A Vegan Mainstream Publication

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Changes & Transformations: Me You All of Us

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Helping Activism Go Local

Leigh-Chantelle of Viva La Vegan discusses ways in which vegans can take action in their own communities. (Pg. 1)

Ellen Jaffe Jones

Ellen discusses the evolution and future of Vegan-friendly running shoes. (Pg. 3)

Veg Voyages

Travel photos from the Vegetarian and Vegan adventure company, Veg Voyages. (Pg. 5)

Transforming Your Sweet Tooth

Chef AJ shows us how to make Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge Truffles. (Pg. 7)

Vegan Professionals: Mat Thomas

Mat shares his success story on being a Vegan entrepreneur. (Pg. 8)

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HELPING ACTIVISM GO LOCAL

Leigh-Chantelle of Viva La Vegan discusses ways in which vegans can take action in their own communities.
BY

J E S S I S TA f f o r d

dairy and egg industries, and how they are causing a lot of harm to the animals, I didnt want to be a part of that either. So, she became vegan. In her personal life, Koch was a passionate musician for many years, before starting her now famous website Viva La Vegan, an interactive online community where members can connect with people around the world and learn about important issues. I always wanted to be a rock star, she said. My life was consumed with music. I was just completely, completely wrapped up in it. Koch said she would subscribe to as many magazines and music press items as she could get her hands on. Id know everything, she said. Id know all the songs on the charts. Now, however, Koch as taken a step back from the music scene to focus on her activism and website. Im sort of a bit over that scene at the moment, Koch said. Its very self-obsessed and you sort of get caught up in it yourself. You need a bit of a break from it every now and then. Koch went on to study naturopathy, nutrition, and Western herbal medicine. Afterwards, Koch had several options, but none that quite fit her sensibilities. I didnt want to work in a health food store, and I didnt want to work in a chemist [pharmacy], said Koch, because I disagree with the majority of products those places have. She also decided against starting her own consultation company because of the high start-up costs, so she went back into music retail. In 2005, Koch began working on her first recipe calendar, which is exactly what it sounds like: Twelve

months, 12 recipes. I started [the recipe calendar] because Ive always wanted to create a recipe book, said Koch. I thought a recipe calendar would be easy. But because they are calendars, they have such a limited shelf life, so I didnt continue after three [years]. Thats when Koch began Viva La Vegan as a website to promote her vegan recipe calendars, in addition to her music site, LeighChantelle.com, which also features hand-written lyric clothing for sale. Koch put her calendar recipes on Viva La Vegan; it wasnt long before the site turned into more than just a recipe resource, but instead became a springboard for local activism. Koch began writing articles and eventually started taking suggestions from readers. It just completely evolved over time, said Koch. Im always open to peoples suggestions. We have mentors on the site now, and theres a forum. There is just so much stuff on there. Koch believes the site is now exactly how she envisioned it back in 2006.

Personal Growth
Leigh-Chantelle Koch is certainly not new to veganism, eschewing meat and dairy roughly 15 years ago. When Koch was in year 10 of school (high school in America), she first made the connection between eating meat and eating animals. We used to have leg of lamb every Saturday night with my family, said Koch. I knew it was called a leg of lamb, so I knew it was an animals leg, but I hadnt really made the connection. That connection happened quickly one evening when Koch asked her mother what particular piece of the leg her sister and her regularly fought over. She said it was the Achilles tendon, said Koch. I remember looking at the meat, looking down at my leg, and going, I have that. Im about to eat someone elses. That was the turning point. After that, Koch gave up red meat. Later, after a class trip to the country where kids would take care of chickens, Koch gave up eating chicken meat too. I became vegetarian for animal rights reasons, said Koch. I didnt want to kill any animals. So, when I found out about the

Local Activism
In addition to Viva La Vegan, Koch also created the not-for-profit environmental awareness group, Green Earth Group, which focuses on helping local community members take action and learn how to create discourse on important issues. Ive put on two all-vegan festivals here in Brisbane, Koch said. We have regular events like video viewings, letter writing nights, outreach, and leafletting. In coordination with Viva La Vegan, where Koch hosts a lot of the teaching information, Green Earth Group provides an
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April 2012

on- and offline meeting place to spur change and connect. Koch creates handouts, teaches tips on effective letter writing, and has event dispersed information on the recent food documentary Forks Over Knives. Its all about learning how you like to get involved, and then doing it. A lot of people seem to like the leaflets, said Koch, because they are able to download them and print them out for themselves, and to organize their own [meetings]. I show people how easy it is to organize as well. Koch said she receives frequent emails from people telling her about good ideas and asking her to implement them, but she tries to inspire people to take the reins for themselves. Just because Im good at organizing things doesnt mean I should have to do everything, Koch said. A lot of other people can do things themselves, whether its just hiring someone in the city where you can show a video, or inviting your friends to watch a video, or handing out some leaflets every friday on your way home from work. Its pretty simple, I think. What Koch seeks to do with Viva La Vegan and Green Earth Group is to show people all the different ways in which they can be active, and how they can get involved in their communities. Youve got to think about what peoples passions are, and just try and get them to use that to the best of their ability, said Koch. The best way to inspire others is to lead by example. Using your own strengths, rather than trying to embody someone elses will help you be more successful. for example, Koch said, if you can cook, bring food to your office for your coworkers. If you are good at speaking, host a forum or give a talk. If you dont really like one-onone communicating, try your hand at letter writing. There are so many different things [you can do to get involved], said Koch. Koch first created Green Earth Group for her first festival in 2010. It was a way to raise awareness of environmental issues, and obviously promote a plant-based diet and lifestyle, Koch said. And its a good environmental and
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Get involved as much as you can in the best way you can... Just join together with people who are just as passionate as you are, and get things done.
With Green Earth, Koch is getting more active in the local strategies. Green Earth created a letter writing facebook page for any one to join and learn how to lobby local businesses. She also offers tips on how to network amongst like-minded people. Join whatever the groups are in your area, said Koch. Weve got Animal Liberation here, vegan and vegetarian societies, even vegan meet-ups. So, if theres a group in your community, I suggest going along and meeting other people. Kochs advice is to also keep at it, even if you didnt have the time of your life on the first outing. You may not agree with all the things those groups promote, or the people there, said Koch, but I think its really good just to see how other people are doing things, and to meet other people. Seeing what other local activist groups are doing in your area can help you decide for yourself what it is you do and do not stand for, and how you would like to personally get involved. It can be a teaching method for strategies of which you may not be familiar. If there is no group, Koch said, create your own. I think it is really important for people to be around other like-minded people. You feel less like youre alone. The key is to just join all the events you can until you know what fits.

vegan group for people to get involved. However, Koch is taking a step back from the fast-paced life of a festival planner to focus on more interpersonal activism tools. I learned from last years event that it just took up my whole life, she said. It was a lot of time and energy, and Im just trying to work out the best ways to be more effective with my time than just one event. Kochs first festival saw around 4,000 people turn out. That was based just on my social media advertising and word of mouth, said Koch. Thats pretty impressive, but its only one day, whereas Im focusing more [now] on the videos and books that are more shareable.

When speaking with local businesses, Koch suggests letter writing to encourage owners to sell more vegan products and offerings. for example, with restaurants, said Koch, we normally like to say, Thank you for the vegetarian pasta youve got on your menu, but my boyfriend and I went there the other night and wed really love to have more vegan options. By starting out with something nice, and then highlighting areas of improvement, letter writers are less likely to get blown off, or be met with a negative response. Additionally, persistence is key. Its not that great just to have 20 people write a letter one week, said Koch. You have to have a constant stream of the same sort of thing all the time for people. Be open to the things that are happening, read the papers, find out what people are interested in, and find out what works. What works for one community may not work for all. Be mindful of the type of business you are soliciting as well. An Asian cuisine restaurant is not likely to carry vegan spaghetti or veggie burgers. for Koch, it all boils down to joining in, and staying active in your area. Get involved as much as you can in the best way you can, said Koch. Just join together with people who are just as passionate as you are, and get things done. dont wait around for other people to do things. After all, if Koch had waited around for someone else to do things, we may never have Viva La Vegan or Brisbanes Green Earth Group. Leigh-Chantelle Koch lives mostly in sunny Brisbane, Australia, where she runs the online vegan community vivalavegan.net, the not-for-profit environmental awareness Green Earth Group, as well as coordinates Online Etiquette Education and Social Media Marketing with Epicentre Equilibrium. Over the past 15 years since Leigh-Chantelle has been a vegan, she has been involved as a sponsor, performer, speaker, emcee, and stallholder for various animal rights, vegan, vegetarian, environmental and cruelty-free fundraisers, forums, conferences, festivals and events throughout Australia and internationally.
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Ellen Jaffe Jones

Heres the T6 by Brooks. Ive been wearing them for about three years as just racing flats. No cushioning at all, but its a great light-weight flat. Im pretty sure I go a minute or two faster in them. (There go my secrets!) Theyve come out with a newer version, but I havent bought them yet. You should replace running shoes every 3 months or 300 milesor whenever you can see significant wear.

Finding animal-free running shoes, or any kind of shoes for that matter, is like reading food labels. Look all over and read the fine print. Most animalfree shoes should have wording to the effect, Made with man-made (or synthetic, or synthetic leather) materials. Some will divide it between upper and lower parts of the shoe, or insoles, inside and exterior. Just look all over for labels. Labeling requires shoes to say they are made with leather, if they are. If there are no labels, theyre probably cheap and poorly made anyway. Used to be, you could tell by touching whether leather was used in a shoe. Although I still think I can, now it is more difficult. The good news is that with the trend in minimalist or light-weight running and sports shoes, shoe companies are finding that synthetic materials are lighter in weight than animal products. So it is much easier to find vegan running shoes, even if they arent labeled as such. Often, the salesperson wont know if a shoe is vegan or not, so be your own investigative reporter and do the research and let the store know you want vegan options. After 32 years of running and a few injuries, I know it is important to find shoes that help prevent injuries. Personally I use vegan shoes in the Brooks, New Balance, and Asics lines.
April 2012

The Asics GS Trainer is one Ive worn for years, though I cant pinpoint when they went vegan. I use it when Im trying to use a softer and less reinforcing orthotic. Hard orthotics work best for my knees, but they kill my flat arches. So, I rotate between hard and soft orthotics (a whole other story).

The Asics Gel Nimbus is a neutral shoe that I wear with my hard orthotics and use for long distances, especially when running on concrete and asphalt. Ive tried to quit them and go to more minimalist shoes, but for long training, it just doesnt work for me. I need the more cushioned shoe.

Heres me wearing the Brooks shoe at the run Through Hell 5K at Tampas Al Lopez park last summer. I placed in this race, but not before falling into a mudfilled hole. It was fun. :)

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It was rememberonly five to ten years ago that I most running shoes were made

from leather or had suede or pigskin trim. Weve come a long way since then.
constant check on thrift stores for replacements. If all you can afford and what fits well are the best synthetic shoes, then that may be the best choice for now. In some ways I feel its most important that people realize how doable being vegan is, and often 100% vegan products are more than most can afford. If getting people to consider what theyre buying, you create a demand for non animal products, and companies will begin listening. Heres the bottom line. Every time I buy a pair of shoes, if there is someone I can ask, and if they know, I ask if it is vegan. The only broken bone Ive ever had was my third metatarsal arch from overtraining. Poorly constructed or inappropriate shoes can cause serious injury and derails a runner forever. If a minimalist shoe works, that is awesome. finding comfortable, well-fitting shoes is a huge issue for runners. I can hardly remember paying less than $80 for a shoe that kept my knees and feet from hurting. over $100 is not uncommon. It was only five to ten years ago that I remember most running shoes were made from leather or had suede or pigskin trim. Weve come a long way since then. If we can demand with every purchase or take action to ask companies to do better, they will. Voting with your wallet always speaks loudly. I see that shampoos at the grocery store are now routinely labeled vegan. If we as consumers demand that shoe companies use the vegan label in accordance with other products, real change may happeninside and out.

Theres a picture of the label inside the tongue. Like with foodread the labels. Not crazy that so many shoes are made in China, but there just arent many choices. read the labels. The label here says synthetic fiber & synthetic leather upper, rubber sole. Bottom lineit is much cheaper now for manufacturers to dump the expensive leather and use plastic, cloth, and synthetics. Its also lighter in weight, which is what many runners look for these days, even if they arent minimalists or barefoot runners.

At my weekly run at our local running store, I asked my friends/ owners there, Are there any running shoes left that still have leather in them? one of them said after thinking about it, No, I cant think of any. The only one might be an old model New Balance shoe that we carry. I was so curious that I went over to the rack where they had all their shoes displayed, and other than one of the New Balance shoes, I couldnt find any! Wow, economics have really carried this tide. I didnt look inside all the shoes to check their labels, but by sight and touch alone, I couldnt find any. I looked pretty funny touching all the shoes, but heyit was for the cause! further research shows that most shoes are made with animal-based glue, though it is not clear why glue made from animals is even necessary in the first place. In fact, some of my reading suggests it makes the shoe less waterproof. So technically, it may be truly impossible to certify or know if a shoe is totally vegan or not unless the company goes on record to say the shoe is totally vegan, inside and out. In checking several vegan fitness forums, an answer that may ring true for you came in this summary: Honestly, sometimes you have to do the best you can. I didnt give everything up at once, but let things wear out, and kept a

Heres the New Balance 1080. This newer version was meant to compete with the Gel Nimbus, but after about 20 miles, I started feeling my neuroma between my second and third toe, which I dont with a more cushioned shoe. So back to the Gel Nimbus.

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VEG VOYAGES

Born and raised in California, Zacs love of travel brought him to Asia where he spent over half of his life living and working in India, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. His passion of traveling and his belief in vegetarianism inspires VegVoyagesa Vegetarian and Vegan Adventure Travel company, where he spends his time sharing the area he has come to know and loveAsia! For more info on VegVoyages travel schedule: www.vegvoyages.com

3.Hmong Ladies
VegVoyages Laos

6.At National Mosque

VegVoyages Malaysia

1.A Colorful Truck

VegVoyages India

4.Beach

VegVoyages Malaysia

7 Karissa with Calf .

VegVoyages India

2. At free The Bear Center 5.Into the desert

VegVoyages Laos VegVoyages India

8.Cooking Class

VegVoyages Malaysia

1. Most (if not all) trucks in India are nicely decorated. The owner of the trucks took a great pride on how colorful the decorations are. 2. Part of our activity while in Luang Prabang (the Unesco rated town) is visiting and volunteering at the wonderful free The Bear Center. We would go out to the market to shop for the bears lunch and then get them ready,

and we also get to hide the food around for the bears to find. 3. Even with its turbulent history of invasion and civil war, the Lao people show a remarkable kindness and are very welcoming to everyone. 4. This is our favorite island in Malaysia where we had the chance to soak in the sun and explore the underwater beauty and possibly,

even meeting the Black Tip reef sharks. 5. Aboard our jeep, we ride into the desert to enjoy the sunset and participate in a thousand-year-old Aarti ceremony. 6. Since Malaysia is a Moslem country, it would only be appropriate for our guests to get to know a little bit about Islam. Here are
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April 2012

guests at the National Mosque. We had the chance to talk about Islam and ask questions on all things we wanted to know about Islam but were afraid to ask! 7. Cows, considered holy in India, are very friendly with people!

10. These mysterious stone jars appear in clusters, ranging from a single, to a few, or even to several hundred jars at a foothill surrounding the central plain and upland valleys in Laos.

13. The farewell party always includes live local music and dance, where everyone joins in and practices the dance steps we learned throughout the adventure. 14. The children love to have their pictures taken with us!

9.Kids Smiling

VegVoyages India

12.

Sharing the road VegVoyages India

15. orientation Meeting

VegVoyages Laos

10.Plain of Jars

VegVoyages Laos

13.Musician on Beach
VegVoyages Malaysia

11.rajasthan Village
VegVoyages India

14.Making friends
VegVoyages India

16.Penang Masjid

VegVoyages Malaysia

8. Penang, Malaysia, is known for its food. Being the vegetarian capital of Malaysia, one of the must-do activities while in Penang is to learn to cook Penangis style. 9. The children are very welcoming. At a local girls school, the VegVoyages group has the chance to try out Sitolia, a local game, with the students.
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11. We got to visit several villages in the rajasthan area during our India adventure; we loved the colorful attire and very friendly people. 12. A group of camels is a common sight while traveling in India. They greet us with a smile, and we smile back and give them room to roam around.

15. Start your adventure with local food and also learn about dos and donts. 16. one very common sight while in Malaysia.

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TrANSFOrMING YOur SwEET TOOTH

Chef AJ has followed a plant-based diet for over 35 years. The author of UNPROCESSED, she is a chef and culinary instructor in Los Angeles. The former pastry chef at Sante Restaurant, she is proud to say that her IQ is higher than her cholesterol.
As little as 100 years ago, Americans ate about a pound of sugar a year. We now eat, on average, 150 pounds a year. And since I dont eat any, some of you are eating 300 pounds a year! ;) The American Heart Association says that we should consume no more than 5% of our total daily calories (approximately 5 teaspoons a day for most of us) from processed sugar a day. But if most of us are consuming 22 teaspoons of sugar every day (roughly 365 empty calories), how is it even possible to stay within these recommended guidelines? The answer is dates. Dates are a whole food which means that they have vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, micronutrients, fiber, and water. All refined sweeteners have none of these beneficial qualities and have been linked to the development of numerous diseases. The date fruit is one of the oldest cultivated tree crops and has been grown for thousands of years. By using whole dates, it is possible to satisfy your sweet tooth, healthfully and deliciously, without ever using sugar. One of my favorite ways to do this is with a decadent peanut butter fudge truffle that is easy to make and contains only five ingredients.

Peanut Butter Fudge Truffles

Ingredients: one batch of Chocolate fUNdue* Chopped peanuts Method: Chill fUNdue until firm. Using a small retractable cookie scoop, drop fUNdue into crushed peanuts and coat evenly. Bananas are also delicious when dipped in fUNdue and rolled in crushed nuts and then frozen. for a lower fat version, substitute cannellini beans for some of the nut butter.

Chocolate FUNdue
Also delicious when made with raw almond butter, raw sunflower seed butter, or tahini! Ingredients: 1 cup peanut butter (no salt or sugar) 1 cup date paste 1/2 cup raw cacao powder or good quality cocoa powder 1/2 cup unsweetened nondairy milk 1 Tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla extract Method: Place all ingredients except for the milk in a food processor fitted with the S blade, and process until ingredients are incorporated, scraping down sides if necessary. Slowly add nondairy milk, a little at a time until desired consistency is reached. You can eat this immediately or chill for a firmer texture.

Date Paste
Make sure you always have some on hand to create a healthy dessert in no time! Ingredients: one pound of pitted dates one cup of liquid (water, unsweetened non-dairy milk, or unsweetened juice) Method: Soak dates in liquid overnight or for several hours until much of the liquid is absorbed. In food processor fitted with the S blade, process dates and liquid until completely smooth. Store date paste in the refrigerator.

April 2012

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VEGAN PrOFESSIONALS: MAT THOMAS

Mat Thomas is a San Francisco-based freelance marketing content writer and editor. Learn more about Mats business at ultrawriting.com and his animal advocacy at animalrighter.org.
transformative: its changed how I see myself and who I am in the world. Like many writers, Im temperamentally introverted, somewhat shy, and uncomfortable with self-promotion. But identity, like the human mind, is defined by plasticity: the ability to adapt to new circumstances, experiences, and information. And so I now find myself regularly attending networking events to schmooze and mingle with people from various industries, exchange referrals and business cards, and make new contactsas well as friends. As a naturally reserved and quiet person, Im certainly relieved that an inner extrovert was waiting in the wings for just such occasions. I had a similar experience a decade ago when I became vegan: a decision that radically changed my identity and worldview. Becoming vegan forced me to think more critically, take responsibility for how my actions affected others, be more outspoken about my convictions, and have compassion for people who hadnt yet been sensitized to other beings sentience. It also opened me up to new relationships, roles, and collaborations within the diverse vegan community and inspired me to become a better writer. To paraphrase Marcel Proust, my vegan voyage of discovery consisted not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes. As someone whos written a lot about veganism and animal rights over the years, most of my clients have been vegan, and I enjoy helping them have more impact through words. Yet one of the most vital lessons veganism has taught me is the importance of standing up for my values with dignity and grace to help people see more clearly. Ive tried to apply this lesson in all areas of my life, and in my business that means welcoming opportunities to work with non-vegan clients as a respectfully diplomatic representative of the Vegan Nation. However, my conscience is crystal clear on where to draw the line: meaning I wont write anything that promotes animal exploitation. Since so much of my professional experience has been in the animal rights field and ultraWriting is a relatively new enterprise, I hadnt had to deal with this ethical dilemma until recently, when a colleague referred me to a potential client with a food-related business that promotes meat eating. Now, as a professional, its not my place to pass judgment on others, so I politely explained to this nice woman why I wasnt the writer she needed. However, as a fellow entrepreneur, I still wanted to help her succeed, so I proposed an alternative servicewriting whatever vegan-related content she may need (I even provided specific ideas customized for her business). Veganism is one of my areas of expertise anyway, and, as a pragmatist, I believe that promoting vegan products and concepts for non-vegan businesses is not only ethical but beneficial to both veganism and my clients. That was about three weeks ago, and she hasnt responded yet. But Im still hoping she will, because it would give me a chance to enhance her business and our cause by providing her clients with useful information about the benefits of veganism. Thats a win-win for everyonejust like I want my business to be.

This year I celebrated two major milestones: my ten-year vegan anniversary and the birth of my first businessultraWriting. Through ultraWriting, I help companies, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits prosper by providing them with customized website content, brochures, blog posts, newsletter articles, press releases, and whatever other communication materials they need to succeed. I believe that good writing and vegan advocacy have the same root: empathy. Meaning, writers and activists must empathize and connect with their audience to effectively get their message across. Ive been writing professionally (i.e., for a living) since 2000, but I never considered myself the entrepreneurial type. So, until now, Ive always worked for someone else as salaried staff while freelancing on the side for vegan and animal rights magazines and nonprofitsjobs that usually came to me by someone simply asking me to write something. But running a business is completely different: to be viable, I must go out and sell myself and my services directly and aggressively to those who would benefit from them. Thats one reason why becoming an entrepreneur has been
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