Vegetarian Journal is available on Kindle in the USA and UK. The newest edition features: Wild Blueberries (learn how to make vegan dishes with featuring blueberries); Keep Your Cool (Refreshing No-Bake Vegan Dessert Recipes); Scientific Updates; Comparative Guide to Soymilks; Vegan Product Reviews; A Deluxe Vegan Wedding; How Many People are Vegan? (Harris Poll done in USA); Vegan Book Reviews; Quick and Easy Ideas for Figs; Vegan Action (Wildman Steve Brill); plus more.
During my first semester of college, I, along
with every other freshman and transfer student, had to take a ‘college-prep’
class about how to make the most out of the college experience. One of our
guest speakers for that class was someone who worked at the Career Center. Of
the many questions she asked the group, there’s only one that stuck with me:
“Have any of you guys worked at a job or had an internship that’s in your field
of study?” This question stuck out to me in particular, not because it was out
of the ordinary, but because I was the only one in the class that raised my
hand. It was in that moment that I was able to more fully appreciate how lucky
I was to have my first summer internship with The Vegetarian Resource Group.
In my write-up from last year, I mentioned how
much this internship can be tailored to each individual. For me, that meant
lots of writing with a little bit of environmental science thrown in the mix.
At the time, my career goal was journalism, so the idea of being published in
the Vegetarian Journal and on our VRG
Blog was exciting. Throughout the school year, however, my interests changed
slightly, as did my aspirations. When VRG co-coordinator Charles Stahler
contacted me about doing another internship this summer, I knew that all I
would have to do was tell him my new goals and he would align this year’s tasks
with what would help me reach them.
My summer 2019 internship included more
long-term assignments and outreach events. For example, I worked closely with
VRG volunteer Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD to create a vegan menu
for those receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP). I had helped with the menu portion of the project last summer, but this
summer I coordinated the pricing portion. This step was to ensure that our menu
fit within the benefits of the program, and also served to highlight the price
differences across stores and geographic locations. I worked with other interns
and volunteers to find the prices of our menu ingredients at various stores
across Maryland and Iowa. I then calculated the final price of the ingredients
based on the quantity needed for each recipe. I loved this project because it
was a great way for me to develop my communication skills and help show people
that vegan diets are achievable at any price-point.
This summer, I was also able to “run point” or
coordinate the VRG booth at several outreach events across the Maryland/D.C.
area. In addition to tabling at the 32nd Street Farmers Market again, I was
also able to run the VRG table at: Roots Vegan Fest in Clarksville, The (three
day!) Animal Rights National Conference in D.C., and D.C. Veg Fest. I also
helped at the VRG booth for Vegan Soulfest in Baltimore and taught a vegan
cooking class at Christopher Place Employment Center alongside VRG volunteer
and Health and Wellness Coach Marcy Schveibinz.
Throughout the entire summer, I was able to
build on my experiences from last summer while exploring new topics and
projects that interested me. I can’t wait to use what I learned this year in
the future!
Saturday, July 20th some of the VRG gang geared
up for Roots Market’s fourth annual vegan festival in Clarksville, MD to spread
vegan love! The festival attracted vendors with free samples, as well as
outreach groups looking to recruit, inform, and fundraise. The Vegetarian
Resource Group booth was situated between Vegetarian Journal Senior Editor
Rissa Miller’s booth for Burleigh Manor Animal Sanctuary and a freezer case
full of Gardein products that were buy two get one free for the vegan holiday
(yes, I left with some). The day was extremely hot with a heat index of 115
degrees, so we were thankful when someone would reach in to grab some
plant-based meat and we would get a blast of cool air!
Dedicated vendors and organizations set up
around 9:30 to prepare for a day of vegan activism in the wet Maryland heat.
Attendees started showing up around 10, when the doors were to open. Many
people arrived early for the swag bag giveaway, for which people waited in a
line out the door to receive one of the 100 vegan goodie bags including various
snacks and wellness samples. While they waited in line, festival attendees
could snack on the various trays of vegan samples situated across the store,
including chips and guacamole/salsa, Amy’s new vegan pizza rolls, Hodo
products, peanut butter fudge cookies, chocolate covered nuts, and more!
The sales and samples attracted a lot of people
to the festival, in addition to the hot meals being offered by Roots market.
Lunch options were a vegan mac and cheese bar with all the toppings and neat-o
pies made with corn chips, new Beyond Beef, vegan cheese, sour cream, and green
onion. For a sweet treat, they were serving donut sundaes with coconut ice
cream and yummy toppings. Thanks to Rissa Miller and her partner Nathaniel Corn
for buying Amy and I food throughout the day! We were so happy to get to sample
all of the amazing food offered at the festival, especially the decadent donut
sundae.
In addition to all of the informational booths
and the seemingly endless food supply, there were other festivities taking
place around the festival to celebrate the arts. Rissa had a poetry reading in
Nest, a clothing and gift shop near Roots Market, during which she read one of
her sections in an all-vegan-authored anthology called Vegan Tales. After the reading, I had to order a copy; I suggest
you do as well! In addition to poetry, there was also live music happening
throughout the day inside of the cafe within the market.
The atmosphere was lively, energetic, and
engaging despite the heat. By the end of the day, I had gotten used to the heat
and still had energy (thank you caffeine!) to pass out copies of the Vegetarian Journal and I Love Animals and Broccoli coloring
books. We met many people who wanted to join our email list or volunteer in the
future. This was my first time ever attending any sort of all-vegan event, and
I was not disappointed!
Being in a predominately all-vegan audience was
nice because I felt there was less chance I would be challenged for my
lifestyle. Only one person I engaged with was not vegan or vegetarian, and I
think we had a very productive conversation. He came up to our table and
pointed to the picture of the cow on the coloring book and said, “You see,
those things are causing a lot of environmental damage, which is why we must
eat them!” I took this moment to explain supply and demand and how eating the
cows creates more supply for them, so we should stop eating them. My favorite
part about having booths with the VRG is those moments when you can tell you
planted a seed that may save animals in the future. It makes standing out in
the 115 degree weather totally worth it.
Enjoy Southwestern Green Bean and Red Pepper Chowder, Carrot, Pear, and White Bean Chowder, Brunswick Stew à la Vegan, Marrano Chowder, Potato and Kale Chowder, and Lentil Chowder.
VRG will have a booth at the Vegan SoulFest on Saturday
August 3rd in Clifton Park in Baltimore City. The event runs 12-6
pm. Please stop by our booth!
Are you looking for a vegan leather jacket? Here are some
online sources to purchase one:
Fabulous Furs
Fabulous Furs offers a wide range of jackets and coats
including some vegan leather items for women. See: https://fabulousfurs.com/womens-faux-fur-coats-jackets
and check off the Faux Leather & Suede
option under Collection.
If you thought Houston or Texas, in
general, is only about barbeque and grilling, think again! The fourth largest
city in the United States recently hosted the vegan festival, VegFest 2019,
organized by the Vegan Society for Peace. The Houstonians braved the steamy,
fairly typical Texan Summer day and made it to the historic Minute Maid Park to
witness and enjoy this event tailored for plant- and earth-lovers. When I
landed there at 11:00 AM sharp, I was pleasantly surprised by the queue snaking
around the parking lot. Several vegan food trucks and beverage carts with beer,
wine, and water laced the sidewalk with the hopes of keeping the crowd occupied
and nourished while they waited to get in the door. I slowly passed through the
rather strict security check and entered what seemed to be a tree-hugger’s
haven.
At the gated entrance, I promptly
wore my wrist band, picked up an event brochure, and walked into the corridor
thronged with people. A quick scan of the landscape made it evident that this festival
was true to its name. It was festive, vibrant, full of energy and vegan. It
showcased everything from T-shirts to books to baked goodies and even
microgreen growing kits.
My first stop – One Earth.
This booth had some of the most eye-catching merchandise. What really drew me
to this and dragged my feet into their artsy looking tent was the stainless
steel, re-useable straw travel set, beautifully wrapped in a blue, printed
cotton pouch. Browsing their neatly laid shelves, their wares seemed easy on
the pocket too. Naturally, I picked up a straw set for my children and walked
away content. Before we switch booths, a quick footnote about this store. Every purchase with One Earth helps
endangered animals. That is a great incentive to go spend at a great store.
Now that I had made my first
purchase and boasted an earth-friendly straw set, I ambled on. Suddenly, I was
dizzy with excitement and stopped speechless at this stall. Attention! All wine
drinkers, you are in for a treat. Have you ever struggled to find vegan wines
in your regular grocery stores? Fret not, for you can now invite these
delicious, hand-picked bottles of pure vegan wines right to your doorstep!
Scout and Cellar is your friend. I met with the beautiful and very
knowledgeable Patsy Balacchi, a wine consultant, who explained to me how Scout
and Cellar’s wine sommeliers traveled the world and did the hard work for us of
scouting for vegan wines sans fish bits, egg yolks, and not to mention,
pesticides. If you are in the market for vegan wines, check out their website.
So that covers clothes, kitchen
tools, and alcohol. What about food? Oh! As you can guess, there was absolutely
no dearth for that either. The place was filled with booths selling vegan
cupcakes, vegan parfait, Ayurvedic entrées and fruit smoothies. The visitors
were enjoying their brunch, I could tell.
As I was wrapping up my visit, a few
special mentions in my notebook were due. I sampled the yummy and healthful
golden milk from the Roots in Harmony booth. This is an herbal tea and spice store who sell online and also at the
local farmers markets. Lastly, I am sure you have heard the hype around BPA. It
is everywhere. Most of us tend to think nothing can be made sans plastic or
toxins. But wait! VegFest just gave me the opportunity to rethink. Eye Glassiers
sell a whole line of natural, plant-based eye glass frames. Impressive?
Okay, so that was the last booth I
stopped by as I reluctantly walked out of the Minute Maid Park. However, I left
happy. VegFest 2019 was a feast to my soul. It showed me a tiny shimmer of hope
that the world is inching slowly toward becoming a better place to live. We are
getting there. I cannot wait to see what the Vegan Society for peace has
planned for the VegFest 2020. http://vegansocietyofpeace.org/vegfesthouston
Until then, hug trees, save animals, and live well.
It can be difficult to find vegan shoes for babies and
youth. The online companies listed below offer vegan shoes for children.
Baby Nanya
Baby Nanya located in the USA offers vegan baby and toddler
shoes. The shoes’ exterior is made of microfiber, while the inner part is
made of cotton. They also have rubber sole grips. See: https://babynanya.com/
Clamfeet, an American company, offers adorable baby shoes
and matching shoes for mothers. They have an eco canvas exterior, organic
cotton lining, and rubberized grip sole. They are washable. See: https://clamfeet.com/
Happy Little Soles
Happy Little Soles, a company out of the United Kingdom,
offers a vegan section of shoes for boys and girls. See: https://www.happylittlesoles.co.uk/
Are you looking for some new ideas for preparing cauliflower? Former Vegetarian Resource Group Intern Dina Gharib shared her recipes for Pineapple Cauliflower Fried “Rice,” Cauliflower Crust Pizza, and Creamy Cauliflower Soup.
John Westerdahl, PhD, MPH, RD, CNS, FAND, will be speaking at THE WORLD OF DA VINCI Luncheon & Tour on Wednesday, August 7 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. His luncheon lecture is: THE SCIENCE AND DIET OF LEONARDO DA VINCI. In addition to discussing Leonardo’s great scientific achievements, I will also talk about Da Vinci’s vegetarian diet and lifestyle and the benefits of following such a diet. Few people know that Da Vinci was a vegetarian most of his life due to his scientific observations, which led to his compassion for animals. The August 7th luncheon will be the last Da Vinci luncheon before the exhibit closes at the Reagan Library in September.
You can contact the
Reagan Library for information, reservations, and tickets for this special
luncheon event. I recommend you also reserve in advance a special Vegan meal
request for your lunch, which is available if you order it. Be sure to request
a Vegan meal instead of the vegetarian meal option if you want the vegan meal.
Below is a link to more information about the Da Vinci Luncheon & Tour, which in addition to the luncheon includes access to THE WORLD OF DA VINCI special exhibit as well as the PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM including the AIR FORCE ONE Pavilion.
The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on veganism and the interrelated issues of health, nutrition, ecology, ethics, and world hunger. We have been helping health professionals, food services, businesses, educators, students, vegans, and vegetarians since 1982. In addition to publishing the Vegan Journal, VRG produces and sells a number of books.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive recipes, ingredient information, reviews of new products, announcements of new books, free samples of products, and other VRG materials.
