Recap: HSUS Taking Action for Animals Conference 2024

HSUS hosted the Taking Action for Animals Conference in Washington, D.C. on July 19 - 21st, 2024, bringing together leaders in the animal welfare, rights and law community for a weekend of learning and lobbying.

The hotel chef prepared incredible meals for the attendees, including vegetable wellington, apple crumble, ravioli and chocolate mousse cake. We thank HSUS for being one of our Policy Leaders, and pledging to only serve plant-based food at their events.

In addition to sharing Food For Thought’s initiatives and mission with attendees, we also had the opportunity to attend sessions regarding animal welfare law and how we can be effective advocates in our daily lives. This information was vital and eye-opening, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from such experienced leaders in the welfare community!

Recap: Best Friends Animal Society Conference 2024

Best Friends Animal Society hosted their annual conference in Orlando, Florida from July 11-13, 2024. Hundreds of attendees from the shelter, rescue and animal care community gathered to discuss, celebrate and learn about how we can all work towards a more humane future for animals.

Congratulations to Kelli, our raffle basket winner!

Eden, our West Coast and Central Coordinator, was inspired by the incredible conversations at our booth - there is a clear demand for plant-based event menu’s, and the food at this conference did not disappoint! Vegetable and quinoa salad, chocolate cake and rigatoni with plant-based meatballs were just a few of the highlight dishes.

Many attendees were engaged and excited by Food For Thought’s initiatives and mission - a few organizations even applied for a grant or policy on the spot! There was incredible reception to our mission, and it was a wonderful opportunity to reach a wide audience of engagement.

We would like to thank Best Friends Animal Society for inviting us to exhibit, as well as our many generous raffle basket donors including Dr. Bronner, Go Max Go foods, Dr. Melanie Joy, Vegan Club, Mad Hippie, Dandie’s Marshmallows and more!

RECAP: HSUS ANIMAL CARE EXPO 2024

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) hosted its annual Animal Care Expo in the vibrant city of San Antonio, TX, from May 15-17, 2024. This in-person event brought together over 2,500 dedicated attendees from various sectors, including animal shelters, spay and neuter clinics, and veterinary education programs. The conference was a hub of knowledge, compassion, and inspiring discussions about animal welfare.

Beth represented Food for Thought at the conference and had an amazing time chatting with lots of enthusiastic attendees. People were really interested in learning more about our mission. The response was fantastic, with many visitors to our booth agreeing on the importance of extending compassion to farmed animals. It's clear that there's a growing awareness and commitment to comprehensive animal welfare at shelters and rescues.

We had some great conversations with attendees, many of whom took brochures or signed up for more information. Quite a few people were excited about presenting our program and grant opportunities to their Boards, which could lead to some awesome collaborations in the future.

One of the highlights of the conference was the vegan catering, which received rave reviews from attendees. The variety and excitement of the vegan food options demonstrated how delicious and diverse vegan events can be, reinforcing our message that compassion can be both ethical and enjoyable. Our favorite has to be the vegetable and mushroom trees—how cool are they!

The 2024 Animal Care Expo in San Antonio was a significant milestone for Food for Thought. We are excited about future collaborations and the continued journey towards a more compassionate world for all animals. See you in 2025!

Recap: Vegan Convergence of the Peoples #14

On Sunday, August 6th, Animal Place’s Food for Thought Program Manager, Melissa White, spoke on a funders’ panel at Vegan Convergence of the Peoples #14. The panelists included Dawn Moncrief of A Well-Fed World and Leslie Barcus of VegFund.

Melissa spoke about Animal Place’s history, including the sweet story of Zelda the pig, as well as Food for Thought’s mission, progress, and outreach methods, and our available grants. She detailed the policy grant, a one-time gift of either $1,000 or $250 to organizations that have recently adopted a vegan or vegetarian menu policy for their events. She also discussed the vegan event grant, a reimbursement of up to $1,000 in food costs for an organization’s first fully vegan event.

There were 37 people in attendance. The attendees were very engaged and supportive of Food for Thought’s mission of encouraging and inspiring nonprofit organizations like animal shelters to extend their compassion to all animals by adopting a vegan or vegetarian menu policy. One attendee commented, “Our shelters are great, but we need to think about ALL animals!”

At the end of the panel, Melissa encouraged attendees to check out our shelter report card to see if their local animal shelter has a menu policy in place. If they found that they didn’t, she suggested that they send a polite email to ask that they adopt a vegan or vegetarian menu policy. Because the audience was mainly vegan activists, they loved this idea.

Could your organization benefit from one of our grants? Click here to find out if you’re eligible.

Recap: NEFHS Conference 2023

The New England Federation of Humane Societies connects animal welfare professionals so that they can educate, collaborate, and network with each other. As part of their efforts, they hold an annual training conference. The conference covers basic knowledge for those just starting out, advanced lectures for those who are specialized, and progressive discussions to lead shelters into the future.

This years conference was held at the Hartford Marriott Downtown in beautiful Hartford, Connecticut. Food for Thought’s East Coast Coordinator, Tami Andrew, represented Animal Place with a table at the conference. She met a number of wonderful representatives from organizations in the northeast US. 

Though NEFHS tabling was a bit different from most conferences–the booths were not in a designated exhibition ballroom but instead in the lobby outside of the meeting rooms–it was still an overwhelmingly positive experience. Since people were always milling about the lobby for snacks, food, and coffee, there was time for casual conversation with guests, as well as fellow exhibitors.

Sharing Food For Thought’s mission to help nonprofit organizations extend their compassion to all animals by adopting a vegan or vegetarian menu policy was met with a lot of enthusiasm from the guests at NEFHS. There was a high number of people who already had an informal policy in place at their organization and were interested in making it official. Many other guests were in full support of FFT’s mission and interested in resources to help persuade their board, as well as grant opportunities to prove how successful vegan events are.

The NEFHS conference was a great example of our mission since it was a vegetarian event with lots of vegan options. The food ranged from sushi to sliders and included a smoothie station and hot apple cider! It was a lovely experience filled with sweet treats and great meets and we look forward to next year already! 

Recap: HSUS Animal Care Expo 2023

Where do animal people go to connect with each other, eat incredible vegan food, play with puppies, and learn more about animal care and advocacy resources? This year it was New Orleans for the annual HSUS Animal Care Expo.

In a crowd of nearly 3,000 animal shelter staff and advocates from across the country, the Food for Thought team was proud to represent farmed animals! The event was buzzing with joy… and not just because we were in the “Big Easy” with puppies. Being around so many people passionate about animals was invigorating.

Pictured Above: Tami Andrew (East Coast, left) & Hailey Myers (West Coast, right)

I met East Coast Coordinator Tami in person for the first time since joining the team as West Coast Coordinator last year. We had a ball chatting about farmed animal welfare and the Food for Thought mission in person with shelter staff and animal advocates.

Our conversations with HSUS attendees were overwhelmingly positive. People agreed enthusiastically that if we are working to save cat and dog lives we should also work to save cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals. It was so encouraging to speak with so many people who saw the connection between loving animal companions and loving farmed animals. I was surprised how many people came to speak with us because they already supported Animal Place or remembered having conversations with other Food for Thought representatives. 

Some people who remembered us from past events and outreach came to give us updates. One attendee told us about her organization’s progress in removing animal products from their menus. Another attendee told us she is pulling her donations from an organization that hasn’t made the change yet. We met someone who has done fundraisers for Animal Place before. She dreams of buying a property to help us foster animals. She runs Rocket Dog Rescue and wants to visit our sanctuary with her volunteers. Rocket Dog Rescue has been a Food for Thought Policy Leader since 2016! We met another attendee who has adopted chickens from Animal Place (pictured below). A handful of people came by to pass on a “hi” to Kim because they remember her starting the program.

The catering at the conference was exceptional. I’m sure it inspired many event-planning professionals! Taco bars, Mediterranean mezze platters, and Italian spreads are always delightful and easily veganized. I’m still daydreaming about the Thai noodles, tofu and veggie summer rolls, and seaweed salad. The desserts were all so good, but we really loved the baklava and the ube sorbet. HSUS has been a vegan policy leader for years and their events are proof of how exciting and delicious vegan catering can be.

Tami hosted a round table discussion. Most people agreed that organizations raising money to save animals shouldn’t support the slaughter or harm of other animals. The attendees described their strategies for broaching the topic with donors. Someone pointed out that supporters attend events because they care about the mission. They aren’t attending animal shelter fundraisers primarily for the food… so serving delectable vegan food that aligns with their mission of saving lives just makes sense!

Many attendees came to our table because they saw the cute plushie goat, pig, and chicken. We had so many lively discussions about how smart and sweet pigs, cows, chickens, and other farmed animals are and how they deserve the same love that cats and dogs do. Many people took either a brochure or signed up for more information. They expressed enthusiasm to discuss the program with their Boards. We left the event feeling very inspired by all the love for animals and excited for HSUS 2024!

Recap: Best Friends National Conference 2022

Food for Thought had a wonderful experience at our second in-person conference this year! Tami Andrew, our East Coast Coordinator, recently attended the Best Friends National Conference in Raleigh, NC.

OUR BOOTH

All the attendees who stopped by our booth were friendly and understood our mission. Many of them are vegan or vegetarian and aware of Food for Thought. It was great to meet some of our supporters!

Food for Thought Sticker

We offered fun giveaways for this conference. We gave out free “Choose Compassion” goat stickers and “Go Vegan!” bracelets. We also hosted a raffle. The prize included homemade dog bandanas and catnip toys sewn by Crystal, our Program Manager, and a decorative sign that says “You can’t buy love, but you can rescue it.” We asked attendees to leave their business card to enter the raffle. We will draft up a vegan menu policy for their organization after the conference.

Raffle Prize

We added fun facts about farmed animals and farmed stuffed animals on our table. Attendees loved them so much! They took photos of these and wanted to know if the farmed stuffed animals were included in the raffle!

VEGAN FOOD

Best Friends Animal Society is a Food for Thought Policy Leader and they served vegan food at this conference. It was delicious and many of the attendees complimented it!

Recap: HSUS Animal Care Expo 2022

After almost three years, we are so excited to return to in-person conferences! Our Food for Thought Program Manager, Crystal Kozlak, and East Coast Coordinator, Tami Andrew, attended the HSUS Animal Care Expo in Orlando, FL. Crystal and Tami finally got the opportunity to speak with organization representatives face-to-face!

Our Booth

Everyone we spoke with was super friendly and supportive of Food for Thought’s mission. We made a lot of great connections. Many of the attendees work for organizations that do not have a vegan or vegetarian menu policy yet. Even if they aren’t vegan or vegetarian themselves, they agreed organizations should align their menu with their mission. Attendees were the most excited about our Vegan Event Grant. The vegan food served at the conference impressed them so much they want to host their own vegan event!

Vegan Food

The food at the conference was outstanding! It was 100% vegan because HSUS has a vegan menu policy. Some of the meals served included bagels and cream cheese, spaghetti and pesto pasta, Beyond Burger sliders, BBQ jackfruit or black bean burgers, potato salad, grilled corn, chili, and a taco bowl bar. The desserts were delightful too! They served delicious chocolate chip cookies, red velvet whoopie pies, tapioca pudding cups, strawberry and whip cream cups, and chocolate cupcakes dusted with gold glitter.

HSUS purposefully did not label any of the food vegan so that attendees could enjoy the food instead of making a presumption that it’ll be unappetizing just because it’s vegan. Attendees were so impressed with all the food at the conference and could hardly believe it was vegan. We were frequently asked if Food for Thought was responsible for it. We were proud to say that HSUS is one of our Policy Leaders!

Round Table Discussion

Crystal had the opportunity to host a round table discussion. They asked participants questions on the topic of hosting vegan or vegetarian events. All participants acknowledged that we’re in the same fight to help animals so we should be kind to all animals. They were all supportive of adopting a vegan or vegetarian menu policy. Participants believe it’s important to impress guests with a good meal, but not label it as a vegan. It worked for HSUS! We look forward to attending more conferences this year!

Recap: Best Friends National Conference and AAWA Conference

Last month, Food for Thought attended two virtual conferences: Best Friends National Conference and The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement Conference.

The Food for Thought team held virtual booths at both conferences. Our virtual booths showcased resources to help organizations adopt a plant-based menu policy. Attendees were able to visit the booth and browse our resources on their own time.

We were able to connect with attendees through private messaging. This allowed the team to hold conversations as if we were face-to-face. Several attendees expressed their desire to work with our program. We are very excited to work with them to adopt a plant-based menu policy at their organization!

We missed seeing everyone in person, but we are grateful to have made such meaningful connections in a safe environment. As the world begins to reopen, we can't wait to see everyone in person very soon!

Virtual Booth at Best Friends National Conference

Virtual Booth at The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement Conference

Food for Thought Exhibited at 3 Virtual Conferences

Our virtual booths at the conferences:

Organizations are hosting virtual conferences because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Virtual conferences are a great opportunity to network while ensuring attendees’ safety. Last month, Food for Thought exhibited at three virtual conferences.: HSUS Animal Care Expo, Animal Care Conference, and New England Federation of Humane Societies Conference.

Similar to an in-person event, each exhibitor has its own virtual booth. Our virtual booth included resources on how to adopt a policy and our grant opportunities. We engaged with attendees through the public group chat, private message, or video chat.

We received lots of engagement this year! Everyone was very supportive of our program. Several attendees expressed interest in adopting a plant-based menu policy for their organization. Here are some quotes from the conferences:

“Your booth was definitely food for thought! Thank you for the great information!” - HSUS Expo

“Such an important organization & unique mission. Thank you for being part of Expo!” - HSUS Expo

“I appreciate you all soooo much! Thank you for being an Exhibitor here. Your campaign is amazing and your work is changing the world, one meal at a time.” - Animal Care Conference

Since the world is reopening, organizations expect conferences to be in-person next year. We look forward to meeting everyone face-to-face again!

Recap: HSUS Animal Care Expo 2020

This past July, Food for Thought was an exhibitor at the Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo Online 2020.

Many organizations have adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic by hosting their conferences online. Food for Thought attended the Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo in-person last year so we were excited to be invited back to their virtual conference this year!

Similar to the in-person event, each exhibitor was given their own virtual booth. Attendees could browse through our resources and videos, ask us questions on the public group chat or private message, and swipe their virtual badge (the virtual equivalent of leaving their business card). We also raffled off a signed copy of Jackson Galaxy’s book “Catify to Satisfy” for those who completed our survey.

Everyone who interacted with our virtual booth was supportive of our work! Several attendees expressed how thankful they were to have us at the conference. A couple of organizations even adopted an animal-friendly menu policy from our conversation with them!

Of course, we missed seeing everyone face-to-face, and since the Humane Society of the United States has a vegan menu policy, we missed eating their delicious plant-based food! However, the virtual conference was a wonderful opportunity to safely build relationships with members of the animal-welfare community during this uncertain time. We look forward to attending the conference next year!

Our Virtual Booth

Recap: Animal Rights National Conference 2019

This past July, Wildlife & Environmental Coordinator Barbara Troyer spoke at the Animal Rights National Conference (AR 2019) in Washington, D.C. as part of a panel she organized called "Sustainable Food Policies and Climate Crisis: Earth- and Animal-friendly Menus for a Changing Planet!"

Barb Troyer.

Chloe Waterman, Barb Troyer, and Liberty Mulkani.

Alysoun Mahoney and Barb Troyer.

In addition to Barb, the panel included Chloe Waterman, Senior Food Campaigner, Friends of the Earth and Liberty Mulkani, Project Management Program Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund. Barb’s presentation focused on menu policy adoption successes (and challenges) with environmental and wildlife nonprofits and highlighted Food for Thought’s innovative grant opportunities. Chloe spoke about her impactful food policy work with schools and governmental organizations and Liberty gave real-world examples and practical tips on putting sustainability policy into action at large events. This isn’t the first time this powerful team of women has come together—earlier this year, they presented at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) in Eugene, OR. The panel was so successful, they wanted to do it again, and the AR 2019 audience appeared to be a good fit.

The panel’s unique Sustainable Food Policies topic stood out from the 80+ other sessions at AR2019 and drew a good crowd, with engaged attendees who packed the room. One person even thanked the panel team, saying it was the most valuable session she attended at the conference and that they were presenting important information not heard anywhere else that weekend!

In addition to the panel, Barb tabled and networked throughout the conference, engaging with nonprofit employees and activists from around the world. Food for Thought donor and volunteer Alysoun Mahoney also generously lent a hand at the table each day!

The Food for Thought team was pleased with the opportunity to present at AR 2019 and we look forward to promoting our work, as well as strengthening partnerships with other nonprofits, at future Animal Rights National Conferences.

Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Student Sustainability Coalition

Photo by Tacos Sín Karma.

Photo by Tacos Sín Karma.

Featuring event grant recipient: Student Sustainability Coalition, CSULB. This student-run nonprofit used event grant funds to provide vegan food for their 2nd annual State of the Environment Conference. This year’s conference had good attendance, with local activists, plant-based food champions, urban gardeners, economists, and educators sharing their experience and expertise on the state of the environment with an engaged audience.

The conference provided vegan tacos by Tacos Sín Karma that were a big hit, with attendees saying they would be open to eating more plant-based meals if they knew vegan food could taste so good!  Chips were also included, along with plenty of fresh fruit.

Thank you, Student Sustainability Coalition, for providing a fun and approachable plant-based menu at your conference and introducing students and community members to new ways of thinking about how what’s on their plate affects animals, people, and the environment.

We love the wide variety of vegan foods on the menus that grantees are providing for their events! If you would like to apply for our grant to help with your first vegan event, please see our grant criteria and applications here.

Vegan Event Grant Recipient: Greater Farallones Association

We’re happy to announce another successful event made possible by our Vegan Event Grant!The Greater Farallones Association provided all plant-based foods for their Fifth Ocean Climate Summit. The Summit is held every three years and previously featured a few veg options, but not a fully vegan menu. This time around there was a record turn-out and attendees were able to munch on yummy earth-friendly foods while listening to presentations that identified climate action priorities for the North-central California coast and ocean region. And though the Summit is not meant to be a fundraiser, this year’s event was profitable for the first time and will serve as seed money for the next Ocean Climate Summit in 2022!
 
Attendees commented favorably on the food choices, saying they were impressed that Greater Farallones Association took a big step and made an impactful statement by making the event vegan. In turn, the Summit organizers were pleased, mentioning that the organization has “Evolved our understanding of the impact our collective food choices make on the environment and want to promote this to our attendees who all work in the environmental conservation sector.”
 
On the menu:
 
Breakfast

• Bagels with hummus, assorted jelly jams, “Smart Balance” vegan spread, sliced tomato, cucumber, and capers.

• Fresh fruit platter

• Coffee and tea service with soy and almond milk

 Hors d' Oeuvres

• Fresh spring rolls with cucumber, mango, mint, and cilantro, served with spicy peanut sauce

• Grilled vegetable platter with seasonal vegetables and homemade hummus

• Tomato bruschetta with diced tomatoes and basil and balsamic vinaigrette, served on a garlic crustade

 Luncheon

• Roasted portabella mushroom with pesto, balsamic and pickled red onions, cherry tomatoes, and mixed greens served on focaccia

• Homemade farro salad with kale, pomegranate, and maple vinaigrette

• Greek salad with Kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and vinaigrette

• Assorted grain breads and rolls

• Fresh Fruit Platter

• Vegan Cookies

Please join us in thanking Greater Farallones Association for taking a leap and producing a fabulously sustainable climate-friendly event.

Recap: HSUS Animal Care Expo, April 2019

Our latest conference adventure features Northeast Regional Coordinator, Deva Holub, and Wildlife & Environmental Coordinator, Barbara Troyer at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) Animal Care Expo in New Orleans! These two enthusiastically tackled a jam-packed week of exhibiting, round-tabling, speaking, and demoing at HSUS's largest expo yet—with an estimated attendance of 2800 people from around the world in the animal welfare field.

Barb and Deva had fruitful conversations (no pun intended) with hundreds of shelter staff, volunteers, and board members eager to learn more about adopting veg menus for their events. They spread the word about Food for Thought's exciting event and policy grants while exhibiting and during a special "round-table" breakfast session on budget-friendly plant-based fundraising events. Deva and Barb were pleased to note more conference attendees than ever mentioning that they had vegan coworkers, board members, or volunteers and that they were already thinking of and/or planning a plant-based event for their organization.
 
The week culminated for our intrepid coordinators in a special bonus session called Adopt an animal-friendly food policy to save more lives. During this session, Deva gave an impactful and interactive presentation about the why's behind adopting an animal-friendly menu policy. Panelist Josephine (Josie) Morris, Food and Nutrition Specialist of Forward Food presented some eye-opening statistics on animals raised for food in the United States as well as highlighting the work Forward Food is doing with food service professionals and other industries. Stephanie Shain, Chief Operating Officer of Humane Rescue Alliance. rounded out the panel with an inspirational real-world overview of the process of adopting a board-approved vegan menu policy. Barb and Josie each demoed a recipe, as well! Find Barb's Smoky Okie Vegan Jambalaya recipe here.

The entire Food for Thought team was excited for the opportunity to present at Expo and we look forward to next year's conference in San Antonio, Texas! Of note: HSUS itself has implemented a vegan menu policy, and as a result, provided delicious and eye-pleasing vegan buffets throughout the conference. And for meals that were not included, they offered a guide in the app to many veg-forward or entirely plant-based eating establishments throughout the New Orleans area. Deva and Barb may have found a few of these while exploring the Big Easy in their spare time!

Recap: RescueCon

​Last weekend West Coast Coordinator, Allie Gunter, traveled to Oxnard, California to attend the first-ever RescueCon. This very vegan-friendly event featured a variety of activities, vendors, and speakers (including one of Food for Thought’s very own endorsers, The Kitten Lady!). There was bunny yoga, a cat cafe, adoptable companion animals, rescued mini horses, and even a dog running for president!

To further top off an already amazing weekend showcasing the special connection between humans and nonhuman animals, all of the food at RescueCon was 100% plant-based! From the food trucks (which offered pizza and burgers and cupcakes - oh my!) to the nightly Yappy Hour, the bites were a hit!

​Both evenings at Yappy Hour served as another opportunity for Food for Thought to share our work with all of the attendees while they enjoyed delicious, vegan cheese generously donated by Miyoko's. (Thank you, Miyoko's!) This relaxed wine and cheese event served as a perfect example of just how easy it can be to put on a completely plant-based event for your own organization's next fundraiser.

Conventions and conferences are always a great opportunity to not only share the mission of the Food for Thought campaign with the public but to also connect and network with other organizations and potential Advocates. Allie was able to speak with many different nonprofits and Southern California locals about the need for animal, wildlife, and environmental organizations to adopt animal- and earth-friendly menu policies for their events. It is always motivating to see it "click" in people’s minds that serving some animals as food in order to raise money to save other animals really doesn’t make any sense at all.

If you are involved with a nonprofit that you would like to see adopt a formal menu policy, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We offer a variety of free resources, including grant opportunities, to help make the transition as simple as possible!

Recap: APHE National Conference

Earlier this month, two of our Food for Thought staff members traveled to Phoenix to attend the Association of Professional Humane Educators 2019 National Conference at the Arizona Humane Society. Liz Walch, Great Lakes and Canada Coordinator, and Allie Gunter, West Coast Coordinator, had the opportunity to learn about the future of the humane education field, as well as meet professionals from across North America and discuss with them why their respective organizations should adopt animal- and earth-friendly menu policies. Liz and Allie attended workshops with topics focused on the welfare of companion animals, farmed animals, and the planet too.

Liz also spoke on behalf of Food for Thought. Her presentation, Modeling Your Message: Increasing Your Organization’s Impact, discussed one simple change nonprofits can make to expand the scope of their impact for animals and the environment: adopting a veg-only menu policy for sponsored events and fundraisers. (You can catch a recording of it here on our Facebook page.) She heard great feedback from some of the attendees who said they were ready to go back to their organizations and make some changes! Having the opportunity to speak was wonderful, and it was a privilege to talk with such caring people about making positive changes for animals and our food systems.
​
APHE put on a spectacular event filled with knowledgeable speakers, fun networking opportunities, and delicious and nutritious plant-based meals. We are so grateful to be able to send our staff to conferences to not only spread the word about Food for Thought but to also learn more about the future of animal welfare. Seeing firsthand how many compassionate people are out there fighting for animals and the earth always fills us with hope and motivation!

Center for Biological Diversity and Animal Place Partner to Offer Food for Thought on Animal Agriculture

Gary Smith | Evolutus PR | 818-783-0569 | gary@evolotuspr.com

Patti Nyman | Animal Place | 530-477-1757 ext 3 | patti@animalplace.org

Jessica Herrera | Center for Biological Diversity | 520-260-1725 | jherrera@biologicaldiversity.org

​​GRASS VALLEY, and SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Animal Place and the Center for Biological Diversity today announced they are teaming up to call on environmental organizations and conferences to adopt earth- and animal-friendly menu policies.
 
Among other projects, the two groups are co-developing materials, securing speaking opportunities, and challenging the movement to adopt plant-based policies with Animal Place’s “Food for Thought” campaign.

“The environmental community can no longer ignore the disastrous effects of animal agriculture on the planet,” said Stephanie Feldstein, population and sustainability director of the Center for Biological Diversity. “If we want to protect the environment, we need to switch to a diet that’s better for the climate, wildlife, and our own health by reducing our meat consumption.”
 
Animal agriculture is a primary cause of climate change, habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, water use, pesticide use, and pollution. It is responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. And Americans eat an average of three times as much meat per capita as the rest of the world.
 
“By joining forces with Center for Biological Diversity, we have an important ally in the environmental movement as we promote the necessity of veganism for sustainability, preserving habitats, and protecting all animal species,” said Patti Nyman, Campaigns Manager at Animal Place.
 
The Center’s Take Extinction Off Your Plate campaign is the first program of its kind making the connection between animal agriculture and threats to wildlife. It encourages people to reduce meat consumption as a critical means of reducing their environmental footprint. In accordance with its mission, the Center’s board-approved menu policy specifies that organizational events serve only plant-based foods.
 
Animal Place maintains a “report card” of organizations that have board-approved earth- and animal-friendly menu policies—and those that do not. Its Food for Thought campaign works with and awards grants to animal and environmental protection groups to encourage animal-friendly vegan menus at their sponsored events, and is endorsed by national organizations and federations, veterinarians, celebrities, and other public figures.
 
About the Center for Biological Diversity
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.6 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. For more information visit biologicaldiversity.org.
 
About Animal Place
Animal Place, founded in 1989, is one of the oldest and largest animal sanctuaries in the nation, operating a 600-acre sanctuary in Grass Valley, California and an all-vegan market in Berkeley, California. Animal Place’s California animal shelters fill a much-needed niche of farmed animal rescue, sanctuary, education, and adoption. Animals arrive from small and large farms, slaughterhouses, research facilities, and neglect or cruelty cases. Nestled between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, its Grass Valley location offers tours, cooking classes, and workshops at the sanctuary as well as volunteer and internship opportunities. In 2010, Animal Place began rescuing animals directly from California egg farms, and since then has saved more than 26,000 hens. Animal Place—named best farm sanctuary in the country by Best in Shelter—is a nonprofit 501c3 organization funded by private donors. For more information, visit animalplace.org.

National Animal Welfare Conference—Toronto, Canada

From April 16-19, animal advocates from across Canada came together in Toronto for the National Animal Welfare Conference, hosted by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. Food for Thought Canada Coordinator, Patti Nyman, delivered a presentation on the Food for Thought program as part of a panel called "Does What We Eat at Events Matter?" Co-panelists included Nicholas Gilman, executive director of the Montreal SPCA, and Geoff Urton, senior manager of stakeholder relations at the BC SPCA. The panel was popular, inspiring, and community-building.

The conference was a huge success! The atmosphere was both cooperative and collaborative, and critical and challenging. The food was delicious: all veg, mostly vegan, and included a nacho bar at the opening reception, an Indian-inspired buffet, wraps and sandwiches, burritos, mixed salads, and out-of-this-world cupcakes! Our table was busy, as attendees pondered our message, and we handed out 40 Advocate Toolkits, 35 Campaign DVDs, Humane Eating Guides, and lots of literature about Animal Place! Our panel was one of the most well-attended sessions, and shelter staff from the largest to the smallest of organizations were ready to have conversations about the food they serve at events. Many are bringing their enthusiasm about the campaign back to their organizations so they can begin working toward a plant-based menu policy.

With 5 regional coordinators across the US and Canada, we're so excited to bring the message of compassion for all species to the sheltering community! Get in touch if you'd like to see us at your event!

A Lesson From the Academics

HUMANE FOOD POLICIES TAKE ROOT 
IN ANIMAL STUDIES CONFERENCES

We’re here to talk about all sorts of things. And we’re going to see some things. And we’re going to hear some things. And we’re going to eat some things. No animals for the weekend though—we’ve gone all vegan because that is a powerful commitment to the lives of animals as animals and aslives that does not in any way, through any rationale, encroach upon their lively animacy. A welfare defense of using animals for food or other purposes still has at its core the claim that animal wellbeing matters—makes a difference beyond obligatory inter-human politicking. And so we want to be mindful of that claim on welfare and try on for size what welfare-all-the-way, beyond and after WELFARE, might look (and taste) like. 

Animal studies is the burgeoning new field in academia that looks at animals in a wide variety of cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary ways. Think: literature, cinema, history, art, the sciences, and other areas of study. The field is sometimes also known as Human-Animal Studies, Critical Animal Studies, or Anthrozoology. As minors, majors, and even master's programs are being created in this vein, so are conferences. 

And just what do you think these conferences might have on the menu for their hungry lifelong learners? Well in the case of the "All Things Great and Small" conference at the University of California - Davis, it was an all-vegan, four-day foodie extravaganza. Every morning featured a gourmet assortment of muffins and pastries. Lunch included soups, sandwiches, and fruit. As for break time—coffee and cake!

In his introductory welcome, conference organizer Ted Geier, put the event and the food offerings into context—

Welfare-all-the-way. We like the sound of that. Shouldn't animal shelters, humane societies, and rescue groups also try a ‘welfare-all-the-way’ approach? If the academics can do it, so can the welfare community. 

Conference attendees enjoy a day trip to PAWS sanctuary in Northern California, an organization that endorses the Food for Thought campaign and maintains a veg policy for their sponsored events. Photo credit: pawsweb.org.