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PAGE 1 VeGeTaRIan aDVOCaTe Volume XIX, Number 1 February 2008-April 2008 Rochester, NY USA A VEGETARIAN DIET IN MEMORIAM What is it, and Why? It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Rhoda Sapon on December 27, 2007. Rhoda, along with her husband Stanley Sapon, Ph.D., an emeritus professor of If you are not a vegetarian or a member psychology at the University of Rochester, founded the Rochester Area Vegetarian Society of RAVS, this column is for you. Here are (RAVS) in October of 1989. Over the years, RAVS has offered support to its members and some of the basics. outreach to the larger community. RAVS is essentially the same organization that the What is a vegetarian? A vegetarian, Sapons founded almost 20 years ago. Its significant features—a quarterly newsletter, traditionally, is someone who eats no flesh monthly share-a-dish dinners followed by a program, and especially the vegan rule for din- foods: no meat, poultry or fish. A vegan is a ners—have served the organization well and, we hope, will continue to do so. vegetarian who goes further and eats no ani- We send our sympathy to Stan; Stan and Rhoda’s four children and many grand- mal products: no eggs or dairy products. children; other family and friends; and the many people whom Rhoda influenced for the Why do people choose to eat this way? better over her lifetime. Their loss is our loss. Every vegetarian has a story to tell, but basi- Stan Sapon can be reached at 1700 Greenhouse Drive, Apt. GL306, Sarasota, FL cally the reasons to avoid animal foods are 34231-6766. these: for your health, for the animals, and for the planet. Every day there are new find- On Sunday, January 27, the New York gases and require ever-increasing amounts of ings that a plant-based diet is best for health. Times printed an amazing article by Mark corn, soy and other grains, a dependency that The standard American diet (SAD), which Bittman, a well-known food writer and au- has led to the destruction of vast swaths of revolves around meat and animal products, thor of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian the world’s tropical rain forests. results in poor health for people, suffering (who is not himself a vegetarian). The fol- The world’s total meat supply was 71 for animals, waste of resources, and devasta- lowing is an excerpt from the article, which million tons in 1961. In 2007, it was esti- tion for the environment. But changing your can be read in its entirety in a link at our mated to be 284 million tons. Per capita con- diet can be hard and people who want to website, www.rochesterveg.org. sumption has more than doubled over that change often need help. period. (In the developing world, it rose If you want to move in the right direc- RETHINKING THE MEAT- twice as fast, doubling in the last 20 years.) tion, the Vegetarian Society (RAVS) can help GUZZLER World meat consumption is expected to dou- you. We are here to provide information and Excerpted from the New York Times, 1/27/2008 ble again by 2050, which one expert, Hen- support. Be sure to ask for our pamphlet, ning Steinfeld of the United Nations, says is Going Vegetarian in the Rochester, NY Area. A sea change in the consumption of a resulting in a ―relentless growth in livestock You do not need to be a vegetarian to give us resource that Americans take for granted production.‖ a call, to attend our meetings, or even to join may be in store—something cheap, plentiful, Growing meat (it’s hard to use the word ―raising‖ when applied to animals in factory our group. Nor do you need to be a member widely enjoyed and a part of daily life. And farms) uses so many resources that it’s a to attend our meetings; guests are always it isn’t oil. It’s meat. challenge to enumerate them all. But con- welcome. You only need to follow our sider: an estimated 30 percent of the earth’s ―vegan rule‖ for the dinner meetings (see box The two commodities share a great deal: Like oil, meat is subsidized by the federal ice-free land is directly or indirectly involved on p. 2 for full explanation), and there is a $3 government. Like oil, meat is subject to ac- in livestock production, according to the guest fee for non-members. If you want to celerating demand as nations become wealth- United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Or- participate, give us a call at (585) 234-8750, or ier, and this, in turn, sends prices higher. ganization, which also estimates that live- come to a meeting. You will find us helpful Finally — like oil — meat is something peo- stock production generates nearly a fifth of and welcoming. ple are encouraged to consume less of, as the the world’s greenhouse gases — more than toll exacted by industrial production in- transportation. UPCOMING EVENTS creases, and becomes increasingly visible. To put the energy-using demand of meat Global demand for meat has multiplied production into easy-to-understand terms, in recent years, encouraged by growing afflu- Gidon Eshel, a geophysicist at the Bard Cen- Organic Farmers in February ence and nourished by the proliferation of ter, and Pamela A. Martin, an assistant pro- The Environment in March huge, confined animal feeding operations. fessor of geophysics at the University of Chi- Esselstyn Special Event in March These assembly-line meat factories consume cago, calculated that if Americans were to Gourmet Indian Feast in April enormous amounts of energy, pollute water reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent supplies, generate significant greenhouse (Continued on page 5) PAGE 2 ROCHESTER AREA VEGETARIAN SOCIETY RAVS RULES FOR SHARE-A-DISH MEALS Coordinators: All dishes must be completely vegan. They may not contain any meat, poultry, fish Ted D. Barnett, M.D. eggs, dairy products or honey. This rule guarantees that everyone can eat everything Carol H. Barnett, Ph.D., J.D. (allergies and preferences aside). Board of Directors: Please watch out for gelatin (a meat by-product) and hidden milk products, such as whey Shelley Adams Daryl Odhner in cookies, crackers, bread and margarine and casein or caseinate in ―non-dairy‖ soy cheese, Carol H. Barnett Ted Potter coffee creamer and whipped topping. Also be alert for eggs in baked goods, mayonnaise and Ted. D. Barnett Heather Schooler salad dressings, and honey in breads, pastries and preserves. Ellie Cherin David Strafford Please prepare a 4x6 card with your name, the name of the dish and a list of all ingredi- Leena Isac Diana Strafford ents. Write the recipe on the back of the card and indicate where the recipe came from or if it Ken McBride Bob Zimmermann was original. Prepare enough to serve a crowd. Please bring your own table setting as well as a serving utensil. If you don’t feel like cooking, you may bring fruit, cider, tortilla chips and Vegetarian Advocate Staff: salsa, green salad, fruit salad, etc. Non-members must pay a $3 guest fee, which is applied to Editors: your membership if you join that day. Carol and Ted Barnett Contributors: Voracious Vegan Shelley Adams IF YOU ARE NEW TO RAVS Vegetarian Resource Group Poetry Bruce Ross, Ph.D. P.O. Box 1463 Logo Bern Berg You don’t need to be a vegetarian, or Baltimore, MD 21203 a member of RAVS, to attend one of our Tel: (410) 366-VEGE RAVS Staff: events. All we ask is that you bring vegan Fax: (410) 366-8804 Treasurer: Ken McBride food to our dinner meetings. You don’t E-mail: [email protected] Website: Bob Zimmermann need to inform us beforehand that you will Website: www.vrg.org Library: Leena Isac be attending. The box above, and the calen- Membership (annual): $20 Cooking Instruction: Wendy Gilmore dar and directions on the back page of the Publication: Vegetarian Journal newsletter, tell you what you need to know (quarterly) The Rochester Area Vegetarian Society is a in order to attend. Call 234-8750 if you non-profit, tax-exempt, non-sectarian, all-volunteer have further questions. These are both excellent groups, and educational organization dedicated to promoting the both have mail-order bookshops which are joy, compassion and life enhancing possibilities of a MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS included in the publication they will send vegetarian lifestyle. We are an educational resource for those interested in any aspect of vegetarianism. you when you join. Membership in RAVS entitles you to We provide support to our members through social Another not-so-tangible benefit of your receive the Vegetarian Advocate (published events that include monthly gatherings with a shared membership is to others, namely, the people meal and programs on topics important to our mem- four times a year) and any other mailings, bers. Membership in RAVS is open to all vegetarians, usually notices of upcoming events. It also we reach through our community education efforts, which are funded by your dues. as well as to those who, while not vegetarian, wish to entitles you to free admission to monthly Pamphlets we distribute at an outreach table support the goals of the group. events (except restaurant meals); others pay DUES: Individual Membership, $20 per year; at a health or environmental fair cost a $3 guest fee. Members can borrow audio Joint Membership, $35 per year; Student/Fixed In- money. That's why your membership and and video tapes for a $10 deposit; members come Membership, $10.