VegBlogger - a vegan / vegetarian blog

Seeing Wayne Pacelle (HSUS) Speak in New Smyrna Beach

Tonight I went to see Wayne Pacelle speak at the New Smyrna Beach Library here in Florida. If you are
 not familiar with him, he's the president of the Humane Society of the United States. He has a new book that has recently been released, called "The Bond: Our Kinship With Animals, Our Call to Defend Them." This speech tonight was a stop on his cross-country book tour.

I went with an open mind, because I know that the HSUS usually promotes animal welfare, moreso than animal rights. And I was hoping that he wouldn't just speak about the bond people have with cats and dogs. Wayne and I are on the same side when it comes to the fact that we both love animals and want people to extend compassion to them.

There were a lot of people that showed up at the library to see him speak. I took the opportunity right off to meet him, let him know I was from the Daytona Beach Vegetarian Society, and get my picture taken with him (wich came out really blurry because it was a camera phone).

I have to say that I was very happy with his speech tonight. He did talk about the bond with cats and
 dogs, but he also made sure to focus on food choices in a variety of ways. I was really happy about that. He said a lot of good things that I hope resonate with some of the people that attended.

He said that we all have a bond with animals, but with some people it is just more pronounced. He also explained to people how we in the U.S. kill 10 billion land animals per year for food and that if everyone just cut back 10 percent it would save 1 billion animals per year. That's huge!

He also talked about how each meal we eat has moral implications and getting our morals and values in line with our actions. For example, most people have a bond with and love animals, yet they end up making choices daily (sometimes several times each day) that will either lead to, or help avoid harming animals.

Overall, great speech and very pleasant event. I do plan to read his book and I will post a review of it once I do. If he comes to your area, I highly recommend sitting in on it!

10 Vegetarian Leaders I Admire

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." -- John Quincy Adams

When it comes to leaders in the vegetarian and vegan community there are plenty to go around. We all  
have our favorites, for various reasons and maybe even for no reasons at all. Here is a list of 10 vegetarians/vegans who I admire and why (in particular order):

Gary Yourofsky. As I've stated before, I have heard many people speak on veganism, but I think he is the most compelling and moving. I think Gary does an amazing job of traveling around the country educating people on veganism. If you haven't yet watched his vegan lecture I highly recommend you do.

Leo Babauta. He runs the very popular (and great) blog Zen Habits. It is not a veg blog and has over 220,000 subscribers and Leo is outspoken in his posts about his veganism. It's refreshing to see someone not afraid of losing their platform by including veganism in it. Check out his blog if you haven't already.

Robin Robertson. There is no secret about the fact that she is my favorite veg cookbook author. She continously pumps out great vegan cookbooks, crushing the question vegans get about "what do you eat?" I have put plenty of meals on the table from recipes that orignate from her (including some family favorites). She shows people that there are literally thousands of great vegan recipes (she has one book alone that contains 1,000 of them!).

Gary Francione. Some find him controversial, but I find him consistent with his values. Gary is a sharp guy who calls it like he sees it, often pointing out the problems within the animal rights movement and organizations who say they are out to protect animals. He rocks!

Paul Watson. What is not to love about a man who dedicates so much time to protecting whales? Paul is an awesome champion in the animal rights movement and has put ending whaling on the map. He has a popular animal rights show on television, which is a great feat itself.

Donald Watson. What is it with the Watson name?! Donald created a movement - veganism. Today it is embraced by millions around the world and will only get stronger as time goes on. He was certainly a leader and his legacy lives on.

Zoe Weil. She is awesome! She does so much to educate people on not just animal rights, but on a multitude of other humane education topics. Her work touches many lives, having a ripple effect, and helping to make the world a better place. If only we could multiply her millions of times over!

Bob Barker. He is one activist who has literally been putting his money where his mouth is. He has donated millions to help a wide variety of animal rights issues, including everything from helping to end whaling to stopping pigeon slaughter. He has also funded animal rights education initiatives. What an impressive guy!

Jane Goodall. She has done wonderful work around the world to raise awareness about animals. She has also started the Roots & Shoots group, which helps to educate people on a variety of humane education issues.

T. Colin Campbell. His book "The China Study" started a conversation. A big conversation that seemed to spawn a multitude of great plant-based movies and books. His foundation also continues to educate people on plant-based eating.

This is just a partial list, of course. There are so many great people in the veg movement. But these are the ones that came to my mind that I wanted others to know about (if they don't already). Who are your favorites? Leave a comment and let me know!

Two Degrees Bars Review - Making the World a Better Place

Yesterday I came across this video on CNN of heartbreaking conditions that people endure in other, less  
fortunate, parts of the world. It's not the first time I have seen and heard about these conditions, but it always serves as a good reminder that we in America have much more than we even need and should be grateful for the things that we do have.

In the same day I got some vegan sample bars from Two Degrees. There are plenty of tasty vegan bars out on the market, but this one is a bit different. They are on a mission to help those hungry, less fortunate people around the world. With every bar that people purchase, a nutrition food pack is given to one of those in need. It's a great idea and concept, that you can purchase something and know that you did something good at the same time, on the other side of the world.

Although we all want to help those people in need, we don't always know how to go about doing so. It's nice to know that if you are going to purchase a bar to eat (and I think most of us do at some point), that if you purchase the Two Degrees ones you will be providing life saving nutrition to others.

So far I tried the chocolate peanut bar and it is really good. I plan to try the cherry almond and apple pecan in the coming days (although I will have to fight my kids for them, I'm sure), yet I suspect they will be just as good.

In the sample that I was sent from Two Degrees, they also sent me one of the nutrition packs that are  
given out. I'm so glad they did that! I used it this morning as a teaching lesson for my kids. I showed them a couple of videos of what other people endure and how when they say they "need" a toy they really don't, as there are children who have nothing, not even food, water, or clothing. Then, I explained the nutrition pack to them and had them try it. My son was turned off by the consistency and only ate one bite. My daughter loved it and actually ate the whole thing! Both learned more today about wants and needs and to be grateful that they have such an abundance of food.

If you are looking for a simple way to help those going hungry around the world, try the Two Degrees bars. Chance are, you will like them, and feel good knowing you are doing something to help make the world a better place.