I was thrilled down to my organic cotton socks when I heard that the Vegan Society of Aotearoa New Zealand had been revived. Perfect timing for my arrival in this beautiful part of the world.
The dedicated folks have wasted not one minute since their relaunch on World Vegan Day (November 1), getting fluorescent tans in some of the country’s big-chain supermarkets in the effort to sort through products that are helpful and harmful—all while making veganism more accessible the public and to those flirting with the idea of living animal-product free.
The result is The Big Book of Vegan Products, which lists, you guessed it, all vegan-friendly products available in supermarkets nationwide. It includes a huge range of crackers, biscuits, cereal, desserts, ready meals and convenience foods. It’s also free to download.
“We want to demonstrate how easy it is to eat ‘normal’ food on a vegan diet. You don’t need to go to a specialist store or spend a lot of money,” said co-ordinator Alice Leonard. “People don’t have control over the environment but they do have control over their diet. Veganism is a solution to the environmental crisis as well as health issues and animal welfare concerns.”
The proactive peeps also have plans to develop a supermarket tour video, a ‘vegan-approved’ tick for food products and branch out in local communities through stalls and market days. Watch this space!
For those living outside the Land of the Long White Cloud, check out The Vegan Society international site to see what initiatives your local branch is undertaking. Better yet, get involved!
I just checked my inbox to find an email from Greenpages, touting the fact that Al Gore is releasing a follow up to his Inconvenient Truth book and subsequent movie. My question is: will Mr Gore address the biggest cause of global pollution that he oh-so conveniently left out the first time around? That the biggest eco woes are due to the raising and slaughtering of livestock?
The meat-eating “environmentalist” and former politician blames all sorts of things on climate change, but not once mentions what his favourite meal is doing to the planet.
“Despite the many challenges to solving the climate crisis, there is hope, and the opportunities are everywhere – especially in the form of increasingly powerful technological tools,” Gore was quoted as saying. “Renewable sources of energy – if developed – could completely replace CO2-rich fossil fuels, and new technologies can allow us to move forward with unprecedented scale and speed to avert the worst impacts and set the stage for successful recovery.”
I have a much more immediate — and more cost and health effective — solution for Mr Gore. Give up the steak and burgers. Lead by example. Show everyone what the main culprit is and that the solution is in our own hands. That we don’t need to rely on technology or so-called eco gurus or environmentalists to find the solution that will save the human race from extinction. Here’s hoping he mentions that a big part of the solution lies with what’s in our shopping carts and on our dinner plates.
I eagerly await reviews from Gore’s second installment. The question is, do we hold our breaths?
On a lighter note, it’s great news to hear that The Vegan Society of New Zealand has re-formed, launching with a cool new website that boasts all sorts of vegan facts and the like. Join their Facebook page HERE.
It’s a website I’ll keep myself busy with until my new food dehydrator arrives from the U.S. Note to self: don’t plug in an electrical item, that’s made for U.S. users, into a New Zealand socket. I guess it’ll now make a one-of-a-kind planter box. An expensive one at that!
