Please submit your nominees for product of the week=20
via=20
this page; previous entries here.

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Notes=20
from Our Members

The students at American River=20
College were hungry for this information!=20
I talked to more vegetarians and vegans than I could count, and lot=
s of Guides=20
went to people who have been trying to go vegan.=20
One Guide went to a culinary student=20
who talked about the rise of demand for vegan=20
foods, and how she wants to be prepared to accommodate=20
customers!

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     Today was another=20
fantastic day at Sacramento City College! The=20
most memorable interaction was brief but powerful.=20
On her way past, a student said she read the=20
booklet in class and started crying. She didn=92t=20
stop to talk, but as she went past, she said,=20
=93Thank you=85and not thank you, because=20
now I can=92t eat meat anymore.=94 It stuck=20
with me because she was so genuine and her raw=20
emotion came through so clearly. In three seconds=20
she communicated volumes to me. It was one of=20
the many small victories that make all of this=20
hard work worthwhile!
=97Steve Erlsten, 9/12/13

Pretty good day =96=20
reached 660 students at Shippensburg University,=20
and 140 at Dickinson College. Met James who wanted to have someone =
give a presentation=20
=96 I got his email and gave him some videos=20
to show. Also met Rebecca [right], who told me that she had been ea=
ting a semi-veg flexitarian diet; we conversed a bit about transitioning to=
veg eating and I told her about some easy meals I make and was sure to get=
her a Guide too! She was compassionate and understood the cruelty=
of animal agriculture, I just had to reassure her that eating veg is easy!=

=97Chris Guinn, 9/12/13

The wondrous Chelsea and=20
I continued our leafleting fun with a short=20
day at Oakland University. Was crazy busy and=20
the take rate was so good we could have reached=20
twice as many people had we brought more booklets!=20
One guy named Duncan said, =93I=92m vegetarian,=20
please tell me what more I can do to spread=20
the word.=94
=97John Oberg, 9/5/13

Shaunagh, Elizabeth, Kristin, Rachael,=20
and I had a record day at Royal=20
Melbourne Institute of Technology! We all noted=20
many more vegans and veggies out and about and=20
stopping to tell us about it. Annie wanted to=20
hear more about what we were doing and get involved.=20
My favorite moment was right at the end when=20
someone said, =93I want one of those vegan=20
books.=94 Another said, =93Me too,=94=20
and a third stuck out her arm. It was like a=20
feeding frenzy and I didn=92t know which way was=20
up!

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     From Shaunagh:=20
=93One guy said he had already read the booklet=20
and was trying to cut down his meat intake.=20
I encouraged him, saying that every little bit=20
helps. Another young man wondered if it would=20
be possible to still be healthy and get all=20
his dietary requirements on a vegan diet. I=20
explained that yes, the Australian dietary guidelines=20
have recently changed, saying that a vegan diet=20
is perfectly healthy, and encouraged him to=20
Google them for more info. Another guy looked=20
pretty sceptical as he took a booklet. He said=20
he=92d met some arrogant vegans, and asked if=20
it is appropriate for someone in a third-world=20
country to be told to go vegan. I said I wasn=92t=20
leafleting in a third-world country, that I=20
was completely aware of how privileged I am=20
to be educated and to be able to afford meat=20
alternatives at the supermarket. I said that=20
for me, not being part of contributing to factory=20
farming is a really good place to start, when=20
often it=92s hard to know how to make a difference=20
in the world. He thanked me and shook my hand.=94
     From Kristin:=20
=938 people said they were already vegan. An older=20
man read the book then came back to me to have=20
a chat about it. He was a meat eater completely=20
open to learning more. We also discussed the=20
disconnect between the food we buy and where=20
it comes from. He told me bacon doesn=92t taste=20
like it used to. I suggested that may be because=20
he doesn=92t want to be eating it anymore!=94
=97Chelsea Collins, 9/12/13

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Lane Tech High School was=20
my first time leafleting to high school students=20
=96 the take rate was great! It was very exciting=20
knowing that these malleable minds are so eager=20
to accept new information and have the potential=20
to be future change agents. Sydney, Alan, and=20
I had a very rewarding day of outreach.
=97Becki Markle, 9/5/13

It was great to have=20
Sam and April of the Louisville Vegetarian Club=20
join us at the University of Louisville [above] =96 they=20
helped Lauren and me reach 2,355 students,=20
continuing our string of records. Had good conversations=20
with people upset about what they learned from=20
the booklet, with questions about nutrition=20
and fitness, and interest in what VO does. A good day!
     After two class=20
changes at Belmont University, Lauren and I=20
extended our record streak to five schools at=20
Vanderbilt, where we were joined by two members of the=20
local group. Met a number of interested students.=20
Also had a productive discussion with a woman=20
who was curious about people who have chickens=20
kept in good conditions and eat their eggs.=20
She also inquired about honey, noting that more=20
honeybees are used in food pollination than=20
for honey. I told her that I didn=92t spend any=20
of my advocacy time stressing over the gray=20
issues, focusing on the black and white =96 the=20
obvious forms of suffering. She said that this=20
approach was different than her form of advocacy=20
years ago, where there was more of a focus on=20
making everything black and white. She said=20
that her breed of advocacy had died out, saying,=20
=93Perhaps you=92ve learned from us.=94
=97Jon Camp (above, right, at Vanderbilt U with VIVA member Tricia Lebkuecher),=
9/13/13

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Boom, baby! Kate,=20
Sarah [below], Leslie, and I reached over 3,100 students=20
at Towson University! Shakira [right] was very interested=20
in the booklet and sharing everything she learns=20
with her friends on social media. Also, an on-campus=20
vegan bake sale!
=97Kassy Ortega (above, at Towson U) 9/12/13

For day 5 of my Ohio vacation,=20
we headed down to Cleveland State=20
to vegucate the students there. Had a record=20
day thanks to the super leafleting powers of=20
Frances! Vacation total =3D 5 schools, 28 hours,=20
7,290 people reached!
=97Leslie Patterson, 9/13/13

The rain didn=92t seem to slow me=20
down at Rensselaer Polytechnic=20
Institute. Higher take rate and more smiles=20
than last time I was here. During a slow spell=20
a student was envying my umbrella, so I walked=20
him to the end of the path he was on and we=20
chatted about his semester =96 didn=92t plug the=20
animals, but I countered the angry vegan stereotype,=20
and he has a booklet to read.
=97Laura Hart, 9/12/13

Good interactions at=20
CUNY Baruch. I met a high school student who=20
was vegetarian and really excited to hear about=20
VO. Same goes for a student in the environmental=20
club who is looking to do a program pertaining=20
to vegetarianism. I met someone whose 14-year-old=20
daughter has been vegan for three years and=20
he said she would be thrilled to see the booklet.=20
I also saw a student who I used to work with=20
at my previous job =96 I had given him a leaflet=20
about a year ago and he told me he still has=20
it and since then has cut back on meat!
=97Lisa Drapkin, 9/12/13

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Below: Sarah De Munck provides Compassionate Choices at Towson University.