Gabriola Vegeteers


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FORK OFF: Animals, Art, & Advocacy

PRESS RELEASE (PDF)

FORK OFF: Animals, Art, & Advocacy
Art exhibition opening Friday, August 10, 7-9pm, continuing Saturday and Sunday (August 11/12) 11-5pm at the Gabriola Arts and Heritage Centre, 476 South Road, Gabriola

People are moving toward a plant-based diet for many reasons including personal health as well as environmental disquiet; but for a group of visual artists featured in an upcoming exhibit on Gabriola Island, a large part of their decision to not eat animals rests with the animals themselves.

Fork off: Animals, Art, & Advocacy will showcase the work of 9 award-winning artists all of whom place themselves firmly on the vegan/vegetarian continuum.
Elsa Bluethner, Dianna Bonder, Tammy Hudgeon, Caroline James, Leslie Norgate, Sheila Norgate, Carole Reid, Zena Rogak and Mia Tremblay, may be diverse in their choice of mediums but they are united in their concern for the plight of animals. Each has created new artwork specifically for this exciting and ground-breaking exhibition.

The show, proudly presented by Gabriola’s Vegeteers and generously supported by an anonymous donor, will feature plant-based snacks and refreshments as well as a new talk by artist/performer Sheila Norgate recounting her own meandering path towards a plant-based life (2:30 pm Saturday, August 11).

Please join us for this stimulating, challenging, and heartfelt exhibition.

For more info, please call Sheila Norgate @250.247.7308 or email snorgate@shaw.ca.

 


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How veganism went from niche diet to cultural staple

It’s significant that our collective perception of veganism has also evolved: we think of it as something accessible and appealing. As what we eat becomes more entwined with our social consciousness, food choices are shifting toward personal and political statements we often broadcast to our friends, co-workers and social media audiences. Those making the choice to eat plant-based meals, whether occasionally (hey, #MeatlessMonday) or all the time, are buoyed by blogs, Instagram accounts, cookbooks, YouTube channels, Netflix documentaries and an influx of menu offerings and plant-based products on store shelves. Going meat-free isn’t as challenging as it was for vegans of the eighties, when you had to seek out tahini and no one had heard of quinoa.

“Veganism is having a moment,” says Ruth Tal, who launched her career almost 30 years ago with a travelling juice bar, has five cookbooks under her belt and is about to open her fifth Fresh Restaurant location in Toronto. “When I told my parents I was vegan, they thought I had joined a cult. But now we’ve hit that tipping point – with rising awareness of the environmental impact of the meat industry, combined with great restaurants – you don’t feel like you’re sacrificing to make the change.”

From The Globe & Mail, July 12, 2018


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Beyond Burger Across Canada

In yet another sign of the increasing demand for meat-free foods, the Beyond Burger has nearly sold out across Canada in just a few days!

On July 9, fast-food giant A&W launched the vegan Beyond Burger in nearly 1,000 of its Canadian locations. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with some stores simply unable to keep up with the demand.

The partnership with A&W is Beyond Meat’s biggest so far — the fast-food company is the second largest burger chain in Canada. Ethan Brown, CEO of Beyond Meat, recently spoke to Forbes about the new collaboration. “We’ve always focused on making this product available to the largest number of people irrespective of socioeconomic status or geographic location,” he explained. “We want to be available in as many places as possible. Being in A&W Canada puts us a step closer to that goal.”

Beyond Meat is on a mission to go global. In May, it was announced that the vegan company had partnered with distributors across Europe, UAE, Taiwan, South Africa, Canada, and Mexico, after selling more than 11 million of the burger since its initial launch back in 2016. “Reflecting rapid demand growth in the United States and sustained interest from international markets, we’ve taken steps to significantly increase our production capacity,” Brown said in a statement.

From LiveKindly

The Beyond Burger is a vegan burger praised by meat-eaters and vegans alike for being nearly indistinguishable from an animal-based patty. Food politics aside, this latest move by the company offers fast food patrons a more compassionate option and normalizes vegan food in an industry known for its cruelty. If even a fraction of A&W patrons choose the Beyond Burger over their regular choice, it will be a win for the animals.

Support local businesses in your area that are serving vegan options like the Beyond Burger. In Nanaimo, you can find it at Coach and Horses and Baby Salsa. We are also fortunate to have a growing number of vegan businesses serving up delicious food including The Very Good Butchers and The Bandwagon Food Truck.


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FORK OFF! Animals, Art, and Advocacy

With a mandate to raise awareness for the plight of animals, this art show will feature new work from nine award-winning professional fine artists. The work will focus on the artist’s relationship with animals and their decision to not eat them. On Saturday at 2:30 PM, Sheila Norgate will be giving a brand new talk. Admission is free.

FORK OFF! Animals, Art, and Advocacy
Aug 10 – Aug 12, 2018 @ The Gabriola Arts and Heritage Centre


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Cutting out meat and dairy is the best way to reduce your environmental impact: study

Giving up meat and dairy is the single most effective way a person can reduce their environmental impact, new research has found.

The meta-analysis, published in the journal Science, analyzed data from 750 studies, encompassing 40,000 farms in 119 countries.

The researchers found that while meat and dairy products provide 18 per cent of all calories and 37 per cent of all protein, its production uses 83 per cent of farmland and produces 60 per cent of the agriculture industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more on CBC Radio’s website