Taking Steps to Making Change
There's lots of action we can take . To make the world a better place
In a society that's normalized the abuse and slaughter of more
than a billion animals each week, it's more important than ever
to make not participating in these killings (by going vegan) a
jumping off point for inspiring others to make changes too.
The popularity of social media has been a game changer for
veganism and it's now harder than ever for people to bury their
heads in the sand regarding the use and abuse of animals.
If you wish you could somehow do more but aren't quite sure
where to start, you'll find a few ideas below that might just
help you on your way.
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Utilize social media
Social media is a great tool we can all use to raise awareness and if you're not comfortable sharing graphic posts, being branded 'preachy' by non-vegans or getting unfollowed, there are still some stealthy ways you can help to plant seeds:
videos showing all kinds of positive animal stories that are regularly widely shared.
Searching through their videos you'll find many involving cows, pigs, chickens and more.
about your own vegan recipes and meals adding simple hashtags such as 'healthy' or 'cruelty free'.
I'd known this sooner' may help to get people thinking without the need to be confrontational.
curiosity in the issues they're addressing.
or at any other time you feel people might be open to making changes. A simple statement such as
'if anyone's interested in going vegan please drop me a line as I'd love to offer help and support' may
get no response nine times out of ten, but you never know whose ready to start making the switch.
understanding responses about the issue at hand rather than getting dragged into a slanging match.
Use facts and data to refute any bogus claims and don't forget to stay positive. You'll find my
responses to most of the weird and wonderful claims people will likely throw at you here.
to get started. Be patient as you try to gain momentum, and if it turns out later that you didn't
have time to maintain it or it didn't take off that's all good too - at least you're trying.
Social media is a great tool we can all use to raise awareness and if you're not comfortable sharing graphic posts, being branded 'preachy' by non-vegans or getting unfollowed, there are still some stealthy ways you can help to plant seeds:
- Share positive or uplifting posts of 'food' animals living happy lives.
videos showing all kinds of positive animal stories that are regularly widely shared.
Searching through their videos you'll find many involving cows, pigs, chickens and more.
- Share vegan food online.
about your own vegan recipes and meals adding simple hashtags such as 'healthy' or 'cruelty free'.
- Share documentaries, books, news reports.
I'd known this sooner' may help to get people thinking without the need to be confrontational.
- Follow important or uplifting vegan pages and interact with them.
curiosity in the issues they're addressing.
- Offer help without judgement.
or at any other time you feel people might be open to making changes. A simple statement such as
'if anyone's interested in going vegan please drop me a line as I'd love to offer help and support' may
get no response nine times out of ten, but you never know whose ready to start making the switch.
- If challenged, use kindness and facts.
understanding responses about the issue at hand rather than getting dragged into a slanging match.
Use facts and data to refute any bogus claims and don't forget to stay positive. You'll find my
responses to most of the weird and wonderful claims people will likely throw at you here.
- Start your own vegan page
to get started. Be patient as you try to gain momentum, and if it turns out later that you didn't
have time to maintain it or it didn't take off that's all good too - at least you're trying.
Encourage family and friends
This can vary from being a greatly rewarding challenge to feeling like a seemingly impossible hellscape depending on how open and understanding your family and friends are. You may even encounter strong, negative reactions from people you thought would be much more open to veganism. Don't get disheartened
though, cognitive dissonance can be a strong force even in otherwise rational and understanding people and eating animals is a belief system that society has pushed on us from childhood.
As with social media, try to be calm and understanding (most of us were non-vegans once) and accept that
you may be planting seeds that will take a long time to come to fruition - or simply never will. Also remember to chat with folks individually, as group settings often mean the only most opinionated people dominate the conversation.
This can vary from being a greatly rewarding challenge to feeling like a seemingly impossible hellscape depending on how open and understanding your family and friends are. You may even encounter strong, negative reactions from people you thought would be much more open to veganism. Don't get disheartened
though, cognitive dissonance can be a strong force even in otherwise rational and understanding people and eating animals is a belief system that society has pushed on us from childhood.
As with social media, try to be calm and understanding (most of us were non-vegans once) and accept that
you may be planting seeds that will take a long time to come to fruition - or simply never will. Also remember to chat with folks individually, as group settings often mean the only most opinionated people dominate the conversation.
Start a vegan potluck
This can be with friends or family, or you can try starting a local potluck group via social media. If people you know seem disinterested, push the health benefits of eating more plant-based meals - most people will react more positively if they think it's helping them personally and you're still planting vegan seeds by showing how easy and delicious vegan food can be (getting them to watch Forks Over Knives or What the Health will also help here).
This can be with friends or family, or you can try starting a local potluck group via social media. If people you know seem disinterested, push the health benefits of eating more plant-based meals - most people will react more positively if they think it's helping them personally and you're still planting vegan seeds by showing how easy and delicious vegan food can be (getting them to watch Forks Over Knives or What the Health will also help here).
Connect with other vegans in your area
Use social media to find vegan activity near you. Sites such as Facebook usually have a vegan group for any
particular city or area. Joining up will not only keep you inspired and offer support when needed, but also keep
you up to date with offers, activities or events nearby. If there isn't a group for where you live - start one up.
Use social media to find vegan activity near you. Sites such as Facebook usually have a vegan group for any
particular city or area. Joining up will not only keep you inspired and offer support when needed, but also keep
you up to date with offers, activities or events nearby. If there isn't a group for where you live - start one up.
Join (or start) a Cube of Truth
This excellent and fast-growing movement from Anonymous for the Voiceless is now present in over four-hundred cities around the world. Activists form a 'cube of truth' where they hold laptops or other screens showing slaughterhouse and farming footage to the general public. Cubes attract a lot of attention as people wonder what is being shown, and outreach activists then start a dialogue about what they are seeing. Cubes
are open to anyone wishing to get involved, and if there isn't one in your city they'll help you get one started.
This excellent and fast-growing movement from Anonymous for the Voiceless is now present in over four-hundred cities around the world. Activists form a 'cube of truth' where they hold laptops or other screens showing slaughterhouse and farming footage to the general public. Cubes attract a lot of attention as people wonder what is being shown, and outreach activists then start a dialogue about what they are seeing. Cubes
are open to anyone wishing to get involved, and if there isn't one in your city they'll help you get one started.
Join (or start) a Save Movement
The Save Movement started life as Toronto Pig Save and quickly snowballed into a global movement of hundreds of groups around the world. Save groups demonstrate peacefully outside slaughterhouses with the intention of bearing witness to the animals arriving in transport trucks, posting what they see on social media, and perhaps offering water or a few seconds of kindness to animals who've likely experienced none leading up
to their deaths. You can join a save group if there's one near you or get help and support in starting your own.
The Save Movement started life as Toronto Pig Save and quickly snowballed into a global movement of hundreds of groups around the world. Save groups demonstrate peacefully outside slaughterhouses with the intention of bearing witness to the animals arriving in transport trucks, posting what they see on social media, and perhaps offering water or a few seconds of kindness to animals who've likely experienced none leading up
to their deaths. You can join a save group if there's one near you or get help and support in starting your own.
Join (or start) other animal rights groups in your area
You can also use the internet to find other groups operating near you and there's usually something to suit all personality types. From the amazing and fearless Hunt Saboteurs to simple Vegan Outreach - you're sure to find a way of getting involved.
You can also use the internet to find other groups operating near you and there's usually something to suit all personality types. From the amazing and fearless Hunt Saboteurs to simple Vegan Outreach - you're sure to find a way of getting involved.
Get some activism stickers (or make your own)
Purchasing activism stickers or making them on your computer is a fantastic, non-confrontational way to get people thinking. Stick at your own risk!
Purchasing activism stickers or making them on your computer is a fantastic, non-confrontational way to get people thinking. Stick at your own risk!
Volunteer at a farm sanctuary (or support them with donations)
If you're lucky enough to live close to a farm sanctuary you can usually volunteer in what must surely be one
of the most rewarding ways to spend your time. Taking a tour, buying merchandise or staying at those who offer bed and breakfast also helps to support what they do - as does organizing school or other group tours.
If you're far from a sanctuary but believe in what they do, most have 'adopt an animal' programs where you
can help support an individual resident of your choice.
If you're lucky enough to live close to a farm sanctuary you can usually volunteer in what must surely be one
of the most rewarding ways to spend your time. Taking a tour, buying merchandise or staying at those who offer bed and breakfast also helps to support what they do - as does organizing school or other group tours.
If you're far from a sanctuary but believe in what they do, most have 'adopt an animal' programs where you
can help support an individual resident of your choice.
Join (or organize) protests or marches
Annual marches for animal rights are now popping up in many cities with thousands of people choosing to take part. You can use social media to find out if protests or marches are happening in your area and if not, you can always try starting your own.
Annual marches for animal rights are now popping up in many cities with thousands of people choosing to take part. You can use social media to find out if protests or marches are happening in your area and if not, you can always try starting your own.
Have a skill you can utilize? Use it
If you have skills you can apply to helping animals in some way, either directly or by raising vegan awareness, then try to find ways of putting them to good use. I can draw a bit so I started Skool of Vegan - posting cartoons about what we do to animals on social media. Consider what you are good at or qualified in and
how you can apply it to animal rights.
If you have skills you can apply to helping animals in some way, either directly or by raising vegan awareness, then try to find ways of putting them to good use. I can draw a bit so I started Skool of Vegan - posting cartoons about what we do to animals on social media. Consider what you are good at or qualified in and
how you can apply it to animal rights.
Give talks or presentations
If you enjoy public speaking or have done that kind of thing before there are activists out there visiting schools, universities and events to speak about veganism. Filming what you do and posting on a YouTube channel is a good way to gain traction and the excellent Earthling Ed is a great example of this in action.
If you enjoy public speaking or have done that kind of thing before there are activists out there visiting schools, universities and events to speak about veganism. Filming what you do and posting on a YouTube channel is a good way to gain traction and the excellent Earthling Ed is a great example of this in action.
Good coordinator? Create vegan social events or food fairs
Events like Fat Gay Vegan's annual Day of the Dead Dinner or Grub's weekly Plant Powered Sundays show that if you build it they will come. If you have experience (or just confidence) in putting together events like these, you can coordinate with other vegans in your area and help make it a reality.
Events like Fat Gay Vegan's annual Day of the Dead Dinner or Grub's weekly Plant Powered Sundays show that if you build it they will come. If you have experience (or just confidence) in putting together events like these, you can coordinate with other vegans in your area and help make it a reality.
Start a vegan business (or make your existing business a vegan one)
Veganism is the fastest growing social movement on the planet with each new generation massively more geared towards it than the last and the plant based food sector is growing faster than any other. While of course
doing research and test runs first, more and more businesses are making the switch to being one hundred percent vegan with incredibly positive results. The wonderful Fields Beneath is a great example of business owners who fully aligned their actions with their values, and London pub The Blacksmith and the Toffeemaker saw sales rise three hundred percent when they switched to being vegan.
Veganism is the fastest growing social movement on the planet with each new generation massively more geared towards it than the last and the plant based food sector is growing faster than any other. While of course
doing research and test runs first, more and more businesses are making the switch to being one hundred percent vegan with incredibly positive results. The wonderful Fields Beneath is a great example of business owners who fully aligned their actions with their values, and London pub The Blacksmith and the Toffeemaker saw sales rise three hundred percent when they switched to being vegan.
Switch from farming animals to farming plants
There are many examples of farmers listening to their consciences and finally making the switch from farming animals to farming plants and doing so is becoming more and more common. It also makes financial sense in a growing plant based market as demand for animal products begins to wane. Click below for some inspirational stories of farmers who successfully made the switch.
There are many examples of farmers listening to their consciences and finally making the switch from farming animals to farming plants and doing so is becoming more and more common. It also makes financial sense in a growing plant based market as demand for animal products begins to wane. Click below for some inspirational stories of farmers who successfully made the switch.
- Beef farmer gives entire herd to a sanctuary to run vegan organic farm instead
- New York dairy farm switches to making plant milks
- Swedish dairy farmer switches to oats to produce plant milk
- Pig farmer decides it's wrong to kill animals and switches to farming vegetables
- Smart dairy farmers are planting almond crops
- I became a ‘Humane Farmer’ to help animals; I should have gone vegan
- Former meat and dairy farmers who became vegan activists
- Meet the cattle rancher who stopped killing his cows
Feel you have nothing to offer? Then support activists who do
Many of the most effective vegan activists work at it full time and often rely on donations for support. In my view, supporting effective individuals like this is preferable to throwing monthly donations at massive charities who often spend large chunks of their money on simply promoting themselves (or carrying out activism you may not agree with). By supporting an individual activist or a grass roots movement you get to see exactly what your money is going towards and are able to support an activist whose work personally resonates with you.
Some activists have Patreon accounts where you can pledge as much or as little as you like in return for membership benefits. I personally love the work of Jo-Anne McArthur, a photojournalist who travels the world documenting the different ways we use and abuse animals then offering all the pictures for free via her amazing We Animals project (where they're often used by news organizations). Earthling Ed is another great choice, especially if you feel vegan outreach with the general public is the best form of activism.
Many of the most effective vegan activists work at it full time and often rely on donations for support. In my view, supporting effective individuals like this is preferable to throwing monthly donations at massive charities who often spend large chunks of their money on simply promoting themselves (or carrying out activism you may not agree with). By supporting an individual activist or a grass roots movement you get to see exactly what your money is going towards and are able to support an activist whose work personally resonates with you.
Some activists have Patreon accounts where you can pledge as much or as little as you like in return for membership benefits. I personally love the work of Jo-Anne McArthur, a photojournalist who travels the world documenting the different ways we use and abuse animals then offering all the pictures for free via her amazing We Animals project (where they're often used by news organizations). Earthling Ed is another great choice, especially if you feel vegan outreach with the general public is the best form of activism.
Speak out, even if your voice shakes
You may experience kickback from those around you when trying to speak about veganism, especially for the first time. You will likely hear jokes and excuses when simply trying to discuss the horrifying things you'd like
to stop happening to animals. People you love or respect may suddenly become rude or dismissive and you will find them arguing in favour of the suffering and death of animals. This is to be expected. It's a sad truth that the majority will always choose the path of least resistance when it comes to trying to correct the ills of society. It's the reason complete no-brainers like not keeping humans as slaves or letting women vote in elections often take centuries to become the acceptable norm, and it's why every single vegan voice is needed to help society reach a tipping point for the animals. Neither hurting nor killing them for trivial reasons is the no-brainer of the future - and by choosing to speak out you're ahead of the curve.
You may experience kickback from those around you when trying to speak about veganism, especially for the first time. You will likely hear jokes and excuses when simply trying to discuss the horrifying things you'd like
to stop happening to animals. People you love or respect may suddenly become rude or dismissive and you will find them arguing in favour of the suffering and death of animals. This is to be expected. It's a sad truth that the majority will always choose the path of least resistance when it comes to trying to correct the ills of society. It's the reason complete no-brainers like not keeping humans as slaves or letting women vote in elections often take centuries to become the acceptable norm, and it's why every single vegan voice is needed to help society reach a tipping point for the animals. Neither hurting nor killing them for trivial reasons is the no-brainer of the future - and by choosing to speak out you're ahead of the curve.
Further Reading
Matt Ball and Bruce Friedrich Tobias Leenaert Mark Hawthorne and Activism for Animal Liberation Melanie Joy Gary Francione & Anna Charlton
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead
can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead