year! Our 31st THE veGan aDVoCaTe Volume XXXI, Number 4 November 2020 - January 2021 Rochester, NY USA VEGAN A VEGAN DIET FOR THE EARTH In the week leading up to Earth Day What is it, and Why? 2020, MFA released a video outlining Eating more plant-based food is one of the heavy environmental toll of animal If you are not a vegetarian or a member the easiest ways to reduce greenhouse of the Rochester Area Vegan Society agriculture, and launched a campaign, gas emissions and help shape a better PlantPledge.org, asking people to fight (RAVS), this column is for you. Here are future for our planet—and every meal some of the basics. climate change from their homes by makes a difference. Raising animals for pledging to eat plant-based, once a week A vegetarian is someone who eats no meat, eggs, and dairy is responsible for a or every day.]♦ animal flesh: no meat, poultry or fish. A staggering 14.5 percent of human- vegan is a vegetarian who goes further and induced greenhouse gas emissions. On Oct. 22, 2020, the NY Times ran an eats no animal products at all: no eggs, article called “Belching Cows and cheese, milk, or honey. RAVS recommends By swapping animal products for tasty Endless Feedlots: Fixing Cattle’s a vegan diet as the optimal diet. plant-based foods, we can cut our Climate Issues,” on the devastating What are the reasons to go vegan? It greenhouse gas emissions from food in effect of cattle operations on the comes down to these: for your health, for half. environment. Ranchers seek to address the animals, and for the planet. Every day the problem by changing the animals’ there are new findings that a plant-based Raising so many animals—nearly 10 diet is best for health. The standard billion land animals in the United States diet or treating their waste, and the American diet (SAD), which revolves alone—generates not only huge amounts article is devoted to “mitigation around meat and animal products, results in of climate-altering greenhouse gas but strategies.” But plenty of readers could poor health for people, suffering for tons and tons of waste, commonly stored see through to the real problem. One animals, waste of resources, and devastation in massive open-air “lagoons.” Factory reader said: “Change what they eat? for the environment. But changing your diet farmers pump liquid waste from these How about we change what WE eat.” can be hard, and people who want to change pits and spray it onto crop fields, often Another said: “If you are serious about often need help. with high-pressure guns, creating a mist battling climate change, if you want to If you want to move in this direction, that drifts into nearby communities, restore habitat for wildlife, if you want RAVS can help you. We are here to provide sickening residents. Runoff from factory to protect our water and air from the information and support. You do not need to farms can also contaminate rivers and ravages of livestock production and you be a vegetarian or vegan to give us a call, to groundwater, damaging ecosystems and want results now (or in time to make a attend our meetings, or to join our group. endangering people, companion difference), there is only one option - And you don’t need to be a member to animals, and wildlife. move to a plant-based diet. If there is no attend our meetings: guests are always market for meat: livestock production And as factory farming pollutes our welcome, and you don’t have to reserve and the gas emitting animals, the planet, it devours precious resources. beforehand. You only need to follow our CAFOs, the enormous pools of waste, Animal agriculture accounts for 8 “vegan rule” for the dinner meetings (see the misuse of lands to feed these animals percent of all human water use, takes up box on p. 2 for a full explanation), and there and the mistreatment and slaughter of 33 percent of the world’s cropland, and is a $3 guest fee for non-members. Come to sentient beings will go away without is a leading driver of deforestation. a meeting, give us a call at (585) 234-8750, them. It is a win for the environment, as or visit our website, rochesterveg.org. You Plant-based foods, on the other hand, are well as for your conscience.” Another will find us helpful and welcoming. ♦ much kinder to the environment. They wrote: “My family's been reducing our require less energy, water, and land, and meat consumption, and articles like this are responsible for far less pollution. For only encourage us further. Warehousing example, a satisfying plant-based animals in ways to fatten them up faster IN THIS ISSUE Beyond Burger generates an incredible is grotesque. The environmental harm Vegan for the Earth p. 1 90 percent fewer greenhouse gas only strengthens our resolve. The article Contact Info & Meeting Tips p. 2 emissions than a beef burger! doesn't mention the clearing of rain Vegan Society Update p. 3 Dr. Greger Speaks!/Veg News p. 4 [The above excerpt is taken from the forests to make way for more animals Healthy Vegan Recipes pp. 5-6 Summer 2020 issue of Compassionate and crops to feed them and the havoc More Veg News p. 7 Living, the magazine of Mercy for that is already wreaking…. [We are] not Calendar p. 8 Animals (MFA), mercyforanimals.org. the smartest species on the planet.” Or the kindest.♦ Page 2! Rochester Area Vegan Society RAVS RULES FOR SHARE-A-DISH MEALS All dishes must be completely vegan. They may not contain any meat, poultry, fish, eggs, Coordinators: dairy products or honey. Please watch out for gelatin (a meat by-product) and hidden milk products, Ted D. Barnett, M.D. such as whey in cookies, crackers, bread and margarine and casein or caseinate in so-called “non- Carol Hee Barnett, Ph.D., J.D. dairy” soy cheese, coffee creamer and whipped topping. Be alert for eggs in baked goods, mayonnaise and salad dressings, and honey in breads, pastries and preserves. Board of Directors: This “vegan rule” embodies our mission of showing how abundant and delicious a vegan meal can be. It also means that members and guests who are vegan can freely partake of everything. If Shelley Adams KenMcBride you mistakenly bring a dish that is non-vegan, you will be very welcome to stay for the meal, but Carol Hee Barnett Walt McBurney we will not be able to serve your dish. Please understand that no offense is meant by this. Ted D. Barnett Byron Rubin Please prepare a card with your name, the name of the dish, and a list of all ingredients. If Ellie Cherin Sandy Rubin possible, write the recipe on the back of the card and indicate where the recipe came from or if it Kimber Gorall Barbara Savedoff was original. Prepare enough to serve a crowd. Please bring your own table setting as well as a Nancy Hallowell Joy Vandling serving utensil. If you are not able to cook, you may bring fruit, cider, tortilla chips and salsa, green salad, fruit salad, etc. Non-members, in addition to bringing a dish, must pay a $3 Guest Fee, which Deb Kiba will be applied to your membership if you join that day. RAVS Staff: Treasurer: Kimber Gorall IF YOU ARE NEW TO RAVS These are both excellent groups, and Website: Ted Barnett both have mail-order bookshops which are Social Media: Kimber Gorall You don’t need to be a vegetarian, included in the publication they will send Library: Leena Isac or a member of RAVS, to attend one of you when you join. our events. And you don’t need to reserve The Vegan Advocate Staff: Another not-so-tangible benefit of or notify us beforehand (with the Editors: Carol and Ted Barnett your membership in RAVS is that you exception of restaurant events). We do ask help others, namely, the people we reach Contributors: that you follow the “vegan rule” at our through our community education efforts, Poetry Bruce Ross, Ph.D. dinner meetings. The box above, and the Logo Design Bern Berg which are funded by your dues. Pamphlets calendar and directions on the back page we distribute at an outreach table at a of the newsletter, tell you what you need health or environmental fair cost money. The Rochester Area Vegetarian Society, now the to know in order to attend a meeting. Call Rochester Area Vegan Society, was founded in 1989 234-8750 if you have further questions. That's why your membership and renewal by Rhoda and Stan Sapon, two dedicated activists are important even if we never see you at who worked hard to embody their vision of a MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS a meeting—though, of course, we hope compassionate, non-violent world in a local that we do. ♦ community promoting vegan values: the idea that Membership in RAVS entitles you to animals have a right to their own lives and don’t exist receive The Vegan Advocate (4 times a to provide food or to be exploited by us in any way. year) and any other mailings, usually BOOK ORDERS FROM RAVS RAVS is a non-profit, tax-exempt, non-sectarian, notices of upcoming events. It also entitles A number of vegetarian books and all-volunteer educational organization dedicated to you to free admission to monthly events cookbooks are available from RAVS at promoting the joy, compassion and life enhancing (except restaurant meals); others pay a $3 10% off list price.