Wake Up Weekend 2009!

Get ready folks, here it comes! The third annual weekend extravaganza of food, fun, and animal advocacy returns to the Grand Rapids community. This year’s weekend will feature a great array of top-notch speakers and events to start off the new year of animal-friendly living. Among the events slotted for this year will be several great talks on Friday and Saturday featuring several well known animal activists, a large vegan potluck (last year approximately 100 people came out!), a brunch hosted by Brick Road Pizza, and a vegan chili cook off. Below you will find the official schedule for this year’s weekend.

This year Students for Compassionate Living will be helping out a lot and we could really use volunteers for some of the events. People are needed for the set up and take down for the potluck and vegan chili cook off, to videotape the lectures, and to bring dishes to the potluck and chili cook off competition. If you are interested in helping out with any of the above areas, or have any questions related to SCL, contact Dan Hooley (hooley.dan@gmail.com). 

WAKE UP WEEKEND 2009–JANUARY 23 & 24, GRAND RAPIDS, MI
*All events are free and open to the public (excluding the all-you-can-eat Saturday brunch, which is just $10.00 per person at the door). Donations to defray costs are cheerfully accepted. If you have questions write to wakeupweekend@gmail.com.

Our annual two-day celebration of animal-friendly food, art, education, and advocacy brought to you by Animals & Society Institute, Brick Road Pizza Company, ExtraVEGANza!, G-Rad, Not One Sparrow, Oven Mitt Bakery, and Students for Compassionate Living.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2009
2:30 pm–Animal Advocacy: What, Why, Who, and How?
Commons Annex Lecture Hall, Calvin College

Stay on the cutting edge of the movement by learning from the people who are making it happen. From rights to welfare, from religion to politics, from the laws of the heart to the laws of the land, from grassroots to goliath, our nationally recognized panelists know the score. Join us for this workshop and you will too! 

Harold Brown (President, Farm Kind, Hector, NY)
Ben DeVries (Founder, Not One Sparrow, Kenosha, WI)
Adam Durand (Campaign Director, Animal Rights International, Rochester, NY)
Bee Friedlander (Managing Director, Animals and Society Institute, Ann Arbor, MI)
Nathan Runkle (Executive Director, Mercy for Animals, Columbus, OH and Chicago, IL)

5:30 pm–”Compassionate Comestibles” Vegan Potluck*
Commons Annex Lecture Hall, Calvin College
*Hosted by Students for Compassionate Living

At an event where omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans are coming together in fellowship, a vegan bill of fare insures that everyone can enjoy what’s on the menu! What’s your favorite vegan recipe? Bring a dish to share and find out where others come down on this appetizing question! Need a few ideas? Vegan Yum Yum and Post Punk Kitchen never disappoint.

***Please help us to reduce waste and carbon emissions by bringing your own washable or recyclable dinnerware*** and perhaps an extra setting or two for our out-of-town guests and last-minute participants; a limited number of recyclables will be on hand for those without table service.

7:30 pm–Film Festival
Bytwerk Video Theater, DeVos Communications Center, Calvin College
Eating Mercifully and Fowl Play (A Film By Adam Durand)

Two great films by two great directors, one of whom–Adam Durand–will be on hand to introduce his work and take questions after the screening. Did you know that the idea for “Fowl Play” was hatched at Wake Up Weekend 2007 and that the original first-cut of the film was edited here in Grand Rapids for our sneak preview screening at Wake Up Weekend 2008? Now in 2009, the final version has been nominated for Best Documentary in a national film festival in Hollywood, but YOU get to see it first right here in Grand Rapids. Look for special mention of Wake Up Weekend in the credits!

SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 2009
11:00 am–Vegan Brunch at Brick Road Pizza
Tofu scramble, french toast sticks, vegan fried chikn, and all your favorite specialty pizzas and salads are on the menu at this $10.00 all-you-can-eat vegan juggernaut that Chef Ryan promises will be a day to remember! Whether you’re a Wake-up-Weekender or just a hungry Grand Rapidian, come on out! Everyone is welcome!

1:30–Spotlight Session: Animal Advocacy and Religion
(106), 106 S. Division, Grand Rapids
”Not One Sparrow is Forgotten: A Simply Christian Animal Advocacy”
Ben DeVries (Founder, Not One Sparrow)

3:00 pm–Panel: Animal Exploitation and Questions of Race and Gender
(106), 106 S. Division, Grand Rapids

“Thinking and Eating at the Same Time: Reflections of a Sista Vegan” 
Michelle Loyd-Paige (Dean for Multicultural Affairs, Calvin College)

“Speciesism, Sexism, and Racism: The Intertwining Oppressions”
Nekeisha Alexis-Baker (Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary; Co-Founder, Jesus Radicals)

7:00 pm–Vegan Chili Cook-Off and Print Sale Benefit
(106), 106 S. Division, Grand Rapids
You know the drill on this one: Best. Vegan. Chili. Ever. (Made by YOU, if you’ve got the guts to compete, anyway.) Add vegan cornbread lovingly prepared by Oven Mitt Bakery, and a print sale that puts the artwork of Wake Up Weekend within everyone’s reach, and you simply can’t say no! Come on out and help us raise a few dollars for our participating animal charities, and we can show the world that compassion is recession-proof!

*If you plan to enter a chili into competition, please send an e-mail to wakeupweekend@gmail.com ASAP to request a registration form. Last year, we were a bit light on chili (and a bit heavy on chili-eaters), so let’s anticipate another big turnout and get as many of you to put your culinary prowess on display as possible!

See you at Wake Up Weekend 2009!

Vegan Pizza Update: Now Monday, Nov. 3rd

Here are the details on Thursday Monday’s Vegan Pizza Event. Location: Brick Road Pizza on Wealthy Street. The buffet meal will be from 7PM-9PM. Cost is $10, and you need to purchase a ticket before hand. Email me,Dan Hooley (hooley.dan@gmail.com), if you are interested, so I can let the owner know how many plan on coming and what time slots (7-8 or 8-9). The owner’s have promised that the $10 will cover plenty of delicious food and that it will be well worth it. Its also a great opportunity to eat at the restaurant prior to its opening and meet other vegans and others interested in animal issues in Grand Rapids. 

The buffet will include the following pizzas: Faux meat lovers, Philly Steak and Cheese, Buffalo Tofu, Taco, and Black Bean. Along with pizza there will be pasta salad, drinks, and deserts! I’ve just seen some pictures from inside the restaurant (see below) and it looks really cool. It should be a great event. Hope to see you there!!

Panel Discussion Tuesday

SCL will be hosting a panel discussion, Tuesday, October 28th, at 9PM in the lobby of Van Recken hall. A few members of SCL will be talking about their decisions to eat more intentionally and why they think it is important to examine our relationship with animals. There should be some delicious food there from Marie Catrib’s, as well as great discussion, so don’t miss it!!

More Animal Coverage in the Times

This week the New York Times’ Magazine has a great article that focuses on the efforts of Wayne Pacelle, President of the Humane Society of the United States, pushing forward Proposition 2 in California! Also in the article is our friend Gene Baur, who visited Calvin earlier this year and has been working with Wayne pushing Proposition 2 in CA.

The article offers very important context to the legislation in CA, detailing how it is seen as part of an effort by HSUS, Farm Sanctuary, and others to enact similar laws across the US. It also notes the divide among some in the animal rights movement over the compromise that can be involved in pushing laws such as this and the impact they might have on the larger goal of ending the practice of raising animals for food.

Wherever you stand on this issue, it is a great article to read and consider! Although the coverage animal issues received in the Times isn’t always the greatest, things have been getting progressively better and more and more frequent. It seems like now there is another article related to animal issues every week. More and more people are beginning to connect the dots and see that the current ways we raise animals in confinement has disatrous consequences for our health, environment, and the animals themselves.

VEGAN PIZZA!!???

That’s right folks! Vegan pizza comes to Grand Rapids. Oxymoron you ask? Cheese-less boredom? Not according to the owners of the soon to be opened Brick Road Pizza, located on Wealthy Street. They believe in the idea so much that they are marketing the newly revamped pizza place as specializing in vegan pizza! That’s right, they are gearing the business to Grand Rapids growing vegetarian and vegan community! The menu promises to offer different varieties of 100% VEGAN pizza, complete with great vegan cheeses, different “meats”, and other delicious vegan appetizers and sides. I know some of you were lucky enough to try the VEGAN “Chicken” Nuggets this summer at the Wealthy Street festival. I heard they were absolutely amazing!

Are you salivating at the idea of vegan pizza? Or, perhaps perplexed and a little interested? Well, if so, then you should come to a special buffet dinner next Thursday night that the owner of Brick Road Pizza has specially invited Calvin students to attend. Right now it looks like the event will cost $10 a person (although we at SCL are working on subsidizing things, so expect that to be knocked down a few dollars) for an array of vegan pizza, appetizers, deserts, and drinks. The event will promote the soon to be opened pizza place (giving you all a sneak peek) and the owner has promised we will all get more than our money’s worth.

If you are interested email me (hooley.dan@gmail.com) so I have an idea how many to expect. The more, of course, the marrier. Details, as far as the time, are soon to come so stay posted. This should be a great event everyone! Lots of great food and a chance to meet lots of cool people from around the Grand Rapids community!

Potluck: Bring Recipe Cards!

This Friday we will be having another SCL potluck! I’ve been really impressed with the turnout so far this year and am looking forward to another great meal. Like normal, the potluck will be Friday, at 5PM, in the Library Lobby. Invite friends! 

Also, we were hoping to add something to the potluck. If you can, try to bring a card with the recipe for the dish that you made. That way people can recreate the wonderful and delicious food that they like. Hope to see everyone there!!

Food in the NY Times

One very positive development in recent years has been the increasing discussion of the importance of food and concern for the myriad of issues related to food production (the environment, health, and animal welfare/rights) in the media. Just this Sunday the New York Times magazine presents a whole issue on Food. The magazine features a great article by Michael Pollan (author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma“), “Farmer in Chief“, where he offers advice to the incoming President of the United States to seriously consider the many issues related to food. Definitely worth checking out! There’s also great stuff on some of the work the Coalition of Immokalee Workers are doing, as well as other young activists working on issues related to food.

Potluck Friday!!!

Hey everyone! There will be another delicious vegan potluck this Friday, at 5PM, in the Library Lobby. Our previous potluck with Gene Baur was a smashing success! Somewhere between 50 and 60 people showed up with plenty of delicious food to feed everyone!

For those of you who don’t know, the reason SCL hosts vegan potlucks is that this is the easiest way to insure that all participants can eat freely in an event where omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans come to eat together. This means we ask that you bring dishes which do not contain meat, dairy, or eggs. Our group is composed of people who are compassionate omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans, and in light of this the most welcoming way to join in fellowship together, we believe, is to bring food that everyone can enjoy. That is the reason the potlucks are vegan.

So don’t miss another great potluck! If you don’t know what to bring, you can email Dan Hooley (hooley.dan@gmail.com) for suggestions. Or, if it doesn’t work for you to bring anything, no worries, there’s always enough food! Hope to see you there!

Meat and the Environment

According to Livestock’s Long Shadow, a groundbreaking 2006 United Nations report, raising animals for food causes more global warming than all the cars and trucks in the world combined!

This results from a host of factors, including the greenhouses gases emitted from the manure, belches, and flatulence of billions of farmed animals. Deforestation caused by the expansion of grazing and the growing of animal feed also causes global warming, as the trees are no longer there to absorb the CO2. The burning of fossil fuels used to produce the massive amount of feed crops, to heat and cool the buildings that house the animals, and to transport, process, and refigerate the meat also contribute to the problem.

Global warming is not the only area where the production of meat contributes to environmental degradation. In fact, the UN report states that “the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”

Check out the following links listed below to learn more. And learn how consuming less meat and animal products, avoiding products from factory farms, and eating more plants can benefit the environment!

Reports: UN – Livestock’s Long Shadow, Pew Study – Putting Meat on the Table, Union of Concerned Scientists – CAFOs Uncovered Executive Summary

Popular Coverage/Summaries: New York Times – Rethinking the Meat Guzzler , Washington Post – Report Targets Costs of Factory Farming, New Scientist – Meat is murder on the environment.

For more on how you can incorporate more plant based meals into your diet check out Choose Veg

Gene Baur comes to Calvin!!

Gene Baur is one of the most influential animal rights activists in the United States. Co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary, Gene is a tireless activist for the rights and dignity of animals. Gene has testified at numerous hearings regarding animal welfare laws, published pieces in papers such as the New York Times, and most recently, authored a nationally bestselling book! With such an impressive list of accomplishments, the Students for Compassionate Living is excited to welcome Gene to Calvin this week, where he will kick off the Michigan leg of his national book tour!

On Wednesday, Gene will be giving a public lecture at 7:30 PM in the Science Building, room 010, at Calvin College.  SCL will be hosting a wonderful vegan potluck prior to the lecture at 5:30 pm in the library lobby, 3rd floor. Don’t miss a great opportunity to meet and great an extraordinary advocate on behalf of animals! Join us for great food and a great talk.