January 22, 2009

Veg Club

So I haven't talked much about it, but at the beginning of the year I started a Vegetarians Club and then combined with an animal rights club called Banana Slugs for Animals, I hate the name and don't like promoting PETA, but other than that, it's a good place for me to start my life of vegan activism. Last quarter we did lots of tabling. My big projects though, not being the leafletting type, were to organize a movie night with a big projector and all where we watched Fast Food Nation, a good flick if you haven't seen it. It is not only entertaining (has a funny story line and great cast), but also can turn omnivores into herbivores, namely my ex-boyfriend, who continues to not eat meat. My other project was to get Tofurky to donate a bunch of deli slices right before Thanksgiving. We set up a table around lunchtime by the bookstore and gave out free samples. Not a singe person didn't like it, it was really nice to see some people be surprised by the good taste of meat alternatives. It was also fun hollering at people and giving out free stuff, I mean who doesn't like free stuff (actually surprisingly a lot of people don't, considering how many couldn't spare a second for some "CRUELTY FREE TURKEY!" or "FREE TURKEY ALTERNATIVE!" or even when we were desperate "FREE FOOD!") And plus I still have some leftover slices in my fridge!
This quarter, I'm heading in a different direction. I'm doing a campaign asking people to "Go Veg" for a week at our leafletting table. They sign a clipboard with their email, get a free veg starter kit and I send them a follow up email with recipes and info. Pretty excited. Also my friend Maggie and I are working on a sign asking kids to request cage-free eggs in their food at the dining halls (cage free is available upon request, but few know it is). And also to get info sheets on every table at the dining halls about the veg lifestyle (ie famous vegetarians, facts, etc).
Hoping for a fun and active quarter. Comment if you have any fin ideas for the club!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great for you, for starting the club! Our Veg Association here in Toronto puts out a "Go Veg" challenge like that each year, and they give away prizes (like discounts to veg restaurants) at th end. Maybe you could work with local businesses to get some goodies to give away?

PS There's a contest on my blog if you're interested in winning free vegan chocolate! :)