By Jason Koestenblatt, LongValley Patch | October 26, 2011
http://longvalley.patch.com/articles/resident-pizzeria-join-to-offer-vegan-option

World Go Vegan Week goes through Oct. 31.

Some say there’s nothing simpler than ordering a pizza.

For one Long Valley resident, that’s how she came to lean on a local eatery to help spread the word about World Go Vegan Week.

Christine Money, a vegan and local volunteer for In Defense of Animals (IDA), thought it would be a great idea to spread awareness of the cause and share her way of life with her neighbors.

“IDA came up with this particular campaign, asking local pizzerias to offer vegan pizza, as it was such a simple way for people to make a vegan choice,” Money said.

Money’s next step was to head over to Bob’s Long Valley Pizza, Deli & Bagel, to see what could be done about it.

“Christine approached me with the idea, and brought over a bag of this stuff called Daiya mozzarella shred,” said Bob Prudente, owner of the pizzeria. “I made a pie with it, and I was shocked. It was surprisingly good.”

The Daiya mozzarella shred is dairy and lactose free, and includes tapioca and arrowroot among its ingredients. Bob’s Pizza offered a gluten-free crust before World Go Vegan Week, which runs through Monday, Oct. 31.

A handful of people have ordered the vegan pizza, Prudente said, with more promising to return before week’s end.

“Some of these people have said they haven’t had pizza in so long because they’re allergic to dairy or have a gluten allergy, and they’re so happy about this option,” Prudente said.

For Money, though, it’s not just about allergies and sensitivities to various foods.

“Some may question why this choice is such an all-round benefit, not just for their own immediate health, but that of global health,” Money said. “It’s about the impact of animal agriculture on environmental degradation, clear-cutting forest, water pollution, production of methane, and the egregious brutality of factory farming, with dairy farming being one of the worst.”

For more information about World Go Vegan Week, visit worldgoveganweek.org.

The City Council voted Tuesday to prohibit the sale of live chickens at the Richmond’s Certified Farmer’s Market, igniting an eruption of cheers from animal rights supporters who filled City Hall.

The crowd, which consisted mostly of visitors to Richmond, was there on a larger animal-rights agenda, fueled by a recent victory in banning live chicken sales at the Heart of the City Farmer’s Market in San Francisco. Despite the determination of supporters, the ban will affect only one vendor at Richmond’s Farmer’s Market, and then only for two months.

The ban will take effect October 31, when the Richmond Certified Farmer’s Market contract is due for renewal. The state of California is banning the sale of live animals in parking lots and on sidewalks beginning in 2012. Though there was some confusion over the state’s legislation, Richmond City Attorney Randy Riddle assured the council that the ban will include poultry.

“When we know that in January this will be banned, my position is such that, let us get comfortable with the contract that is inline with what we know will be state law coming up very soon,” Mayor Gayle McLaughlin said.

The live-chicken vendor, Raymond Young, has had repeated public confrontations in San Francisco with two of the groups present Tuesday night: LBGT Compassion Group and In Defense of Animals. In Richmond, the groups said they found the same health code violations and animal cruelty instances that they found at Young’s previous operation in San Francisco.

San Francisco’s ban left Richmond as the sole city in the Bay Area where Young could sell live chickens. He sells about 700 birds a week at the Richmond Certified Farmer’s Market, according to the market’s president, Tom Cloman.

Live animal sales are allowed, but not within 20 feet of produce and eggs, according to the California health code. Violations occur whenever a customer buys a chicken, which Young and his workers put into paper and plastic bags, and the customer then walks around the market shopping for produce.

The health regulation exists to prevent feces, which carries bacterial disease, from spreading through the farmer’s market. The public is directly exposed to feces on the outside of the plastic bags and on the workers, said Andrew Zollman of the LGBT Compassion Group, and the feces is then carried around the market and onto public transit.

According to the code, signs must be posted instructing customers in three languages – English, Spanish, and Chinese – not to walk around the market after they have purchased the chickens.

But it’s a difficult rule to enforce and requires extra resources from city.

“We can’t fix the this problem, it’s impossible,” said Denise Bolbol in the public comment session. “I watched multiple security guards unable to keep these people 20 feet from other vendors with chickens in their bags.”

Though the chicken-vendor Young has received several environmental health code violations at Richmond, he has corrected his violations prior to the next inspection every time, said LaShonda Wilson, the assistant city manager. Cloman, the market manager, confirmed this in his brief objection to the prohibition.

Pathogens and disease were also a common theme in the argument against selling live chickens. A statewide surveillance program that conducts health inspections on chickens “that are spotty” only checks for Avian influenza and Newcastle virus, and does not check for bacterial infections, Wilson said.

Due to lack of resources, the state has given Young kits to test the chickens himself and then requires him to submit the results to the state. Animal rights supporters said they didn’t trust his reporting.

The LGBT Compassion group has questioned Young’s credibility before, arguing that he is not actually involved in raising the chickens, but instead buys them from large producers such as Gemperle Farms. Since these farms are fully automated, Zollman said, Young couldn’t possibly be doing any of his own farming.

One concern, said Councilmember Jeff Ritterman, is that selling factory-farmed chickens at a farmer’s market misleads the consumer into thinking the chicken is organic.

Though he agreed that factory farming was disturbing, Councilmember Tom Butt said that it is important for children to see where their food comes from, which was the primary reason that he didn’t vote to support the ban.

“Most people don’t know where food comes from,” Butt said. “They think it comes from the grocery store. I think it does people good to see where food comes from, to realize that that chicken breast comes from an animal with feathers on it and it doesn’t come from a package.”

The ban is an act of discrimination, Cloman said, which is the same argument brought against the animal rights groups in San Francisco by Young.

“These groups have literally pounded this Asian farmer to run him out of business,” Cloman said.

Cloman barely got through his argument when his public comment time ran out and the crowd loudly interrupted and hurried him off the podium.

Over the yells of the crowd, Cloman turned to the council. “Don’t let this group bully you,” he said, his voice barely audible.

Cloman found his only other support from a dissenter in the crowd who labeled the issue one of meat-eaters versus vegetarians.

The dozens who had come out to speak against Young had already been protesting Richmond’s Certified Farmer’s Market, and had bombarded Mayor McLaughlin with 1,015 emails.

The City Council’s ban will only be effective for two months – starting October 31, when the contract is redrawn, and ending in 2012, when the state laws override the council. McLaughlin said she didn’t want the city to spend valuable resources on this issue, even for two months.

“I certainly believe that our staff will have to continue to monitor this and I do not think this is good use of our staff’s time over the next two months,” McLaughin said.

“I am torn,” Councilmember Jovanka Beckles said. While she said she didn’t necessarily agree with the animal rights’ groups, she agreed that the city needs to allocate its valuable resources to other issues.

The final vote was 4-2. It was hard to hear the announcement of the votes over the roar of excitement from the ban’s supporters, but with Councilmember Nat Bates absent, Butt and Councilmember Corky Booze were the only voters against the prohibition.

Deschanel has been an outspoken vegan for many years and regularly discusses the health, environmental and animal welfare issues behind a plant-based diet.

“The 5th annual World Go Vegan Week is taking place this year from October 24th through 31st,” said Deschanel. “This week is a celebration of compassion and a time to take action for animals, the environment and everyone’s well-being. A plant-based diet not only improves your health, it significantly reduces your carbon footprint and preserves resources for future generations. So please join me in creating a healthy future and go vegan for World Go Vegan Week.”

Are you planning to celebrate World Go Vegan Week? Chime in and share some of your favorite activist activities! Not sure how you can get involved? Stop by IDAUSA.org and get some inspiration!

Read the entire article here.

World Go Vegan Week for 2009 was an incredible success. We had 42 events in 10 different counties. Grassroots

Ottawa WGVW Bowling Party

volunteer activist organized events to celebrate World Go Vegan Week with activities like tabling, leafleting, film screenings, vegan food samplings, vegan potlucks, Halloween parties and more!

Countries holding events outside the U.S. include Australia, Ireland, Vienna, Netherland, South Africa, Bolivia, Congo, India, and 6 events in Canada.

We sent activist a packet of materials, flyers, and posters as well as coupons for popular vegan products and stickers. In total, for World Go Vegan Week we sent out:

The Reason for Vegan – 8,500
Global Warming Flyer- 9,000
Vegan Starter Kit- 500

Another form of outreach during World Go Vegan Week was our Food Editor’s Pack. We created a letter specifically for food editors and compiled vegan recipes in PDF form with beautiful images of food. We sent the pack from IDA to 45 major papers across the U.S., and then offered the pack for individual members to send to their local papers. We got lots requests for the editor’s pack and dozens of individuals sent out the pack to over 50 more papers in the U.S.

We teamed up with Mercy for Animals to help them distribute their new documentary called Fowl Play exposing the horrors in the egg industry. We have given away numerous copies of the DVD to grassroots activist for film screenings in their area.

World Go Vegan Week Halloween Costume Party

Our World Go Vegan Week Halloween Costume Party in San Francisco rocked! We had 100 people in attendance and everybody LOVED it. Some really creative vegan and animal related costumes. The food was great, lots of sweet treats and the costume contest was great fun. The fog machine and flashing “disco” lights really added to the atmosphere. The speakers, Kenneth Williams, World Champion Vegan Bodybuilder and Lauren Ornelas, Founder of the Food Empowerment Project, were engaging and informative. There were some really nice items in the Silent Auction and Raffle that brought in some funds for IDA.

From other World Go Vegan Week Participants:

Ottawa Activists Bowling Party

Local Ottawa activist spent the week handing out leaflets on many street corners  encouraging them to look at the option of going Vegan. We all had  tremendous responses from the public. We handed out over a thousand leaflets. Spoke with vegetarians and asked them to consider going Vegan, We also held a Bowling fundraiser for Canada’s largest Bonnie refuges who will be looped together under the new name of CANADIAN HEART in the near future. They are now looking for a large piece of land in which they can expand their refuge to include over 800 animals.  Our very first bowling fundraiser was indeed a success. With over 43 compassionate , enthusiastic people bowling, biding and playing 50/50.
We raised  almost $1,700.00 at our very first event.. Famous George Laraque Montreal Canadian Hockey Player who recently turned Vegan after watching the movie Earthlings donated a signed Jersey which helped tremendously for our auction.

I speak for Teja’s Animal Refuge and Refuge RR for horses in thanking IDA for  doing what you do for animals all over the world and by founding WORLD GO VEGAN WEEK.

From San Diego:

We had a great event, talked to several people who are already vegetarian, hopefully gave them enough reason to be vegan…had a lot of different conversations, all positive…talked to two men, an Egyptian and a Pakistani, who already knew about the lab meat from cells..”shmeet”…they voiced concerned about animals and said they could lessen consumption but not stop eating it completely…but would eat shmeat instead if available…so many people were receptive, listened, read literature..

we’re going to regularly go out a couple of hours a week.. possibly starting tomorrow night…Robyn

Lynn Pauly: Good time to try a vegan lifestyle

Free vegan lunch in Pioneer Square today

World Go Vegan Week Means Wine, Too

Vegan week salutes animal-free diet

Meatless Mouthful: Woody Harrelson “World Go Vegan Week”

And blogs:

Kickoff World Go Vegan Week at Blue Nile Cafe with Animal Advocates of Arizona!

Happy World Go Vegan Week!

To celebrate a compassionate vegan lifestyle during World Go Vegan Week, October 25 – 31, IDA is giving away vegan hot dogs and vegan cupcakes at Pioneer Courthouse Square

Portland, Ore.–Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? The 4th annual World Go Vegan Week, October 25 – 31, spotlights the vegan lifestyle as a compassionate, sustainable, and healthy way of eating and living. In Defense of Animals invites the public to celebrate by sampling some delicious vegan fare over the lunch hour, this Thursday, at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Not only is this a free lunch, it’s a cruelty-free lunch!

What:     Vegan food giveaway outreach event

When:    Thursday, October 29th, 11:30 a.m. To 1:30 p.m.

Where:   Pioneer Courthouse Square; corner of SW Yamhill and Broadway.

Generously provided by Lightlife, IDA will be giving away hundreds of Smart Dogs, the world’s first fat free hot dogs. And passersby will be amazed at how decadent vegan can be with scrumptious miniature cupcakes donated by Portland’s own Sweetpea Baking Company .

Actor Woody Harrelson, a supporter of World Go Vegan Week, chose a vegan lifestyle “… as an energetic pursuit, as meat and dairy slowed me down, but have since become convinced that it is not only the most healthy way to live, but also the most compassionate and ecologically responsible way.”

The American Dietetic Association says vegan diets “…may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, as well as for athletes.”

A United Nations study revealed that animal agriculture causes more greenhouse gas emissions than all of the world’s transportation combined. “Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems,” says U.N. official Dr. Henning Steinfeld, senior author of the report. “What we put into our bags at the grocery store has more environmental impact than whether we bring our reusable shopping bag or drive a hybrid to the store,” said Hope Bohanec, Grassroots Campaigns Director for IDA.

Animal agriculture contributes to the greenhouse effect from the methane produced by cows, deforestation of the rainforest for grazing land, and the enormous consumption of fossil fuel used to operate factory farms and slaughterhouses. University of Chicago researchers found that switching to a vegan diet has greater impact on greenhouse gas reduction than switching from a standard car to a hybrid. Eight times more fossil fuel is needed to produce animal protein than plant protein.

Eliminating meat from your plate is one of the most powerful and effective things you can do to fight the cruelties inflicted on farm animals, to improve your own health, and to help create a sustainable environment. Visit www.idausa.org for more information and free vegetarian recipes.

Contact: Matt Rossell, (503) 890-5151, matt@idausa.org

From The Independent Florida Alligator:

UF and the rest of the world is celebrating World Go Vegan Week from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31.

Created by the animal rights organization In Defense of Animals four years ago as a global effort to promote plant-based diets, World Go Vegan Week has events throughout the week ranging from vegan costume parties in San Francisco to educational events in Bolivia.

UF’s environmental vegetarian group, enVeg, plans to sponsor several events to celebrate World Go Vegan Week, including a presentation Wednesday night by Brendan Brazier, a vegan triathlete and author, followed by a Halloween-themed vegan potluck Saturday afternoon.

“You don’t need to be vegan to be part of the movement,” said Ellen Martin, secretary of enVeg.

EnVeg also brought Bruce Friedrich, vice president of policy and government affairs for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, to UF’s campus Saturday to kickoff World Go Vegan Week.

Martin pointed out the positives of a vegan lifestyle and said World Go Vegan is a fun opportunity to educate the community on plant-based diets.

“I think people should view Go Veg Week as their own little holiday,” she said.

For more information on World Go Vegan Week visit worldgoveganweek.com.