Upcoming Events & Announcements

Read this newsletter on our website.

5th Annual Vegan Food Showcase--Tomorrow!

Come try delicious free vegan food tomorrow (this Thursday) at our Fifth Annual Vegan Food Showcase at the University of Minnesota's West Bank Plaza! At this event, we will be giving away hundreds of dollars worth of tasty vegan food to demonstrate just how great it tastes. If you're new to vegan eating, stop by for some mouthwatering treats, including chocolate, veggie jerky, cookies, baked goods, and much, much more!

We are also looking for volunteers to staff this event between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. If you are interested in helping, (it's easy and fun!), please email Cara at cara@exploreveg.org as soon as possible.

Time: Thursday, September 18, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Location: West Bank Plaza (near the Washington Avenue Bridge) at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Pledge to be Veg!

Amazing discount card. Cool prizes. Free food. Help animals. Take the Pledge to be Veg! All you have to do is pledge to eat vegetarian or vegan from Tuesday, September 30, to Monday, October 6.

Participants will get a special care pack and discount card, which will get you deals at many local restaurants and businesses, such as Fast and Furless, the Himalayan, Ecopolitan, Galactic Pizza, and many more! Raffle prizes include vegan cookbooks from the University of Minnesota Bookstore, t-shirts, and valuable gift certificates.

Take the Pledge to be Veg online today!

Have friends who might want to take the Pledge to be Veg? Tell them about it!

"The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter" with Jim Mason

How much do we really know about the food we eat? Do we know how its production affects our planet?

Most of us go grocery shopping unaware of the often unclean, unethical, and destructive food production practices that lurk behind the snazzy packaging on the foods we buy. Yet there are ways to make better, more ethical food choices, and Jim Mason's presentation aims to show us how.

Beginning at the dinner tables of three American families, Mason takes us on an illuminating and humorous journey to uncover the origins of the food we eat, digging up secrets that food producers would rather keep buried. His investigative journalism uncovers the issues associated with buying local, organic, vegan, and fair trade, with attention to the complex dynamics of sustainability.

Jim Mason, Esq., is a writer and attorney who focuses on human and animal concerns. He is the author of several books, including the groundbreaking 1980 Animal Factories and the more recent The Ethics of What We Eat, both co-authored with renowned ethicist Peter Singer. His articles have appeared in such publications as The New York Times, New Scientist, and Newsday and he has appeared on CNN, CBS, NBC, and NPR. Mason has been nominated for the National Magazine Award for excellence in reporting and is the founding editor of the Animals Agenda magazine.

This is a free event, and is open to the public. It will be followed by a catered reception featuring Pizza Luce pizza and a chance to interact one-on-one with Mason. Invite your friends, fellow students, co-workers, and family to this special event!

Check out our colorful promo poster and put some up in your neighborhood. For posters, e-mail Elana at elana.bulman@yahoo.com

Time: Tuesday, September 30, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Coffman Union Theater, 300 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis

Sponsored by: Compassionate Action for Animals, Minnesota Environmental Studies Club, and the University of Minnesota Bookstore

Funding generously provided by: Student Activities Office Academic Initiative and MSA Diversity Education Fund

Article: PETA Video Shows Pigs Abused at Iowa Farm

Washington Associated Press, as printed on CNN.com
September 16. 2008

An undercover video taken at an Iowa pig farm shows workers hitting sows with metal rods, slamming piglets on a concrete floor and bragging about jamming rods up into sows' hindquarters.

...On the video, obtained by The Associated Press, a supervisor tells an undercover investigator for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that when he gets angry or a sow won't move, "I grab one of these rods and jam it in her [anus]."

The farm, located outside Bayard, Iowa, about 60 miles west of Des Moines, is a supplier to Hormel Foods of Austin, Minnesota. PETA wants to use the results of the investigation to pressure Hormel, the maker of Spam and other food products, to demand that its suppliers ensure humane treatment of pigs.

...The animal rights group also planned to send the video to the sheriff in Greene County, Iowa, seeking prosecution of 18 people on animal cruelty violations. According to PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich, the video shows eight people directly abusing animals.

"Abuse on factory farms is the absolute norm, not the exception, and anyone eating factory-farmed meat is paying to support it," Friedrich said.

Read the full article.

Watch the video. (Warning: Very graphic content)