Join us tomorrow for a book signing with Gene Baur, co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. Gene will be signing copies of Living the Farm Sanctuary Life: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Mindfully, Living Longer, and Feeling Better Every Day from 7:00 to 8:30pm at Common Good Books in St. Paul. We just published a review of this book on our blog. Check it out to learn more about how this book is equal parts memoir, cookbook, and practical guide to living a more compassionate life.
We’d like to extend our gratitude to everyone who joined us at our Annual Banquet last Saturday. We had a great time and enjoyed delicious vegan food, including a magnificent main dish prepared by The Herbivorous Butcher who generously sponsored the event. Big thanks to all of the volunteers and donors who helped to make the event such a success. To see a slideshow of photographs from the event, take a look at our most recent blog post, Good Times at the Annual Banquet.
Here are a couple other upcoming events to have on your radar:
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Videos obtained through undercover investigations make us aware of the horrific conditions on factory farms. Mercy for Animals recently initiated a #NoAgGag campaign to bring attention to the so-called “ag-gag” laws proposed in various states that would ban such videos from being produced.
At our most recent Compassionate Action for Animals potluck, a bunch of us participated in the campaign with a NoAgGag photo shoot. You can see a collage of the photos on our blog and all of the individual photos on Flickr.
We believe that it’s our constitutional right to know where our food comes from and that it’s important for consumers to be aware of what life is like for animals on factory farms. Without these investigations, the meat industry cannot be held accountable.
You can take action today! Sign the petition to urge the North Carolina governor to veto this unconstitutional bill and share our #NoAgGag Facebook post.
Another way to participate in our work on behalf of the animals is to come to our banquet reception this Saturday, May 16, at 7:30pm at the Wellstone Center in St. Paul. For just $10 you can get dessert and drinks, see a short presentation, take part in a silent auction, and mingle with other animal-friendly folks. It’ll be lots of fun, and I’d love to see you there. Register today!
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Save the date! Twin Cities Veg Fest 2015 is happening Sunday, November 1. We’ll be back at Coffman Memorial Union but using additional space there to make for room for everyone.
Though last year’s event was crowded, we saw it as a good problem to have; we’re attracting thousands to the festival, and every year it gets bigger and bigger. All of those people are getting to experience how awesome compassionate living can be.
We do want the festival to be a pleasant experience for everyone, so we’ll be making some changes to the layout to give us more room. Most significantly, we’ll be using Coffman Theater for our cooking demos, freeing up an additional room for exhibitors. We’ll also set up queuing stanchions for more orderly (and shorter!) wait lines.
If you’d like to donate to support our programs such as Twin Cities Veg Fest, today is a great day to do it. You can contribute to us through Give Local America, a one-day crowdfunding event that encourages communities to support local organizations that are tackling today’s most critical issues. Give today!
We are very grateful for your continued support and involvement as we strive to create a more compassionate world.
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Our Veg Week has come to a close, but the celebration of compassionate living continues with our Annual Banquet at the Wellstone Center in St. Paul on Saturday, May 16.
Tickets for the dinner portion of the evening have already sold out, but there’s still room at the reception, which begins at 7:30pm and costs only $10. The reception includes dessert (with gluten-free options), drinks, a short presentation, and a
silent auction. Buy your tickets today and don’t miss this chance to party with the animal-friendly community in the Twin Cities.
With summer just around the corner, we invite you to plan ahead for some compassionate camping. We’ll be taking a group to Cleary Lake Regional Park, June 19 – 21. There will be lots of fun activities, including hiking, biking, games, and maybe swimming. Registration is $25 and covers the cost five vegan meals and the campsite fee. Register by June 12 to save a spot.
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Today is Earth Day, and the environmental impact of our food choices is making headlines. Check out this new video by mainstream news source MSNBC to see for yourself.
Our focus at CAA has always been the animals, how moving towards a plant-based diet can help them. You have the opportunity to celebrate and explore going veg this week by participating in our Veg Week activities and taking the Veg Pledge.
One of our biggest Veg Week activities is our Pancake Brunch Feed-In happening on this Saturday, April 25 at 11am at Van Cleve Recreational Center in Minneapolis. We hope you’ll join us for this fun potluck. We provide the all-you-can-eat pancakes and you bring a vegan dish to share. Check out the Facebook event page to learn more.
Thanks for all you do for the animals and for the Earth. Let’s keep moving towards that vision for a compassionate and sustainable world.
Cheers,
Unny Nambudiripad
When vegan meatballs make national headlines, you know the world is changing. Time to celebrate! Veg Week kicks off on Monday and with it comes the opportunity to join our growing movement to help farmed animals.
As part of the Veg Week festivities, please sign up to take the Veg Pledge. Here are three different ways to participate in the pledge:
- Pledge to go vegetarian for the week of April 20.
- Pledge to go vegan for the week of April 20.
- Pledge to share the video What Came Before with three friends or get three friends to take the Veg Pledge.
Need some convincing that you can thrive without meat, dairy, or eggs? Our most recent podcast episode features an interview with Ryan Nelson, a vegan bodybuilder. This local plant-powered athlete demonstrates that thriving on a vegan diet is more than possible. And it’s also inspiring to think not only about the outer strength that comes from lifting weights but also the inner strength that comes from living from one’s values.
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Veg Week is our annual week-long celebration of all things veg. This year, the festivities commence on Monday, April 20. Here’s a glimpse of what Veg Week has to offer:
- Monday, April 20, 6:00 – 8:00pm: Dine Out at Pizza Luce Seward
- Wednesday, April 22, 6:00 – 800pm: Film Screening – Speciesism: The Movie
- Thursday, April 23, 7:00 – 9:00pm: Tea, Cookies, and Conversation
- Saturday, April 25, 11:00am – 1:00pm: Vegan Pancake Brunch Feed-In
- Sunday, April 26, noon – 1:00pm: Chicken Sanctuary Tour
Before that, on Thursday, April 16, we’ll host our Vegan Food Showcase at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. That’s where we give away thousands of vegan food samples and have hundreds of people sign up to take the Veg Pledge, promising to go vegan or vegetarian for the next week. You can take the Veg Pledge, too! When you do, you’ll receive a special card that gives you discounts at various local restaurants from April 20 through May 3.
Have you seen the all the amazing endorsements that the Veg Pledge is getting? Check out this list of local public figures who are speaking up for the power of making compassionate food choices. From a state senator to a pink-haired showgirl, everyone is singing the praises of a vegan diet. Now’s the time to give it a try!
It’s not just the local celebrities who are endorsing the shift to a plant-based diet. Just a few days ago, Gene Baur, co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, was interviewed by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. Jon Stewart himself said, “It’s harder to eat meat when you know the animal’s name…I have found.” And then, “Do you feel the tide changing? It seems like it’s changing.” It certainly is changing! This kind of mainstream media coverage goes to prove it.
We thank you for being another voice for the animals, another reason that change is happening. Join us for some of our Veg Week activities to celebrate the strides we’ve made and to help keep this momentum going.
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Veg Week is just around the corner! Join us for this fun-filled week of celebration and outreach, April 20 – 26. We’ve got lots of fun Veg Week activities planned, everything from a dine out at Pizza Luce to a film screening of Speciesism to a festive Pancake Feed-In and more!
During Veg Week, you’re invited to take the Veg Pledge. You and your friends can sign up to go vegetarian for the week. If you’re already vegetarian, try going vegan for the week. Senator Scott Dibble already signed up. Why not you too?! Once you pledge, you’ll receive a Veg Pledge Discount Card that you can use at a bunch of local veg-friendly restaurants and businesses, including:
- Common Roots Cafe
- Ecopolitan
- French Meadow Bakery & Cafe
- Galactic Pizza
- Pizza Luce Seward
- Tao Natural Foods
- Seward Cafe
The discount card will apply from April 20 to May 3. Sign up for the Veg Pledge today! We hope the card and the range of fun Veg Week activities will support you in moving towards a plant-based diet, during Veg Week and beyond.
We also hope that our new magazine will support you on your journey to compassionate living. We’re very excited about the first issue of Twin Cities Veg Living. Pick up a copy at one of our events or view it online and share it with your friends!
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Happy spring! If you’re feeling energized by the change in seasons and looking forward to getting out and doing more, why not consider helping put together our next Twin Cities Veg Fest? We’re looking for a few more volunteers to be a part of our planning committee.
Putting on an event like this is always a big undertaking, but the pay-off is huge when you consider that the festival is able to reach thousands of people each year with a message of compassion for farmed animals.
We need a Volunteer Coordinator, Media Outreach Coordinator, and an Exhibitor Logistics Coordinator. Each of the positions serves as a vital part of the team that will help make this year’s festival bigger and better than ever. Visit our website to learn more and let me know if you’re interested in one of these leadership roles.
Looking for a way to celebrate the spring despite the snow and slush? Our next community potluck is happening this coming Sunday, March 29 from 1:00 to 3:00pm in 18th floor lounge at the Chateau Student Housing Co-op in Dinkytown. Bring a vegan dish to share and join in the fun. Everyone is welcome. RSVP our Facebook event page or email Justin Leaf at justin@exploreveg.org.
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
Especially vegan pizza! Plant-based pizza options abound in the new cookbook, Vegan Pizza: 50 Cheesy, Crispy, Healthy Recipes by Julie Hasson. Check out our review of this cookbook on our blog and start dreaming of vegan pizza.
It’s great to know that the world of vegan food is getting bigger and bigger, especially in light of all of the news stories coming out that reveal factory farming to be a nightmare. Have you seen this recent undercover investigation by Mercy for Animals? It’s disturbing footage like this that reminds us why advocating for animals is so important.
Then, how do we talk about those feelings with our loved ones, especially with those friends and family who might not feel the same way? If you have struggled with this very thing, we invite you to be a part of our first edition of Tea, Cookies, and Conversation. This group discussion is happening tomorrow, Thursday, March 19 from 7:00 to 9:00pm at the CAA Community Space at 2100 1st Avenue South in Minneapolis.
We’ll talk about what means to stay true to your values while endeavoring to keep harmony in your relationships. Everyone is welcome and invited to share questions, ideas, and experiences. If you plan on attending, RSVP on the Facebook event page or email Justin Leaf at justin@exploreveg.org.
For the animals,
Unny Nambudiripad
