don't know if this is the right place but....

what do other people here do to help publicise the benefits of veganism and encourage others to go vegan?

i want to do something positive for the vegan cause, but i don't want to put people off it in the process as i'm not sure what is the best way to approach this. i don't want to come across in a bad way. i'm not into accusing people of being 'wrong' by eating meat, even if i don't agree with what they do. i'd like to know how to give out the right message without being pushy or a pushover? is it possible? i'm really interested in whatever anyone else does and if they have found it has been a success or not.


also, as there is no local vegan group in my area, i wondered if anyone had any experience in trying to set up a local group and how you would go about it, and whether it is a good idea or not.

sorry about all the questions lol

you could hand out and leave around the "Even if You Like Meat" pamphlets by Vegan Outreach, people might be more accepting of it b/c it is not an all or nothing approach.

that's a good idea
i just looked at their site and its got loads of helpful advice too
i really like the way they approach veganism because it seems so much more achievable and non-judgemental. the very definition of veganism puts alot of people off i think and if people followed their view of 'any animal product that is avoided is something' then it isn't too daunting and i'm sure alot more people would see that veganism is possible.

Haha, sometimes I leave peta lit around grocery stores, but I feel like a vandal - is it legal?

I'm having the same issues. Want to do something, not sure what.

Ha ha. Sometimes the checkout people in the supermarket ask if I'm veg. I always tell them yes and sometimes I give them my "business" card and give them recipes that they ask for when they want to know why I bought so many almond, grapefruits, whatever.

I also have my web site.

At this time in history I believe the best thing to do is be vegan or as close to it as you can, and show people that it is enjoyable, talk about what you eat, and not too much about what you don't eat -- set and example for people to emulate. Educate people who ask questions.

Among other things (handing out "business" cards and flyers), I've been making the connections between meat-eating and global warming...it's such a big issue and it's in the news and therefore people's consciousness right now.

Another Inconvenient Truth
http://www.eatkind.net/inconvenient.htm

A New Global Warming Strategy
http://www.earthsave.org/globalwarming.htm

Another Inconvenient Truth: Meat is a Global Warming Issue
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3312

ABC News: Meat-Eaters Aiding Global Warming?
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/TenWays/story?id=2119267&page=1

Greenpeace: On Your Plate
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/green-living-guide/on-your-plate

Fight Global Warming by Going Vegetarian
http://goveg.com/environment-globalwarming.asp?int=weekly_enews

vegan diets healthier for planet, people than meat diets
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/06/060413.diet.shtml

The SUV in the Pantry
http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc/gasfood112105.cfm

Cut Global Warming by Becoming Vegetarian
http://www.physorg.com/news4998.html

Five Food Choices for a Healthy Planet
http://www.veg.ca/issues/enviro-5reasons.html

and

Eco-Eating: Eating as if the Earth Matters
http://brook.com/veg

thankfully the global warming issue is raising awareness of animal rights.

i also would like to do more. i talk about it a lot, answer questions when asked, etc, but i stil don't feel like i am doing enough. :(

I admit that my veganism is primarily selfish. It isn't so much that I really care about the animals, rather, I don't want to have a view of myself as a person who bathes in blood and gore. I'd rather be able to think of myself as being the kind of person who bathes in scented bathwater and dines on luxurious fruits and vegetables.

As someone who was for years both omni and a hunter, I can tell you that approaching people on "moral" grounds will make far more enemies than converts. PETA's image negates most of the good they could do with a more reasonable approach.

The best approach I know? Cook something good for them, and give them the recipe! Many people think that vegans eat only salad, or fruit, or plain boiled rice; they don't realize that vegan food can be delicious. Win them over, one dish at a time.

The old saying "you catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar" is true.

I like the "Why Vegan" brochures (or the "Even If You Like Meat..." ones are o.k. too) from http://www.whyvegan.com http://www.veganoutreach.com I think showing the animal cruelty behind animal products is the most effective and long-lasting approach. Just eating a few vegan meals (which probably everyone did as an omni, without recognizing it), wouldn't really do it for me, because I wouldn't know WHY I should switch. I don't agree about PETA's material being too negative (as a former omni too).

The college sponsorship program at Vegan Outreach might be a good way for you to do personal activism :)

You can do tabling at events and have a (car) battery powered t.v./VCR showing Meet your Meat and passing out Why Vegans.

At our fundraiser for shelter dogs and cats we served vegetarian food next to everyone else's food, and put a display of "Try Vegetarian" brochures from veganoutreach next to it.
/one example.

Haha, sometimes I leave peta lit around grocery stores, but I feel like a vandal - is it legal?

I'm having the same issues. Want to do something, not sure what.

It's only vandalism if you are destorying public protery....leaving leaflets in magazines or something of that nature is not against the law...so as long as you don't destory anything you should be okay.

IMO one of the best ways is to feed them! It shows them that veg*n meals can be delicious/exciting/filling/etc. And at the very least it's one less meat meal consumed!