Date/Time
Friday, October 2, 2020
5:30pm - 6:30pm
Location
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Join us to mourn the loss of the 160 million sentient farmed animals who meet their gruesome end at slaughterhouses throughout the world each day.
At the vigil, you will:
- Hear the stories of five individual animals who have left lasting impressions on some of Minnesota’s animal advocates.
- Participate in short meditations.
- Learn about how you can create change by inviting friends and family to try a plant-based diet
- If you wish, share a photo of an animal who matters to you.
This event is part of a global movement of vigils taking place on October 2, chosen in honor of Gandhi’s birthday. We look forward to your participation in Minnesota’s first World Day for Farmed Animals Vigil in-person (socially distanced, with masks) and/or online.
Start your participation today! Read below for details.
Volunteer
View spots and sign up here.
Share Animal Stories on Social Using #DayForAnimalsMN and #DayForAnimals
Is there an animal who helped you understand that animals are fellow sentient beings? Share the story of an animal on your social account using the hashtags #DayForAnimalsMN and #DayForAnimals. Feel free to share multiple animal stories over time. Make your post public and we may re-share it on our @exploreveg social media accounts!
The Herbivorous Butcher will be giving away their October Jerky of the Month to 15 people drawn at random using the hashtag.
Using the hashtag #DayForAnimals will enable you to see social posts from others organizing similar vigils across the globe, and connect us to the broader movement. The hashtag #DayForAnimalsMN brings together local advocates and will help people get informed about how to take part in our local event.
When you post your animal story on social media, include an ask for people to try veg eating at exploreveg.org/challenge in your post and in comments to responses. You can take the challenge yourself and put in the names and email addresses of two people you’d like to invite. They’ll then get an email invitation from you, and all of you can get one-time 15% off discounts at local plant-based restaurants.
Attend the Event in Person, Wearing Black (with an Animal Photo On Your Back Optional)
All in person-attendees must wear masks and stay socially distanced (we’ll provide extra masks and support). Bring your own candle or use one of ours for the candlelight portion of our vigil. Please don’t bring signs, as we want to draw attention to the animal photos.
During the event, five speakers will share the stories of animals who awakened them to the importance of animal advocacy. We will also mourn the lives of farmed animals we have lost, participate in short meditations and reflections, and make a difference for animals by publicly sharing their stories and asking others to try a plant-based diet at exploreveg.org/challenge.
Join (and Share!) the Livestream of the Event on Your Social Account
The goal of this event is to bring greater attention to and care for animal lives for all animals, including humans. If due to health or other concerns you do not want to attend the in-person event, please join our livestreams on Facebook and Instagram.
Whether or not you choose to attend in person, please also share the livestream on your own personal feed and help us spread the word on Facebook to help make a difference for animals.
Invite Friends and Family to Take the Challenge at exploreveg.org/challenge
One person eating veg can spare the lives of between 371 and 582 animals per year. That means that if at least 100 of us get two people to take the challenge, we can likely spare the lives of over 18,000 animals! (math below*)
When you post your animal story on social media, include an ask for people to try veg eating at exploreveg.org/challengee in your post and in comments to responses. They’ll get an invitation to an online support group and daily support emails. You can take the challenge yourself and put in the names and email addresses of two people you’d like to invite. They’ll then get an email invitation from you, and you can get one-time 15% off discounts at local plant-based restaurants.
Of course, farmed animals aren’t the only ones who can benefit from a change in human eating patterns. Many of the most common diseases in the U.S. are linked to the “standard American diet” and plant-based eating has the potential to lead to better health. Every animal on the planet, including ourselves, will benefit greatly from the reduced methane emissions, forest destruction, water pollution, that happen when people move to plant-based diets.
*Math- The animals spared estimate comes from Harish Seithu’s calculations on his blog Counting Animals. We estimate that one-fourth of the people who take the challenge will continue eating veg for one year. Studies show that, even among those who go back to eating animal products, people consume fewer animal products and are more likely to try veg eating again after taking a challenge.
Learn About World Day for Farmed Animals
Each year, an estimated 70 billion cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and other sentient land-based animals are caged, crowded, deprived, drugged, mutilated and macerated in the world’s factory farms. Then they are brutally slaughtered for our dinner table. Countless aquatic animals are caught and suffocated by vast trawler nets, so we can have our fish fillet or tuna fish salad.
Since 1983, the annual observance of World Day for Farmed Animals on October 2nd (Gandhi’s birthday) has been offering people of conscience a superb opportunity to memorialize and mourn these innocent lives. An opportunity to ask their friends and neighbors to stop subsidizing senseless atrocities at their supermarket checkout counter. Hundreds of groups and individuals throughout the world participate each year.
Using the hashtag #DayForAnimals will enable you to see social posts from across the globe, and connect us to the broader movement. The hashtag #DayForAnimalsMN brings together local advocates and will help people get informed about how to take part in our local event.
Minnesota Event Co-Hosts
PLNT BSD
Humane Society of the United States – MN
Animal Rights Coalition
Our Wellness and Liberation
Boundless Love Project
SoulSpace Farm Sanctuary
Rooster Redemption
Vegan East