FARM's 10 Billion Lives Tour inspires new vegans
From Denver to Vegas and up and down the California coast, this last week has brought nothing short of absolutely epic outreach! The week began in Las Vegas, Nevada under the scorching desert heat that brought highs of 108 degrees. We reached hundreds of young people with the message of animal suffering in our food system, and despite some technical difficulties that unfortunately ended our event early, our presence still proved successful.
June is National Dairy Alternative Month and what a better way to honor the occasion than by highlighting some of the nutritious and delicious alternatives to dairy products. As more individuals decide to explore kinder, plant-based diets, transitioning away from dairy products usually accompanies this change; however, many turn to dairy alternatives because they are lactose intolerant, have a milk allergy or for other health-related reasons. Fortunately, as the demand for dairy alternatives increases, so does the variety of such products and their availability.
Denver, Colorado welcomes Warped Tour and FARM's 10 Billion Lives Tour
Steeped in blissful exhaustion, these words reach you from the road in Denver, Colorado. The Warped Tour journey began last Thursday, where we departed from the mild sunshine of Southern California to head to Las Vegas. After waking up in scorching hot weather the next morning, we headed to the airport to pick up our newest recruits, Lisa Hines and Eva Kalea. These fantastic activists will be joining us over the course of the next several weeks as we educate young people about the horrors of animal agriculture and empower them to make personal changes.
Parked outside of the Guinness World Records Museum in Hollywood, CA, folks lined up to see our video & learn the truth about animal agribusiness
There’s something about sunshine, sand and the unfailing consistency of the ocean’s waves that creates an environment that is wildly conducive to outreach. From San Diego to Newport Beach, we witnessed individual transformations, one by one, as people stepped up to the side of the truck to view the video. The rate of pledges is truly astounding and remains as consistent as the waves rolling in (no matter how far we are from the beach). Nearly every follow-up conversation sparked after the four minute video finishes playing reveals changed minds, as people almost always tell us that they want to reduce or terminate their consumption of animals and animal products.
“I learned how to become an activist and got the courage to become one.” --Phillip, age 14, Oregon
If you haven’t heard about Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp, now is the time to read all about it! YEA is a unique and inspiring summer leadership program for youth 12-17 who want to make a difference in the world. At a week-long sleep-away program in a beautiful camp setting, YEA campers choose an issue of importance to them (for example, some have chosen climate change, racism, homophobia, homelessness, animal rights) and they build the knowledge, skills, confidence, and community to take action on that issue once they get home.
And so we went forth to San Bernandino, where hundreds of receptive students were introduced to the reality faced by farm animals. Most viewers had never been exposed to glimpses of what stands as the norm in animal agricultural practices of today, so their experiences engaging with this material were especially vital and truly transformational. We spent two full days talking with students who are changing their diets as a result of what they witnessed. Several students expressed a desire to go vegan immediately, while many more pledged to make step-by-step transitions towards a more plant-based diet.
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Treating Cancer with Fruits and Veggies
Today, we have our first guest blogger since 2011. While FARM focuses on the animal reasons to go vegan, Jillian McKee offers great tidbits to tell our health-conscious friends and family who still eat meat why they should adopt a plant-based diet.
In the United States, cancer is the second most common cause of death, right behind heart disease. While there are many schools of thought as to why that is, the vast majority of doctors and scientists agree that adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet is a great way for people to not only prevent cancer but also to increase their likelihood of survival once they are diagnosed.
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