Sign of the Times

As much as us vegans find it hard to believe, there are still plenty of people out there who are still totally unaware of what impact eating meat, let alone dairy and eggs, has for not only the animals concerned but our health and the environment too.  They are still yet to make that connection.  Although mainstream media is starting to catch on, it is still very much up to the 'grassroots' to help more people to connect the compassionate and ethical 'dots'.

It is with this in mind that Cornwall Vegans have launched a campaign of informative outreach and peaceful local activism. Part of this campaign involves displaying thought provoking posters in bus stops in the Truro area.  The first of these posters, a beautiful photo of a mother cow and her calf, was revealed and highlighted by Cornwall Vegans on 31st August, causing traffic to slow and prompting positive responses from people passing by.  A commuter commented on Twitter that "I saw it on the drive home.  I wasn't looking for it, but it caught my eye".  With this particular poster raising the question as to why we suppose it is natural and normal to drink the milk from another species, especially when there are so many alternatives to be found, it is hoped that it will catch the eyes and the minds of many such passers by.  Further posters featuring a piglet, a rescued sheep, a goat and a hen are also planned to run up to Christmas and towards the next Cornwall Vegan Festival in early 2017, hopefully swelling the numbers of people wanting to learn even more about taking the positive step towards a more compassionate and healthy lifestyle.

Cornwall Vegans are appealing for donations to keep these posters visible within the city so if you have any spare pennies please do give them a shout on cornwallveganfestival@gmail.com  or send contributions via Paypal using cornwallanimalaction@riseup.net   All donations received will go directly to this campaign. In the meantime, please do share the poster image and if you see it be sure to  let them know  #MyBabyMyMilk

Another part of Cornwall Vegans current outreach work is holding Earthling Experience events. For anybody not familiar with these peaceful events, the public are invited to enter into the world of farmed animals via hard hitting video footage. One such event has already been held in Truro and the response was very positive, with many people engaging with the film, some visibly disturbed by what they saw.  It was the theme throughout the day that people were in general unaware of practices, and were, in many cases, highly misinformed about the meaning behind different food labeling.  One viewer said "I was aware that obviously factory farming is wrong but I thought things like free-range and RSPCA Assured meant they lived outside and had good lives.  It's opened my eyes to what goes into producing that piece of meat on my plate and I'm definitely doing to go away and think hard about it."  The next Earthlings event takes place this Saturday 10th September in St Austell. Please check out the St Austell Earthlings Event Facebook page for details if you would like to become more involved.

Alongside the outreach events other Cornwall Vegan members have been door-to-door leafleting in towns and villages around the county, bringing the peaceful vegan message direct to many homes.  Over the last two months hundreds of leaflets have been distributed with many more planned to be in coming months.

If you would like to get more involved in the lively Cornish vegan community do join them on the Cornwall Vegans Facebook group or at one of the many social and publicity events taking place around the county throughout the year.