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What if you could do one thing that is good for animals, the environment, your health, and your pocketbook?
What if I were to ask you to try it for just one week and see how it goes?
Would you do it?
That one thing is: eat meatless meals.
I could talk to you about the suffering farmed animals endure, as well as the industry-wide practices that have implications not only for animals but human health. I could explain to you how the nutritional-industrial complex is misleading you about food, how fantasies like the Paleo diet only muddy the debate on how best to eat. I could go on to connect animal farming to the destruction of our environment.
These are certainly issues that I care about. It has been seven years since I transitioned to a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle. I was initially persuaded by the science of plant-based nutrition, but that spark was easily fueled by the desire to extend compassion towards all living creatures as well as what Buckminster Fuller aptly called our “Spaceship Earth.” Goodbye, cognitive dissonance. Hello, satisfied conscience. And, yes, taste buds, too. While I could sit here and type at you in a stern voice, I’d rather suggest a tasty and enjoyable way to think about the food you eat.
Today through Sunday is U.S. VegWeek, a weeklong celebration of people, animals, and the planet. It asks people to experience for themselves the benefits of vegetarian and vegan eating. At its heart is the pledge not to eat meat – and perhaps dairy and eggs, too? – for one whole week. The seven-day VegPledge.
To learn more about VegWeek and the worthy organization behind it, I corresponded with Jaya Bhumitra, Campaign Director for Compassion Over Killing. I had the pleasure of meeting this intelligent, passionate advocate last year at the Green Festival, when we happened to share a lunch table and chat.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to be involved with Compassion Over Killing?
[img]2556|right|Jaya Bhumitra. She speaks for the animals.||no_popup[/img]I was the first vegetarian in my family. I became vegetarian at age nine because we had pet chickens (Cluck and Doodle), and it was easy to see how similar they were to our dogs. They were every bit as smart and social. How could I love one but eat the other? I learned about the animal abuse in the dairy and egg industries much later, but as soon as I did I made the choice to become vegan. That was in 2008. I started volunteering with Compassion Over Killing, a national nonprofit farmed animal protection organization, in 2009, and joined the group full-time in 2011. Now I oversee national campaigns such as U.S. VegWeek.
A lot of people get nervous about animal rights, especially when the topic turns towards – gasp! – not eating meat. What are your biggest challenges in terms of advocacy? What successes have you achieved through efforts such as offering people a buck to watch a short video on animal cruelty?
Polls show that most Americans overwhelmingly favor laws to protect animals from harm, and that more than half of homes in the U.S. have at least one companion animal—50 percent of people living with pets consider their furry friends as much a part of the family as any other person in the household. Yet, if we treated the dogs and cats with whom we share our homes the same way we treated cows, chickens, and pigs, we’d be charged with cruelty. How can we claim to care about animals, and then torture them until their end? There’s clearly some cognitive dissonance going on.I suspect that the reason people may have reservations about not eating meat is not because they don’t care about the cows, pigs, and chickens from which their meat is made, but because they have a disconnect. They may be too far removed from the farming process that it’s hard to remember that these are individual and complex animals that show fear, that feel physical and emotional pain, or they have been brought up believing the industry’s pervasive marketing and don’t know that animals are raised and slaughtered in truly horrific ways.
They may also simply not know how to make the transition to vegetarian foods in a way that is easy, affordable, healthy, and delicious. That is what Compassion Over Killing is for. We share both the whys and hows of vegetarian eating, and we empower people to stand up for animals each time they sit down to eat.
Fresh from victories such as BOCA removing eggs from their vegetarian products and the L.A. City Council passing a “Meatless Mondays” resolution, COK now has a campaign aimed at persuading Subway to expand their menu with vegan options. How is the campaign going, and what is your prognosis for its success?
In 2012, Subway tested three vegan sandwich options at several D.C.-area locations that were so popular they sold out of stores. Customers raved about them. The media wrote articles about them. Even store managers and employees praised them. One employee told the Washington Post about one of the options. “I guess I’m going to be vegan now, all for the Malibu Greek.” Many managers have acknowledged that they’re still getting requests for the vegan subs, even from non-vegan customers. Unfortunately, despite already dishing out an all-vegan patty in Canada and opening an all-vegetarian store in India, Subway has yet to make any of the vegan options it tested a permanent menu item available nationwide in the U.S. Currently, D.C.-area locations are serving a vegan falafel (skip the cucumber sauce which contains dairy), but we’re still eager to see a heart-healthy, protein-packed vegan option on menus everywhere. Customers can make this request by leaving a quick comment on WeLoveSubway.com or call Subway’s main office at 203.877.4281.
Speaking of expanding options for vegans and vegetarians, U.S. Veg Week is kicking off today. How has VegWeek evolved since COK launched it in 2009?
It has exploded! Compassion Over Killing launched VegWeek in 2009 in Takoma Park, Maryland, (our hometown), thanks to the inspiration of state Sen. Jamie Raskin, who suggested in regard to Earth Day that people take a Seven-Day VegPledge as a simple yet effective way to help the planet, our health, and animals. The campaign grew to encompass Maryland and Los Angeles in 2010; Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and California in 2011; and then was expanded throughout the country in 2012. Now we have nearly 5,000 Americans taking the VegPledge—including 50 federal, state, and local elected officials; 13 jurisdictions have officially recognized U.S. VegWeek with proclamations or resolutions; hundreds of restaurants nationwide are offering U.S. VegWeek specials; and hundreds of events are taking place in communities big and small. We welcome people to join the fun by taking the pledge, asking their favorite restaurants to offer a special, and attending or planning their own events. Ultimately, U.S. VegWeek is a chance for us to create a cleaner, kinder, healthier world—and enjoy some incredibly tasty meals along the way.
Given recent news like the “Ag Gag” bill signed into Idaho law by the state's governor, Butch Otter, it is clear there still is a tough fight ahead on behalf of animals and, by extension, human welfare. What's next for Compassion Over Killing in the months ahead?
The animal agriculture industry is trying to hide its house of horrors behind the closed doors of factory farms—which is why legislators in some states are attempting to pass laws that would call whistleblowers who are exposing animal abuse criminals. Fortunately, the public wants to know the truth, which is why we’ve been seeing a steady increase of Google searches with vegan-related terms over the past year. We are also seeing articles published every day in mainstream media, such as The New York Times, that highlight both the growing numbers of people choosing vegetarian foods and the myriad of plant-based products now on the market that can satisfy any meat, dairy, or egg craving. The trends are clear: Vegan foods are more popular than ever.
Especially here in the City of Angels. Our Vegetarian Guide to Los Angeles, featuring 200-plus restaurants, bakeries, food trucks, farmers market favorites, and grocers, is proof. People can order a free copy of this pocket-guide to begin exploring all the options. A great place to start is Veggie Grill, where we will be celebrating U.S. VegWeek on Thursda,y 5-10 p.m. (El Segundo location). The restaurant will be donating 50 percent of sales to Compassion Over Killing’s campaigns for farmed animals when customers mention our name to the cashier, so please join us and come hungry!
So how about it? Will you give it a try? I have taken the pledge to be more consistently vegan. You don’t have to go so far. If you eat meat, try having vegetarian meals this week. See how it goes. You might discover being vegetarian/vegan is easier and tastier than you think, feels good, and can even be inexpensive, depending on how you approach it.
Visit www.usvegweek.com to learn more about the issues, take the pledge, and get more information on special events going on this week. You will even find a list of restaurants. To get you started, here is my own far-from-exhaustive list of veg and veg-friendly restaurants that I particularly like in Culver City (and beyond).
To learn more about animal welfare issues, visit Compassion Over Killing’s website. If you would like to learn more about the science of health and nutrition, I recommend starting with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine website.
Many thanks to Jaya for taking the time to answer my questions.
Frédérik Sisa is the Page's Assistant Editor and Resident Art Critic. He is also a tweeting luddite and occasional blogger, and can be reached at fsisa@thefrontpageonline.com.