Vegan Families. If a meet-up group like that doesn’t exist in your area, think about starting one.
4. Show your kids the power of activism! If they feel strongly about a specific animal or issue, encourage them to join a protest, write a letter to a newspaper, have a vegan bake sale, hand out literature, or create an art project. This will empower them and teach them to be a voice for the voiceless.
5. Search for websites and blogs about raising veg kids. Many of them, including my own, RaisingVegKids.com, offer resources, articles, and support for vegan families.
6. Make holidays special. Instead of focusing on what kids can’t do or eat, make vegan versions of traditional dishes, and even crafts. For example, make a vegan gingerbread house or egg-free potato latkes, and color papier-mâché Easter eggs.
7. Cook and bake delicious vegan recipes with your kids. Order the book, Vegan Lunchbox.
8. When dining out at a non-vegan restaurant, look to the side dishes (instead of the meat- and dairy-heavy kid’s menu), where you’ll find healthy and yummy choices such as veggies, beans, rice, etc.
9. Adopt a rescued farm animal (virtually). Farm Sanctuary will send you a picture of an animal of your choice with some fun details about him or her. Your kids can frame it and keep it in their room, and even visit their adopted animal at the sanctuary. They can even bring the picture to school and tell their classmates all about it, effectively spreading the message. Of course, if you have the space, adopt a real rescued farm animal whom kids can help care for and love.
10. Be an active parent when it comes to birthday parties and school events. Find out what is being served, and if it’s not vegan, make or buy a similar vegan version so that your child will not feel left out. Make enough for the other kids, too, so that they can see first-hand how delicious compassion can taste.
11. Show your kids that being vegan is fun! Make vegan pancakes on the weekend, or have a vegan pizza party on a school night. Make things like DIY vegan ice cream sundaes, or, on movie night, popcorn with vegan butter.

Embracing veganism is the most effective step a family can take to fight animal cruelty. It’s about teaching your kids to vote with their dollars by boycotting industries that exploit and harm animals. It’s about choosing a side — the animals’ side. Encourage your kids to be proud, confident, and courageous in their family’s decision to respect and value the lives of all others, including animals. Read books about brave people throughout history who were once viewed as being different and in the minority – such as those who worked for the abolition of slavery, for women’s suffrage, for civil rights – but were later viewed as heroes, who, despite challenges, spoke up for what was right.

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said:

Cowardice asks the question, “Is it safe?” Expediency asks the question, “Is it politic?” Vanity asks the question, “Is it popular?” But conscience asks the question, “Is it right?” And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.

 ***

Robyn Moore

Robyn Moore is a mom to Charlotte, whom she and her husband, Martin, are raising vegan. Robyn has her master’s degree in education. She is the creator of RaisingVegKids.com, the organizer of NYC Vegetarian and Vegan Families Meetup, and is a book reviewer for VegBooks. Robyn is an avid traveler who has taught English in Nepal, volunteered helping animals in Africa, and lived abroad in Switzerland.

Intern with VegFund!

Now, with this part-time, work-from-home volunteer position (roughly 15-20 hours per week), you can have the opportunity to work with this groundbreaking organization, which was named the “Non-Profit of the Year” in 2009 by VegNews Magazine. Among other duties, the internship gives you the chance to train and coordinate volunteers, maintain and grow VegFund’s resources for grassroots activists, and conduct at least one outreach event per month. You’ll be working with and learning from VegFund’s Director, and for those of you who are students, you might even be able to get class credit. Their ideal candidate for this 3-month position has grassroots experience, strong writing skills, and, obviously, a passion and interest in farmed animal advocacy.

Check out the full listing for this internship, and spread the word to your passionate vegan friends and colleagues.

Internships can, needless to say, be important inroads for those interested in pursuing a career in animal rights. Most people working in the movement had, at one time or another, an internship position. But even for those of you who don’t want to quit your day job, opportunities like this one can utilize your skills and passion, allowing you to grow and learn, all while strongly and effectively working to change the world for animals. I honestly can’t think of many better places to start — or step up — your AR journey, than to work with the visionaries behind VegFund. Have I mentioned I’m a fan?

And head’s up: Stay tuned for a not-to-be-missed interview with VegFund’s co-founder, Zia Terhune, which you will be able to find on our podcast in the coming weeks.

Picture of top of blog: Courtesy of VegFund

When I’ve been in the position of having to select a course of action from a list of possibilities, my response is simply to do it all. Indeed, I want to try every single thing — sometimes all at once — because I am just not sure what the most appropriate tactic may be for my campaign or goal. And testing multiple tactics is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just that, in my experience, we pressed-for-time-and-resources changemakers make these decisions on the fly because, frankly, we just aren’t sure what to do next.

In the midst of all this improvising and best-guessing, I’ve thought many times,”Isn’t there just an Organizing for Dummies book?” I just wished for a simple how-to guide with the steps I needed to take to win our campaign.

Of course, advocacy isn’t like that: Most campaigns are waged using a variety of actions and a wide repertoire of tactics. While there are no simple, cut and dried answers here — after all, there really is no one way to mount a successful campaign — the best thing we activists can do is learn from the battles that have already been fought, and allow those successes and challenges to inform the decisions we make going forward.

Light up your changemaking efforts with Animal Impact: Secrets Proven to Achieve Results and Move the World.

The 2011 book, Animal Impact: Secrets Proven to Achieve Results and Move the World, promises to provide a blueprint to do just that. Author Caryn Ginsberg, a longtime animal advocate, asks “Why do some animal protection efforts succeed while others fail?” The answer to this question comes in the form of stories and tips from over 80 advocates working in animal rights. Ginsberg has more than a decade of experience working with leaders of the animal protection movement. The knowledge she has accumulated is vast. I confess that I haven’t yet read this book, but after reading a sample of the book’s front material, introduction, first chapter, and index, I can’t wait to get my hands on it. The sample is so informative and comprehensive, it’s difficult to believe that it represents just a fraction of the resources included in the book.

Animal Impact covers everything from crafting a message, to using social media, to how to pursue advocacy without breaking the bank, to tons more practical tips about creating your change campaign. The best part is that the tips and strategies shared in the book aren’t there because they’re effective in theory. They come from advocates who used them successfully, people who are now spilling the beans on everything they have learned in their own advocacy. This is the how-to guide I have been waiting for!

Whether or not you’re an experienced activist or a brand new changemaker, this book appears to be a must-have. It also comes with a bonus Companion Journal that will help you get your campaign started, allowing you to make the most out of everything you’ve learned from the book.

As most of you already know, Vegan Mainstream not only “provides marketing solutions” to vegan businesses, but also empowers and supports an eager and thriving vegan community (such as through their Facebook page, which is interactive and full of current AR happenings). The upcoming webinars are one hour long, totally free, and — if you ask me — a much more productive way of spending your lunch hour than playing Snood (which, okay, I also thoroughly enjoy).

Another set of upcoming animal-themed webinars come to us thanks to the ASPCA, are also one hour long and offered at no cost, and focus on the subject of animal abuse, with an emphasis on animal law. They include “The AniCare Approach for Treating Animal Abuse: What it is and how you can use it,” “Non-Human DNA in Criminal Cases,” “The Psychological Aspects of Maltreated Animals,” and “Common Issues Law Enforcement and Prosecutors Confront When Investigating and Litigating ‘Puppy Mill’ Cases.”

Also on the webinar circuit is Julie Lewin, the passionate activist behind the book Get Political for Animals. Though not yet up on the website, we hear through the grapevine that she will next be offering her series of webinars on that same topic starting later this month. On January 21, at 1 pm EST, you can view “Get Political for Animals and Win the Laws They Need in Your Town, City, County or State”; on Sunday, January 29, at 1 pm EST there’s “How the Lawmaking Process Really Works — and How Your Political Group for Animals Impacts Each Step”; and, on Sunday, February 5, at 1 pm EST, you can see, “How to Launch and Run a Political Organization for Animals in Your Town, City, County or State — and the Simple Steps It Takes to Do It.” These sound like the perfect next step for those who were intrigued by what our intern Sally so eloquently talked about last week – changing the law for animals. In addition to the above scheduled webinars, Julie even offers private ones, all as part of the National Institute for Animal Advocacy. To register, first email Julie at jlewin[at]nifaa.org and, once she tells you there’s still an opening, donate what you can afford on the website. Don’t forget to join her email list to stay up to speed about current webinars.

We at Our Hen House have talked about using Webinars for Animal Rights before. Beyond just attending the ones that Vegan Mainstream, the ASPCA, and Julie Lewin are offering — and ones that other advocacy groups have offered in the past, sometimes even as online conferences — maybe you want to go further into webinar world. If you are a person with a unique skill set that can be plugged into changing the world (and we all have one, folks, as we discussed in our recent workshop on activism that is now available online), perhaps its time for you to dust off your webcam and start your own webinar. These can include subjects such as vegan nutrition, using art to speak up for animals, Leafleting 101, animal law, and about a bzillion other pro-animal themed subjects.

Another plus? You don’t have to leave your living room. You can even be naked from the waist down, and no one would know. Which gives me an idea: “Change the World Wearing No More than a Necktie?” Perhaps…

Now, you can view the entire workshop for free on the Lewis & Clark website (just fyi — viewing it requires that your computer be up to date with Silverlight). It’s a good workshop to even have on in the background as you do house chores or the likes. In other words, you only really need to hear it.

Even more exciting for us (since we did, in fact, already attend our own workshop) is that the vast majority of the workshops presented throughout the weekend are now up on the Lewis & Clark site. We are pretty stoked to catch up on some of the ones we missed, and revisit the workshops we already attended. Some highlights include “Drawing Connections Between Animal Law and Other Disciplines” by Taimie Bryant and Maneesha Deckha, “Developing New Legal Theories to Help Animals: Benefits and Limitations” by Kathy Hessler and Matthew Liebman, and “Where Did Your Food Really Come From? A Guide to Food Labeling,” by Carter Dillard and Will Fantle.

During that time, I was the lead organizer and coordinator of a coalition called ctEQUALITY. We were a group of over 40 organizations who were leading a campaign to pass a transgender non-discrimination bill in Connecticut. The coalition had been at it for several years — the bill had been raised repeatedly and died at some point during the legislative session each time — but we felt like 2011 was our year. And it was.

Change the world for animals... through legislation.

In October 2011, Connecticut became the 15th state to include gender identity and gender expression in its non-discrimination laws. This was a hard-earned, satisfying, and important victory. One of things that made it so meaningful was the number of people — everyday Connecticut folks — who got involved in our effort by talking to their legislators about why our bill was so important to them, their families, and their communities. And the legislators listened. There is little I’ve experienced that is as rewarding as watching a legislator stand up during a vote and, in remarks to her colleagues about why she will support your bill, reference a meeting with a constituent that educated her on our issue, thereby persuading her to cast a vote in our favor. Call me a nerd, but democracy in action is pretty darn cool.

Over the course of 2010 and 2011, I evolved into a brazen advocate. While I was once shy about even talking to my state senator’s aide over the phone, I turned into a loudmouth who wouldn’t hesitate to tap a legislator on the shoulder while in line at the Legislative Office Building’s cafeteria. I knew my issue and talking points so well that I actually relished any opportunity I had to make a case for my bill.

Now that I am almost six months vegan (5 months and 23 days, to be exact), I am itching to use my passion for legislative advocacy to change the world for animals. I’ve read about the changes that can be made at the state level, whether through ballot initiatives, like California’s Prop 2, also known as the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, which prospectively eliminates veal crates, gestation crates, and battery cages, or through the legislature, like Oregon’s SB 616, which, when it was signed into law this past June, allowed judges to include companion animals when protecting domestic abuse survivors via restraining orders. These are just two examples of successful state laws passed for animals.

However, while it’s clear that my interest in animal rights can be easily funneled into legislative advocacy, I have been pretty intimidated at the thought of going there because I’ve only ever really talked to people I know about my veganism, and about my interest in animal protection.

Then something dawned on me. Legislators are people I know. They’re my neighbors, people I follow on Twitter, my Facebook friends, the folks I run into at the farmers’ market. I must’ve made this same point a bazillion time when I was trying to persuade ctEQUALITY’s prospective volunteers and citizen activists to reach out to their legislators. If I can articulate to a peer, colleague or neighbor why a certain issue is important to me and my community, I’m basically 75% of the way to lobbying my state representative!

If you’re like me and are either new to animal rights or new to legislative advocacy, I invite you to make 2012 the year you tune into how animals are faring in your community and state, and start talking about it with the people you elected to represent you. With that in mind, I have a couple of steps that might help ease you through the process.

This place is full of your friends and neighbors.

1. Find out who your state representative and senator are. My favorite way to do this is to visit Project VoteSmart and look up my reps by my 9 digit ZIP code. (You will need those extra 4 digits that come after your ZIP code, which you can quickly look up at the USPS website.) Project VoteSmart should tell you who all of your elected officials are. For finding your state legislators, you will want to click on “State Legislative.”

2. Find their contact info. In most cases, Project VoteSmart is great about linking you to all kinds of contact info. However, if it’s not telling you how to contact your legislators, you can find out easily enough by going to the website of your state legislature, which you can find using the super handy database at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

3. Familiarize yourself with the issue. Google around. Find out what organizations are already advocating on this issue, and then ask them for their talking points and tips about how to approach your legislator. Animal Legal Defense Fund offers a handy tool to tell you what the laws are like in your state, and the Humane Society of the United States will tell you about much of the animal-related legislation currently pending in your state. The best part is that, as a citizen activist, you’re not expected to know tons of heady legal information or wonky policy data about whatever issue you want to discuss. You’re expected to know the issue, sure, but more importantly, to be able to passionately assert why something is so important to you. And you can expand “you” to include your family, friends, children, community, etc.

4. Get in touch. In-person contact is best, but a phone call, email, tweet or Facebook message is a great start. I really like this list of pointers when it comes to the actual conversation you’re going to have with your legislators. Take a look to give you a sense of how the meeting should go. Once you  make contact, you can make your case over the phone or in an email, or you can make an appointment to visit your legislator’s office or meet in the district somewhere — maybe over a soy latte at a nearby coffee house, or in a local park. If you have likeminded friends and neighbors, so much the better — invite your legislator to a local home where you will all be gathered (don’t forget the vegan cupcakes). Remember that legislators are most persuaded by those who have the power to vote them in (or out) of office, so gathering people from other districts, or talking with legislators outside of your district, will be less effective.

These are just a few tips to start getting involved in policy advocacy in your community. For most people, it just takes getting over the initial hump of not knowing who their legislators are and/or being intimidated about making contact. Remember that laws in our communities are made by passionate advocates who are persistent and committed, and aren’t afraid to let those with the power to make laws know it.

If you’re intrigued by legislative advocacy to benefit animals, you might also check out Julie Lewin’s book, Get Political for Animals and Win the Laws They Need, which is a must-read for any animal advocate interested in lobbying for change. Farm Sanctuary also has some helpful pointers on their website, including “How to Lobby for Farm Animals in Your State Legislature and in Congress,” “A Resource Guide to Bill Drafting,” “Raise Farm Animal Awareness at a Town Hall Meeting,” and, for our Northern neighbors, “Advocating for Farm Animals in Canada.”

Whether or not you’re into New Year’s resolutions per se, early January — the time when the holiday mayhem is over (and yes, that was me shouting it from the rooftop this morning) — is the perfect time to size up our pro-animal projects, and perhaps get out the drafting paper for some new ones. Or revamp the ones we’ve got. It’s time to take stock and act accordingly.

I am also a big fan of reassessing. I think an ongoing discussion we should all be having with ourselves is: “Self, what are my life goals? In what ways am I working toward them? Through my job? My volunteer work? Both? Is there anything I need to adjust in order to better work toward my life goal?”

With all of this in mind, the post-holiday season is ideal for reevaluating our animal activism, and figuring out where we can and should step it up. Tied into that is, of course, the sustainability factor — and I’m not talking about hemp socks or hybrid cars. I’m talking about our own sustainability. The animals need us to be in this for the long run. Are we positioned to stick around? While the fact that in the U.S. alone, 286 chickens are killed every second, may make this a life-threatening emergency that must be addressed RIGHT NOW, are we nevertheless fighting the good fight in a way that takes care of our own needs, too?

Below are 10 questions that might help you take stock of where your advocacy is as we start 2012. As always, check in daily with Our Hen House (and weekly with our podcast) for ideas and opportunities to change the world for animals.

10 Questions Animal Advocates Should Ask Themselves 

1. Am I effectively doing what I can in my life to change the world for animals?
2. Am I appropriately putting my talents and skills into use with regards to my animal activism?
3. Am I feeling fulfilled in the process? Is there anything I can do to feel more fulfilled?
4. Even though working in animal rights can be hideously depressing and infuriating, am I noticing the tiny victories along the way? Am I seeing the good stuff?
5. Is my activism sustainable or am I on the fast-track to burnout? If it’s not sustainable, why not? What do I need to do to change it up? Perhaps that means temporarily shifting my focus, whether to a different animal issue, or a different tactic?
6. Do I have a safe space around me — through my romantic relationship or my social circles, or even online — in which to express my fears and desires as they pertain to my animal activism?
7. Is there a dream I have for promoting animal rights that I am ready to work toward?
8. Am I taking care of myself? Do I have enough energy? Am I getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and getting enough exercise?
9. Am I learning something new every day that will further enrich my own knowledge and insights regarding animal issues?
10. Am I remembering that, just as I have mentors, I am probably a mentor to someone else — even if I don’t know to whom? Therefore, am I setting a good example?

There are dozens and dozens of job openings at PETA.

As for me, though it was my friend Marisa Miller Wolfson (of Vegucated) who, 8 years ago, showed me some footage of factory farming, effectively turning my long-time vegetarianism into full-fledged, passionate veganism — it was the subsequent week-long volunteer trip I took to PETA that brought my activism into full-swing.

If you’re in the market for a job in animal rights, there are currently 41 openings with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in the U.S. alone. They fit every category you can think of, including administration, media, communications, campaigning, science, and investigations. And the domestic openings span the country — from NYC, to Washington, DC, to Norfolk, VA, to Los Angeles, to even a few telecommuting positions. There are also ample PETA positions overseas, such as in Asia, Australia, India, and the UK.

In browsing around, some of the highlights of these positions included, for me anyway, Media Officers, both in NYC and in DC, a Production Artist in Norfolk, a Celebrity Marketing Coordinator in PETA’s brand-spanking new office in LA, a Translator for PETA Asia, and a Campaign Coordinator in either PETA India or in Japan. There are literally dozens more.

I am, to say the least, in absolute awe of the amount of materials PETA produces, and, as is evidenced by our first paragraph, the amount of  influential changemakers it has created (superstar phenomenon Maggie Q is one of thousands of celebrities who also attributes her animal rights and vegan awakening to PETA). Even though many of them have gone on to have their own spin on their activism and outlook, there is no question as to who was at the root of their awakening.

All of this said, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and again and again): You do not need to work for an animal rights organization, or a vegan restaurant, or a vegan PR firm, in order to create change for animals. Truly, one of the most powerful things you can do for animals is to spread the message of non-violence and compassion in your everyday lives in a way that works for you. That is clearly the essence of what we talk about here in Our Hen House. Changemakers come in all shapes and sizes. We hope that the multimedia tools and resources we offer daily help you to figure out what shape and size you are, and how to plug that into animal activism.

But for those of you whose hearts desire nothing greater than a job in animal rights — I get that. I spent years working for AR organizations, including as the campaigns manager at Farm Sanctuary (by the way, they are also hiring) – a job I held very close to my heart, and a position that allowed my activism to grow by leaps and bounds. And, of course, I am lucky enough to write for my favorite publication on the planet, VegNews Magazine (shameless plug: keep an eye out for my article, “Veganism Saved My Life,” in the February 2012 issue). And, as you can see, I started my own advocacy organization. So if there’s one thing I understand, it’s the unrelenting gnawing at your heartstrings that leaves you no other choice but to pursue a career in vegan advocacy and animal rights. Just know that you don’t have to go down that road to change the world for animals. But if you do, I hope that some of the resources we highlighted this week are helpful to you. And I wish you the best of luck in your search, and a happy, healthy, compassionate, changemaking New Year.

***

Our Hen House: First off, tell us how long you’ve been vegan.

Andy Tabar: I celebrated 4 years vegan in August!

OHH: How did the idea for Compassion Co. come about? And who else is involved?

AT: Compassion Co. is a project that I had been formulating in my head for the past three years or so but . . . it wasn’t until recently that I was in a stable enough position to actually make it a reality. The idea came about because I had become vegan and was looking to buy shirts that related to veganism or animal rights, but I couldn’t find anything that I would actually want to wear — either because the design wasn’t appealing or the message on the shirt didn’t reflect how I wanted to present my views to the world. . . . I wanted shirts that, first and foremost, had beautiful, interesting, aesthetically pleasing designs. I wanted shirts that could be a conversation piece, but didn’t start the conversation about the vegan lifestyle in a negative or hostile place. I also wanted to have a company that followed through with the underlying message of veganism in not only the physical product, but also the production and operation of the company. . . . All of the printing and design work is done by several close friends.

Compassion Calf tee

OHH: Compassion Co. seems to function as social justice work. What are your thoughts about engaging in this kind of “for-profit activism?”

AT: I know a lot of people feel ownership over the term “activism,” and I wouldn’t want anyone that is actually out there rescuing animals or participating in demonstrations to feel their work lessened by being lumped in with a guy selling t-shirts, but ultimately, yes I would consider Compassion Co. a form of activism. The battle for animal rights is one that is fought on many different grounds, and I think that the more aspects of daily life that vegan messages and ethics find their way into, the better. I think if we had to relegate animal rights activism to  .  .  . the non-profit sector, it would just serve to further reinforce the view that veganism is this weird fringe movement.

OHH: I follow your personal blog (expandedcircle.tumblr.com) and am impressed with how thoroughly, accurately and compassionately you address criticisms about veganism there. It seems like compassion is a throughline for you. Can you talk about your approach to vegan advocacy?

AT: The way that I conduct myself when engaging others with issues regarding animal rights and veganism comes from what I have observed over the past few years to be the most effective means of helping animals. Outside of direct action, the simplest and most effective means of helping animals is to adopt a vegan lifestyle and then help others to do the same. I have not once convinced someone to go vegan by yelling at them, shaming them, berating them or even winning an argument against them. I have, however, had more friends than I can count go vegan because they spend time with me, eat the food I prepare, and see how I conduct myself and they realize how easy and rewarding veganism can be. I believe that leading by example is the most effective means of change. . . .

I think that the most important thing we can do as activists is to remember where we were, mentally, 5 years before we went vegan. Would the methods we are employing now help our younger self go vegan? You might think that every meat-eater deserves to be punched in the face, but do you think you deserved to be punched in the face then? Even if you do, would that have made you go vegan?

Cruelty Free tee

OHH: Being fair-trade and sweatshop-free is important to you, too. Can you talk about why and how this fits in with veganism for you?

AT: To me, the two issues are inseparable. Many of the garment workers in sweatshops are being held as slaves or in slave-like conditions. This isn’t something that any vegan would endorse if it were animals, so I don’t see how our stance should be any different when it comes to humans. This is an issue that everyone should be concerned with, vegan or not. . . . The current system of production is really stacked against the consumer that wants to have ethical consideration for animals and humans. Part of my goal with Compassion Co. is to make it just a little bit easier to shop ethically. To me, being vegan represents working towards a larger conscience shift — one that gives proper consideration for humans, animals and the environment, and I don’t see how we could possibly make that shift without embracing the human rights struggle as well.

OHH: Do you have any tips for people interested in started a vegan business/for-profit business venture? Or, can you talk about any of what’s come up since you launched that’s been unexpected or difficult? 

AT: My advice for anyone looking to start a vegan oriented business is go for it. You’re gonna be great, and the world needs you! After that, I’d say you really need to be okay with being broke for a long time. Also, do a lot of research about the business end of things, learn as much as you possibly can, and then try and find out some more because there will always be things that come up that you didn’t anticipate. To be honest, the hardest part for me is the nuts and bolts business end of things. I don’t find it particularly interesting, and I’d rather spend my time dealing with the creative aspect of it, as well as interacting with people. The second hardest part of the whole experience was learning just how expensive it is to do business legitimately and ethically. . . . Ultimately though, the hardest part has just been getting people to see our designs. I have to work really hard to create awareness of the company.

"Not giving a fuck just isn't cool anymore."

OHH: Thanks so much for your time, Andy. We love what you’re doing to change the world for animals!

AT: Thanks for the opportunity to help spread the good word.

Antennae rocks my world

I, for one, am nothing short of stirred and tickled to learn about this incredibly in-depth and thought-provoking resource, and I’m already wondering how I’m going to finish my Christmahanusolstikwanzikuh shopping, when I have all of these back issues to catch up on! I know that many of you will also be titillated, since my inbox is frequently bursting with emails from you wondering how to get further involved with speaking up for animals through the arts. Well, lucky for you, Antennae is seeking submissions for publication.

And in the interest of shameless self-promotion (’tis the season, right?), I wanted to point out a few pieces that Our Hen House has created for our Art of the Animal series, focusing on some of the same creative activists that Antennae is also shedding light on. Last year, we made a video about visual artist Jonathan Horowitz, and his “Go Vegan” exhibit. Two weeks ago, we featured Peter Singer on our 100th podcast episode (which is also available, as always, on iTunes). And, in what is perhaps the video I am most proud of, a couple days ago we brought you our newest installment of the Art of the Animal video series, this time featuring one of our heroes, Sue Coe. Our Art of the Animal series, which is hardly as academic as Antennae (I’m not sure anything I’ve ever written can be described as such), features artists who speak up for animals through their art form, and you can you learn more by browsing that section of our website.

Here’s the short version of how this venture started: Writer and filmmaker Lucy Cooke fell in love with Taz, a baby sloth who (get this!) she first learned about while watching a Youtube video! So Cooke traveled 5,000 miles to Costa Rica to meet him, which is when she got to witness, first-hand, the extremely touching stories of the world’s only sloth orphanage. According to Cooke, as reported on her website, at this orphanage, “Orphaned baby sloths whose mothers have been zapped by power lines or hit by cars are brought to the sanctuary to be cared for by legendary sloth whisperer Judy Arroyo.” Inspired and moved (duh!), Cooke made a short video called Meet the Sloths, which immediately became a huge success — so much so that it was covered in major media outlets worldwide, including making it into New York Magazine’s much revered ”Approval Matrix.” The next steps for Cooke in her quest to raise awareness about these glorious (and off-the-radar adorable) sloths was clearly a book deal (hello, Simon and Schuster!), and a full-length documentary based on her original short video, which is airing on Animal Planet in the United States tomorrow, Saturday, December 17, at 8 p.m. EST.

Is this an Our Hen House dream story, or what? Here you have a woman who was touched and moved by an animal story, so she took it upon herself to create smart, independent media about it. Awareness was raised (um, understatement of the year), the media caught on, and now, I’d imagine that The Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica will have a few donations coming in for the holidays (speaking of which…). And, most importantly, people (like me!) are learning about these precious creatures (prehistoric sloths stood up to 7 meters tall!). By the way, if you’re starting to think about your 2012 vacation, you might consider offering your services at the sanctuary’s volunteer program, which provides both room and board (not sure about the veganness of it, but obviously if they’re not there yet, that’s obviously something that you could bring to your conversation with these sloth-heroes).

Check out the trailer for Lucy Cooke’s sloth documentary… But make sure you turn your computer’s cute-meter off, because the needle might break your screen:

Does the prospect of spending time with your meat-guzzling family, shopping for presents when you know that no one will ever appreciate that they were carefully selected for their cruelty-free-ness, returning wool sweaters from your Aunt Ida, and listening to people blather on about “peace on earth” while they’re mindlessly contributing to hideous suffering, make your holidays bluer than Elvis’s?

Well, get over yourself. The holidays are supposed to be fun (dammit!), and you are more deserving of a little joy than anyone. So suck it up. It’s time to have fun, whether you want to or not.

The other thing about the holidays is that they are a time when a lot of people take a moment to reflect, be a bit more mindful, and try to be, just, better. Which makes Chrismahanusolstikwanzaka one huge activist opportunity.

First of all, there’s leafleting. There is no time of year when there are more people on the streets, and no time when they are more open to messages of compassion (at least some of them). They are watching heartwarming movies and singing about peace on earth. They are primed. You need to go get them!

If you are nervous about leafleting, remember, the first leaflet is the hardest. We guarantee that the first person who takes one from you and looks satisfied or interested will be well worth the painful anticipation you had prior to leafleting. Striking at the Roots, by Mark Hawthorne, has some great leafleting advice in it. Before the end of the year, commit to leafleting for 15 minutes. You’ll be glad you did (and you might even find you actually like it, and you’ll stay out there for longer).

Next, let’s think about your Christmas office party (or school party, or whatever party). One of our favorite Christmas office parties is the one in the film Desk Set, with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Everyone got drunk on champagne and acted somewhat, but not too, inappropriately. Maybe your office party is a hoot, like that one.Or maybe your office party is just another holiday burden where you’re forced to spend time talking to people you try to avoid during the rest of the year.

Regardless, it’s a huge opportunity for food activism that can’t be passed up. In fact, even if you don’t have a party to bring food to, bringing treats to share is considered totally normal behavior during the holidays. It’s up to you to make sure it’s also an opportunity for people to learn a bit about vegan food.

Of course, the first rule in turning this into activism, rather than just your way of being nice — and this may seem obvious — is to make sure they know it’s vegan. Your goal isn’t just to get them to enjoy your cooking, it’s to enlighten them about the deliciousness of compassion. One nice touch is to print out the recipe (which you want to keep pretty simple) and leave it right by the goodies. Even better, leave out some brochures, such as “25 Reasons to Try Vegetarian” from Mercy for Animals or “Compassionate Choices” from Vegan Outreach.

Tipping can present another opportunity for some holiday vegan outreach. Whenever you have to, or just want to, give a special holiday tip to someone –  your super, your hairdresser, your babysitter, whoever — make sure you accompany it with some delicious vegan baked goods (and make sure they know it’s vegan!).

Another great form of changemaking around the holidays is to engage kids in some vegan fun. Whether you are just having a few of your kids’ friends over to your house, or maybe you want to organize a formal event at your local community center or church or synagogue, or perhaps your nieces and nephews are visiting, you want to think seriously about how to find opportunities to do some cooking with kids. A cooking class — teaching kids how to make healthy, vegan holiday meals — is not only a good time, but can get kids thinking, and talking, about why we shouldn’t have animals on our holiday tables, or any other tables (other than our dog, Rose, of course, who occasionally likes to climb up on the table).

Next, think about family get-togethers. If you can’t rely on your Aunt Ida, or whoever else is hosting the family meal, to supply you with something to eat, you of course need to bring your own. And I know you’re busy, and it’s a pain, but do yourself a favor and really go out of your way to make sure you bring something delicious, so that you aren’t sitting there with second best. And make sure you bring dessert too. Oh, and bring a lot, because others are going to want to try it too (which is both gratifying and annoying at the same time).

During that get-together, if your family wants to talk about veganism in a respectful way, that’s great. If not, don’t let that ruin your day. One thing to remember is that recruiting your family to veganism is not any more important than recruiting anyone else. The animals don’t care whether it’s your Aunt Ida who decided not to eat them, or some stranger you’ll never see again. It may matter more to you when it’s family, but that’s just your ego getting in the way. So if your family is hopeless, just use that as an impetus to do some leafleting over the next few days.

When you’re ready, you might also choose to be the host of the holiday dinner at your own house — obviously making it a completely vegan meal. If you’re afraid that no one will come, have it during the holiday season, not on the actual day. There’s all sorts of subsidiary holiday get-togethers that you can get people to come to, like tree-trimming parties, and dreidel parties, and Three Kings Day. And hey, Hanukkah lasts for 8 days! Remember, while you might want to have some holiday festivities for your vegan friends — and you certainly should — that’s fun, but it’s not activism. You need some aspiring vegans to be there in order to make change.

Another way to spread the word about food around the holidays is through blogging. If you have a blog, or if you want to start one, you can send it to your friends, family, and online circles, and ask them to subscribe. Then, you can create a holiday challenge where you ask them to try one of your holiday recipes. Or you can ask them to give you the gift of going vegan for a day, or week, or a month. Then provide guidance and advice on your blog, and even create a community via the comments section. Invite all the people in your life who are participating in your challenge to make their voices heard.

Before we close, we just want to emphasize, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, that the holidays are not something that vegans should be just surviving. We need to own them. Just as everyone else — from churches and synagogues, to Walmart, to Bergdorf’s, to the Grinch, to Charlie Brown, to your mom, to Aunt Ida, to everyone else — has their 2 cents to offer about what this season is all about, you need to spread your message. Because no one around knows more about what the holidays are really about than you do.

So here’s to you.
And to getting dead birds off the table
And to liberating reindeer,
And to soy candles in the Menorah,
And vegan cookies and almond milk for a healthy and happy Santa,
And to Peace — and we actually really mean Peace – on Earth.

Since we are now enmeshed in the holidaze — and so much of the holiday season is centered around food — it’s important to use any opportunity to turn this “giving season” into one that is truly compassionate. We can do this by educating the masses about delicious vegan food! Two more ways we like to spread the vegan message is through restaurant outreach and vegan cooking classes.

As for restaurant outreach, this is something Mariann and I discussed on episode 100 of our podcast (which you can also hear on iTunes), and I hope you listen to that, because let’s just say I was able to put my BFA in Acting to the test (think: skits!). But, lucky for us, Unny is joining us again to tell us about the successful campaigns of Compassionate Action for Animals, today focusing on restaurant outreach as well as organizing cooking classes.

***

OHH: Thanks for joining us for a second day in a row, Unny! Today, I’m dying to know: You’ve worked with community restaurants and university cafeterias to make vegan dining more available. What kinds of successes have you had in that area?

UN: We’ve worked with dozens of restaurants that serve excellent vegan food. We created VegGuide.Org, a worldwide guide to veg-friendly restaurants and shopping, and our volunteers have written many reviews to highlight the excellent veg choices in Minnesota and beyond. We’ve received donations and gotten discounts at restaurants, and we’ve done dine-outs, fundraising events, and a chili cook-off at restaurants as well. All of this, and more, has led to a vegan-friendly Twin Cities. I hope that we’ll have more successes to report about in the future with regard to restaurants carrying new vegan foods because of our efforts!

OHH: Regarding approaching restaurants or cafeterias, do you have any tips for an activist who might want to get more vegan options introduced?

UN: The most important thing is to show that there is a market for the products. This can be done by getting people out to a restaurant by publicizing its offerings, and also by showing the restaurants statistics and anecdotes that demonstrate the popularity of veg eating. Secondly, providing ideas and resources — such as mock meats and dairy alternatives — as well as ideas on labeling and marketing, can help restaurants take steps in the right direction. Remember that the operators of restaurants and cafeterias are busy people, but want the business, so be prepared to be persistent.

[For more on restaurant outreach, including how to approach a restaurant where you'll be dining for the holidays to make sure they will offer vegan fare, check out episode 100 of the Our Hen House podcast.]

OHH: Compassionate Action for Animals has also organized cooking classes in the community. I love this idea as a form of activism. Who has led these classes, and what sort of dishes did you prepare?

UN: We’ve had great successes with cooking classes. Our classes have been taught by volunteer chefs, most of whom are people who are part of our group, or somebody we know. We find people who have made great foods for a potluck or other event, and ask them to teach classes. The classes have been interactive, and our chefs are knowledgeable and have a lot to share. We’ve had an incredibly diverse set of classes we’ve taught: Thanksgiving foods, cooking on a budget, soy foods, vegan baking, beginning vegan cooking, and more.

OHH: For someone who is interested in organizing a vegan cooking class, what sort of logistics should she/he consider?

UN: You’ll need to work with your chef to figure out what kind of equipment they have and what kind of equipment is provided at the venue. You’ll also want to consider what works best for a demonstration, and how audience participation in cooking is going to work. Cooking classes usually do not provide enough time to make everything from scratch and serve it, so we’ve had instructors do some prep work in advance. Give the instructor a clear time-frame and have them practice beforehand.

Besides that, advertising and running a smooth event includes welcoming people, giving them literature, having them sign up on your list, filling out evaluation forms, and thanking the instructor afterwards. This will all ensure a successful event.

OHH: What are your favorite kinds of food activism? Do you find that one is more effective than another, or is it a case of different strokes for different folks?

UN: My favorite kind of food activism is the kind that blends together great vegan food with lots of fun, and engages people about the ethics of the way we eat. When we can find the kind of activism that is participatory, and engages people where they’re at, we gain momentum for animals. Weaving together our different activities – food giveaways and potlucks, leafleting and camping trips – gives people lots of opportunities to find the resources, the human connections, and the worldview that helps them move towards a plant-based diet.

OHH: What kinds of projects does Compassionate Action for Animals have up its sleeve for the coming months, and how can people learn more?

UN: This is the hardest question! We’re hoping to do a veg festival in the summer of 2012, and we hope to decide soon. We’ll continue to do many of the same events and projects I described above, but I’m quite uncertain as to what’s next. It would be so much easier to plan if we knew what we’re doing next, but we try to make plans based on what our volunteers are interested in within the framework of our values and strategy. We’re committed to being a volunteer-led organization, and we’ve found that we’ve evolved in ways that weren’t predictable. The best way to find out what we’ll be doing next is by volunteering with us and making it happen! Or, if you don’t live in Minnesota, please do something that inspires us and we’ll copy you! You’re welcome to contact me, Unny at 612-276-2242 or via email at unny[at]exploreveg.org. 

***

Special thanks to Unny Nambudiripad and to Compassionate Action for Animals, for changing the world for animals in Twin Cities, Minnesota! 

If you listen to our podcast (which hopefully you do, otherwise you have 100 past episodes to catch up on), then you know that Mariann and I travel pretty much non-stop. The Midwest is frequently where we land, and we have found that — despite what some may say — vegans are everywhere, as is vegan food. And animal rights activists are everywhere, as is activism focused on ending animal cruelty and raising awareness about compassionate alternatives. Sure, maybe it’s not as concentrated in the Big Apple, but then again, what is? One of my favorite vegan restaurants, FÜD, is in Kansas City, MO. One of my favorite events of 2011 was the Mad City Vegan Fest in Madison, WI (check it out in our VegFest Mash-Up video). And one of my favorite animal rights organizations, Mercy for Animals, was indeed founded in Ohio (we visited them in Chicago last year).

More and more, the great changemaking in our movement is happening in the heartland. Compassionate  Action for Animals, a volunteer-run animal advocacy organization based in Minnesota, is no exception. They are changing the world and starting with their community, engaging in grassroots activism like feed-ins, restaurant outreach, and community-wide vegan cooking classes.

Today and tomorrow, we will be focusing on a Q&A with Compassionate Action for Animals’ co-founder and Executive Director, Unny Nambudiripad. Today, Unny will give us the skinny on feed-ins — free events held in public where free samples of vegan food, along with animal rights literature, are distributed.

My reason for focusing on this form of activism today is because, well, ’tis the season. Food activism like this — specifically, feed-ins — is a terrific form of outreach around the holidays. People are shopping, so you’ve got well-populated areas, and they are usually making far more eye contact than normal, because they are eager and excited. Not to mention, they’re hungry, and they want free food. Why not use this season of self-reflection and giving to enlighten people to the deliciousness of compassion?

For those of you who are intrigued, Unny has some incredible tips and insights for how to implement a successful feed-in. And be sure to check back in with us tomorrow, when we’ll talk to Unny about restaurant outreach and organizing cooking classes — both of which also pack a punch this time of year.

***

Our Hen House: Tell us about Compassionate Action for Animals. What is your mission?

Unny Nambudiripad: First, thank you for asking! I appreciate the excellent work that Our Hen House does. You have been doing a great job to empower activists with the resources and tips they need to be more effective.

OHH: Why, thank you. We’re huge fans of Compassionate Action for Animals, so I guess we’re even.

UN: My name is Unny Nambudiripad, and I’m a co-founder and Executive Director of Compassionate Action for Animals. We’re based in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and we host (mostly) local events and projects to advocate for animals. Since 1998, we’ve been advocating for animals using a nonviolent approach. We believe that by treating everybody with respect, including fellow activists and people in animal industries, we can maximize our change.

We do our work by conducting outreach and education, and also by building community. Our outreach work is focused on bringing in new people who are generally unaware but potentially interested in our perspective. We target young adults; we’ve handed out leaflets, tabled at events and colleges, and conducted many food giveaways. Educational efforts are aimed at getting interested people to the next level: giving them resources on vegan-friendly restaurants, vegan nutrition, cooking tips, and raising the ethical question. Finally, we do community-building, work to keep people engaged, have fun, keep the momentum going, and build social networks so that people support each other in their changes.

OHH: That’s very cool! Now, I know that Compassionate Action for Animals has done its share of food activism in Twin Cities. What have you done in the realm of feed-ins and food giveaways?

UN: We’ve been doing feed-ins for several years, mostly at college campuses, but also at city parks and events. Our feed-ins have been very successful. We have found free vegan products that companies want to promote, and the people who eat the samples are happy to get free food and are open to talking to us about moving towards a plant-based diet. Volunteers also have a great time.

OHH: Sure — what’s not to love about free food?! So what happens during a feed-in? 

UN: During our feed-ins, we hand out Vegan Outreach‘s excellent literature about factory farming and veganism. We don’t require that people read the literature to take the food, and we understand that a certain percentage of the people who take our samples just want the free food. But, the positive atmosphere that we provide is very conducive to folks taking the literature and talking to us. Activists are sometimes accused of being negative and not having solutions, and doing feed-ins provides a great counter-example.

OHH: Can you tell me a bit about your biggest annual feed-in, which takes place at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities? 

UN: We do this one in conjunction with our Veg Week event, and at the feed-in we sign people up to take the Pledge to Be Veg. In the atmosphere of the feed-in, it’s easy to sign people up. Veg Week events have included a speaker, more free vegan food samples, dine-outs, potlucks, and a tour to a local farm animal sanctuary. In short, the feed-in is a great way to bring people into our fold and engage with them further.

OHH: Did you find your food giveaways were difficult to organize? And do you have any tips for someone else who might be interested in organizing a food giveaway?

UN: When we first did food giveaways, we asked restaurants and groceries to donate food samples. We later found it more effective to go straight to the producers of the food products. The logistics of food giveaways includes refrigeration, food preparation, cooking, food permits, volunteers, and lots of hauling. There’s nothing too technical about it besides creating check-lists and following them. VegFund has great resources on how to do food giveaways, and they offer funding. I recommend starting out small, and working towards bigger giveaways. Other tips include:

• Have a lot of volunteers. This work is labor-intensive.
• Relatedly, this event is so much fun for volunteers, so it’s easy to recruit! You can be sure they will have a great time.
• Don’t announce the event publicly. You want to reach people who aren’t looking for you, not the ones who are narrowly focused on getting free food.
• Ask for food donations at least three months in advance, and be prepared to follow-up with companies.

The level of difficulty of organizing a food giveaway is proportionate to its size. That is, small giveaways are easy, but large ones can be more challenging.

OHH: What has been the reaction of the passersby?

UN: People are enthusiastic about free food! I’ve done all kinds of events – protests, leafletings, speaking events, potlucks, etc., and food giveaways are certainly the events where we get the most positive feedback.

***

Here’s some more helpful information on how to organize a feed-in. Special thanks to Unny and Compassionate Action for Animals. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for information from Unny on restaurant outreach and organizing cooking classes! 

In Roxborough, a Philadelphia neighborhood, hundreds of toads migrate from nearby woods and gardens to the Roxborough Reservoir. Each year, more than a hundred toads are squished by cars on their way to the Reservoir. In Toad Detour, a community-wide project to save these toads’ lives, the first step was to make people aware of the problem.

Second, the caring people behind the Detour, along with a number of organizations — including the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and Mobilization For Animals – banded together, got the cooperation of local authorities, and came up with a workable solution. During the migration season, a cadre of volunteers went out on the roads to establish a temporary road detour. Not only did they man (person?) the barricades to avert traffic, they armed themselves with signs and brochures to educate the community about helping the toads migrate safely.

Toad Detour

Third, they didn’t keep it to themselves. They created a website and a facebook page to spread the word.

You might think that all that is enough, but these folks took it to the next level. The fourth step was that filmmaker Burgess Coffield decided to make a film of the project, which will enable so many more people to learn about it and be inspired to apply it in their own communities. If you’re anywhere near Philly, a screening of the film will take place tomorrow, Saturday, December 10.

I am sure you are wondering what could possibly be fifth. Well, there will be refreshments served at the screenings, and all of the food will be vegan. A gentle reminder to all who come to find out about the toads, that all the animals need our caring.

Perfect.

But this strong preference for getting over giving is not, in my humble opinion, because of some deep characterological flaw on my part (other things about me can be attributed to that). Simply put, I don’t like giving because it’s stressful. December is not supposed to cause me excessive worry. It’s supposed to be about elves, shiny things that hang from trees, soy nog as a foundational ingredient in anything edible, and pretending that being freezing cold is a desirable part of a white Christmas. Gift giving means going to a million different stores, figuring out what my friends and family will like, determining what size to get, scouring labels to find stuff that is both vegan and ethically-sourced, battling traffic and crowds, and a relentless nagging feeling that I’m buying all the wrong things. If my neuroses about this time of year resonate with you, allow me to suggest the resolution to all of my (and your!) hangups about holiday giving: The Our Hen House Etsy Shop.

1. Everything is all in one place — you can’t beat one stop shopping at this time of year.
2. It’s all online. Feel free to browse in your jammies. (Yes, I know we can do this on Amazon, but honestly, how impersonal is that?)
3. All items are 100% vegan and ethically-sourced.
4. Our shop is full of one-of-a-kind handmade knits, jewelry, and art. You will be gifting folks with stuff they just can’t get anywhere else.
5. By shopping at our Etsy shop, you are actually making a donation to support our work! By finding your perfect holiday gifts at our shop, you’re changing the world for animals. Win-win-win.

Here are a couple items that I dig, but you should browse around see what you like.

Yellow with Green Handmade Glass Hen Earrings

Sophie the Sheep Stuffed Animal

Avocado Knit Handwarmers

Remember, in addition to the Our Hen House Etsy Shop, in exchange for a donation through the Our Hen House website, you can be the proud owner of “The Tourist Trail” by John Yunker, a “Tote-Ally Vegan” Our Hen House tote bag, or a hematite and silver necklace that proudly touts the word “VEGAN.”

Although many sanctuaries have adoption programs, Animal Place has a unique center, located in Vacaville, CA, only an hour outside of San Francisco, specifically devoted to animal adoption and placement. Animal Place stands at the forefront of the movement to save the lives of farmed animals, while moving them into the homes of a growing nationwide movement of vegan advocates, who not only provide these animals with loving homes, but can demonstrate to friends and neighbors who these animals really are and why they deserve to live. One by one, these animals can go out into the world and change people’s hearts and minds.

Now, Animal Place — under the direction of Kim Sturla — is hiring someone to head up their marketing, fundraising, and campaigns. The job — which looks like a dream job for anyone who has been longing to work in the animal rights movement (assuming you already live in, or are willing to move to, Northern California) — is for someone who is comfortable wearing many hats. It includes everything from media outreach, to social networking, to managing the organization’s fundraising campaigns and corresponding with donors.

Check out the entire job description, and pass this on to your talented and savvy vegan friends who, like so many of us, can imagine doing nothing else other than spending our lives advocating for farmed animals.

Photo at top of blog courtesy Animal Place

We hope you look forward to Saturday mornings as much as we do!

But, as we will both happily confess, the roughly one thousand hours we’ve put into this venture has been well worth it, to say the least. In addition to recently garnering us the title “Indie Media Powerhouse” by VegNews Magazine, our podcast has connected us with our heroes (and yours), including luminaries like Jonathan Balcombe and Gene Baur, well-known personalities like Jane Velez-Mitchell and Rory Freedman, movement icons like Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Neal Barnard, sanctuary leaders like Jenny Brown and Miriam Jones, vegan fashion gurus like John Bartlett, Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart and Joshua Katcher, animal law intellects like David Wolfson, Rebecca Huss and Steven Wise, and – perhaps our favorite episodes – every day folks who are bringing animal rights into the classroom, the workplace, and onto the radar.

Perhaps what we enjoy the most about our podcast is the unbelievable community that we’ve been able to enjoy as a result of it. Our podcast listeners have become like our extended family, many of whom email us several times a month. As Jasmin’s grandma – an 87-year-old proud vegetarian, and a frequent guest on our show – has observed, listening to an “audio program” (as Grandma calls it), is profoundly different than watching a TV show, where “they do the thinking for you.” We like to think that Grandma is right. There is indeed something distinctly awesome that comes from an audio podcast, both from the podcaster and the listener’s point of view.

Our 100th episode is generously being sponsored by MooShoes!

Though we can hardly believe it, our 100th podcast episode airs this Saturday, and — much to our excitement — is being generously sponsored by MooShoes Vegan Shoe Store. MooShoes proudly offers the largest variety of vegan shoes and accessories in the world, and during their 10th birthday party last weekend, we made a nice dent in our holiday shopping! We love MooShoes and are beyond thrilled that they are sponsoring our 100th episode, and offering a $100 gift certificate to one lucky listener.

In honor of our 100^th episode, please help us reach 100 reviews on iTunes! If you listen to our podcast and you like it, please take a minute today to give us a friendly review and 5-star rating on iTunes. As we’re writing this, we have 63 ratings (all 5 stars – thank you!). Can you do us a solid and help us get to 100?

Lastly, remember, our podcast is entirely listener-supported! That means we need your support to keep going. If you want to continue to hear quality episodes, please consider making a monthly donation of at least $10 a month! As our thank you for donating, between now and the end of the year, every person to sign up for a monthly donation will receive a free Our Hen House tote bag! It’s all ethically-sourced and vegan-made (thanks to our friends at Lion’s Share Industries). Thank you for listening, and for helping us to build a strong voice for animals.

And now, announcing the guests for our 100th podcast episode, which, as usual, will go up this Saturday, both on iTunes and right here on our blog. We are elated to bring back 2 of our favorite guests from previous shows, Peter Singer, and Isa Chandra Moskowitz! We promise that you will be enlightened, entertained, and engaged.

Thank you, listener family, for being such rock stars. So many of the questions you ask us are about how we keep going, how we produce so much content, and how — in the face of such despair and adversity all around us, on such an unfathomable level — we remain, nonetheless, indefatigably positive. In addition to clinging on to the knowledge that we all do have the power to make this world a little less cruel — even maybe a smidgeon compassionate! — you are so much of what gives us hope and fuel. Your voices, your stories, your determination, inspires us and motivates us to provide an indie media forum that is, indeed, a place to find our way to change the world for animals. As we approach our 100th episode, let us just say: thank you for listening to our show, and for letting us listen to your stories. We so appreciate you.

The problem is, of course, how do you get people who haven’t yet seen the light to read some of that literature so it can enlighten them? Well, one idea that I love is to make some books about animals part of a reading series. Here in New York, one of our favorite reading series, Free Range Nonfiction (I know, I know, the name is a bit offputting but, I promise, they’re not talking about “humane” eggs, they’re talking about a free-wheeling approach to nonfiction) is having a special animal night featuring the works of Alison Espach, Alison Smith, and Hannah Tinti (Disclaimer: I am not yet familiar with any of these authors, but my curiosity is definitely piqued.) Not everyone who runs Free Range is vegan (or even vegetarian), which is one of the great things about the fact that animals have made it on to the agenda for the evening, and that Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary will be the beneficiary of the night’s proceeds.

With a few tweaks, this kind of program can be replicated anywhere. Free Range features authors reading from their own works, but if that’s too hard to pull off where you are, think about doing a reading with, maybe, one author reading his or her own work (or work-in-progress), and then a few really good readers reading from the works of some of the classics. Black Beauty is one that springs to mind. (If it’s a copyrighted work and you intend to read a long excerpt and you want to be very cautious, you might want to get permission, which should not be hard to do). Maybe your local library would be willing to sponsor the event.

Of course, in addition to a formal reading series, if you’re part of a reading group, you can always recommend a book that changed your heart about animal issues. Maybe it’ll change a few more.

***

We arrived in Mumbai at the peak of Indian summer, stumbling from the damp, air-conditioned halls of the airport, with fake flowers and a musty smell. Stepping out the doors I was hit with a wall of heat: steamy and thick, suddenly I was walking in slow motion. Before us was a mass of people, hundreds — thousands? — of them, on the other side of a barricade, mostly men holding pieces of paper with names on them. Everyone was huddled close, as if different heads on one squirming body, and somewhere one of these men was holding up my name. Eventually, my partner Ashley and I were following a silent and polite man past all these people — so many people! — and into the parking garage, hearing the melodic rhythms of unknown languages and inhaling the wafting sweetness of tropical blossoms.

We had boarded our plane in New York City, so we’ve seen our share of a lot of people, but still, nothing could have prepared us for the crowds in Mumbai — mostly barefoot men walking arm-in-arm, with long pants and button-up shirts in the sweltering heat. It wasn’t until I was behind glass in a modern, air-conditioned SUV that I looked past all the people and saw the first dog. Walking purposefully, all on her own, she weaved through the crowds, between cars and into the trees. She didn’t look skinny, or sick or dangerous or lost as we often think about “stray” dogs in America. Back home, we assume every animal must have had another ideal life from which to “stray.” Here, she had as much purpose as all the other animals – humans – around her. The people at the airport didn’t notice her any more than they did the man who was literally rubbing against them, and she didn’t seem cautious or uneasy in the crowd. She seemed… at home.

My partner Ashley and I have wanted to go to India as long as I can remember. It is presented as the ultimate challenge: a culture so fundamentally different from ours that it can shake our deeply-held beliefs and open our horizons. It was a hippie pilgrim mecca, full of incense and bright saris and peaceful people doing yoga. In my observations, India resists such labels. It is a massive subcontinent, an always-changing creature: far from homogeneous and constantly full of surprises. But when I imagined India, first and foremost, I could smell the spices. India, and the South in particular, is home to one of the world’s most complex and varied vegetarian cuisines. And so many millions thrive on this peaceful diet! For people like me and Ashley, who always follow our stomachs, a journey to India proved very alluring. But what I didn’t piece together before the trip was that these attitudes toward food inform the way of life. Of course I already knew that choosing a vegan diet trickles into every aspect of being; indeed it comes to be a defining characteristic not only about how we eat, but about who we are. But I have always been part of a small minority up against a majority that doesn’t seem to get it. In South India, the choice to live a vegetarian lifestyle permeates neighborhoods, communities, and the culture at large.

On our first jet-lagged morning in Goa, a beachfront paradise that has been a destination for European travelers for centuries, we tiptoed out of our hut and down onto the sand. We didn’t know what time it was, but it was clear that everyone else was asleep — the human variety, that is. Gangs of dogs were galloping across the sand, still cool from the damp night, taking advantage of this window before the sweltering midday sun begins its slow, baking heat. The dogs, who had been sleeping covertly under lounge chairs or tucked away in shaded alleys and forests when we arrived the day before, were in such a good mood this morning! Small pods of dogs were scattered across the shore, running in circles, nipping at each other, circling across the wide flat beach, romping through the wet sand and splashing into the warm ocean before colliding with another pod of dogs, trading a few members, and repeating the process.

Ashley and I stepped onto the beach, dazed by the swaying coconut palms and the humid air, hot and getting hotter, scented with the salty sea, and the beginning hint of a few wood-burning fires as the families lit their kettles for breakfast and tea.

Seconds later, we were in the middle of a cluster of dogs. It was like a crowded dog run with no fences – and no owners! We were cautious. We love dogs, but we were still unsure about everything in India. We had woken up on the other side of the world yesterday, and we had no idea what time it was, or what we were going to do today. We had heard that these “street dogs” were everywhere in India. We imagined it to be sad, to see these creatures without a home, hungry and sick and lonely. But these “beach dogs” seemed to reject these labels. They certainly weren’t lonely; they were playing with friends, more friends than my dog has, all around us. As for hungry and sick, they were not suffering from a lack of energy — they were bounding up and down the beach. The night before, at a beach-shack restaurant, Ashley literally fell asleep waiting for her curry, and I had the fuzzy memory of a gentle tan-colored dog resting under my chair in the sand, lapping up a plate of rice and dal.

It didn’t take long for a few dogs to latch on to us, following us down the beach, smiling up at us between pants. After pretending to keep our distance for a few minutes, we sat in the sand, opened our arms, and gave the dogs what they wanted. They couldn’t get enough: they were right up against us, soaking up our love like a sponge. Luckily for us, this was exactly what we wanted too. And so out the window went the first of many unspoken rules we had set for ourselves based on the fears of what we imagined this place to be. The reality of this moment for us was far from scary: summertime dawn on a tropical beach, at the beginning of a 2-month journey, with smiling dogs rubbing against us for our love. There were icicles hanging from our doorway as we got into the taxi in New York yesterday, or was it 2 days ago? And this was the perfect time for us to be reminded of dog’s great gift: to be completely immersed in the present with no regard to the past or the future. This salty, playful morning on this beach in South India was infinite to these creatures, and we were right there with them, laughing with the ocean at our knees.

We soon noticed that dogs were not the only animals who are part of the daily life of people in South India. In the smaller cities and towns, “livestock,” the animals that we picture on a farm (or, more accurately, in a factory) in America, roam freely in the streets. Wandering in the dirt backroads in coastal Karnataka, we would see clusters of chickens, pecking their way around the trees, foraging in the dirt and leaves. Families of white goats munching on something (always munching!) don’t mind us rubbing past them on the narrow sidewalk. And most imposing of all, giant cows and bulls seem to own the streets, weaving through traffic with confidence. Looking closer at the cows, many have beads wrapped around their heads like jewelry. Some have bright colors painted on their brow. They are majestic, embodying the balance between sheer physical power and a gentle peaceful nature. There is, of course, the disturbing question of what will happen to these glorious, free animals. Will they meet a horrible fate, just as their American cousins do? These thoughts are in such sharp contrast to the beauty of their current-day freedom.

The effect these animals had on me and Ashley was profound. In America, we might drive by farm animals behind a fence on the side of a freeway, and we have had the chance to see a few up-close and personal at farms and sanctuaries, but domesticated farm animals are decidedly not a part of our everyday life. We have often heard the refrain that these animals were created by humans, bred to suit our purposes. Because people created them, some argue, the only suitable life for them is in manmade confinement, where they will be fed and given water and shelter. Not knowing any better, I always believed this argument. Of course, I’ve always thought that if the animals need us to survive, we owe them a peaceful and healthy existence that does not end in their slaughter or eating their bodies, but I accepted the basic idea that they are dependent on humans to care for them nonetheless.

After experiencing the array of animals in the streets in India, I’m not so sure anymore of exactly what our relationship with these animals should look like. These street dogs and cats and cows and chickens and goats seem to be surviving just fine on their own. Some of them even seem to be thriving! Each creature has mapped out a path to survival that suits their needs. Certain individuals not only meet their needs, but their tastes as well. We saw a small family of cows strategically positioned behind the sugar cane juice cart, munching on the fibrous discards of the day, smiling sweetly. Many times, we saw dogs digging for sand crabs and feasting until nap time. The cats’ territory is on the rooftops, where they sunbathe, nap and watch the people below. From what we saw, goats really will eat just about anything: banana peels, scented flowers that have fallen out of women’s hair, weathered Bollywood posters peeling off the stone walls. Obviously, anywhere we encountered these animals, they were among people. I certainly don’t mean to argue that domesticated animals should be set free in the forest. But the consumer culture that in America neatly bags up its waste and sends it to holes in the earth looks very different in India, where there seems to be a much more symbiotic relationship between humans, and their waste, and the animals who dwell among them.

Each city and town and village processes its own waste, which often means it floats in trenches, litters the streets, piles up in mounds behind hotels which are burned at the dawn of each day. From this perspective, the unfussy processing the animals provide has its place in the circle of life. In American cities and towns and villages, this important work is done by rats, mice, cockroaches – vermin we want to pretend are underground and try to exterminate. In India, this process is done not shamefully and secretly, but in the streets, next to homes and banks and post offices, and not by small wild animals combing through our microtrash, but by majestic beasts in the middle of the road, licking the banana leaves clean after lunch. At first, the presence of animals everywhere made my heart flutter. I was kind of worried about them, even though they looked fine.

Would they get hit by a car? Get sick? Starve? But soon I realized that these animals are really just as fit to live this life as humans are. People are getting hit by cars, getting sick, starving. But most of them are surviving, and I see a lot of smiles, hears lots of music, plenty of laughter. And when we can swerve or brake to avoid hitting someone, we’ll do it. If we have enough food to share, we’ll put a plate on the sidewalk. We’re all in this together, and it’s not by accident that Indians invented the idea of karma. To isolate animals behind fences teaches us that they are different, that somehow they belong in confinement. To see them integrated in everyday life, eking out an existence like the rest of life on earth, unites us as creatures sharing the same planet.

As captivated as we were by the existence of these animals, we knew that some had slipped through the cracks. Individual animals are sometimes abandoned, abused, sick, dying in the streets. Knowing that unseen suffering was happening around us, we wanted to volunteer at a rescue. We don’t know anything about medicine or treatment, we just love animals and wanted to help in any way we can.

When we arrived at Animal Rescue Kerala, down in the far southwest of India near Kovalam, we were high on our tropical vacation. We had been here nearly 6 weeks, we were tan, relaxed, salty from our swim that morning. After a rickshaw to a train to a bus and another rickshaw, we realized the shelter was not easy to find. Our driver muttered to himself as our 3 wheels took us up a very steep dirt hill with large rocks and tangles of roots. Finally, after weaving down village roads bend after bend, we arrived at the gates of the shelter. Immediately, we were stormed by a group of dogs, mostly big and sloppy, tails wagging.

A howling contest soon commenced, with every dog in the place trying to bark louder than the other. Our hearts were beating fast, trying to stay calm and to focus on the dogs right in front of us. I looked at my backpack, haphazardly dropped after entering the gates, and a Labrador is lifting his leg and peeing all over it. We asked for instructions, and we were given them: a tan dog who got into a fight has been confined in the kennels – she’s really sweet, just sit with her for a bit. There’s an old female Pomeranian, give her some love. Every assignment at the shelter is like this: there are over 80 dogs here, and a spattering of other animals big and small. Some have integrated into packs and made friends, others haven’t. It’s a dog city, with buildings and parks and families and communities. They have their own versions of war and peace, alliances and friendships. And all of it is in the space of one human’s home, with a large yard. So we went to the tan dog, with scabs on her face, pick a few ticks off her neck, and she soon rolls over, ready for a tummy rub. The quiet, white Pomeranian has dangling teats; she was dumped here after she got too old to breed. Her eyes are cloudy and I’m not even sure if she can see me, but she leans into my hand when I pet her.

A huge clunky retriever jumps up on me and her paws have just stepped in poop, yellow from the turmeric rice and fish the dogs have eaten. I have dog-poo-pawprints all over me, but looking around me, I feel lucky. I am lucky to be here, to meet these animals, to have Ashley by my side, and — a thought that did not escape me during my trip — unlike so many Indians, I am lucky and privileged to be safe and healthy and able to travel. And these dogs are lucky too, because they don’t care about where they were yesterday, or the pain they felt in the past. The primary mission of Animal Rescue Kerala is spaying and neutering street dogs to try to control the population. Many of the animals are captured, sterilized and released back to the streets. Some people in Kerala don’t want female dogs, even puppies, and will dump them, because they view the possibility of them being impregnated as a liability. Sterilization of dogs is not a regular practice in India, but places like Animal Rescue Kerala are trying to be part of the solution.

Some of what I saw at the shelter will be permanently etched into my memory. Up in the puppy house on the top level, there were soft sleeping newborn puppies. The floor was guarded by a grumpy old black dog whose two back legs dragged on the ground behind her. Make no mistake, she is the top dog up here, and will instantly put a dog with 4 working legs in their place. Sleeping in the rafters is a cat whose face is covered by a giant scab. We never asked about the story, but would just smile at her where her eyes should have been. And there will be no forgetting little Viku, a tan puppy with an irrepressible energy of joy. Anywhere we sat, she would jump on our laps, lick our faces, rub up against us with every ounce of her being. All that she wanted was to love us, over and over again. And in that infinite softness of a puppy’s tummy, the warm tongue on our cheeks, our hearts would break. How I could dive into this puppy’s soul!

We had heard a few times in India that all life on earth is one: we have simply created the illusion that we all live our separate existences. I agreed, but I didn’t quite believe it. But here, with Ashley sitting beside me on the stone floor, Viku between us, my hand on her belly, Ashley’s on her face, I believe. I had to travel across the world to understand how differently people could live, and how differently animals could live too, but what we all need to survive is the same love. Here is an e-mail I wrote after one of those sticky, tiring and blissfully intense days at the shelter:

Photo of "Kids Cook for the Holidays!" which is a project of Public Eye Philly. Photo from http://www.publiceyephilly.org/.

“Kids Cook for the Holidays” was organized as part of Public Eye’s Kids Club. During the hour-long session taught by Chef Christina Martin, kids ranging in age from 3 to 10 learned how to make healthy, fun, vegan Thanksgiving meals and got to eat their cruelty-free concoctions for lunch. Following the hands-on lesson, the kids participated in an entertaining art project designed to instill compassion for animals. Another cool thing about the art project is that it resulted in a hand-made objet d’art for kids to take home to spread the word.

Using the creaminess of cauliflower mash or the sweetness of apple pie to foster a discussion on why we don’t eat animals — during the holidays and beyond — is a recipe for a merciful, kind kid with a respect for all beings. ‘Tis the season, so if kids are your thing, perhaps you should be thinking about hosting a formal or informal vegan cooking class.

Of course, if you have kids in the house today and tomorrow, you can start putting this together right now as part of your Thanksgiving Feast. Hopefully, you have on hand Nathalie Van Balen’s Happy Thanksliving! Coloring Zine to help out with the entertainment, but if you don’t, never fear, you can just print out her veggies coloring page.

But, of course, Thanksgiving is just the beginning. Christmahanukwanzasolstikah is in just one month. Before it whizzes by, how about hosting a vegan cupcake-making party for your kids’ class? Be sure to have your talking points ready, too, along with some kids-themed pro-animal stickers.

Got additional suggestions and tips for inspiring compassion in kids? That’s what the comments section is for! Do tell!

Or am I projecting?

Either way, every vegan and animal rights person I follow, every vegan podcast I listen to (AHEM), every blogger I jam on, is talking holiday coping. (Be sure to catch Jasmin and Mariann’s upcoming workshop on surviving the holidays as a vegan, which will, of course, also include ample tips on food activism for the holidays.) I’ve been reminded several times recently that making and serving delicious vegan food is an incredible way to bridge that vegan/non-vegan chasm that feels even more untraversable around this time of year. If I am going to make tasty food a tool of togetherness and vegan advocacy, the question is what to make? Also, how to make it? I’m not a virtuosic or inspired kitchen improviser. In fact, I need lots of steps, explanatory photos, detailed instructions and an embarrassing amount of handholding to get me from ingredients to meal. I also need someone else’s good ideas, especially around the holidays when festive and elaborate meals are the order of the day. But again, my kitchen expertise is limited to steaming kale and dipping crudité.

So here’s what I propose for the online vegan collective conscience that’s trying to figure out how to do holiday meals, whether for your own vegan feast or to share with non-vegans to introduce them to the splendor of cruelty-free cooking: the brand new and super popular Spork-Fed: Super Fun and Flavorful Vegan Recipes from the Sisters of Spork Foods. If you think Spork Foods sisters Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg’s seitan wellington with a creamy spinach sauce, green apple and cashew sourdough stuffing, and pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust wouldn’t make such a shabby holiday meal, you will be thrilled that we are giving away a copy. And if you want to know more about these inspiring women, be sure to check out their Our Hen House podcast interview from last year.

Win a free copy of Spork-Fed! Instructions below.

Spork-Fed (which has tons of recipes, health tips, ideas for the vegan pantry, sample menus, and mouth-watering pictures) is yours for the taking.

To enter, just comment below telling us about a time that you practiced food activism by introducing a non-vegan to vegan food. What did you make or eat? How did it go?

Want to up the ante and increase your chances of being randomly selected as the winner? After you comment on this blog post, the following options will each count as one additional entry:

1. “Like” Our Hen House on Facebook AND the Facebook post about this contest.

2. Tweet “I entered @ourhenhouse giveaway for a copy of the cookbook “Spork-Fed” by @sporkfoods. Delish #vegan eats, here I come! http://bit.ly/vGPTgY”

The contest closes at midnight EST on Wednesday, November 30. A winner will be randomly selected. Read more about Spork-Fed below:

From Amazon: ”Spork-Fed is a savvy, upbeat introduction to vegan cuisine written by sisters who know great food! Flavor is the top priority in these easy-to-prepare recipes, many of them gluten-free. With full-color photographs throughout, this visually striking book shows you how to make everything from decadent desserts to homemade tofu. The Spork Sisters share more than 75 delicious recipes, along with dozens of health tips. In addition to the recipes, Spork-Fed’s themed menu pairings will help any cook prepare for special occasions, quick family weeknight meals, or extravagant feasts sure to impress any guest.”

Commercial Street is simultaneously this vegan’s worst nightmare and dream come true: while it is home to stores that exclusively sell oppressed products to eat, wear, or use, each item features labels densely packed with real information. All you have to do is scroll through this exceptionally well–designed and user-friendly tool. With each click of a label, you will be met with a pop-up that packs an incredible amount of info into one modest rectangle and cuts through consumer misinformation like a knife through hot (vegan) butter.

Everything you ever wanted to know about bacon but were afraid to ask.

At Oink’s Butcher Shop, you’ll learn that pork bacon has barely more protein than vegan bacon and a fiber content of “nope, none here.” You will also learn the gruesome details associated with raising pigs as livestock, the health risks of nitrates used in the curing process, and some important numbers:

Net Wt.: 100 million metric tons consumed annually
Unit price $: One highly intelligent sentient life
Total price $: 1.2 billion pigs killed annually

Commercial Street hits a number of my sweet spots; the sarcastic, slightly aggressive tone that can sometimes and to some people be alienating works particularly well for this project and helps it pack a rhetorical punch (“Safe handling instructions: Reject the use of other sentient beings as food.”). As an information junkie, I’m excited about the concise, well-presented info that comes in compartmentalized snippets rather than a lengthy onslaught of horrifying information. Nerdily, I’m over the moon to encounter an online experience that is both functional and stunningly designed.

It’s true that I spend most of my waking hours tethered to some device that allows me to get and stay online. And as someone interested in mainlining information and perspectives on veganism and animal rights, I’m as indentured to Google, Wikipedia, blogs, social media, etc. as I can possibly be. But Commercial Street takes away the intimidation factor I associate with the sheer volume of information available in a zillion different online destinations. It also makes for a handy link for that almost-there-potential-vegan. For someone who is nowhere near ready to learn about the truth about animal exploitation, Commerical Street’s tone might be a shade too aggressive. But when I hesitate to recommend a lengthy treatise, Commercial Street is the perfect hybrid of fact and attitude in a compelling package. What’s more is that this project proves yet again that if you and your friends have programming and computer skills as well as information to share, you can build into an activist resource that others can, in turn, utilize in their own advocacy and activism. Solid.

In fact, just a week or two ago, you could have caught some music at the Fun Fun Fun Fest, where they had bands ranging from Slayer, Danzig, Hum and Public Enemy to Childish Gambino, Odd Future and M83 to Cannibal Corpse and Eyehategod. Hey, some of these bands are so famous even I’ve heard of them!

But, even more important than the music, they also had a hot dog eating conference. “Yuck,” you say? “How disgusting,” you remark? “Texas, what do you expect?,” you dismissively, and oh-so-foolishly, complain? Well, take it back, ’cause this particular competitive eating fest was all vegan.

i Love Mike Litt

The contest was put on by progressive event organizer, i love Mike Litt, which is devoted to bringing “people together to teach, entertain, and inspire one another.” In aid of that admirable goal is one of the hallmarks of their events, i.e., the “soft promotion” of veganism.

Of course there was some snarky press beforehand (“… veggie dogs — now you’re talking about food that most rational people won’t even eat one of”), but, hey, it’s press. And, in fact, these dogs sounded amazing. No mere mustard and relish for these folks. One dog was garnished with sour cherry relish, soy yogurt and chopped fresh mint, another with fried olives, smoked sea salt and Spanish romesco sauce, and the third with black bean and espresso vegan chili. Yowsa. If the way to not-yet-vegans’ hearts is through their stomachs, these folks are well on their way.

Commit to a Pit

So, naturally, we were thrilled to hear about an exhibit by artist Robert McClintock opening tonight at his Baltimore Gallery. Not only has McClintock painted wonderful portraits showing the heart, soul, and pure joie de vivre of these fabulous dogs, but what’s more, he is auctioning off a commissioned pet portrait, donating a portion of the proceeds of the sale of his series to the local adoption group BARCS Pit Crew, and inviting pit bulls who need homes to the opening of the exhibit to meet prospective new families. What a guy!

Mariann and I fell a little in love with Nathalie when we found her book, “Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice,” which we reviewed on episode 70 of our podcast. This is perhaps — no, not perhaps… definitely! — our favorite ever kids’ book. Even just looking around on her fun and engaging website will make you feel like a kid again.

But when Nathalie told us about “Happy Thanksliving!” — an accessible and affordable coloring zine for all ages (even 32-year-olds) that gently challenges some of the ridiculous and antiquated traditions of Thanksgiving, while also celebrating compassion, deliciousness, open-mindedness, and new traditions — we knew that our appreciation for this Nashville-based artist had reached new proportions.

In a recent email to me, Nathalie explained her drive to create this much-needed zine. “Last week I had one of those cartoon light bulbs appear above my head: ‘Aha! The world needs a vegan Thanksgiving coloring zine!’ So I wrote a celebratory, rhyming poem called Happy Thanksliving!, cancelled my weekend plans, and have been drawing drawing drawing. (While listening to your podcast, of course.)”

(Pardon me for leaving in that shameless plug for our podcast. WHOOPS — there I go again!)

Here’s an excerpt:

There isn’t a turkey on our table
and we’re happy to tell you why -
because turkeys are friends (like cats and dogs)
and feathered friends must fly!

We don’t want our friends in cages,
we don’t want our friends to hurt,
we certainly don’t want to eat our friends,
so instead we’ll dig in the dirt!

Potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, CRUNCH!
Greens & beans, oh my-
Thank you thank you apple tree,
tonight we’re having pie!

It’s time for my annoying (to you) disclaimer: My family’s Thanksgivings are always vegan, because my family is by and large vegan (feel free to throw tomatoes at me in order to express your jealousy in a healthy, Lycopene-laden way). BUT I still think that everyone at my table this year will need a copy of Happy Thanksliving! There are so many things I love about this zine. For one thing, I am thrilled with the fact that Nathalie saw a need for it and, rather than just saying “someone should make that,” took it upon herself to do so. Another great feature is that, in addition to exploring why we shouldn’t eat turkeys or other animals on Thanksgiving (or ever), it includes on the back cover fascinating facts about turkeys (did you know that turkeys recognize each other by their unique voices?!?). And, the icing on the cruelty-free cake is that this zine also gently touches on questions about American history as it relates to Native Americans. Since another zine I own, “Why I Hate Thanksgiving” can be a bit too strident for some of my family members to appreciate, it seems to me that “Happy Thanksliving!” will be the perfect recipe for bringing compassion to the table — both for non-human and human animals. Plus, on the off-chance that I need to escape the table for whatever reason (like if someone gets embarrassingly drunk — even if that someone is me), I can simply hide in the corner and color. What, like that doesn’t appeal to you too?

“Happy Thanksliving!” is just $5 (which includes shipping within the U.S.), consists of 20 black and white pages, is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and is bound with thread rather than staples (“for the safety of the little ones”). You can purchase your copies on the ThoraThinks store.

I, for one, am grateful to Nathalie VanBalen for allowing me to engage my childlike side, while also giving me entertaining resources to spread the gospel of compassion. This zine is a must-have for both your and your favorite child’s bookshelf. In addition to being able to use “Happy Thanksliving!” as an activist tool, it has inspired me to get creative in using my talents to contribute to the greater good. I hope it does the same for you.