Gene Baur's lecture at Georgian Court University

I finally met him! Gene Baur that is. A man who used to sell vegan hot dogs out of a VW bus at Dead concerts to raise money to help animals. Does it get any cooler than that? Through my journey to veganism, Gene Baur has been one figure that I have always admired. He is the president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. I have had the pleasure of visiting the Orland,CA farm and hanging out with some very special calves! (and pigs and turkeys Oh My!) I hope to make it up to the Watkins Glenn, NY farm in the near future.

Gene spoke of animal suffering. A topic that some people are passionate about, others ignorant. He covered factory farming, battery cages, gestation crates, veal, milk, downers and more. In his book,  Farm Sanctuary Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, you can learn the details more in depth. Reading his book motivated me to become more active in helping animals.

Take a minute to look over the Farm Sanctuary website. There are a lot of great resources there. You can visit the farm too. Take your camera and go visit the sweet babies rescued from their death beds. They hold no grudges and look forward to the smiles and snuggles that they get! (you can't help it, they are so stinkin cute!)

Also, with Thanksgiving around the corner, Farm Sanctuary offers you a chance to adopt one of their cutie-pah-tooties! When you adopt a turkey, you get a super sweet photo that you can place at the center of your dinner table (or wherever you want!)  http://www.adoptaturkey.org/

Photos from Georgian Court University and Farm Sanctuary Orland, CA

The man himself!

My favorite animal

This goat loved Steve. Followed his every move <3

The sweetest face!

Excuse me, are you taking my photo? Let me pose for you :)

I love this!

The babies were taken away before the were weaned.

Vegan Spiritual Retreat 8/14/10

Do you enjoy yoga, meditation, vegan food, walking in nature? If you answered yes to any of these, come to the Vegan Spiritual Retreat going on this weekend in Gladwyne, PA.

The INFO:

Date: Saturday, August 14th, 2010
Time: 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Location: Saunders Woods, 1020 Waverly Road, Gladwyne, PA 19035
Cost: $30 adults (some scholarships available), $20 adult students/seniors, $15 youth (12-17), $10 children (6-11), free for children under 6.
To Register: contact Lisa Levinson, lisa@publiceyephilly.org, 215-620-2130

More INFO:

We invite you to discuss veganism as a spiritual practice and meet others who consciously choose a lifestyle based on compassion for all beings. Enjoy panel discussions, guided meditations, a delicious vegan lunch prepared by professional chefs, and a nature walk along the creek at Saunders Woods. We look forward to building a spiritual community and manifesting a positive vision for Vegan Spirituality. Free transportation from the nearest train station and childcare will be provided.

Hope to see you there!

Examples of some things you can do to help animals

OK people, it's time to think outside the baking box! I wanted to show you small examples of other things you can do for animals, other than eating delish vegan baked goods!

3 Super East examples (you don't even need to leave the computer for some!!!)

1. http://www.peta.org/ Go to their action center (top left), read and sign some petitions! Yes, it is that simple. I sign a couple every week!

2. Pick a cause that really upsets you (ex; the circus, fur, McDonald's, water shortage *saving the animals saves water*, etc) you name it you can find someone giving info to the public. Find people in your community who may want to spend an hour a month giving out leaflets on the subject you are passionate about. This is where having a lot of friends comes in handy, drag them along!

3. Hold a Vegan Potluck! Non Vegans insists all we eat is rabbit food. If you were to WOW them with your seriously amazing cooking skills, they may be willing to take that recipe from you and,get this, make a meat free meal every now and again! Crazy I know! Plus it gives you a chance to hang out with the people you love. Maybe you could even lay out some of those leaflets on a coffee table, 2 plastic birds, one stone!

Oh I thought of one more SUPER easy thing! Wear a sticker or a button! You will be amazed at how many people will look at it throughout the day! You don't even have to say a word!

Ok, now pictures to see just how EASY it is :)

SF Vegan Prom

Last night Vegan Outreach held a vegan prom in SF @ a.Muse gallery on Alabama st. It was so much fun! I love being around like minded people. It's not like your high school prom! No one worried about having a date or what to wear. Everyone came together, bought raffle tickets, drank wine and had tasty desserts. Events like this are great to network, meet new vegans and make new friends! Check out http://www.veganoutreach.org/ to keep an eye out for events and get some awesome recipes and tips!