Veggies Twitter Account includes news of Veggies Events and other activities, and substantial items from like-minded friends.
As we are busy people, and expect that you are too, we do not tweet too often.
We do not intend to document the trivia of our daily lives!
Likewise we tend not to follow others on twitter who tweet too often.
Twitter co-founder, Biz Stone, went vegan in 2001 after visiting Farm Sanctuary.
Biz Stone is also lobbying for vegetarian meals in school lunches. He sent a letter to Rep. George Miller, chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, writing: “Hundreds of thousands of students across the country don’t eat meat, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. However, these young vegetarians often can’t find healthy, meatless meals in the school cafeteria.”
Biz Stone obviously believes in the power of lunch, because Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters provides free vegan lunches to its employees.
In 1985 Veggies helped establish Nottingham’s Rainbow Centre, later taking on the co-ordination of the running of the space. In 2001 the support generated over the previous decades enabled the purchase of the Sumac Centre, a collectively owned space supporting a wide range of interconnected initiatives, including being the home of Veggies Catering Campaign.
On Satuday 8th December 2012 there is to be a discussion on the future of the Sumac Centre noting, amongst other things, its role as “a meeting place for politically motivated activists, a resource centre and library. Meeting place for vegans and animal rights activists/campaigners and a tool for their propaganda.”
This role hasn’t just happened in isolation.
It is due to Veggies and others being centrally involved in the running of Sumac from 15 years before it even existed. We may feel this role to be carved in stone, and this may well be the case.
However Sumac is simply the sum of its parts so we, as ‘vegans and animal rights activists/campaigners’ must continue to play our part.
If you are free on Saturday 8/12/12 (11am-6pm) please consider supporting the vegan status of the Sumac Centre and its role as a national resource for the animal rights movement.
This Saturday is a Sumac visioning day, a chance for all of you who come to the Sumac Center to bring your excitement, enthusiasm and inspiration in order to help shape the future of the Sumac Centre.
1) Intro
2) Use
- How is the Sumac used?
Meeting place, tat storage, music venue, peoples kitchen, food bank, a base for lots of varied campaigns/alternative cultures, bike project, fundraiser events, information and awareness raising events, film screenings, autonomous DIY infrastructure, ABC letter writing, gardening club.
- Is this the kind of useage we want to continue?
3) Purpose
- What is the current purpose of the Sumac?
A meeting place for politically motivated activists, a resource centre and library. Meeting place for vegans and animal rights activists/campaigners and a tool for their propaganda.
This will include a conversation about whether the sumac is there to engage with the local geographical community or the activist community. It’s a stable part of infrastructure for ‘our movement’.
- Is this the purpose we want to go forward with?
There will be lunch in the middle and we’ll all have a big ole delicous peoples kitchen at the end.
Hope to see you all there.
The Sumac Centre http://www.sumac.org.uk
0845 458 9595
245 Gladstone Street, Forest Fields, Nottingham, NG7 6HX
The Sumac Centre is an independent community and activist resource centre. It is made up of a community cafe, social club, library, exhibition space, veggie catering campaign, filmnights, talks, meeting spaces and the residents. The centre is used by various campaign groups and collectives working towards social change and justice for all. Come and visit us!
Local activists – top trainers – revolution – non-violence – learning from other movements – community – glorious countryside.
Join us in 2012 for more discussions, training and debates on nonviolence, education and the anti-war movement, fuelled by “wonderful (vegan) food from Veggies of Nottingham”
Wednesday 1st to Monday 6th August Ecological Direct Action without Compromise
Workshops, skill sharing and planning action, plus low-impact living without leaders. Meet people, learn skills, take action.
The Earth First! Summer Gathering is the place where people involved in radical ecological direct action – or those who want to be involved – get together for five days of time and space to talk, walk, share skills, learn, play, rant, find out what’s going on, find out what’s next, live outside, strategise, hang out, incite, laugh and conspire.
The 2012 Earth First Summer Gathering will be held on the first weekend of August.
As ever Veggies will be co-ordinating the d-i-y cafe space and holding cake baking workshops.
The UK Animal Rights Gathering is to a great weekend not to be missed, with talks, discussions and workshops on a wide range of issues and activities related to animal rights campaigning, as well as a chance to relax with like-minded people and socialise and network with other campaigners from all over the UK.
The 2012 Animal Rights Summer Gathering on the second weekend of August.
As ever Veggies will be co-ordinating the catering, running a cafe space and holding vegan cookery workshops. More AR Gathering Details…
These three key Gatherings, inspiring and networking for action for humans, animals and the environment, are all to be hosted by hosted by Crabapple Housing Co-op near Shrewsbury.
Join people from across the broad spectrum of the British peace
movement and radical activism for five days of exploration,
celebration and empowerment.
ABOUT PEACE NEWS SUMMER CAMP
Bring your contribution to a hothouse of creativity, a small
self-governed society run by democratic camp meetings, a viable
example of the kind of world we are trying to bring about. The
Peace News Summer Camp helps build a radical movement for the
future by building a living community today.
We are camping in a family-friendly and renewably-powered way
from 28 July to 1 August in the beautiful grounds of Crabapple
Community, near Shrewsbury in Shropshire.
Activities include: workshops and discussions, practical skills
sessions, delicious vegan food cooked by Veggies of Nottingham,
music, film, fun and participatory entertainment, a bar,
campfires, and activities and facilities for kids and families.
NB Dogs (except guide dogs) are not allowed on site – sorry.
TICKETS & FOOD
The camp costs £15 – £65 depending upon income. Payment can be
made by cheque, online or by phone:
- http://tinyurl.com/summercamptickets
for on-line purchases
– 0207 278 3344 for purchases by phone
– Send cheques (payable to “Peace News” to Peace News, 5
Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DY), explaining how many tickets you’re
purchasing and which rates
Food (3 meals a day and drinks) will cost £6 – £11 a day for
adults, depending on income, and should be ordered before the camp
starts. Individuals meals will be available to buy at the camp.
“Wonderful workshops and a wide range of people with which to
exchange ideas”
“Safe, friendly, interesting, happy, useful, accepting, great for
networking, well thought out and set up. Thank you for organising
and creating a lovely village”
“It was a great holiday for me and I loved meeting new people. To
become aware of the work that people are doing all over the country”
Food Not Bombs is an all-volunteer global movement that shares free vegan meals as a way of supporting local communities and promoting social change.
We have been pleased to have hosted to visits to Nottingham by Keith McHenry of Food Not Bombs, in the 1990′s and again in January 2010 during the Peace News Gathering. Both visits have boosed our enthusiasm and commitment for “feeding the hungry without exploiting animals” (the byline of Vegfam).
I headed down to southern Arizona to finish writing a new book about Food Not Bombs. The below zero temperatures in Taos made it too painful to live in my van. My eye lids were freezing to my eyes when I woke so I headed south to warmer weather. Instead of frozen eye lids I woke to news that Representative Gabrielle Gifford and 17 others had been shot just a couple of miles from where I had spent my first evening in Tucson.
Food Not Bombs has been promoting a message of peace and nonviolence since 1980. Our message is more important then ever and I hope you will consider supporting the work of Food Not Bombs in any way you desire.
Thank you everyone for all that you have already done. Many of you donated money and time last year. Your help is needed more then ever in 2011. Nearly a billion are going hungry, tens of thousands become homeless and with food costs increasing we are seeing a new wave food riots.
The most important thing you can do is join or help start a Food Not Bombs chapter in your community. Also Orlando Food Not Bombs is heading to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia the week of February 14th and one way you can help is to organize a vegan meal outside your local federal building or U.S. Embassy. A number of Food Not Bombs groups have been threatened with arrest if they continue to express the view that America would be more secure if it diverted tax dollars from military spending towards healthcare, education and other domestic needs so that our people don’t find themselves homeless and hungry.
Another way to support Food Not Bombs is by bringing “The Change We Knead Now- Bake Goods Not Bank Bailout Tour” and solar baking demonstration to your community. If you are a college student or teacher consider hosting the presentation at your school. We can also speak at cafes, book stores and other venues.
The tour is a great way to inspire your community to participate. The presentation is also a good way to encourage participation in Food Not Bombs. I just returned from working with Food Not Bombs in Africa and have much more to share about their progress.
Love and Peace
Keith McHenry
co-founder of the Food Not Bombs movement
keith@foodnotbombs.net
I was driving to help cook and share food at the large rally in Washington DC when my engine exploded as I was driving past Oklahoma City. I also live in this van and have it packed with cooking equipment, solar oven, rice, beans, banners, folding table and literature for the Food Not Bombs tour. Getting my home back on the road is very important. My first lecture in at American University on October 6th in Washington D.C.
Calls and emails seeking support an interest in Food Not Bombs are at an all time high. A homeless mother of three just called for help in starting a local Homes Not Jails squat. We also had emails this week about new groups starting in Hilversum, the Netherlands, Saint Petersburg, Florida and Ruston, Louisiana . A volunteer was arrested in early September in Minsk Belarus framed in the fire bombing of the Russian Embassy. Floods, droughts and speculation are driving up the cost of food and forcing millions into hunger. We are also facing the new “Food Safety and Modernization Act” written by the good people at Monsanto which will cause another increase in the cost of organic food. Before the van’s engine exploded I was speaking and tabling at the Raw Spirit Festival. It was fantastic and we had lots of encouragement. Interest in the work of Food Not Bombs is growing.
We raise most of or funds by speaking at colleges. It has been difficult booking presentations at colleges and acquiring honorariums this fall. I just spoke with another student that said they were having a hard time raising even the minimum $500 for the resentation at their college when last year they provided several thousand to their speakers.
We have a number of very cool projects we are requiring funding including the printing of a short run of our new book “Cooking For Peace – Feeding the hungry and building a sustainable future with Food Not Bombs,” a World Food Not Bombs Gathering in Mexico, the completion of a documentary on Food Not Bombs and responding to the huge increase in requests for support for bulk dry goods.
We generally do not ask for financial support but the death of my engine and the inability of colleges to provide the usual honorariums has put us in an economic bind. We know most people have very little money these days but if you are able to contribute more then the usual dollar we suggest please help.
It is great to hear that FNB is active in London still/again.
We continue to do FNB-type things at Veggies Catering Campaign in Nottingham, including a monthly Vegan Free Food Give-Away and feeding various camps, gatherings and protests.
I wanted to contact you all just to check out how much contact there was between all the groups already.
If there is some, fantastic – please count me in, and how do I get involved?
If there isn’t, would anyone be interested in our UK Food Not Bombs family becoming closer??
I have a few ideas for possible collaborations:
Campaigns: There are so many food waste issues + all sorts of issues like homelessness that I’m sure our groups share common ground on – if we coordinated protests/got a campain together it would be far stronger, and I think we could create quite a stir As far as I’m aware none of the big campaign groups like Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, etc. are running any campaigns on food waste – Tristram Stuart and This Is Rubbish are probably the only to do stunts around the issue, and I think it’s too important for noone to stand up for!
There are loads of other groups/individuals who deal with similar issues to Food Not Bombs – like This Is Rubbish, Tristram Stuart (author of “Waste”), FoodCycle, FoodShare, Replenish and FareShare. Some of these are charities, some campaigners/activists, but all of them share our aims to varying extents. I’ve met up with/worked with quite a few of these groups and they’re all great, dynamic people – many of whom already want to work with us!
We could share info on best strategies for finding/cooking food/generally running Food Not Bombs groups
First things first:
**Climate Camp in Scotland**
Is anybody from your FoodNotBombs groups going? It would be great for our groups to meet up! We could also maybe set up a talk/workshop to try to get our message out/encourage people to start new groups? I would be well up for that, would anyone want to collaborate? I’ll probs only be up Friday night till Sunday.
What are your thoughts?
Hopefully I’ll meet some of you soon
In addition Veggies gathering catering includes breakfast with Essential deleuxe muesli, Dove’s Farm gluten free cornflakes, peanut butter, fruit spreads, yeast extract, wholemeal bread, sunflower spread; and teas, coffees and juice throughout the day.
Information Exchange
The Camp provided another opportunity to display and distribute information from a selection of campaigns from the Lush Charity Pot exhibition …read more…
We also led a facilitated discussion, following 3 themes:
Non-violence begins on your dinner plate – Veganism in the peace movement.
Food and Climate Change – the elephant in your kitchen.
Catering for all – can veganism offer a link between movements for social change?
We received the following feedback:
Make Cake, Not War
Content: 10/10 average!
Presentation: 9/10
What people liked:
Very creative, participation, good to learn new skills and see how easy it is to make a cake, cake!
What could be improved:
Organisation!
Can we eat our way out of crisis?
Content: 9.6/10
Presentation: 9.6/10
What people liked:
The open totally non-judgemental approach to the topic and the supportive attitude towards me as the least ‘vegan’ member of the group to encourage and help me to reduce my consumption of animal products, very relaxed, lots of info, well presented, friendly, how everyone chipped in their own ideas and it was more of a group discussion, clear, interesting and intelligent discussion.
What could be improved?
Maybe a break halfway through, listening to each other.
Peace News are planning to run the camp again next year and would really welcome your feedback on the experience. Below are the questions to which they are particularly interested in getting feedback. Reply to beth_rowan@riseup.net
How did you feel about your experience before the camp?
About how you were contacted and approached?
Did you feel you were provided with adequate information at the right time?
Did you find it easy to get to the camp?
Do you have any thoughts on the schedule?
How did you feel about the arrangements when you were at the camp itself? Both the site as a whole physical set up for the workshops (space, facililities, signs etc).
Do you feel that the camp should have provided a facilitator for your workshop or any other workshop you attended?
What did you particularly like about the camp?
What did you feel could be improved?
No War For Oil
Farming animals for food wastes a lot of energy. Animals are food and energy factories in reverse – most of the nutritional and energy value of what they eat is used by their bodily functions. It takes about 10kg of prime vegetable protein to produce 1kg of meat protein. Oil-based fertilisers are needed to produce crops fed to intensively reared animals. By burning fossel fuel for unnecessary industrialisation world-wide, the human race is causing a change in climate which, if unchecked, will make life on this planet unsustainable.
Prevent water wars
Not satisfied with overconsumption of the world’s oil supplies, the affluent west exports its wasteful practices to hungry countries. Factory farming systems are being promoted in hot, dry areas, competing with people for limited water supplies. 200 – 250 gallons of water are required to produce a pound of rice, but between 2,500 to 6,000 gallons are used to produce a pound of meat. Future conflicts are predicted for control of water supplies, whilst inappropriate mega-dam projects benefit western construction companies, whilst displacing local peoples.
The world produces enough food to feed everyone, if distributed equally. There is an abundance of food. In fact, in this country, every day in every city, far more edible food is discarded than is needed to feed those who do not have enough to eat.
Although Veggies is not formally a Food Not Bombs group, consider this description of their work:
“It will take imagination and work to create a world without bombs. Food Not Bombs recognizes our part as providing sustenance for people at demonstrations and events so that they can continue participating in the long term struggle against militarism. We also make it part of our mission to bring our message to other progressive movements. We attend other organizations’ events and support coalition building whenever possible. We try to encourage the … recognition that if we cooperate together, all become stronger.”
Veggies of Nottingham have been providing mass vegan catering to social change movements since 1985.
Climate Friendly Catering
To get to the Peace News 130 miles from our home base at Nottingham’s Sumac Centre, (and back), Veggies will have emitted 160kg CO2.
However by helping 100 people Eat Vegan we will “offset” the equivalent of 640 kg CO2 (averaged over event). If ONE participant goes Vegan For Life, they will save 1.5 tonnes CO2 equivalent every year, as well as saving 4022 animals’ lives, and enabling all the world’s peoples to receive a Fair Share of the world’s resources.
Join people from across the broad spectrum of the British peace movement for five days of exploration, celebration and empowerment!
This year’s themes include: feminism and peace; sharing our skills; challenging the military; engaging with other movements; radicalising our lives; and debating nonviolence (see below for more info).
Over 40 workshops, including:
> ‘Can we eat ourselves to a better world?’ and ‘Practical Cakemaking’ – Veggies (www.veggies.org.uk)
> ‘What Can People Do, Where They Live, to Change the World?’ – Haringey Solidarity Group (www.haringey.org.uk)
Plus: Samba, play-readings, poetry, camp-fires, good company and much, much more!
The Camp will be located in a lovely field belonging to farmer Adam Twine at Westmill Farm, Watchfield. The farm is on the B4508. It is about 5 miles outside of Faringdon and about 8 miles from Swindon, SN6 8TH . See map for the location of the farm.
The Camp costs £15 – £60 depending on income. Food (3 meals a day and drinks) will cost £6 – £10 a day for adults, depending on income. Payment can be made by cheque, online or by phone.
Peace News Summer Camp is an inclusive, democratically-run five-day experience-in-miniature of the kind of world we are trying to bring about. Bring your own contribution to a space that bridges the usual divisions in our movements and our society, where we pay as much attention to how we bring about change as to the changes that are so desperately needed. This year, feminism joins our standing themes of peace and justice.
We will be learning from other movements, struggling with challenging issues, creating greater cohesion in a segmented peace movement and debating nonviolence. Workshops will range from theoretical discussions to practical planning for actions later in the year. There will be over fifty years of activist experience at the camp, along with fresh faces.
Fed by local organic fruit and veg (lovingly cooked by the wonderful Veggies of Nottingham), we’re camping in a family-friendly and renewably-powered way from 23-27 July near Faringdon, Oxfordshire, to make the world a better place.
THEMES FOR THIS YEAR’S CAMP
> Feminism and Peace
Gender perspectives on violence, nonviolence and activism
> Building our Skills, Sharing our Skills
Nonviolent direct action training, consensus decision making, building a strategy, working in affinity groups, public speaking skills, radical music and more.
> Challenging the Military
Let’s get the military out of our lives and out of other peoples’ countries
> Engaging with other Movements and Struggles
What can we learn from other like-minded campaigns such as radical climate activism, animal rights, student activism and European peace campaigns
> Radicalising our lives
Food, education, power production and more
> Debating Nonviolence
How can we take effective action?
WHAT PEOPLE SAID ABOUT LAST YEAR’S PN SUMMER CAMP
Some quotes from last year’s campers:
“The fascinating and engaging discussions, debates and conversations that seemed to be taking place all the time all over the camp. Fantastic networking amongst groups and individuals.”
“Camaraderie, challenge, ideas, stimulation, re-energising, contacts, space for input and importing information, wood collecting, tree climbing, tripod, all ages, relaxed feeling, lovely food, fire.”
“The spirit of the occasion. Also the chance to discuss in depth issues we have been campaigning for/support and of course meeting folk and getting to learn new ideas and about ‘them’ as people.”
“Discussions, relationships, people, depth of thought. LOVED IT!”
We’ve been offered a fantastic opportunity by Lush Charity Pot, the fund that raises money & awareness about charities and campaigns for a better, fairer world.
For over 20 years Veggies has participated in the Green Futures Field at Glastonbury Festival.
As well as providing a vegan catering oasis, we run a ‘free information exchange‘ to feature different projects that we support. In the past we have featured groups such as Indymedia, the Movement for Compassionate Living and the Vegan Society.
This year Lush are sponsoring the space to help promote many campaign groups and charities that we both support. Veggies crew will engage with the public and distribute information for 10 hours a day over 5 days to the greenest of the 200,000 people that attend Glastonbury, i.e those that visit Green Futures at the heart of the Green Fields.
The great thing is that many of the groups are ones with whom we already have a well established direct working relationship.
We are also making connections with other excellent groups with whom we have not worked previously, but who are active at a grass roots level on concerns that we share.
We don’t want to encourage people to abandon their “rubbish” and perpetuate the disposable consumer culture, but if anyone has tat they would like to drop off for the Calais Migrant Solidarity, the AT Collective or Climate Camp, take it to the Climate Camp area in the Dragon Field.
Glastonbury Festival is huge, time is short and there are many distractions, so we hope that ethical festival visitors will welcome the opportunity to find out about many of the finest charitable projects all under one roof. So come on down to the Green Fields!
Lush cosmetics charity support
Lush supports charities and other good causes (we don’t just support registered charities) through a variety of ways; campaigns in our shops and on our website; cash donations through Charity Pot, limited edition charity products and our Carbon Tax fund and through product donations.
We like to look after those who look after others and are committed to supporting small, grassroots charities, non-violent direct action groups and other good causes working in the areas of environment, animal protection and human rights.
We believe we can make the most impact by supporting causes and funding projects that others won’t, therefore we give priority to less popular causes which are more difficult to gain support for. We support non-violent direct action as we feel it plays an important part in bringing about positive social change.
Campaigns
Throughout the year we partner with organisations to run nationwide campaigns in our shops. Our campaigns team, along with the help of our creative design team and enthusiastic shop staff, have run a variety of campaigns over the last few years, including issues such as animal testing, the impact of the palm oil industry on orangutans and indigenous people, vegetarianism, packaging, fox hunting, shark finning, destitute refugees, climate change and an end of torture and the right to a fair trial. We’ve worked with organisations such as Reprieve, Refugee Action, Hunts Saboteurs Association, Animal Aid, Climate Rush, Biofuelwatch and Uncaged.
Our 90 stores around the UK and Ireland are the perfect way of reaching thousands of people; we use our windows to grab people’s attention and lure them in to find out more. Once in the shop we ask customers to take part in the campaign by taking personal action, signing postcards and petitions or simply learning more about the issue.
Funding
In April 2007 we created Charity Pot to raise funds for charities and other good causes. Charity Pot is a hand and body lotion made with fair trade cocoa butter. Every penny the customer pays for the product (less the VAT which we have to give to the government) is put in to the Charity Pot fund and then distributed to various causes nominated by staff and customers.
Charitable funds also come from our Carbon Tax Fund. Our staff do not fly domestically for Lush work and for international flights we charge ourselves a Carbon Tax; for every tonne of CO2 emitted when we fly, we pay £50 in to the fund. The fund is used to support internal and external environmental projects, especially those relating to climate change and sustainable transport, and also discourages staff from taking international flights.
Product donations
We donate stock to charities to help with fundraising (eg raffles) and for direct use by patients and clients (eg homeless shelters, women’s refuge and hospices).
Get in touch
If you know of an organisation that you feel would benefit from Lush’s help please contact Sophie Pritchard on charitypot@lush.co.uk or call 01202 667 830.
On 
As far as I’m aware none of the big campaign groups like Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, etc. are running any campaigns on food waste – Tristram Stuart and This Is Rubbish are probably the only to do stunts around the issue, and I think it’s too important for noone to stand up for!
“Non-Violence begins on your dinner plate”
