Category Archives: News

Interview with Unny Nambudiripad

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Can you feel the excitement growing for the first ever Twin Cities Veg Fest? I know I can! This week we are lucky enough to have the Executive Director of Compassionate Action for Animals with us, Unny Nambudiripad.

CAA: What is your role on the Veg Fest team?

Hi Ashley, I’m the Executive Director of Compassionate Action for Animals, the organization hosting this event. As the director and sole staff of CAA, it’s my responsibility to make sure that all of our programs and events — including the Veg Fest — are planned according to our mission and core values and to facilitate the volunteers and funding necessary to make them successful. I provide the committee members with resources on using our technology, coordinating volunteers, finding supplies, and raising funds.

CAA: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I like swimming in the lakes, playing cards with my family, square dancing, sharing tasty and healthy food with friends, and singing loudly (and out of tune) while I bike all around town. I also like transportation policy, worrying about what I forgot to do today, Harry Potter, and superheroes. [ed: best response ever to this question.]

CAA: How did you get involved in planning the Veg Fest?

We’ve been talking about doing something like this for well over a decade and for a few years we had planned a conference (Their Lives, Our Voices). I wanted more of our time spent on activities that reach a wider audience. The conference attracted a couple hundred people, but I know that this festival can attract thousands. We need a lot more folks paying closer attention to how their food choices impact the treatment of animals, and this seemed like a strategic way to get the word out. We started planning in August and have been gaining steam since then!

The question I ask myself every day is: what’s going to help animals the most? It’s hard to be very certain, but I have a few ideas. This event will address the area where humans exploit animals the most: animal agriculture. Also, every day people sit down and decide what to eat and that decision has a huge impact on farmed animals. We want to help people make compassionate choices for farmed animals and the Twin Cities Veg Fest will empower people by educating them about how animals are treated, by giving them inspiration and resources, and also to see that there are many other folks who care about animals and want to make kind choices. This is why I want to plan the Veg Fest.

CAA: What have you enjoyed the most so far?

It’s been fun working with the committee. They’ve been motivated, consistent, and have a great sense of humor. They’re quite good looking (if you look at them from the right angle). I also like that we’ve been getting more attention for this event from the media, from acquaintances, and from strangers than we usually do.

CAA: What are you most looking forward to at the Veg Fest?

I’m looking forward to getting feedback after the event that says one of two things: 1) Thanks so much for putting this event on. I had a great time and learned so much and I am going to try to eat more plant-based foods, or 2) I want to get involved to help animals!

I’ve been advocating for animals for 15 years and I see this event, and all I do, as steps along the way to change how farmed animals are treated. Sometimes it’s hard to see the progress, but I stay positive because I know that’s what’s needed to be successful. I hope that this event will bring more people into the animal advocacy movement.

CAA: Who/what species is you favorite animal?

I like cows! I was around cows a lot as a kid when visiting my grandparents in India. They are serene and gentle. I aspire to be as serene as they are.

Thanks so much Unny for taking the time to share your knowledge and passion with us as we gear up for the Veg Fest! Inspired to help out? Check out our Volunteer page for more info on how you can get involved!

Help Us Reduce Waste by Volunteering at Veg Fest

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We still need a few more volunteers for the Veg Fest on July 14. In particular, we need more people on the maintenance crew to help make sure we can compost as much waste as possible.

While almost everything at the event will be compostable, there will be a few things that need to go in the trash. Because of that, we need volunteers to monitor the compost bins and make sure they stay trash-free. If we don’t have volunteers to do this, we won’t be able to have compost bins at all, so this is a critical volunteer position!

We have shifts in the morning (9:45-1:30) and afternoon (1:15-5:00) available. Please email volunteer@tcvegfest.com if you’re interested in helping out. You can help make the festival a great success!

Interview with Shannon of Bridges of Respect

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Another day closer to the Twin Cities Veg Fest, another informative and fun interview with one of our volunteers! Today we have Shannon from Bridges of Respect with us to discuss his role in the Veg Fest planning!

CAA: What is your role on the Veg Fest team?

I’ve been working with various companies and organizations that are having booths at Veg Fest. As the Exhibitor Logistics Coordinator I’ll be organizing set-up and making sure exhibitors have everything they need. I’ll also be one of the speakers at the Fest.

CAA: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I’m an artist and try to combine art with activism. I also do a lot of camping, kayaking, and Netflix.

CAA: How did you get involved in planning the Veg Fest?

The potential of Veg Fest to illuminate the benefits of vegetarianism to a broad audience got me on board right away. I’ve helped out with many different events hosted by Compassionate Action for Animals over the years and I’m the program coordinator for our humane education program: Bridges of Respect.

CAA: What have you enjoyed the most so far?

Watching the Veg Fest committee bring together all of the specifics is awe-inspiring. I’m positive this is going to be a great event for everyone!

CAA: What are you most looking forward to at the Veg Fest?

The food of course! I’m also pretty excited to see Erica Meier’s presentation.

CAA: Who/what species is you favorite animal?

That is a difficult question, but I’m going to have to say Bat Cat the Feline Avenger. My wife and I brought him home from the shelter I worked at 13 years ago and he manages to brighten each of our days. We call him BC for short.

Thanks so much Shannon for taking the time to talk with us! Still want to get involved? Visit our volunteer page for more info!

The Amazing Veg Fest Food Vendors

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We recently had a media preview event for the Veg Fest. Selected media representative were invited to come try out some of the fantastic food that will be available at the festival.

As a bonus, some of us involved in planning the event also got to try all this food. It was truly amazing!

In this post, I’d like to highlight our three food court vendors. All of these businesses will be at the festival selling their amazing food. They’ll be offering small portions, so you’ll be able to try more than one before you fill up.

Petrina Walters of Asase Yaa brought a true cornucopia of dishes. I could go on at great length about all of them, but I’ll pick a few highlights.

First, there was the potato salad. Forget the gloopy mayo-based salads of youthful picnics. This was a fresh, lively-tasting potato salad without any mayo. Just potatoes, onions, herbs, and spices. Delicious. Then there were the black-eyed peas. This was probably one of the best bean dishes I’ve ever tasted. It was very simple, just beans, spices, oil, and some sort of food magic. She also made an amazing greens dish, a tofu and vegetable stew, fried plantains, jollof rice with lentils, and some peanut candy!

Rebecca Irey from Pure Market Express brought three amazing, all vegan, all raw dishes. I loved the jalapeno poppers, fliled with a rich, creamy nut-based “cheese”. Her raw lasagna was also a delight. Layers of ultra-thin marinated zucchini, pesto, nut cheese, and tomatoes. These two dishes really dispel any misconceptions you might have about raw food. It’s not just roughage and sprouts. These two dishes were creamy, rich, herbal, and fresh.

Her piece de resistance was a cream pie that consisted of one layer of vanilla banana creme and one layer of chocolate creme. It was somewhere between cheesecake and mousse in texture, and sinfully delicious.

Finally, Seward Cafe sampled tofu pesto sandwich. It sounds simple, but it’s all about the execution. Perfectly grilled firm marinated tofu, fresh tomato and sprouts, and a vegan walnut pesto that popped with basil. All of this was placed between slices of excellent bread.

I’ve gone to Seward for years, but I always order breakfast. Maybe next time I’ll have to try something else off the lunch menu. Clearly they know how to do more than just make amazing hash browns, biscuits, and gravy.

And this was just a fraction of the food we sampled. We had Tofurkey hot dogs, Field Roast sausages, Vegan Pockets, and Upton’s Naturals sandwiches too. I feel stuffed just thinking about it.

You might be getting jealous, but don’t be. You too can try all of this amazing food. Just come to the first ever Twin Cities Veg Fest on Saturday, July 14!

Interview with Jackson Tyler Eddy of A Frame Forward Photography

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Today we have an interview with Jackson Tyler Eddy, owner and operator of A Frame Forward Photography. We’d like to thank Jackson not only for his support of this year’s Veg Fest, but also for putting his beliefs into action with his dedication to green business practices. To see samples of his work (we highly recommend it) visit his website.

CAA:  What is your mission?

Jackson:  I am a Twin Cities based Custom Lifestyle Portrait & Wedding Photographer. Almost nothing makes me happier than delivering amazing images to clients that truly touch their hearts, now and well on into the future. I’m a big believer in Gandhi’s wise words about being the change you wish to see in the world. I base all my personal and business decisions around this philosophy. I am Minnesota’s highest rated “green” photographer, operating and creating in an eco-friendly manner. You can read more about my green ways on my website.

CAA:  Why are you sponsoring the Veg Fest?

Jackson:  I was excited about being a part of this inaugural event because I have a strong passion about the Vegan/Vegetarian lifestyle and wanted to connect with other like-minded folks in and around my community.

Having never really been a big meat eater, I have been a pure Vegetarian for about 7 years now, along with my better half Natalie and our two young boys. I’m Vegan a lot of the time but do dabble with kind cheese and eggs on occasion.

Besides the fact that killing an animal makes me sad, factory farming is just out of control. It’s out of control in the sense of sheer animal cruelty and also because of the huge negative impact on our environment and surrounding ecosystems. I am excited that the awareness, and knowledge about these facts are becoming more mainstream. Regular folks, filmmakers, influential leaders, and celebrities have all been embracing and endorsing our movement and I feel that the future is bright.

CAA:  What are you most excited about at the Veg Fest?

Jackson:  Although I won’t be speaking at the event I will be just about everywhere else, with camera in hand capturing the days details, events, and speakers.

I’ll also have a booth to share my work and my family will be joining me as well. I’ll be giving away some deeply discounted Kid & Family Portrait coupons as well as giving away some free sessions in a random drawing.

I absolutely love photographing and spending time with kids and their families. And to be able to work with clients that share the same personal beliefs makes it that much more special. I very much look forward to meeting a bunch of awesome like-minded individuals and families at TC Veg Fest in July.

Interview with Scott Heiser of the Animal Legal Defense Fund

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This week we had a chance to interview Scott Heiser of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. He’ll be speaking at this year’s Veg Fest, and from the sound of it you won’t want to miss his talk. The Animal Legal Defense Fund has been fighting for animal welfare through the legal system for over thirty years. For more information on the organization’s work, visit www.aldf.org/.

CAA:  What will you be speaking about?

Scott:  I’m speaking about animal law in the context of food production. I’ll be laying out some of the common practices employed in factory farming and explaining how and why existing animal cruelty laws are decidedly inadequate to address this conduct. I’ll also touch on the ag industry’s fear of undercover work and the industry’s reaction to the disclosure of these practices (i.e., ag-gag laws).

CAA:  How did you get involved in animal advocacy?

Scott:  As a prosecutor I have always considered animal cruelty cases to be a top priority for the justice system. When I decided to leave the DA’s office back in 2007, I joined ALDF to help law enforcement and prosecutors get better results in animal cruelty cases—the move was just a perfect fit for me, my skill set and my personal values.

CAA:  What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Scott:  Sailing, hanging out with my wife, our 16-year old dog (Atticus) and our two cats. Whitewater kayaking as well.

CAA:  What are you most excited about at the Veg Fest?

Scott:  Meeting amazing people and seeing old friends—it is such a treat to be a part of something like this!

CAA:  What’s your best tip for someone who wants to go vegetarian or vegan?

Scott:  I’d have to say that one might need to approach the change with some humility. When I made the switch, I brought a little too much “in your face” content about the realities of meat production in the U.S. and my friends got pretty defensive about their (un)willingness to consider the issues that drive one’s decision to bag meat.

CAA:  Who/what species is your favorite animal?

Scott:  That’s a tough call. Over the years, I have had some amazing bonds with some very cool animals with exceptional personalities. However, I’m going to have to say that my relationship with Atticus is it. At 16, he’s pretty dependent on me for help (he used to be such a fiercely independent soul) and seeing that level of trust he has in me is a pretty amazing thing—even more so when I think back to the tough start to life he had when we got him from the shelter 15.5 years ago.

 

Interview with Jeff Johnson

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With warmer temperatures making an appearance it’s beginning to set in that the inaugural TC Veg Fest is just around the corner! We’ll continue ramping up to the event by giving you some interviews with volunteers, speakers, and sponsors so you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the event. Today we’re visiting with volunteer Jeff Johnson.

CAA: What is your role on the Veg Fest team?

I’m the sponsorship coordinator, so I look after soliciting sponsors, exhibitors, and food vendors for Twin Cities Veg Fest.

CAA: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love to cook and eat tasty vegan food and I love to ride my bike!

CAA: How did you get involved in planning the Veg Fest?

My first experience with Compassionate Action for Animals was during last year’s Veg Week events—I went to Paul Shapiro’s talk, a number of dine outs, and a cooking class. After I saw what great work CAA was doing, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. After a really helpful couple of conversations with Unny about ways I could be involved in CAA, I signed on to the Twin Cities Veg Fest planning committee.

CAA: What have you enjoyed the most so far?

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the other folks on the Twin Cities Veg Fest planning committee and interacting with folks at all of the veg-friendly organizations that will be taking part in festival. Bike rides with Unny and Dave’s pointers to restaurants that serve amazing vegan food have been great too!

CAA: What are you most looking forward to at the Veg Fest?

I look forward to sampling all the delicious vegan food and hearing the interesting talks.

CAA: Who/what species is you favorite animal?

I’m a fan of cats. I’m especially fond of Bubs, the cat who lives with us.

Thanks Jeff for taking the time to talk with CAA about TC Veg Fest. The event is happening on July 14th from 10am to 5pm at Coffman Memorial Union on the Minneapolis University of Minnesota Campus – hope to see you all there!

Interview with Dave Rolsky

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Today’s Veg Fest interview is with Dave Rolsky, one of the founders of Compassionate Action for Animals and the Veg Fest Committee Chair. Dave gives us a glimpse into the event and let’s us get to know him a little better. Dave is an integral part of TC Veg Fest and I had a great time talking with him about his role in the event.

CAA: What is your role on the Veg Fest team?

I’m the Veg Fest Committee Chair. I’m responsible for the whole thing, which really means I try to get everyone else to do the work so I don’t have to. So far this has worked very well, which is a testament to all the great volunteers on the committee.

I also did a lot of the setup work for this website, as I’m the resident geek at Compassionate Action for for Animals. Finally, I’ll be speaking at the festival on the topic of how to get active for animals.

CAA: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

As I mentioned, I’m a geek, so I actually spend a fair amount of my free time programming, in addition to the programming that I do for my day job. I like playing video games way too much and I’m an avid reader.

I also enjoy hanging out with my lovely wife, eating delicious vegan food (especially desserts), and going to concerts, both classical and popular. Recently we saw the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra perform an amazing percussion concerto by James McMillan.

CAA: How did you get involved in planning the Veg Fest?

We’ve talked about doing a Veg Fest for several years now. I was involved in planning the Their Lives, Our Voices conferences in 2008, 2009, and 2010. This year, when discussing whether to do the conference again, I pushed for us to do a Veg Fest instead. So I guess I got involved by being the one to push for doing it in the first place.

CAA: What have you enjoyed the most so far?

This event has generated a lot of excitement from our volunteers and people in the community who we’ve talked about. It will be one of CAA’s biggest ever events in terms of attendance (if we do it right), so I’m really excited about it. I’ve also really enjoyed working with the volunteers on the committee. This is one of the best volunteer groups I’ve worked with. I don’t have to nag anyone to get their tasks done, which is great.

CAA: What are you most looking forward to at the Veg Fest?

As an attendee, it’s all about the food for me. I’m really excited that one of my favorite local chefs, Petrina from Asase Yaa, will be selling food. She used to have a restaurant years ago and the food was amazing. She also catered Their Lives, Our Voices one year to great acclaim.

As an organizer, I’m most looking forward to seeing lots of people learn about vegan food, animals, and factory farming.

As a speaker, I’m most looking forward to people actually coming to my presentation. Or maybe I’m most afraid that they won’t!

CAA: Who/what species is you favorite animal?

I’ll do what Amber did, and answer this twice. When it comes to companion animals, I’m definitely a cat person. I grew up with cats in the house, and one of my best friends for a long time was my cat Samantha. Unfortunately, I’m quite allergic to cats so I can’t have them living with me these days. I love to play with other people’s cats, as long as I wash my hands before I touch my face!

For farmed animals, I really love pigs. They’re such fun, friendly, social animals. They’re quite adorable.

Thanks Dave for taking the time to do this interview and don’t forget to mark your calendars for July 14th!

Interview with Kim Dreher of VegFund

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Today we have an interview with Kim Dreher, Director of VegFund, an organization based in Glendale, California that aims to support animal advocacy organizations across the country.

CAA:  Why are you sponsoring the Veg Fest?

Kim:  Veg Fests are a fantastic way to expose the public to the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. It’s a positive form of outreach that gives people the opportunity to try delicious vegan food, learn about the issues, and enjoy a fun day with friends/family.

CAA:  What is your mission?

Kim:  VegFund empowers vegan activists worldwide by funding and supporting outreach activities that inspire people to choose and maintain a vegan lifestyle.

CAA:  What are you most excited about at the Veg Fest?

Kim:  The number of lives that will be changed as a result of this event. Each person who reduces or eliminates his/her consumption of animal products has a tremendous impact.

CAA:  What do you see in the future for animal advocacy?

Kim:  Now, and in the future, social media offers incredible tools for spreading the vegan message. VegFund works to stay on the cutting edge of this technology and creates programs that take advantage of what these tools have to offer. For more info, email us at vo@vegfund.org.

The primary focuses of VegFund’s financing efforts are food sampling and video outreach projects, but merit-based funding is also available for innovative projects that promote vegetarianism and veganism. To learn more about their important work, or to apply for funding, visit their website.

Interview with Veg Fest Speaker Mark A. Berkson

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This week we interviewed Mark A. Berkson, professor of religion at Hamline University and advisor to the Hamline Animal Rights Coalition. Mark is a longtime friend of CAA and has spoken at some of our past events, and we are thrilled to have him as a speaker at this year’s upcoming Veg Fest. He was kind enough to take the time to tell us a bit his work and interest in the animal rights movement. When you come to Veg Fest, make sure to catch his talk if you can—it promises to be a very interesting conversation.

CAA:  What will you be speaking about?

Mark:  The tentative title of the talk is “Faith and Food: Comparative Religious Perspectives on Animals, Compassion, and the Meal on our Plate.”  I’m going to talk about the ways that different religious traditions give us a framework to see non-human animals as something other than resources to be used, but rather as kin, as beings with whom we share a great deal and to whom we must extend compassion and concern. The perspectives of the different religious traditions vary, but all of them provide valuable resources that can be used to create a strong ethic of animal welfare. The record of the world’s religions on animals is mixed, but I want to focus on those aspects of the traditions that are most useful to those of us who care about animals. Most people in the world are profoundly influenced by their religious traditions, so if we want to create a better world for animals, we need to understand these traditions and how they can shape values and inspire people to action. Think of the way that religious language played a central role in the Civil Rights movement, for example. It can work the same way in the animal welfare movement.

CAA:  How did you get involved in animal advocacy?

Mark:  It was a gradual process that began with changing my own eating habits. I realized that there was a fundamental tension between how I felt about animals (particularly those I loved) and the fact that I unreflectively wore and ate them. I couldn’t live with this cognitive and emotional dissonance, so I began to cut meat and leather out of my life (the process began nearly twenty years ago). I was surprised by how easy it was. (I love to eat, and I can honestly say that I have never missed meat. The increasing number of vegetarian products out there has certainly helped.)  As I started to teach, I began to integrate sections on religion and animals into my courses, as I came to see that one can learn a lot about a religion by examining its views on animals. Ultimately, I developed an entire course on religion, ethics and non-human animals. I began lecturing about these topics at conferences (including a number of the TLOV conferences sponsored by CAA) and become increasingly active in the movement. I believe that the treatment of animals is one of the great moral issues of our time, and I simply cannot stay silent. It has an impact on our health, the environment, and most of all, the lives of billions of sentient, feeling beings. Ethics can be very complicated, but it seems to me that there is a simple guideline that is worth trying to live by – Live in such a way so as to minimize the unnecessary suffering and death of other sentient beings. Since most of do not have to eat animals to live happy, healthy lives, we should not. And the factory farm system is, of course, an indefensible moral atrocity. We must do everything we can to end it.

CAA:  What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Mark:  I enjoy spending time with my family, and every weekend my two sons (both vegetarian!) and I go out together for lunch and activities, ranging from concerts and movies to walks around Lake Como. We also attend weekly meditation at a wonderful place called Common Ground in Minneapolis, which teaches a mindfulness practice. I also love going out with my wife and our friends for meals and good conversation. Music plays a profoundly important part in my life, and I enjoy both listening to it (classic and new rock, jazz, blues, classical) and playing it (I’m in a band called Ibaba, where I play guitar). Yoga is an essential practice for me, and I think I’d fall apart if I didn’t do it regularly. I also love reading, and while most of the books I read are related to what I teach and write about, I treasure the opportunity to indulge in a good novel when I have time.

CAA:  What are you most excited about at the Veg Fest?

Mark:  I’m looking forward to connecting with others who are part of the animal welfare community. In so many contexts, vegetarians and animal welfare activists are a minority, and it often feels like we need to explain ourselves. It’s nice to have a sense of shared commitment and solidarity with others. I also look forward to hearing the other speakers (there are some dynamic, inspiring speakers on your schedule), who always teach me a lot. And, of course, I can’t wait to sample the food. I can rationalize a lot of eating if I convince myself I’m doing research.

CAA:  What’s your best tip for someone who wants to go vegetarian or vegan?

Mark:  If someone is thinking of going vegetarian for the first time, I’d tell them that it need not be all or nothing, and it doesn’t have to be sudden. Some people think that, since they really love some particular kind of meat, that they could never be vegetarian, and so they continue with their same diet. They can just begin by gradually integrating vegetarian meals into their diet a few times a week, trying veggie “meat” products, etc. Once people see how easy it is (and, in many cases, how much better they feel), momentum builds and it becomes easier. For me, the strongest motivator was an ethical one, but different people are motivated by different things. Over time, they’ll discover the multiple reasons why a largely or entirely vegetarian diet makes sense, but it can’t be forced. The motivation must come from within, although others can support it. I used to think that I could argue people into changing their views and diets. Now, I understand that the best strategy is to gently “plant some seeds” with occasional words and reading material (informative but not combative), support and encourage someone who is making positive changes in their lives, and share really good vegetarian food so people know what’s out there.

CAA:  Who/what species is your favorite animal?

Mark:  Well, this is almost impossible to answer. At the moment, we have three cats, and I have a great love for that species (including big cats, which are remarkable beings). I’m also a big fan of dogs. Dog energy can just make a person happy. I have always been fascinated by primates, and I can spend large amounts of time just watching bonobos, chimps, gorillas, etc. I’m a sucker for primate documentaries. I’m also very interested in wolves (my eldest son’s favorite animal), and I had a great time at the wolf museum in Alaska. Even very small social animals, such as ants and bees, have societies that are intriguing. I recently had some amazing close encounters with dolphins, and that was exhilarating. And the more I learn about elephants, the more I respect and admire them. I could keep on going – after all, what animal isn’t fascinating? – but that will have to suffice.