1) LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Hello Everyone,
Summer is my most favorite season, largely due to the greater variety of produce
available in my current area during the Summer months. The change of season
allows us to have access to Farmer's Markets and "Pick Your Own Produce" farms.
As a matter of fact, one of my most favorite activities of Summer is to go
and pick my own produce from one of the farms that allow it. The wonderful
thing is that these farms are located all over the world. Location of the
farm and month of visit will determine what produce is available. It is best
practice to call the farm to confirm hours and ensure crop availability. You
can find a "Pick Your Own" farm, obtain picking tips, recipes, and even
information about canning and freezing at
[ http: pickyourown.org ]
.
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2) THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP'S 1ST ANNUAL ONLINE CHARITY AUCTION: JUNE 1-JUNE 15, 2015
Bid on unique products from your favorite veg-friendly companies for a good
cause at The Vegetarian Resource Group's 1st Annual Online Charity Auction!
For a full list of sponsors see:
[ http://goo.gl/Ecbeie ]
June 1st through June 15th, 2015, The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) will
hold an online fundraising auction via Ebay Giving Works where 100% of each
item's final bid price will be donated to The VRG. Funds from this event will
be used to help offset the costs of printing and shipping our vegan and
vegetarian-based educational materials which we have provided to activists,
professionals and organizations around the country, for over 33 years, free
of charge!
The link to the auction will be shared on our website [ http://www.vrg.org ]
and Facebook
page [ https://www.facebook.com/thevegetarianresourcegroup ]
the day it goes
live on June 1, 2015 at 10 AM. If you would like to receive sneak peeks of
all the amazing vegan goodies being offered in this auction please RSVP on
Facebook at:
[ https://www.facebook.com/events/1412672129044692/ ]
If you have any questions about this event or you are a veg-friendly business
that would like to donate an item please contact our Outreach Coordinator,
Nina, at [email protected].
We thank you in advance for your support!
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3) SUPPORT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP BY SHOPPING WITH AMAZONSMILE
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the Vegetarian
Resource Group every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop
[ http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1279034 ]
,
you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping
experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion
of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose
from nearly one million organizations to support.
- How do I shop at AmazonSmile?
- To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to
[ http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1279034 ]
from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want
to add a bookmark to [ http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1279034 ]
to make it
even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile. This is the
link provided by Amazon for shopping with AmazonSmile for VRG.
- Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations?
- Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You
will see eligible products marked "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" on their
product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription
renewals are not currently eligible.
- Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?
- Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping
cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are
also the same.
- How much of my purchase does Amazon donate?
- The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your
eligible AmazonSmile purchases. The purchase price is the amount paid for
the item minus any rebates and excluding shipping & handling, gift-wrapping
fees, taxes, or service charges. From time to time, we may offer special,
limited time promotions that increase the donation amount on one or more products
or services or provide for additional donations to charitable organizations.
Special terms and restrictions may apply. Please see the relevant promotion
for complete details.
- Can I receive a tax deduction for amounts donated from my purchases on AmazonSmile?
- Donations are made by the AmazonSmile Foundation and are not tax deductible
by you.
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4) VISIT VRG AT THESE OUTREACH BOOTHS
- Richmond Vegfest
- Richmond, VA
June 20, 2015
[ http://www.veggiefest.org/ ]
- Animal Rights Conference
- Washington, DC
July 30-August 2, 2015
[ http://www.arconference.org/ ]
- Vegan SoulFest
- Baltimore, MD
Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015
[ http://www.vegansoulfest.com/ ]
- VRG Benefit Day at Great Sage
- Clarksville, MD
September 27, 2015
[ https://www.facebook.com/events/827211950704661/ ]
- DC VegFest
- Washington, DC
October 3, 2015
[ http://dcvegfest.com/ ]
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Nashville, TN
October 3-6, 2015
[ http://www.eatrightnashville.org/index.php/category/meetings/ ]
- VRG Vegan Restau
rant Gathering
- Nashville, TN
October 4, 2015
[ http://www.vrg.org/blog/2015/03/11/vrg-vegan-restaurant-gathering-in-nashville-tennessee/ ]
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6) A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING VRG VOLUNTEERS
We would like to thank the following volunteers for their amazing work this
month on VRG's Vegetarian Restaurant Guide, Outreach Booths, and other projects:
- Matt Baker, R.N.
- Shani Stewart
- Laura McGuiness
- Anne Porterfield Custer
- Casey Brown
- Navaal Mahdi
- Myrial Holbrook
- Lily Donofrio
- Eric Sharer, MPH,RD, LDN
- Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.
- Alex Szydelski
- David Milner
- Jon Burrier
You can volunteer for The Vegetarian Resource Group at our office located
in Baltimore, MD, local outreach events or even remotely using your computer
at home. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Nina at [email protected].
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7) CHILD GENIUS SHOW
We received a letter from Shed Media about the show Child Genius.
I am writing to you from Shed Media, the TV production company behind 'Child
Genius', 'Super Nanny' and the genealogy series 'Who Do You Think You Are'.
We are currently developing a second season of Child Genius - the popular
docu-series that features some of America's most gifted children and their
Providing the framework to the series will be the children's involvement in
a challenging nationwide academic competition. We are now looking for highly
gifted/profoundly gifted children (aged 8-12) who would be interested to participate.
The documentary series will profile children with exceptional IQs that often
have abilities and interests far beyond their years. Parents will have a chance
to talk about how their child's extraordinary intelligence affects their daily
lives and about some of the challenges they have faced in finding the right
educational path for their child. The rigorous competition will take place
during the summer vacation (July/early Aug). The winner will receive a substantial
contribution to their college fund. The series will be aired on Lifetime.
We are particularly interested in featuring an all-vegetarian/vegan family
as we feel it would be a great lifestyle to represent on TV.
-Christopher Lutz
[
http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/child-genius/casting ]
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8) PAUL'S PLACE BOOTH
By Navaal Mahdi
On Saturday, April 25th, Paul's Place invited the VRG to set up an outreach
booth in Southwest Baltimore. This was the first outreach event I attended
with The Vegetarian Resource Group, and I was accompanied by volunteer Matt
Baker, and staff member Nina Casalena.
I was pleasantly surprised while working at this booth; it was a chilly,
cloudy day and we were worried that not many people would show up to the event.
The turnout was great considering the weather, and many local residents were
interested in learning about how they could incorporate more fruits and vegetables
into their diets. Many people expressed that they knew someone who had recently
become vegetarian, and they were curious about the impact a vegan diet has
on not only a person's physical health, but their mental health as well. Though
I am not a professional, because I recently became vegan I was able to provide
people with honest insight about the positive changes in my mood and energy
levels. A few people were intrigued by this so much that they said they would
try using more vegetarian recipes from the Vegetarian Journals we distributed,
and we encouraged many people to start taking smaller steps in the right direction
so they could one day make bigger changes more easily.
Another great part of working at this booth was the fact that we were able
to reach people from low-income backgrounds who typically would not have access
to the information we had to offer. Many showed interest in the Vegetarian
Journals, and in the multiple pamphlets about vegetarian and vegan nutrition
we had to offer. Some locals were also excited about being able to sign up
for our newsletter emailing service.
I'm excited to continue working with the VRG at outreach booths this summer
to continue spreading awareness about the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle!
To volunteer at VRG outreach booths, please contact Nina at [email protected]
To support VRG outreach, please donate at [ http://www.vrg.org/donate ]
To join The Vegetarian Resource Group, please go to [ http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php ]
Navaal wrote this piece while doing an internship with The Vegetarian Resource Group.
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9) ADVOCATE FOR ANIMALS STUDY OPPORTUNITY
- Do you volunteer with a rescue organization?
- Are you feeding feral colonies in your neighborhood or workplace?
- Do you leaflet about vegetarianism?
- Are your protesting outside McDonalds?
- Are you involved in TNR?
- Do you work at an animal-focused organization?
If any of these activities fit you - or others not mentioned involved in animal
well-being - then I would be interested in talking with you.
I need people to participate in a study of animal advocates and activists.
The survey is found at:
[ http://AdvocatesForAnimalsStudy.weebly.com ]
Optional follow-up interviews will be done through Skype, email, on the phone
or in-person.
The goal of the study is to look at why we became involved in this work, what
we actually do for animals, what our goals are in terms of ending animal suffering,
and who we, as advocates and activists, are.
The book will discuss our society's love for animals (but where we still harm
them), how volunteers and staff of animal organizations step up where laws
fall short, how we individually do or don't connect animal issues to other
societal problems, how this work impacts our lives, and what our societal
vision is regarding animal well-being.
About the researcher: I have volunteered in different capacities for animal
rescue organizations including cat sanctuary care work, adoption work, fundraising,
education, and engaged in protests at the circus, fur stores, opposing factory
farming, etc. for many decades. I have been a vegan for over 30 years. I am
a sociologist and teach at a community college. Animal rights is my primary
focus, but I have been an activist around domestic and sexual violence, homelessness,
immigrant rights, people in prison, and other social justice issues. Please
visit my website at [ http://loribgirshick.weebly.com ]
. I can be reached
at [email protected].
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10) MEAT CONSUMPTION ATTITUDE SURVEY
I'm a grad student at the University of Edinburgh studying animal behaviour
and welfare. My dissertation is looking at attitudes toward farmed animals
and their welfare by different dietary groups (meat eaters, vegetarians and
vegans). I was wondering if it would be possible to post the link to my survey
on this site?
[ https://qtrial2015az1.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0rIPk0tiRUzh3ut ]
Thank you.
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11) VEGETARIAN CONFERENCE IN RALEIGH, NC
Dear Friends, Colleagues & Correspondents-- We hope life has been treating
you with kindness.
We're pleased to announce:
- dates & cities for TWO upcoming annual national nonprofit conferences.
- complete website information for ONE of them (program, CME/CEU, speakers
- 31 DAYS OF EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION DISCOUNTS, to May 31 only, for that one.
- ALL attendee evaluations/comments plus a remarkable photo gallery from our
2014 conference, now POSTED.
Plant-based Prevention Of Disease (P-POD) conference (2nd & 3rd annual national)
- Sept. 11-13, 2015
Raleigh NC
(6 pm Fri. to 12:55 pm Sun., followed by vegan
farewell luncheon)
- Apr. 7-10, 2016
Raleigh NC
(we transition from annual fall to annual spring
HOME PAGE: [ http://www.p-pod.org ]
WHAT?
- An evidence-based look at how eating choices may reduce the risks of cancer,
cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases, & how practitioners
may promote health-supporting behavior change.
- A collaboration of nonprofits, accepting no funding, support, influence
or control from any commercial sources.
- An extremely affordable continuing education conference for health professionals
that also enthusiastically welcomes students and the general public.
INFORMATION BELOW IS FOR SEPT. 11-13, 2015....
SPEAKERS: 19 distinguished researchers, clinicians and educators, whose photos
& bio's are at....
[ http://preventionofdisease.org/speakers-2015/ ]
- CONTINUING EDUCATION, CME:
- 12.5 maximum AMA PRA Category 1 Credits for participation
in the full weekend conference will be awarded to physicians and other practitioners
appropriate to this type of credit, as defined & explained very specifically
on our Continuing Education web page and its CME DETAILED STATEMENT, 2015.
(Activity jointly provided by P-POD & the Mountain Area Health Education Center;
conference coordinator is Bob LeRoy, physician director is Mladen Golubic.)
[ http://preventionofdisease.org/continuing-education/ ]
- CONTINUING EDUCATION, CPEU:
- 15 hours CPEU's for participation in the full
weekend conference are pending approval for Registered Dietitians / Registered
Dietitian Nutritionists. [16 CPEU's had been approved for our prior 2014 conference.]
CONTINUING EDUCATION, CEU: 1.3 CEU, equivalent of 13 contact hours, for participation
in the full weekend conference, will be awarded to nurses and other practitioners
appropriate to this type of credit, because: Mountain Area Health Education
Center designates this activity as meeting the criteria for 1.3 CEU as established
by the National Task Force on the Continuing Education Unit. See....
[ http://preventionofdisease.org/continuing-education/ ]
- REGISTRATION:
- EARLY-BIRD RATES TO MAY 31.... Full Weekend, Students $126 /
Physicians $279 / Other Practitioners $189 to $216 / Public $216
Fri+Sat or Sat+Sun options exist, as well as Full Weekend.
Downloadable, Fillable-On-Screen, Self-Calculating, Emailable Registration
Form & other info:
[ http://preventionofdisease.org/registration-2015/ ]
- PROGRAM SCHEDULE, COMPLETE MINUTE TO MINUTE:
- [ http://preventionofdisease.org/schedule-2015/ ]
- PROGRAM SCHEDULE, COMPLETE, PLUS LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR CONFERENCE & FOR
EACH PRESENTATION:
- [ http://preventionofdisease.org/objectives-2015/ ]
- COMPLETE EVALUATIONS/COMMENTS FROM ATTENDEES ABOUT THE 2014 CONFERENCE OVERALL....
- This is probably the only professional conference in history that has posted
ALL of its attendee comments & evaluations. They're eye-opening:
[ http://preventionofdisease.org/evaluations-comments/ ]
- A BEAUTIFUL PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE 2014 CONFERENCE:
- [ http://preventionofdisease.org/photography/ ]
- TO SEE OUR PRIOR 2014 500-WORD PRESS RELEASE....
- [ http://preventionofdisease.org/pressrelease/ ]
- TWITTER:
- We make many dozens, not many thousands, of tweets yearly, so it's
not a pain to follow us. We start tweeting in a few days.
@plantbasedconf
- TRAVEL & HOTEL:
-
- Raleigh Durham Intl. Airport (RDU) is not far from 2015 & 2016 P-POD.
- We will soon post driving distances from numerous cities to Raleigh, & some
Amtrak & bus info.
- We have arranged with various 4-out-of-5-star Tripadvisor-reviewed hotels,
$62-$99/night + tax P-POD rates, & will soon start providing P-POD registrants
with detailed lists of these hotels & their features.
- We'll be based at North Carolina State University.
THE DOZENS OF DEVOTED PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE BEHIND P-POD, ARE AT:
[ http://preventionofdisease.org/founding-endorsers/ ]
PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS NONPROFIT PUBLIC HEALTH EFFORT!
31 days remain for early-bird registration rates.
133 days to P-POD 2015!
Thanks for listening. We hope to see you, or someone you know, at P-POD's
2nd or 3rd annual national events!
Best wishes,
Bob
[Sent from my tin can & string]
Bob LeRoy, Founder and Coordinator, Plant-based Prevention Of Disease (P-POD)
[email protected] --- [ http://www.p-pod.org ]
, [ http://www.PreventionOfDisease.org ]
M.S. in Nutrition and Public Health; Ed.M. in Community Nutrition Education.
Registered Dietitian.
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12) BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR
The Vegetarian Resource Group greatly appreciates the support given by our
monthly donors. You can join our monthly giving group with a minimum gift
of just $10 a month by going to www.vrg.org/donate. You will be part of a
network of givers who support our outreach efforts on an ongoing basis. These
donations allow us to continue vegan education in a wide variety of venues
including schools, doctor and dietitian offices, libraries, various professional
conferences, animal rights events, health fairs, environmental festivals,
and much more. Thank you for your support!
Go to: [ http://www.vrg.org/donate ]
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13) ABOUT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP
Our health professionals, activists, and educators work with businesses and
individuals to bring about healthful changes in your school, workplace, and
community. Registered dietitians and physicians aid in the development of
nutrition-related publications and answer member and media questions about
vegetarian diets. The Vegetarian Resource Group is a non-profit organization.
Financial support comes primarily from memberships, donations, bequests, and
book sales. The Vegetarian Journal, a print magazine, is a benefit of membership
in The VRG. (For more information, please see the Vegetarian Journal online
[ http://www.vrg.org/journal/ ]
)
To sign up for the The Vegetarian Resource Group national email newsletter,
please visit:
[ http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/ ]
We are also on Facebook and Twitter
If you would like to make a donation, become a member, volunteer, or find
out more about The VRG, contact us at:
The Vegetarian Resource Group
P.O. Box 1463
Baltimore, MD 21203
Phone: (410) 366-8343
Fax: (410) 366-8804
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: [ http://www.vrg.org/ ]
To donate:
[ http://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?Action=GC&CID=1565/ ]
Copyright The Vegetarian Resource Group 2015 The contents of this newsletter,
and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended
to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from
a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient
information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about
a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can
be made. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable
for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.
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14) ABOUT VRG NEWS
VRG-NEWS is the e-mail newsletter of The Vegetarian Resource Group. This is
an announcement list so subscriber messages are not accepted by the list.
If you have a technical question about the list, please contact us at [email protected].
If you have any suggestions, ideas, or corrections to VRG-NEWS, please direct
them to [email protected]. Thanks.
To subscribe to VRG-NEWS, go to
[ http://www.vrg.org ]
or
[ http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/ ]
To unsubscribe, or otherwise manage your subscription to VRG-NEWS, go to
[ http://lists.vrg.org/mailman/listinfo/vrg-news_lists.vrg.org ]
If you are a new subscriber, you might enjoy reading past issues of VRG-NEWS
online at
[ http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/ ]
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