Calling all vegans: Stand up and be counted!

One of my contacts on Facebook, M Butterflies Katz, started a thread where vegans from all over the world are posting their locations, to show folks how many of us there are, and how widespread veganism is. The numbers are really growing but we need more folks to share this with their contacts so we can reach more vegans! As of this moment there are 1,320 posts. Please check it out and pass it on: Tell us where you are in the world

This is really important for folks who don’t live in places like Ithaca – there are people in this thread who live in communities where they’re the only vegan. Imagine how lonely that must be! Let’s show some solidarity and pass this around so folks can see they are not alone.

“Vegan diets becoming more popular, more mainstream”

Have you noticed your friends and family opening up to the idea of veganism in a new way recently? I know I have! I feel like the whole world is going vegan – it’s really different than just a few years ago, when I would talk to folks about it and they often thought it was just a weird fringe thing. Leave a comment to tell us if you’ve noticed this too! (Or if you’re a recent vegan, or on your way there, tell us – why now?)

Following up on yesterday’s “Veganism on the increase as more people question eating meat”, here’s more good news! In “Vegan diets becoming more popular, more mainstream” (Washington Post), Michael Hill writes,

Abstaining from animal products is an ancient practice found in cultures worldwide. But veganism never got traction in meat-loving America. Tracye McQuirter, a vegan for 23 years and author of “By Any Greens Necessary,” a vegan guide aimed at black women, said things were different until about a decade ago. While she was part of a vegan community in her hometown of Washington, she says there was little understanding beyond it.

“People did not know what it meant,” McQuirter said. “There were not a lot of options in terms of grocery stores. There was no Whole Foods… We had to basically cook everything for ourselves.”

That’s changed. More than half the 1,500 chefs polled by the National Restaurant Association for its new “What’s Hot in 2011″ list included vegan entrees as a hot trend. Vegan entrees came in at No. 71 out of 226 trends (beating out organic beer and drinkable desserts) – that’s far from No. 1, but evidence of veganism making inroads beyond urban strongholds like New York City and Los Angeles. Some chain restaurants like Souplantation and Pizza Fusion even mark vegan items on their menus…

Read the rest of the article here.

“Veganism on the increase as more people question eating meat”

Check out Veganism on the increase as more people question eating meat, by Lisa Krassuski for Monsters and Critics:

…the image of veganism has changed markedly in recent years with its advocates becoming outspoken champions for the environment, health and animal welfare.

Vegans make up approximately 1 per cent of the population in the United States, and veganism and vegetarianism are increasing in popularity across the globe. ‘Veganism is the hype issue at the moment,’ says Sebastian Zoesch, CEO of the German vegetarian society (VEBU).

Read the rest…

Happy World Go Vegan Week! Let’s make a vegan world!

This is World Go Vegan Week! If you’re not vegan yet, try it out. If you are vegan, help promote this event and encourage your friends and family to try out your lifestyle for a week.

Visit the World Go Vegan Week Tumblr blog for recipes, tips, and info about the campaign.

RSVP on Facebook and invite all of your contacts.

If you’re participating this week, either trying out the vegan life, or encouraging folks you know to try it out, post a comment to tell us how it’s going!