News

Introducing our Volunteer Staff Members

ben — 2010-03-05T21:41:31Z

Dani Reese and Maryn Wells are our new Volunteer Staff Leafleting Program Coordinators!

You might be surprised to learn that the seemingly simple approach of distributing leaflets about factory farming and vegetarianism is one of the most effective forms of animal activism in terms of time spent, use of resources, and results. Rather than feeling pressure of judgment, recipients of leaflets can review the information on their own time and draw their own conclusions. This results in a true and sustainable change.

CAA volunteers distribute leaflets at many different places such as concerts, college campuses and at large events from Warped Tour to Billy Grahm's Rock the River. In 2009, over 14,000 leaflets were handed out by CAA volunteers!

About Dani and Maryn:

We have Dani Reese and Maryn Wells to thank for our recent leafleting successes. As co-coordinators of our leafleting program, they are responsible for securing leafleting locations, aquiring leafleting materials and recruiting and managing leafleting volunteers.

Dani became a vegetarian at the age of sixteen because she didn't agree with the way animals are raised for our consumption, without any appreciation for their lives. A sophmore at the College of Visual Arts, Dani is also interested in art, human rights and environmental issues. She says, "Having someone say come up and say this is what turned me vegan... makes it all worthwhile."

Maryn became a vegetarian in 2007 after taking an Environmental Ethics class in college. About a year later, the animal rights issues became important to her, and she "had no option but to be vegan." One of the things Maryn likes about leafleting is that it reaches to people outside the vegan community.

How to Get Involved:

Leafleting is a fun and effective form of activism, and CAA could always use more volunteers. If you are interested in distributing leaflets around the Twin Cities, please contact Dani or Maryn!

Interested in working to help animals by joining our Volunteer Staff? Learn more about the program and review available Volunteer Staff positions here!

Animal Rights Author to Visit Minneapolis

ben — 2010-03-01T21:28:25Z

Dr. Jonathan Balcombe will be stopping at Magers and Quinn in Minneapolis to discuss his forthcoming book, Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Farm Animals.

Join local animal rights enthusiasts and Dr. Jonathan Balcombe on Wednesday, April 28th at 7:30 p.m. in a discussion about his new book, Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Farm Animals.

Where: Magers and Quinn Booksellers 3038 Hennepin Ave S. Minneapolis, MN

About the book:

Danger-junkie orangutans in Borneo climb dead trees and destabilize them until they begin to fall. They scream with excitement as they cling to the falling tree. Just before the tree hits the ground the orangs leap to another tree or vine, narrowly escaping death. Researchers call this peculair behavior snag-riding and liken it to bungee jumping for monkeys. While no one can ask orangutans if they enjoy the same adrenaline rush as a person playing an extreme sport, one animal behaviorist sees this mokey fun as a bit of harmless thrill-seeking.

A growing number of scientists agree that animals are conscious and capable of experiencing basic emotions, such as happiness, sadness, boredom and depression. New scientific studies of animal behavior reveal perceptions, intelligences, awareness and social skills that would have been deemed fantasy a generation ago. The implications make our troubled relationship to animals one of the most pressing moral issues of our time.

Announcing Dates for TLOV 2010!

ben — 2010-02-03T23:15:12Z

This summer, join activists from all over the country for the Midwest's premier animal advocacy conference, Their Lives, Our Voices.

Compassionate Action for Animals is pleased to announce that we have chosen dates for this summer's animal advocacy conference. TLOV 2010 will take place in Minneapolis, MN at the Hubert H. Humphrey Conference Center from Friday, June 11 through Sunday, June 13.

Their Lives, Our Voices gathers activists and non-activists alike from all over the country for an inclusive, high-quality, hands-on conference focused on empowering advocates in their efforts to help farmed animals. Networking and attendee participation are vital to TLOV's success, so please save the date and help make our third annual conference a success.

Don't miss out on our exciting speaker line-up! This year's roster includes Mary Britton Clouse, Christine Coughlin, Erica Meier, Norm Phelps, Nathan Runkle, Paul Shapiro, and many more!

Plus: Our Call for Speakers allows You to share your expertise by presenting on a topic related to animal rights and activism. If your presentation(s) are selected you will receive free entry. Learn more and submit a proposal online. Deadline for submissions is March 26, 2010.

Registration and sponsorship information will be available soon. We promise to keep it affordable as usual. For more information and regular updates check our website regularly.

Volunteer of the Month - Sen Holiday

arielabell — 2010-01-27T16:25:22Z

Our volunteer of the month for the month of January is Sen Holiday!

Sen Holiday grew up in Florida, spent a year at Boston University, then transferred to the U of M. She is currently a sophomore majoring in art and computer science. Outside of school and CAA, Sen enjoys climbing things like trees, buildings and rocks, cooking vegan food, pretending to contact juggle, and gaming.

Sen went vegetarian in seventh grade after her older sister went vegan. A couple of years later, she went vegan. She started volunteering with CAA this fall when she saw a poster about VegWeek and wanted to help out. She helped work events at VegWeek, has done some leafleting, and designed various things for CAA. Some of her favorite things about volunteering with CAA are, “meeting and working with other vegans and vegetarians, as well as being able to see that my efforts aren’t for naught.” She also likes that CAA has a lot of food-related events.

New Front Page for VegGuide!

arielabell — 2009-12-30T15:29:35Z

Compassionate Action for Animals and Mercy For Animals have jointly launched a new version of VegGuide.org; an extensive community-maintained guide to vegetarian-friendly restaurants around the world.

The guide has listings and reviews for nearly 10,000 vegetarian-friendly establishments, including restaurants, grocery stores, organizations, and more!

VegGuide.org will be your one-stop site for finding veg-friendly restaurants wherever you are. With listings in over 70 countries, whether you're in Pittsburgh or Paris, Los Angeles or London, Toronto or Taipei, you'll have it covered.

The site is collectively maintained by a community of users from around the world. You are encouraged to visit the site and contribute your expertise to the guide as well.

The site allows you to create a VegGuide.org account and easily post new listings, reviews, photographs, and more. With your contributions, this can be the most useful guide to vegetarian establishments on the planet.

Visit VegGuide and check out listings in your area.

CAA Banquet Silent Auction Item Request

arielabell — 2009-12-16T14:20:19Z

A request for silent auction items for CAA's annual fundraiser banquet.

CAA is already preparing for our annual fundraising banquet, which will take place the evening of April 8, 2010. A major part of this event is a silent auction and we are gathering items to auction off to benefit CAA. If you have a potential auction item or know of an individual or business who might be willing to donate an auction item, please contact Katie Tharp at 612-251-4913 or katie.tharp@exploreveg.org.

Sample auction items:

Artwork, pottery, jewelry
Vegan bath or beauty products
Items for the home such as nice linens, note cards, a vase, or cooking/serving utensils
Themed baskets (examples: "movie basket" with DVDs, popcorn, and snacks, "gardener's basket" with gardener's gloves, seeds, small tools, and hand lotion)
Certificates for services such as haircuts, massage, car services, residential painting, gutter cleaning, etc.
Special experiences donated by an individual, such as a boat ride, the loan of a kayak, a "mystery date" for two, dinner prepared for four, a night of babysitting, a cooking class, etc.
Items that people may purchase as gifts for pets or children, such as toys or snacks

If you have an idea for an auction item, please contact Katie to discuss.

Volunteer of the Month: Nicholas Orth

leahkodner — 2009-11-18T15:51:47Z

Our Volunteer of the Month for the month of November is Nicholas Orth.

Nicholas Orth is a student at the U of M majoring in philosophy. He grew up on a dairy farm in Cleveland, WI. He enjoys reading philosophy, playing fingerstyle acoustic guitar, yoga, cooking, and chess. After reading Peter Singer's Animal Liberation, he decided to become vegan. He says that suffering is suffering regardless of species, and "to ignore this arbitrary discrimination is not much more justifiable than racism or sexism".

Nicholas knew he wanted to get involved with an animal welfare organization, so when he was handed a CAA leaflet, he asked the man what organization he was leafletting for, and after learning about CAA has been involved ever since. Nicholas primarily organizes events for CAA. He's helped with the UDS Veg Night, the Veg Week kickoff event, and a few of the dine-outs. He also leaflets, tables, and helps out at other events.

Nicholas' favorite thing about volunteering with CAA is being with like-minded people. He says, "people understand why you do what you do, and that's comforting".

Help Us Furnish Our New Office

dave — 2009-10-28T15:04:57Z

CAA is excited to announce our latest expansion. We've signed a lease on a large off-campus office at 2100 First Ave S in Minneapolis.

Over the years, we've heard that coming to the University of Minnesota campus can be a significant barrier to volunteering for many non-students, because of the cost of parking and overall inconvenience.

This new office will serve as a meeting and work space for our growing numbers of non-student volunteers. We will be able to engage even more people in helping animals and increase our off-campus outreach efforts.

Please note that we will still have a significant presence at our on-campus office. This is an expansion, not a move!

You can help us make this office a success. In order to save money, we are asking for donations of furniture and office equipment. We'd much rather spend money on animal advocacy than furnishing our office. If you have something you'd like to donate, please email us at info@exploreveg.org or call us at 612-276-2242.

Here is a partial list of things we need:

Desks and/or tables for computers
Desk chairs (preferably with wheels)
Filing cabinets
Conference table(s) - folding tables strongly preferred!
Folding chairs
End tables
Sofa
Lounge chairs
Storage shelving
Book shelves
Computers - desktop or laptop, no more than 4 years old
LCD monitors
Speakers for a computer
Extension cords
Power strips
TV and DVD player, or ideally a TV/DVD combo unit
A calendar whiteboard (with calendar squares printed on the board)
Small trash cans
Coffee maker
Hot plate
Microwave
Microwave safe dishes and bowls
Refrigerator - full size is okay, if you can help us transport it
Dish drying rack
Utensil organizer
Plastic tubs for washing dishes
Toilet brush
Plunger
Vacuum
Broom and dustpan
Household cleaning supplies
First aid kit
Folding hand carts
Coat Hangers
Wall decorations (pictures of animals are especially welcome)
Wall clocks - silent ones only please
Snow shovel

We can pick up large pieces of furniture, but for small donations we ask that you arrange to drop them off with us.

If you have something not on the list that you're sure we need, please feel free to suggest it.

Stay tuned for our open house in early December, and thank you once again for your support.

Veg Week 2009 Wrap-Up

leahkodner — 2009-10-20T15:25:48Z

A fun, educational and successful week of vegan-related activities is over for another year.

Compassionate Action for Animals' annual Veg Week began on Tuesday, September 29th with the Kick-Off Event, featuring a talk by prominent researcher and author Jonathan Balcombe. Delivered in an accessible yet credible manner, Dr. Balcombe's presentation informed a receptive audience of the scientific evidence supporting the conclusion that many animals feel pleasure. Highlighted by animal anecdotes and beautiful photographs, the presentation both educated and entertained. After the ensuing Q and A session, everyone headed out to the reception room to enjoy a vegan feast, highlighted by food from two of the Twin Cities vegetarian community's favorite restaurants--Galactic Pizza and Evergreen Chinese.

On Wednesday, Veg Week continued with a showing of the film The Emotional World of Farm Animals at the Matthews Park Rec Center, followed by snacks and a discussion of the film.

The next day included a vegan cooking class taught by the accomplished chef and caterer Michele Licata at the Powderhorn Park Rec Center, which taught attendees to make (and sample, of course) a variety of easy, delicious, and nutritious vegan dishes.

On Sunday Veg Week started early with a brunch dine-out at Triple Rock and then continued with a guided tour at Chicken Run Rescue chicken sanctuary. Finally, later in the day another showing of The Emotional World of Farm Animals took place at the University of Minnesota.

Veg Week wrapped up on Monday with a dine-out and then Vegan After Dark at the Blue Nile restaurant and bar in the Seward neighborhood. The Twin Cities animal advocates gathered one last time to eat wonderful East African food and relax over drinks and live music as Veg Week 2009 drew to a close. The event was a big success, with over 500 people taking the Pledge to Be Veg. With any luck, many of those 500 will be joining us again next year for the Veg Week festivities.

A Successful Food Showcase

leahkodner — 2009-10-13T14:40:48Z

The Vegan Food Showcase was a big success!

On Wednesday, September 23rd, Compassionate Action for Animals held a Food Showcase Giveaway in anticipation of Veg Week. Over a thousand hungry students stormed the West Bank Plaza at the University of Minnesota, eager to sample a wide selection of vegan foods and snacks. 200 of these students took our Pledge to be Veg, agreeing to be vegetarian or vegan for a week! The turn-out was better than expected and Compassionate Action for Animals was able to put healthy, animal-friendly treats, information, and coupons in the hands of the people who are the prime demographic for receiving the message of compassion. Some of the products sampled were Bumble Bars, a variety of soy milk and cereals, Klein's non-dairy frozen treats, Tofutti sour cream atop vegan tacos, and more. Lisa of Salsa Lisa even tabled at the event, handing out samples of her salsa and coupons to eager students.

A lot of great questions were asked, opening a dialogue about the treatment of animals and how students can become more involved. One student even said that she had to be vegan for 2 weeks as a class assignment and had questions about quick and easy nutritional vegan meals that could be made in her dorm room. Some students were hesitant to try the samples until their friends exclaimed at how great everything tasted. With many events planned throughout Veg Week, this was the perfect kick-off to encourage students to consider how they can live a healthier and more compassionate life. CAA volunteers had a lot of fun with this event and look forward to another great Food Showcase in 2010.

Tempeh Stuffed Squash

leahkodner — 2009-10-07T15:33:55Z

Warm, filling, and stuffed with seasonal ingredients this recipe is perfect for cold fall nights.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 acorn squash (about 1 1/2 lb. each), rinsed
8 ounces tempeh
1/4-1/2 tsp cloves
1/4-1/2 tsp sage
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 sweet apples such as Fuji (1 lb. total), peeled, cored, and chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions

Cut each squash in half crosswise; scoop out seeds. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each half so it can stand upright.
Place each half, cavity side down, in a 9- by 13- inch baking pan and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake in a 350º oven until tender when pierced, 45-50 minutes.
Meanwhile, break up the tempeh with your hands into a large bowl; stir in sage, cloves, salt, and pepper.
In a 10- to 12- inch frying pan over medium-high heat, cook tempeh, onion, apples, raisins, cranberries, and thyme; stir often until apples are tender when pierced, 8-10 minutes. Stir in pecans.
Uncover squash and turn halves upright; fill equally with "sausage" mixture. Drizzle equally with maple syrup and bake, uncovered, until filling is slightly browned on top, about 15 minutes.

Welcome New and Returning U Students!

dave — 2009-09-09T15:03:40Z

It may be time to put away the swimsuits and suntan lotion and start cracking the books, but that doesn't mean the fun is over!

CAA's student group chapter welcomes back returning students and extends its greetings to the 5,000+ first-year students that will be joining us for 2009-2010!

We are currently planning a multitude of exciting events to start this school year off right!

Vegan Food Showcase - On Wendesday, Sept. 23rd CAA will be giving away tons of free food on the West Bank Plaza from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Stop by and sample some delicious vegan foods! More about the Food Showcase!
6th Annual Veg Week - This week-long series of events begins Tuesday, Sept. 29th at 7:00 p.m. with a free talk and catered reception featuring research scientist and author, Jonathan Balcombe in the Coffman Theatre. The rest of the week will be filled with fun veg-friendly events including a potluck, movie showings, dine-outs, a cooking class and a tour of a Minneapolis chicken sanctuary. More about Veg Week!
New Volunteer Meetings - Interested in getting getting active and helping animals? We will be holding a New Volunteer Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 15th from 3:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. in Coffman 302. Come hear more about CAA, find ways to get involved, meet other volunteers, and enjoy some free vegan food! Online Volunteer Application!
Weekly On-Campus Meetings - Join us every Monday at 4:00 p.m. in Coffman 301 to discuss current CAA activities, talk to other volunteers, and share your ideas!

Please join us for any or all of these activities! If you need any veg resources or would like any more info about CAA, please feel free to stop by our office in Coffman 226A

We are looking forward to a great semester!

Volunteer of the Month: Leah Kodner

leahkodner — 2009-08-18T16:17:30Z

Our Volunteer of the Month for August is our Communications Coordinator, Leah Kodner.

Leah Kodner graduated from the University of Minnesota this spring with a degree in American History. Leah started to consider becoming a vegetarian in high school, but it was in her freshman year of college, when she learned about factory farming, that she made the switch.

Volunteering with CAA is not the only thing Leah does to help animals. She works at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center as a Crew Leader of the mammal nursery. She trains volunteers and feeds, cleans, and gives medications to injured and orphaned baby squirrels. She also works as a tour guide at the Ard Godfrey house, dressing up in 1850's-era dresses and giving tours of the house. Outside of work and volunteering, Leah enjoys swimming, figure skating, swing dancing, and hanging out with her friends and family.

Leah is the Communications Coordinator at CAA until August 21st. Her main task is the E-Newsletter. She is also co-organizing the fall Food Showcase, and is a proud member of the Writer's Group; every week she responds to articles in newspapers or writes her own and submits them.

Leah says she loves "feeling like I'm helping animals, in my own small way. It's good when you know that your work is actually making a difference."

Understanding the Mentality of meat to Communicate More Effectively with Meat Eaters

leahkodner — 2009-08-24T15:04:19Z

Article by Melanie Joy, Ph.D., Ed.M.

For many vegetarians, living in a meat-eating world is a daily challenge. Vegetarians are minorities in the dominant, meat-eating culture and are surrounded by images, behaviors, and attitudes that often offend their deepest sensibilities. They are incessantly forced to witness the profoundly disturbing consequences of our culture of meat, from the body parts of dead beings lining the aisles of the grocery store to speciesist slurs that degrade farmed animals (e.g., "disgusting pig" or "fat cow"). And their strong emotional reactions, such as grief, despair, anger, and horror--which are normal, appropriate responses to witnessing violence and exploitation--are often dismissed or ridiculed, as they may be labeled "sentimentalists" or "tree huggers."

Yet what is most painful for many vegetarians is the fact that seemingly decent human beings continue to participate in the very culture that causes such suffering. It is difficult at best to reconcile how a "good" person can support such cruel practices, and it is all too easy for vegetarians to view meat eaters as selfish, inhumane, and, ultimately, "bad" people. This view is the primary reason vegetarians have such an emotional charge towards meat eaters, especially the meat eaters they're closest to and toward whom they may have powerfully conflicting emotions: love/resentment, respect/disregard, trust/anger, etc. Though understandable, such emotional reactivity is ultimately counterproductive: it generally causes vegetarians great distress and offends meat eaters, reducing the chances that the meat eater will reconsider her or his dietary choices. So in the end we all lose--vegetarians, meat eaters, and the animals.

Becoming aware of the psychology of meat can help vegetarians transform their frustration to understanding, and make them more effective advocates. Also, it can help meat eaters--who are at once participants in and targets of a violent system--to better understand their own relationship with meat eating, a relationship that ultimately is not in their own best interest.

I have argued that there is an invisible belief system, or ideology, that informs the dominant culture's relationship with meat. I call this ideology carnism. Carnism is the opposite of vegetarianism; it is the belief system in which it's considered ethical and appropriate to eat (certain) animals. As long as meat isn't necessary for survival, meat eating is a choice, and choices always stem from beliefs. (The terms omnivore and carnivore reflect a biological predisposition, rather than an ideological orientation--carnists don't eat meat because they are biologically omnivorous, just as vegetarians are, but because they choose to.)

Carnism has tremendous power to shape people's perceptions of animals and the meat they eat, guiding their choices like an invisible hand. Like other dominant systems, carnism is entrenched--it is embraced by all major institutions from the family to government--and it is also internalized, constructing our perception of the animals we learn to eat before we're old enough to say our own names. They myths that eating animals is normal, natural, and necessary are so ingrained in our consciousness that meat eating is seen as a given, rather than a choice. Carnism is a violent, exploitive system that is dependent on the participation of the populate for its continuation. And because most people do, in fact, care about animals and don't want them to suffer, carnism is structured to enable humane people to participate in inhumane practices without fully realizing what they're doing. The system is maintained by a specific set of defenses, both external (social) and internal (psychological) that block one's ability to take in the reality of meat; they transform one's natural empathy into apathy and so meat is experienced as appetizing rather than disgusting. These defenses are also the reason many carnists react negatively to vegetarians or vegetarianism.

Carnistic defenses are extensive and intensive, and they aren't dismantled easily. Most vegetarians were once carnists, and were aware, on some level, that animals had to die for their plate. When confronted with resistant carnists, it's easy to forget one's own history of carnism, and that asking carnists to stop eating meat is not simply asking for a behavioral change, but for a change in identity--a fundamental shift in how they relate to animals, their food, and themselves.

Understanding carnism can help vegetarians separate a carnist's behavior (e.g., eating meat) from her or his character, to have patience with and compassion for carnists, and therefore to communicate their message more effectively.* And the more compassion vegetarians bring to their interactions with carnists, the more compassion they can help cultivate in the carnists--and in the end, everyone benefits, including the animals.

* In Strategic Action for Animals I dedicate a chapter to the principles of effective communication as well as specific tools to use when conversing with carnists.

Melanie Joy, Ph.D., Ed.M. is the author of Strategic Action for Animals: A Handbook on Strategic Movement Building, Organization, and Activism for Animal Liberation (Lantern Books, 2008) and the forthcoming Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism (Conari Press). Dr. Joy is a psychologist, activist, life coach, and professor of sociology and psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. For more information see www.melaniejoy.org.

LeafletNow.org Now Open

leahkodner — 2009-07-15T16:11:56Z

Compassionate Action For Animals and Vegan Outreach have teamed up to produce an invaluable resource in our brand new LeafletNow.org website.

The website makes a case for leafleting and also gives practical tips, networking opportunities, and information on the state of factory farming.

You might be surprised to learn that the seemingly simple approach of distributing leaflets about factory farming and vegetarianism is one of the most effective forms of animal activism in terms of time spent, use of resources, and results. Rather than feeling pressure or judgment, recipients of leaflets can review the information in their own time and draw their own conclusions. This is what results in true and sustainable change.

The goal of LeafletNow.org is to empower you with an effective advocacy strategy. We can all play a vital role in creating a kinder world with less suffering in it. There's never been a better time to do so than now.

Want to assist in CAA's leafleting efforts in Minnesota? Please email us at volunteer@ExploreVeg.org.

Check out LeafletNow.org today!