Calendar of Events

Registration fee includes:
• Admittance to all conference programs Friday – Sunday
• Vegan lunch for both Saturday and Sunday included
• Saturday night party/social (snacks & karaoke)
• Conference materials (schedule, etc.)

The Free the Animals Conference will empower and energize activists across the U.S. to attack the animal experimentation issue head-on and make concrete changes for the tens of millions of animals who are imprisoned in laboratories.

Inspiring Speakers, Vegan Food, the opportunity to work directly for former lab monkeys, and Florida in March! What more can you ask for??

The Free The Animals Conference includes optional in-service days on March 1st & March 4th at the Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary.

Confirmed Speakers include:
• Rae Sikora (Plant Peace Daily)
• Camille Hankins (Win Animal Rights)
• Michael Budkie (Stop Animal Exploitation NOW)
• Jennifer Feuerstein (Save the Chimps)
• Susan Dunne (Stop Animal Exploitation NOW)
• Bob Ingersoll (Nim Chimpsky Trust)
• Kari Bagnall (Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary)
• Anthony Bellotti (White Coat Waste Project)

Presentations by experts will share their knowledge with activists in:
• Professional investigative techniques for laboratories andcorporations that experiment on animals
• Professional approaches for spreading the anti-vivisection message through news media
• Professional methods for effectively packaging our anti-vivisection message for the public
• Organizing effective events to target animal laboratories and corporate vivisectors
• Caring for former laboratory primates in a sanctuary setting

Experienced activists will present thought provoking speeches on:
• The necessity of non-violence for anti-vivisection activism
• The scientific fallacies of animal experimentation

Effective Anti-Experimentation campaigners will discuss:
• The Huntingdon Life Sciences Campaign
• The National Campaign to expose criminal laboratories
• Direct Action in anti-experimentation Campaigns
• Local campaign updates

All of this for a low special early registration fee of only $50! Price increases on February 1st and increases again for on-site. A limited amount of hardship volunteer opportunities exist to offset conference cost. Please contact us before registering: saen@saenonline.org or 513-575-5517.

Meatout is the world’s largest grassroots diet education campaign. In 2013, we’re asking dedicated activists to hit the streets the week before March 20th, asking the public to pledge to eat a more compassionate diet for one day – Meatout! The 2013 goal of Meatout is to get 25,000 people to pledge to eat vegan on March 20th.

Meatout is an international observance helping individuals evolve to a wholesome, compassionate diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains. The purpose is to expose the public to the joys and benefits of a plant-based
diet, while promoting the availability and selection alternatives to meat and dairy in mainstream grocery stores, restaurants, and catering operations.

Meatout has grown explosively since its inception in 1985 to become the world’s largest annual grassroots diet education campaign. Thousands of caring people in all 50 U.S. states and a host of other countries welcome Spring with colorful educational events. These range from simple information tables, exhibits, and cooking demonstrations to elaborate receptions and festivals. Visitors are asked to “kick the meat habit on March 20 (first day of spring) and explore a wholesome, nonviolent diet of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Several mainstream health advocacy organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University, and the American Heart Association, have since launched their own campaigns to promote consumption of plant-based foods.

Meatout reflects national trends:
• Mainstream health advocacy organizations and the official government publication “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” tout plant-based foods.
• Over 30 million Americans have explored a meat-free diet.
• One in five teens thinks vegetarianism is “cool.”
• National beef and veal consumption have dropped by 25 and 70%, respectively.
• Major manufacturers and retailers are marketing meat-free and dairy-free meals.
• Several national fast food chains are offering veggie burgers and several major baseball parks are selling veggie dogs.

Spotlighting the lifesaving work of The Humane Society of the United States, The Genesis Awards Benefit Gala celebrates the role that news and entertainment media and other high-profile individuals play in raising awareness of animal issues.

Tickets start at $350 each, and tables of 10 start at $3,500. Online registration is now open.

The Host: Award-winning television host, choreographer, and producer Carrie Ann, who shares her life with four cats and two dogs and recently launched her own foundation, The Carrie Ann Inaba Animal Project, will emcee the star-studded event.

Program Ads: Each year we are proud to present our guests with a beautiful souvenir program as a memento. This is an excellent opportunity for you and/or your company to convey a message to our 800 attendees from the major media, entertainment, humane, and business communities.

Sponsorships: Be a part of this unique and rewarding event! Packages start at $5,000. To learn about various levels and benefits, download the corporate sponsorship brochure, email Loraine Miscavage, or call 301-258-1418.

Mega pop star Ke$ha will receive The Wyler Award on March 23.

Schedule for the evening
5:00 p.m.—Hosted cocktails and silent auction
6:15 p.m.—Gourmet vegan dinner
7:30 p.m.—Program and awards presentation
After-Party to follow
All tickets include hosted cocktails, three-course gourmet vegan dinner, admission to the program and awards presentation, and admission to the after-party.

Hotel Information
We have secured a blocked room rate at The Beverly Hilton for guests who would like to stay there overnight or for the weekend. Guests can either book their room online at our personalized group web page or call the hotel directly at 310.274.7777. Guests should refer to “The Humane Society” to gain access to the group rate. Our discounted rate is applicable towards Deluxe Rooms only (one king bed or two double beds). Total cost per room per night is $253.40 (includes all taxes and fees). This room rate will be available until March 1 or until the group block is sold-out, whichever comes first.

Parking Information
Our rate for event day parking is $12 self parking and $17 for valet parking. Overnight self-parking is $25 per day.

More information
• Email us with any ticket/seating questions or call 310.440.0600.
• RSVPs will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Dress is black tie optional. To respect our purpose, we request that no fur be worn.
• Your contribution less $235 per ticket is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Every stand-up comedian in the business knows you can always get an instant laugh: make a vegan the butt of your joke. Every vegan kid knows he or she is not likely to get a good meat-free and dairy-free meal in the school lunchroom and faces ridicule just for asking. All too many vegans who live in remote areas have to buy their food by mail order or travel to other towns just to eat. And ask any vegan about what he or she must go through to convey a simple food order in a non-veg restaurant. It isn’t fun.

All this even though we know meat is cruel, unhealthy, and catastrophic for the environment. And why are meat, dairy, and fish so heavily subsidized by governments around the world, particularly in the United States and Europe? None of it makes a bit of sense. Nor is it fair or right.

Enter the 6th annual NYC Veggie Pride Parade, which will take place in Greenwich Village/Union Square, on Sunday, March 24, 2013. For vegetarians, the day’s festivities are sure to give their meatless way of living a much needed boost.

Parade participants are encouraged to dress up in costumes and wear sign boards announcing their pride in their vegan lifestyle. Local restaurants, veg groups, and veg everything will be represented with banners and chants. The parade will include animal-rights activists, environmentalists, and people simply concerned with their health. But on March 24, 2013, all will come together with one voice, one expression, of veggie pride.

The procession will begin at 12 Noon, sharp, in the Old Meat Packing District (where 9th Ave. & Gansevoort St. intersect). It will culminate in a festival for all to enjoy at the north end of Union Square Park. There, revelers of all persuasions will hear well-known vegan speakers and music by vegan artists. They’ll all partake in free vegan food and explore a wide variety of exhibitor presentations. At 2 p.m., a costume contest will take place.

Throughout the day, individuals will be encouraged to speak their mind at the Soapbox Testimonial Station. Other activists will beckon passersby to receive a dollar in return for watching a pro-veg video.

Organizer Pamela Rice feels confident that this year’s parade will be the best ever. Ms. Rice said, “I’m hoping that at this event people will see vegans and vegetarians come out of the shadows, once and for all.”

Visit Veggie Pride Parade for more information about every aspect of the event.

We’re pleased to announce the return of Texas VegFest, an opportunity to celebrate all the benefits of a plant-based diet — from improving health and protecting the environment to strengthening our relationship with animals and our connection to the food grown in our community. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy a healthy and tasty diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

There will be great food, entertainment, children’s activities, vendors from our local and greater community, speakers, cooking demos, and interactive events to get you excited about the produce on your plate. We hope you’ll come away from the festival with a stronger desire to eat a healthy diet and the skills and knowledge to do just that.

The organizers behind the festival are hard at work planning and organizing to bring you the best possible event. You can help by becoming a sponsor or vendor, signing up to volunteer, or just by telling everyone you know about the festival.

Texas VegFest is an annual event promoting and celebrating plant-based diets for a healthier, more sustainable future. The event will be held in Austin, previously named eighth in a ranking of “North America’s Most Vegetarian-Friendly Cities.” The event will host a variety of different sponsors and vendors, and will include activities such as:

• Live Music & Dynamic Speakers
• Cooking Demonstrations
• Kids’ Activities
• Good Food & Cold Beer!
• Free Samples & Prizes
• Local & National Vendors

Promoting the Compassionate and Respectful Treatment of Domestic Fowl

The Second Annual Conscious Eating Conference will inform attendees about the true nature of sustainable food choices. There’s a growing awareness of food and its relationship to our planet, our communities, our health, and the animals who share our planet. As we face unprecedented global challenges from climate change to food deserts, we realize that agriculture plays a crucial role in these challenges and that it is our responsibility to make informed and conscious choices. Discussion will focus on issues surrounding backyard chicken-keeping, small-scale farming, “eating local,” animal-free farming, sanctuary experience, and vegan living as alternatives to the agribusiness model of food production and animals.

Conference Hosts: United Poultry Concerns, Animal Place, Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocacy

Registration: FREE for students with IDs. $10 all others

Food: Continental breakfast, Lunch for all participants, Dinner for speakers

Speakers:

Karen Davis, PhD, President of United Poultry Concerns, sanctuary director & author of books including Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry.
Presentation: Is Backyard Chicken-Keeping an Ethical Alternative to Factory Farming?

Will Anderson, Founder of Greenpeace Alaska in 1978 and most recently of Green Vegans and author of the new book This is Hope: Green Vegans and the New Human Ecology.
Presentation: How We Find Our Way to a Humane and Environmentally Sane Future.

Hope Bohanec, Former Grassroots Campaigns Director for In Defense of Animals, longtime Bay Area animal activist leader & author of the new book The Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat?.
Presentation: The Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat?

Michael Greger, MD, Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States and author of Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching. Dr. Greger’s nutrition videos are freely available at Nutrition Facts.
Presentation: The Role of Diet in Preventing and Reversing the 15 Leading Causes of Death.

Melanie Joy, PhD, Ed.M., Professor of psychology and sociology at the University of Massachusetts, worldwide speaker and founder-president of the Carnism Awareness & Action Network and author of the award-winning primer on Carnism, Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows.
Presentation: Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism.

Kim Sturla, Executive Director of Animal Place, a sanctuary for farmed animals that she cofounded in 1989 with facilities in Grass Valley and Vacaville, California. Sturla has been a central figure in the animal rights movement for more than 30 years including shelter work and legislative campaigns for animals.
Presentation: The Emotional World of Farmed Animals: What Sanctuaries are Showing Us.

Cole Bros. circus protest in Wilmington NC USA ~ 2013.

Cole Bros Circus Protesting times: April, 11 – April, 14, 2013

Thursday April 11
3:30
6:30

Friday April 12
3:30
6:30

Saturday April 13
12:30
3:30
6:30

Sunday April 14
12:30
3:30

Location:
Parking lot directly across the street from the Humane Society on 23rd st. at FedEx, 2414 N 23rd St (we had a little problem with parking last year, so please park as close to the roadside as possible and not on the FedEx property. You will see me with all my signs).

I will provide the signs for people to use during the protest, but if you want to make a sign, please do. It’s nice to have a variety.

A photographic exhibition featuring large format photographs of the 300 rabbits saved from a meat farm in Tasmania now living safely at Big Ears Animals Sanctuary. This exhibition is to highlight the beauty of the most misunderstood family pet, to show their beauty, and help educate. Mary Costello is a photographer who donates 100% of her proceeds from the images to the Big Ears Animal Sanctuary. This is an exhibition for the whole family.

Big Ears Animal Sanctuary is a 100% not for profit registered charity. It was co-founded by Brett and Jacqui Steele and is administered by a board of five very animal friendly people. The sanctuary is on a 25 acre property located in northern Tasmania.

The property provides sanctuary for many different species of animals, as you will see on this site. Some have been rescued, such as the battery hens and others needed new homes for various reasons, including neglect, mistreatment or abandonment. All animals live in harmony with each other and with us, their human guardians, and fellow animals.

All the animals at the sanctuary are provided with shelter, food, veterinary care and the freedom to engage in all their natural behaviours. The rabbits burrow and make warrens, the cows and donkeys graze and the pigs root around in the mud.

We are a ‘no kill’ Sanctuary.

Big Ears Animal Sanctuary is different to animal shelters in that the majority of the animals here are not moved onto other people. This is their home, a safe place for them to live out the rest of their days.

We believe there is no ‘difference’ between companion animals and animals slaughtered for food, clothes or experimentation. All animals are capable of experiencing the same emotions as humans, such as sadness or joy (one only has to observe a rabbit doing a ‘binky’ to know this).

We abhor the cruelty caused by modern factory farming techniques such as battery hen systems and confinement pig farming, believing it not only similar to concentration camps but also damaging to the health of the human consumers of these products.

We respect life of all forms and aim to show compassion and kindness to the creatures that have no voice in this world. We believe that being human gives us the responsibility to care, educate and work towards changing attitudes about the “us” and “them” mentality. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that women were considered property and there was a system in South Africa called apartheid. As these things have changed, so too, one day will be the way the world treats its animals. This is what we strive for.

Join us for a powerful gathering of movement building to end endemic systems of animal exploitation

The 2013 Animal Systems Conference is a rare opportunity to join with and learn from leading activists in the field working to end animal exploitation in the legacy of non-violent activism for radical social change.

Over the course of two days and more than ten presentations we’ll establish how to put into place institutional changes that result in similar protections for an animal individual that exist for a human individual in a civil society. Together we will explore the oppressor mindset, learn to recognize the interconnected systems that tolerate animal exploitation, and build a framework for comprehensive animal rights legislation.

Through workshops, dialogue, and reflection we will collectively expand our capacity for tackling the roots of systemic oppression within and around us while becoming more effective advocates for animals and the just and verdant world we all believe in.

Speakers include Alexis Fox, John Sanbonmatsu, Karen Davis, Julie Lewin, Pattrice Jones, Mary Bennett, Anthony Bellotti, Laurence Van Atten-Holyoak, Heidi Weber, Michael Budkie, and Roberta Kalechofsky.

Workshops

• Oppressor Mindset
• Identifying Systems that Tolerant Animal Exploitation (Agriculture, Laboratory, Entertainment, Fashion, Mill, Wildlife, Legal, Legislative)
• Ideology of Speciesism
• Non-violent Solutions – Building the Framework for Animal Rights
• Activist Traps from Flare-up to Burn-out
• Linking Movements
• Subtle Mechanisms Employed to Degrade Animal Advocates
• Why Impede Animal Advocates
• Using the Weak Links in the Chains on Animals and Animal Advocates
• From Collecting Info to Acting on Info
• Keeping the Message from being Stolen and Twisted
• Tactical Analysis
• Working Animals into the Political System
• Reviewing Tools for Change – (Education, Legislation, Litigation, LtE, Negotiation, Media, Public Relations (PR), Economic, Language, Street Activism Poll, Familiar….)
• Creating Cultural Change
• Solving Animal Exploitation through Interconnected Systems

Over 25 million animals suffer and die in U.S. laboratories every year. These innocent victims are subjected to addictive drugs, caustic chemicals, ionizing radiation, chemical and biological weapons, electric shock, deprivation of food and/or water, psychological torture and many other horrors. World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week is the time when activists come together to make a difference for these animals.

This week has traditionally been a time when animal activists have organized rallies, protests, news conferences, literature tables, and other events to fight for the animals that are imprisoned in laboratories and to raise public awareness of their plight.  These animals are depending on each one of us to stand up and act on their behalf.

Please use the information and resources on this web site to support your efforts on behalf of the 25 million  animals that will suffer and die in U.S. laboratories this year. If we can do anything to support your efforts please contact us at saen@saenonline.org.

Please send us information on all WLALW events (protests, news conferences, literature tabling, etc) so that we can post your activities in our events list on this website. This will allow all activists that view this web page to find out about and potentially attend as many WLALW events as possible. Please support us so that we can better support you.

On April 20 through April 28 (two weekends and the weekdays in between), groups from across the world will hold vegan bake sales. Each participating group gets to choose its venue, what to sell, and how it uses the proceeds. We invite you to participate! You can hold the bake sale on any day during the period—or on more than one day if you like. Just about anyone can join in.

In the first four years (2009-2012) of the event, participating groups have raised close to $200,000 for a variety of causes. This year, perhaps 150 or more bake sales spanning six continents will likely raise another $50,000 for their causes. Some of the bake sales have been remarkable; all have been memorable (here are some highlights). The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale was named the 2009 “Veg Event of the Year” by VegNews Magazine, and past two years it has been featured on CNN.com.

WHY participate?

1. It’s a fun way to introduce people to the joy and tastiness of vegan foods.
2. Raise money for your cause.
3. Be part of an event that will publicize the many benefits of an animal-free diet.

HOW do you participate?

• Plan to hold a vegan bake sale sometime between April 20 and April 28.
• Let us (and the world) know by using our handy signup form (preferred) or emailing us at info@veganbakesale.org.
• Hold the bake sale.
• If inclined, please let us know how you did. Send a photo, or a link, whatever you’d like—celebrate and inspire.

It’s that simple.

If you want to participate but cannot do so during the “official” time period, get in touch with us—we’ve got you covered. We strive to be as inclusive as possible.

There are only two rules:

1. Goods sold must be vegan. For baking, most importantly this means no dairy or eggs.
2. Don’t sell or distribute anything during the bake sale (books, brochures, etc.) that contributes to the intentional harming of animals.

You don’t have to be a vegan group or even an animal group to participate. We’re inviting school clubs, Girl Scout troops, church/temple/mosque organizations, even bunches of friends who want to join.

It’s an easy and enjoyable way to raise funds, and to raise awareness about food that is delicious and satisfying but does not involve exploiting or mass-killing animals. (Note that animals are slaughtered in huge numbers, and at all ages starting at newborn, in the dairy and egg industries). In addition, many people are allergic to dairy or eggs, and holding a vegan bake sale shows that you can make super-tasty versions of cakes, pies, cookies, and other desserts without these ingredients.

The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale is sponsored by A Well-Fed World, which works to feed an ever-growing human population through a plant-based diet, thus saving people, animals, and natural resources.

Building on the momentum from 2009 through 2012, we expect the 2013 event to be bigger and have more media coverage—and be more fun—than ever.

You may be able to get funding for your participation! Send an email about your bake sale and estimated costs to grants@awfw.org to see if you qualify for a grant from A Well-Fed World.

The web site is filled with useful information to help you get your vegan bake sale going. For instance, we have links to over a thousand vegan baked good recipes and the web’s most complete collection of bake sale tips. Here are few that are handy to know right off the bat…

Tips for Getting Started

• You need to secure your venue. Possible locations include community centers, public squares, shopping centers, strip malls, pet supply stores, and sports arenas before or during an event. School and religious groups may want to hold the event in their respective schools and places of worship. Farmers markets, craft fairs, and festivals are other potential places for a vegan bake sale, although you often have to register early. Also, any vegan-oriented store will probably be receptive (if not wildly enthusiastic) about a vegan bake sale at or near their business. You may be able to have a bake sale in your office or apartment building lobby, or even on your front porch.
• You need to get all the necessary permissions for holding a bake sale at your desired location. This can range from almost nothing to dealing with multiple levels of officials and obscure regulations. For shopping centers and strip malls, you may need permission from the owner of the property, not just store management. Health ordinances vary from place to place, and sometimes a city code will override a state code. But the good news is that in most instances, bake sales are very easy to set up, in terms of legalities and permits.
  Note: In some European countries, additional restrictions may apply. Watch this space for more information and suggestions to make the process go as smoothly as possible.
• The bigger and busier the venue, the earlier you may need to reserve it. For best results, start those phone calls soon.

New to Vegan Baking?

It’s easier than you think. Just follow any of the million vegan baking recipes on the net or in cookbooks. Or, if you’re an advanced baker, you can usually make one or two minor changes (e.g., use nondairy milk instead of cow’s milk) and you’re good to go. Either way, with vegan baking you can create brownies, cookies, cupcakes, and other delectables—even cheesecakes—that are as tasty as you’ve ever had—or better! You’ll find lots of vegan baking tips and recipes on the web site, but also, in any search engine, just enter “vegan recipe” followed by whatever you want to bake, such as “chocolate chip cookies”or “zucchini bread,” and you’ll get plenty of good recipes and cooking hints.

OK, that’s it for now. Please email us at info@veganbakesale.org if you have any questions or suggestions. Check back often for updates and new information. The signup form is here. If inclined, check out our Facebook page or follow us on twitter.

Spread the news and the love. Fifth Annual Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale—April 20-April 28, 2013!

Cleveland, OH — Join Earth Day Coalition for EarthFest 2013 at this year’s new location, the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, on Sunday, April 21 from 10am-5pm. In partnership with Mayor Frank Jackson’s Sustainable Cleveland 2019 initiative, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and the Ohio Development Services Agency Office of Energy, this year’s EarthFest will celebrate Advanced and Renewable Energy with a new exhibit area under the Fairground’s dramatic on site wind turbine and Energy Education Center. Presented and organized by Earth Day Coalition since 1990, EarthFest is Ohio’s largest environmental education event and the longest running Earth Day celebration in the nation.

EarthFest will feature over 200 exhibits in 8 sustainability areas including: Advanced and Renewable Energy, Local & Sustainable Food, Clean Transportation (with Ride & Drive), Health & Fitness, Community Works, Family Fun, Zero Waste, and Green Home & Garden. Families will enjoy all day entertainment with eco-activities, Ohio’s first biodiesel powered amusement park rides, music on 5 stages, urban farm animals, healthy food from local food trucks, the NASA “Village,” Jungle Bob with his animal friends, Valley Exotic Petting Zoo, pony rides and much more…