Want vs. Need

In order to stay alive, there are certain things we human beings need. We need water, we need oxygen, and we need food. And food is the necessity I'm going to talk about in today's blog post.

I have heard that humans need to eat meat for survival. That we need to eat animal products in order to stay healthy. 

Eating other animals may have been necessary for human survival in the past when times were hard and plant food was limited.  But they only ate it because they needed it to continue living - not for palate pleasure like we do now. Quoting an episode from my Vegan for Life podcast:

"Early humans didn't overdo it. They only killed what they needed, in order to survive, and worked in harmony with nature. But look what we're doing to nature now, in order to satisfy the growing demand for animal products. Thousands of acres of forests have had to be destroyed, air and water is being polluted, and so much life is being lost. The earth has provided us with enough resources for all the animals living on it - human and non-human - to survive. But we are exploiting these resources in order to satisfy our taste for flesh. Early humans ate meat in order to survive. Why do we eat meat now? Purely because we like the taste."

For humans now, eating animal products is a want. A want for the taste. It is no longer a need. In fact, it's very easy to stay alive and healthy without consuming animal products. Long-time vegans are proof of that.

In a survival situation, when you're lost and you need to survive, maybe you'd have to eat other animals to survive. Maybe even other humans. In a situation like that, things are different. You wouldn't have a choice, you would have to eat what you can to survive - or die. Like lions, wolves, bears, and other carnivorous or omnivorous wild animals - they don't have a choice of what to eat. They have to eat what they can so that they will continue living. But right now, you're not out in the wild starving (I'm assuming you aren't if you have internet access and are reading this blog), and you have a choice. Over 56 billion land animals and trillions of sea animals don't need to be exploited and murdered for our consumption, clothing, entertainment, and other uses. 

We have a choice. To continue engaging in violence towards other sentient beings, or to go vegan and live nonviolently. If you're not starving, if you don't need it, and it harms others, why continue doing it?

It's easy to be vegan. Vegan food can be DELICIOUS and exciting! And if you really want the taste of animal products (cravings do go away, I promise), they can be replaced with plant-based alternatives. There's no reason NOT to be vegan, so give it a try! Start here: VeganKit.com

It's Time

Sunshine and a fresh breeze,
Lush fields and tall trees.
Friendship and bonds that will never be broken,
Memories that will never be forgotten.
Families that look out for one another,
Sons and daughters raised with the love of a mother.
A joy it is to live on this beautiful planet,
Healthy long lives lived without regret.

A life of freedom,
A life that we deny them.
Because they are property of humans,
Who enslave them just because they can.
A short life of misery and exploitation,
These sentient beings cry for freedom.
They have no words but their pleas are clear,
"We want to live, we don't want to die here."
Mothers torn from their newborn babies,
Young children slaughtered mercilessly.
They are moral persons, not things,
But we treat them like profit machines.
Over 56 billion murdered a year,
Simply for humans to eat, use and wear.

It's time to stop the killing, violence and oppression,
Time to end all hatred and discrimination.
Time to respect the rights of one another,
Time for peace and love to take over.
We don't need to exploit to survive,
So is it really worth taking innocent lives?
Go vegan, end the use.
They don't have a choice, but you do.

---

Sunshine and a fresh breeze,
Lush fields and tall trees.
How wonderful it is,
To be free.

Why go vegan? - From a 9 Year Old

This post was written by my brother Eddy about why to go vegan.

---

My name is Eddy I am 9 years old and I will tell you why you should go vegan.

Did you know, every picture of animals being happy on a meat/milk/egg/fish product is not true if you were one of these animals you would be screaming "help help" and if pictures of animals were real then you would see a very very sad cow/pig/chicken/fish.

Did you know eating a egg is like eating the male chicks that die because they're no use in the egg industry so they are killed just after they are hatched. :(

Did you know more then ten million animals are killed every day for us to EAT?

Did you know milk from cows is meant for the baby cows not humans and furthermore most of the male baby cows DIE because they're not needed just because they don't make milk.

Did you know dairy industries say dairy for life just so people will buy more stuff dairy or more meat.

Did you know honey is really bees VOMIT and that bees don't make it for us they make it for the nest and the baby bees?

You can't make every one happy but you can make animals happy by being VEGAN.

So get your friends and give it a go.

Here's some of the food we eat.

Macaroni and cheese (made out of chickpeas)

Vegetarian sausages

Soy milk

Lasagne

Chocolate fudge/cake/muffins

Vegan food is really yummy.

If you search vegan recipes on Google you can find lots of yummy vegan recipes

Well that's all from me for now I really hope this makes you want to be vegan.
goodbye. :)

"They're all vegans. And you?"

Podcast Ep1: Activism and the Message We Want to Send

Listen/Download HERE 

Welcome to the first episode of the new Peaceful Abolitionist Podcast!

This episode talks about activism and why it's so important we always promote veganism, and never compromise our message.

Thanks for listening :)

You don't need money to make a difference

It's that time of year again when those big animal welfare organisations are asking people to volunteer their time to go out and raise money for them to "help animals"... which actually means trying to enforce laws that give nonhuman slaves better living conditions before they're brutally murdered for their flesh.

I'm tired of seeing SAFE posters everywhere asking people to "Donate to help animals!" or "Join our annual appeal to help animals!"

Well, I'm writing this blog post to tell you that if you want to help animals, if you REALLY want to help animals, you don't need to donate or volunteer for any animal welfare organisation such as SAFE. Just go vegan. And educate people about veganism!

Vegan education is easy, and you don't need a lot (or even any) money to do it. It can be as simple as talking to friends about why you're vegan. Or you can get creative! As I said in my last blog post, whatever you enjoy doing, look for a way to promote vegansim!

I've hosted my own podcast and radio show. I've created my own videos and websites. I blog. I've made animations and graphic designs. I've handed out vegan food to classmates. I've baked vegan cupcakes to hand out at the stall. I've engaged the public in conversations about veganism. I've hand-printed the word "vegan" on clothing I wear. And I've done all this without much money. I'm not a rich person. But that hasn't stopped me.

Imagine what great things SAFE could do if they actually spent their money on peaceful vegan education, promoting JUST veganism. A big organisation like them, educating people about veganism ALL OVER NEW ZEALAND, we'll have loads more people choosing to live nonviolently! If only, if only they would promote veganism! But they are too concerned about losing donators to tell people to do something as "radical" as going vegan. So instead they tell people that "you can love animals and eat them too, just buy free range!"

I urge anyone, anywhere, to advocate for veganism. Those of us who are promoting vegansim unequivocally are the ones who are truly making a difference to the lives of nonhumans. We don't need a lot of money and we don't have to be a part of any organisation to make a difference in the world.

The exciting world of offline activism

I haven't been blogging much lately, but that's doesn't mean I'm getting lazy, no, it just means I've been engaging in a lot more offline activism!

Every Tuesday, providing it's a fine day, the Auckland Abolitionist Vegans Association (AAVA for short) goes out onto Aotea Square armed with a little table, pamphlets, and delicious vegan cupcakes free with a conversation! We've had some great conversations, the cupcakes are a big hit and also an awesome conversation starter "Vegan cupcakes? How can you bake without egg..?"

We have great fun at the stall! It's so great to get out and talk to people face-to-face about veganism. It's much better than talking online, where you can't see the person you're talking to. And I learn so much by talking to people and answering their questions. It helps me become a better activist. I would recommend to anyone to start a vegan stall in their area!

Something else I've started doing - hand printed t-shirt designs! It's a wonderful way to use my artistic talents to promote veganism.. and it gets me off the computer too! :)

Elizabeth wearing one of my "NZ Vegan" shirts

It's so fun and satisfying to see the end product after hours of drawing :) What I do is I create large stencils (just out of paper), print them out, cut little holes along the lines, stencil the holes on using fabric markers, then "connect the dots" and fill everything else in by hand. It's a long, delicate process (the fabric markers are permanent, so one mistake could ruin it!) but a very enjoyable thing for me to do.

I've also done a couple of interviews in the past few weeks with the Roanoke Vegan Examiner and NZ Vegan Podcast. Thanks for having me, Corey and Elizabeth :)

I would encourage anyone to get out there and participate in some form of vegan education. Do a stall, give away vegan baking, hand out pamphlets, create a short film, draw a picture, make a sculpture, whatever you enjoy doing, look for a way to promote veganism.

Peace and love ~

Emmy

On "Vegan" Celebrities

I recently read an article posted in Stuff about vegan celebrities - "Celebs make veganism sexy".

I have a number of problems with articles such as this. It suggests that veganism is a diet, a trend, a health thing. Celebrities seem to always misrepresent the word "vegan" and what it actually means!

Many celebrities who say they are vegan, aren't really vegan at all. They just follow a plant-based diet, yet still wear leather, wool, eat honey, or promote non-vegan products. Veganism is NOT a diet. It's a rejection of violence towards all sentient beings. It's about respecting their right to life. Far more than "just a diet", it's also about the clothes we wear, the products we buy, the activities we engage in, the places we go, and how we live life. Vegans do their best not to participate in animal exploitation (be that human or nonhuman) by not buying animal products or products tested on animals, not going to places that profit from using other animals (eg zoos and rodeos) and, where possible, buying fair trade products.

The caption for this article is "Vegan Celebrities Leading Diet Trend". I just mentioned above that veganism isn't a diet, and it's also not a trend. Saying something is a "trend" is saying that it will only last a while.. only while it's considered "cool" (or "sexy")... and then when society's had enough of that trend you can go back to eating animal products. But veganism isn't about being "cool". I don't care what people say about my veganism, whether it's "totally awesome" or "a stupid thing", I will never go back to participating in animal exploitation. Why? Because it's not about me. It's about them, the nonhuman animals who are enslaved by humankind to produce products for our pleasure. It should always be about them.

I must also make something clear about a text in this article..

"The group says its latest figures show that about five per cent of American adults are vegetarians - saying they never eat meat, fish, seafood or poultry - and that half of these vegetarians are also vegan, meaning they don't eat dairy or eggs, either. (Strict vegans also don't eat honey.)"

ALL vegans don't eat honey! Honey comes from enslaved bees, whose food that they store for the winter (honey) is stolen from them so that humans can spread it on their toast. If you eat honey, you're not a vegan. You're a pure vegetarian. Just to make that clear. And if you eat honey, I'd recommend trying agave nectar instead!

I'll admit, some celebrities such as Ellen do a good job of showing the public how delicious vegan food can be, which is great. I'll also say that a purely plant-based diet is still better than an omnivorous or vegetarian (including dairy and eggs) diet, and I wouldn't ask them to go back. Just to re-think what it means to be a vegan, to remember who they're doing this for, and to please not misrepresent it! It's not a diet. It's not a fad. It's not a health thing.

It's justice.

Please Adopt Me

I sit here in this cage right now

Wondering where I went wrong

Why have my family left me?

Where have they gone?

I am trapped in this scary place

Not knowing what will happen to me

I see many other dogs in here

All begging to be free.

I have so much love to give

If only someone would give me a chance

Many people pass me by

But they don't give a second glance

I am waiting for someone

Someone like you

To come and free me from this terrible place

If you don't come, I don't know what I would do.

Please, if you're out there

Don't breed, don't buy

Please someone adopt me

I don't want to die.

Billions of healthy animals are killed in shelters simply because they can't find a home. Please adopt. Save a life. It would mean the whole world to that animal. 

Promoting Veganism at Unitec

Well - I think it's about time I wrote about how my Pecha Kucha which I mentioned in my previous post went. So here a-goes :)

This assessment was one I wasn't particularly looking forward to. I've never, ever done a speech before. What to say? How to say it? 10 slides. 20 seconds speaking during each slide. 3 minutes 20 for the whole presentation. I wrote a script for myself to memorise and I went over my presentation over and over and over again. Boy was it hard to fit all that I wanted to say into that short amount of time I had to speak! I did a presentation on why I went vegan - my story of the goat farm (If you haven't already heard my story, you can listen to the podcast episode HERE).

It went really well! I had my lines memorised well and didn't stuff up at all, and I felt I really got my message across. Before the presentation, I handed out the Boston Vegan Association pamphlets to my classmates and the teachers. Then after the presentation, I handed out slices of yummy vegan chocolate cake!

3 layer chocolate cake! 

I ate way too much vegan cake that day. I got to finish off all the leftover pieces.. :-)

I like it when I have the opportunity to show people how delicious vegan food can be. Today, our Telling Stories class had a shared lunch. I made spaghetti and chickpea balls -

I made heaps! Very cheap to make, especially when you get a packet of spaghetti free from your raw flatmates :-) I'm happy everyone enjoyed my food. A couple of people brought along some vegetable dishes for me to eat, so that was nice of them. 

My classmates constantly ask me questions about being vegan, which I happily respond to. I'm glad that they're curious about it. Even though I don't think any of them will go vegan any time soon, at least I have them thinking about it. That's the first step. 

I will continue to promote veganism at my school in whatever ways I can. Just to get the message out there. Whether people listen or not, it's up to them. But I will never, ever stop speaking up for the animals. 

Not until every slave has been set free. 

Human Rights = Animal Rights

I care about all living beings on this planet. The empathy I have for all animals is very strong, and this includes humans as well as non-humans. I want everyone to be happy, I can't stand seeing someone upset or in pain.

I often see people campaigning against child abuse, for woman's rights, stuff like that. "Violence is not OK", is the message. That's true. Violence towards humans and nonhumans is not OK, and honestly, I don't understand why we don't make the connection. Speciesism?

There is no moral difference between humans and non-humans. War = animal consumption; Murder of innocents. Rape = Dairy industry; Dairy cows artificially inseminated over and over again, in order to continue producing milk. Child abuse = animal abuse; Can you imagine eating a child? The animals who are killed for food are no more than children when they're slaughtered. And don't forget the babies in the egg industry who are ground up alive shortly after being born. Things that would horrify us if they were done to humans are common practice in the animal industry.

Perhaps we look different on the outside, but on the inside we are all the same. We all have a soul, we're all living breathing beings who were put on the earth for our own purposes, not for the purpose of anyone else. Please don't discriminate against other humans and other species.

Human children would probably be tasty and full of protein and iron too, but that doesn't mean we should go around killing and eating children does it? You can get all the nutrients you need on a plant-based diet. It's delicious, easy and healthy.

Please go vegan. It's the least we can do for other animals. If we are to have peace on this Earth, if we want war and violence on humans to stop, we first must stop harming non-humans for our own personal gain. As Isaac Bashevis Singer once said,

"As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. Slaughter and justice cannot dwell together."

Indeed, how can we expect to have peace between humans if we continue to harm innocent beings for the pleasure of our taste buds?