World Vegan Day 2013

Many vegans don't know we have our own special day. But thanks to The Vegan Society, which established World Vegan Day in 1994 to mark the its 50th birthday, we do!

The celebration shares November 1st with All Souls' Day and is the anniversary of a number of other important events in history, too. (It also picks up the day after National Vegetarian Month ends.)

It'd be great if you could take a few minutes this year to write, blog, tweet, or post about World Vegan Day. And with a few months left until it arrives, you've got time to start planning something that will make it even more special:

• Volunteer at a local farm sanctuary or animal shelter on or near the day.
• Rescue or adopt a homeless animal. Our boy Smooch came up north from Alabama.
• Donate to a trusted animal-protection organization.
• Set up an "Ask a vegan" area on your blog or table at your local library (what I did last year) or natural food store. Your favorite vegan company might even provide samples for you to hand out.
• Organize a fundraiser for your favorite vegan charity. In 2011, friends and family donated over $1,700 to Farm Sanctuary when I did a 3-day walk from Philadelphia's Liberty Bell to New Hope, PA. Some of them even joined me for part of it!
• Bake and share your favorite recipe with friends, family, and coworkers. If it's cookies or a cake, make sure they're moist; we've learned that sharing something even a drop drier than what nonvegans are used to can result in a dismissal of veganism. (Everyone likes Dreena's chocolate chip cookies, and you can make a batch easily and in no time.)

Sending out a simple press release that ties together World Vegan Day and your activity's personal, local, or national historical significance can help spread awareness of the cause. My announcment two years ago led to great exposure for Farm Sanctuary when the local NPR station mentioned the walk as an introduction to an interview with Gene Baur!

What are some other ways we can help make this year's World Vegan Day the most widely-celebrated to date? And how can you use it to help to build awareness of veganism's importance for future generations?

Interview: Animal Attorney Christine Garcia

With Earth Day approaching—check out The Miami Herald's recent article about how being vegan contributes to the well-being of the planet—I thought it'd be great to check in with someone who's dedicated her entire life to the well-being of animals.

Fortunately, attorney Christine Garcia of The Animal Law Office in San Francisco was able to answer a few questions about her work. Please share her story with others—especially with young people who might be considering where to direct their life's energies!

New Vegan Age: Tell us about yourself and how you came to study and practice animal law. Was there a formative experience with animals in your childhood, teen, or early working years?

Christine Garcia: Absolutely. I always have loved animals from a very early age. At the age of ten I remember seeing a veal commercial put on by the HSUS and dialed the 800 number to receive animal welfare mail. Of course I had my parents write checks on my behalf, and before you knew it, I was on everybody's mailing list. That's where the seed was planted.

The real turning point was when I was Court Ordered by Commissioner Bloom in the Hayward Superior Court to specifically do 80 hours of community service with an animal shelter for a speeding ticket of mine. I picked the San Francisco Animal Care and Control ("ACC") because I heard that the SPCA usually gets all the volunteers when the ACC animals need help just as much, if not more.

This is actually a long story, but needless to say, I was exposed to the day-to-day animal cruelty issues in our city, and one case of dog fighting in particular turned me into an activist. I always thought somebody was doing something about animal cruelty and was enraged to hear that this dog fighter completely got off.

At that point, I became more active and starting applying to the San Francisco Animal Control and Welfare Commission and began taking pro bono cases as well. You can read more on my website.

NVA: What kinds of cases do you work on? Criminal? Civil? How do they come to your attention, and how do you choose which ones to accept? 

CG: Yes, I do civil and a very limited and specialized amount of criminal, and I work in both the federal and state Courts. People somehow find me either on the Internet with a simple search or by referrals.

I take a myriad of Animal Law cases. Currently, my case load consists of:

• Dog defense cases (administrative level, appeals and writs)
• Representation of vegan businesses
• Incorporating vegan or animal welfare non-profits
• Representing vegan animal rights activists in litigation/grand juries
• Suing companies and individuals with a practice of animal cruelty or gross negligence towards animals
• Consulting other attorneys or individuals for animal law cases
• Custody disputes over animals
• Campaigning to end animal cruelty

You can find out more about the types of cases I take here.

NVA: It's safe to assume your work impacts the relationships between people and animals. Can you identify some examples of outcomes where it has successfully done so?

CG: It's funny, but although my work impacts both, I primarily focus on the impact for the animal, and I let my client know that. I explain what their rights are and then what is best for their animal, and sometimes that is not in alignment with what the client would like to do. I often have to explain to a client that although they can sue for certain reasons, it would not be beneficial for their animal who can be set free from incarceration with a settlement instead of waiting in shelter custody while the client fights for their case.

Usually my wins are very one-sided...In other words, I will win and this makes my client happy. It is rare that I win and my opposition is also happy. The opposition in my case usually wants a dog dead or is fighting to protect animal testing. When I win, it means they did not get their way. So the relationship between the animal caretaker and animal is nourished, but the relationship between my adversary and animals unfortunately becomes more disparate.

NVA: I also imagine your work impacts people's relationships with themselves, as well as with each other. Are there broad themes through your career that help illustrate this?

CG: Yes. I usually find that there is always a complaining party who is usually a neighbor, an ex, or a landlord who for some reason has a gripe with another person, and instead of taking it out with that individual, or a therapist, they take it out on the animal and either pursue euthanasia, or straight-out poisoning. Then you have my opposing counsel who, despite the fact that he or she sees that the animal is undeserving of death, digs in their heels merely out of ego and wants to win...losing sight of what he or she is even fighting over.

So I see a lot of people who are so wrapped up into fighting or ego or "power trips" or personal issues, and sadly are not pausing to see that an innocent life is at stake. It's very
frustrating to deal with repeatedly. And it doesn't shock me anymore.

NVA: What have been some of the most rewarding aspects of your work?

CG: The obvious great joy and success of my work is each and every time that I know that an animal is alive and happy and back at home (or safe in a sanctuary) because I stepped in. It's also refreshing and exciting when a Judge has the courage to apply the law properly and make rulings for the welfare of animals.

NVA: What have been some of the saddest setbacks/challenges?

CG: I think one of my saddest setbacks was losing Lucy, a very sweet family dog in Sunnyvale who was a model dog. She was also a pit bull dog, which meant she had a lot of bias against her. She was actually used to train other dogs who had poor behavioral issues, and she did so successfully.

She was loyal and gentle with children. A neighbor dog used to harass her human brother (3 years old) and one day Lucy accidentally got out when that harassing dog happened to come barking from around the corner. Needless to say, Lucy snapped the dog's neck and she was incarcerated and put to death for that reason. It was heartbreaking. That was about six years ago.

Other challenges include what I describe above, when I need to deal with an opposition (always an attorney) who is not able to see past his or her own ego. I wonder how some of them can sleep at night doing what they do. I wonder if they have a conscience or if they just turn it off when they walk into Court. It makes me feel like I am on a planet with people lacking empathy and compassion. It's hard constantly working against attorneys with this profile.

NVA: What would you tell a young person who's considering a career in animal law?

CG: Wow. We certainly need the help. The animals need the help. There are plenty of people and attorneys out there helping people, but animals are the #1 most exploited being on the planet. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of work in this field. I wish I could retire, but animal exploitation continues daily. Please feel free to call me for encouragement.

NVA: Is there anything else about your life and work that you'd like to share, that we didn't already cover? What's next for you?

CG: I would love to have a sanctuary! I would love to have one off the 1 Hwy on the Coast near the San Francisco Bay Area. I think it would be great to see some happy animals. I hear a lot of very sad stories every day, and I think it would be great to have a place where animals can be happy again. But it won't be for a while. I am always training new attorneys for free to practice animal law since we need more of us out there. I am also happy to share my briefs with people who need help.

Also, people often get to me after the fact, and it would be great if more people knew their rights and what to do ahead of time. For that reason, I encourage people to read the Frequently Asked Questions—especially the third one—on my website.

NVA: How can people learn more about you and your work? What do you suggest readers do if they encounter a situation where animal law might be needed?

CG: You can read more about me here, and some of my articles can be found in my bio here.

I encourage people to become activists. If something is not being done, don't wait for someone else to step up and do it. That person is you. If there is no law in your city or county, push to create it yourself. Now that I have the experience as a Commissioner in the City, I can help people figure out how to craft laws they can bring locally to their own supervisors and committees.

NVA: Thank you so much, Christine. We wish you all the best as you continue your important work. Happy Earth Day!

Peace, poverty, humility, service

Whether or not you are Roman Catholic—or even Christian, for that matter—the election of Pope Francis is a historic confirmation of Jesus' presence in our modern world.

I've heard he's made comments questioning gay and lesbian people's ability to be exceptional parents. If true, that viewpoint shows a regrettable ignorance of reality—one that is largely generational and, therefore, is outdated and slowly being replaced. But no individual or institution can perfectly conform to our own beliefs and experience. And so we must therefore live by our own personal platform that is consistent with Jesus' messages of peace, poverty, humility, and service.

I suggest that we can base this personal platform on some of the main beliefs and actions of the new Pope—and on the beliefs and actions of Francis, the animal-loving saint for whom he is named. Also, at the election of a new Pope, we have the ability to dream—to think about the future and what it can mean for the Church and the world.

Peace

In our personal practice, the importance of nonviolence is most perfectly expressed through our veganism; through volunteering for and providing financial support to causes and organizations that promote nonviolent solutions; and through daily meditation (as simple as lighting a candle and reciting Peace Pilgrim's prayer: "This is the way of peace: Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love").

The churches I've known have certainly promoted peace, through readings of the words of Jesus; in handshakes among congregants; and with special offerings dedicated to organizations working towards peace. They have stopped short, however, at the door of the fellowship hall, where meat and dairy products are unquestioningly served as a matter of course. A Church radically practicing Jesus' love through veganism is much needed.

Poverty

In personal practice, we can live debt-free and make purchases strictly within our means, limiting our minimal expenses for ourselves and our family members to safe housing, fresh, healthy food, and other essentials. As a future idea, the Church could do the same, only approving budgets that advance its core mission of spreading the gospel and performing acts of mercy and charity—perhaps even by selling part of its treasure to fund these causes.

It is reported that the new Pope chose to live in a simple apartment instead of the Buenos Aires archbishop's palace, that he took the bus back to the dormitory with other cardinals after being elected, and other symbolic yet important gestures. What if the entire church hierarchy followed his lead—by voluntarily displacing itself among the homes of parishoners, so that its many palaces and dormitories were instead used as hospitals and shelters for victims of famine, sex abuse, and other human tragedies?

Humility

In personal practice, this does not necessarily mean submission and deference. Rather, it can be an attitude of being neither worse nor better than any other living beings, human or otherwise. As a future idea for the Church, the institution could do the same, approving a platform of respect for all life that includes the unborn as well as those condemned in secular courts to death as well as all animals unnecessarily used for food, entertainment, and sport.

Now that we have a Pope who first emerged on the balcony without the traditional red cape and miter—and reportedly uses public transportation and cooks his own meals—can you imagine the symbolic value of replacing the Church's ornate vestments with the humble and simple robes and rope-belts worn by penniless monks?

Service

In personal practice, we can find ways each day—however small—to improve our home and community, by picking up stray garbage, delivering a meal to someone who is sick, or volunteering at a local charity. Every church I've known has elevated and enabled this kind of service; this election, of a Christian leader who emphasizes service, is an occasion for reflection and our own recommitment to it.