Vegan Outreach
About a month ago, I was given this brochure at the HUB entitled “Your Choice. Why Millions Of People Are Choosing A Better Way To Eat” from Vegan Outreach when I was heading to my Organic Chemistry class. The brochure that was handed to me had about 10 pages, almost like a booklet! Immediately, I was drawn to the cover of this brochure as it features a man holding up a plate filled with burger and a side of mash potatoes (I am guessing that it could be a “healthified” burger) and a woman holding up a bowl of plump, red strawberries. As I flipped through the pages, I have realized that it is about veganism. The cool thing about this brochure is that the first few pages are testimonies from college students on what made them switch from being non-vegan to vegan students.
Usually, vegans stick to their eating choice due to health reasons or to not support animal cruelty. However, one particular college male student said that he tried going meat-free and he stuck to it because he really liked it. He said that he could eat so many delicious foods as there are so many vegan food options at his college’s dining halls and at every restaurant that he goes to!
What made this brochure worked is that it does not try to make or “force” you to go vegan but to make a choice instead that is, to cut back or to cut meat completely. This brochure features animals that we could save or spare if we eat less meat. Based on economist, Norwood & Lusk from ‘In Compassion, by the Pound: The Economics of Farm Animal Welfare’, in one year, we could save 21 chickens if we cut out eggs, dozens of fish, one pig, one cow and one turkey. I have learnt that half of the fishes that are eaten are not wild but raised in overcrowded pool which causes stress to the fishes. This has lead to 1/3 of the fishes to die from diseases. Pigs are caged and they get so depressed that they would bite the cage bars or they would just lie on the floor unmoved. My heart broke when I found out that pigs are killed violently by getting electrocuted or shot in the head with a metal rod. If the pigs do not die immediately, they are to be drowned in scalding water! Pigs should not suffer this way but instead, animals should be raised in a happier environment.
This brochure also provides all the health benefits when we cut out meat. For example, we can have more energy, look better, have less body fat and have lower rates of chronic diseases. Lastly, the brochure also features ways to go vegan the right way like including high protein plant based foods into our diets and getting enough vitamin B12 supplements. Sample meal choices and groceries are included as well for reference and to show that meat-free foods are readily available almost everywhere!
At the end, I am really glad that I have taken this brochure as I have learnt so much from it and I personally would definitely try to cut back on meat. I find this a challenge as I used to be a pescatarian and I would only eat fish as my only source of protein on weekdays back home. However in college, chicken and beef are so common and assessable that it is so hard for me to stick to my old eating habits. I find this brochure really effective because it urges you to make small changes instead and that at the end of the day, it is our choice.
VeganOutreach.org
Booklet PDF are available too!
Helpful sources can be found at OpposeCruelty.com
