ARC has been busy as usual, hosting our wonderful monthly dinners the fourth Saturday of every month, where we always serve delicious plant-based meals, enjoy speakers and other presentations to help us live as healthily, sustainably and compassionately as possible, and of course where we get to connect with a community of others all doing our best to walk this path of peace for all beings. These dinners are only possible because of the Herculean efforts of all of our devoted volunteers, without whom nothing we do would be possible. This month, we really go big with our Annual Banquet, coming up Sat., March 25th. Pease see details below. And please purchase your tickets early, as they are limited!
And this THIS Saturday, March 11th, we'll be peacefully protesting the abuse of farmed animals in the rodeo. Please join us! Details below.
Last month we held our second annual Rally for Cecil, working with CompassionWorks International to stand up against the cruel and unnecessary practice of trophy hunting. We also had fun handing out information about compassionate eating during Mardi Gras, reaching hundreds of people with a message of compassion for all beings. I've also had the opportunity to speak to several different local groups recently including students at The University of South Alabama in an event organized by the awesome and amazing student animal rights group on campus, Animal Rights Alliance.
One thing that's been keeping us all extra busy lately is trying to keep up with all the legislation and policies currently affecting animals and the environment. For those of us who love all animals, those of us who care about protecting the environment, we've always had our work cut out for us. The challenges we face are not new. But they are real. And they call on each one of us to rise up and speak out and take action, to do whatever we can do to advocate for the animals whose voices are simply ignored, and for the environment, on which we and our non-human friends all rely for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and ultimately, for life itself. Please see below for a couple of action items.
The world can be overwhelming, the change that we want to see can seem insurmountable, but every single day, we can have a tremendous impact on the world, simply by choosing to eat plants. Every day we choose to eat plants rather than animals and their byproducts we save 1100 gallons of water, 40 pounds of grain, 30 sq. feet of forest, 20 lbs of CO2 equivalent, and the life of one animal. Which is why we say, save everything, go vegan!
Wishes of peace to you and to all beings,
Tracey and the whole ARC team
Peaceful Rodeo Protest
Sat. March 11th
5:30-7:30
Baldwin County Coliseum
19477 Fairground Rd
Robertsdale, AL 36567
Animals used in rodeos often experience injuries including broken bones, snapped necks, and bruising. They are chased, whipped, roped, dragged to the ground and experience untold terror. This is not entertainment. It is abuse of vulnerable innocent beings.
Events being held at this rodeo rely on painful tools and techniques including sharp sticks, tail-twisting, spurs, electric prods, and bucking straps to make bulls, horses, and baby calves appear wild.
Dr. Charles Haber, a veterinarian and former federal meat inspector who has observed many discarded rodeo animals asserts: "I have seen animals with 6 to 8 ribs broken from the spine and, at times, puncturing the lungs. I have seen as much as 2 to 3 gallons of free blood accumulated under the detached skin." In the calf-roping event, delicate young animals suffer considerable damage to the ligament that secures the neck to the body. According to Dr. Robert Fetzner, wounded calves indisputably endure extreme pain.
The rodeo teaches children that abusing animals is an accepted form of entertainment. Let's teach our kids to be kind to all beings. Help us raise awareness and put an end to this tradition of cruelty.
ARC's Third Annual Banquet
Saturday, March 25th
@ Plantation Galleries
604 Bel Air Blvd.
6-9 pm Purchase your tickets here.
ARC is excited to announce our Third Annual Banquet. Join us for a fun and delicious evening of mouthwatering gourmet plant-based foods, a silent auction, an artisanal nut cheese table, live music featuring the tunes of Nathan Friedlander and his merry band of boot stomping minstrels. Plus, this year we’ve got a photo booth, we’ll be screening a short year in review video of all the work we’ve done together in the past year, and we’ll be previewing a clip from the documentary “End of Suffering,” an ARC sponsored feature length documentary currently in production which looks at the central role animal agriculture and speciesism play in so many of the world’s most pressing social and environmental problems.
On the menu: Artisanal nut cheeses from Miyoko's Kitchen
Creamy Gigante Bean-Miso Soup
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Greek Salad with Tofu Feta
Mediterranean Farro Salad with Kalamata Olives, Red Peppers and Arugula
Sourdough Bread made by the baker/gardners at Central Presbyterian Church
And in case anyone still thought vegans were in any way deprived....
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake!
Tickets are $35 for adults, $15 for children 13 and under (Children under 3 attend for free. All children must be accompanied at all times by an adult. Thank you!)
A couple of issues we can all take action on today include contacting the USDA to ask them to restore the information they recently removed from their website. On Feb. 3rd, the USDA took down all information regarding violations of the Animal Welfare Act, ending decades of transparency and removing a tool relied upon by animal welfare advocates to identify animal abuse in laboratories, puppy mills, road side zoos, circuses and other facilities regulated under the AWA. Removing these records only protects animal abusers. Please make a quick and polite call to the USDA and urge them to restore this information. Call 1-844-820-2234. You can read more here.
In the last couple weeks, a bill that passed the U.S. House (do you know how your legislator voted?) and is now before the Senate that seeks to reverse a ban on some of the most cruel, unnecessary and scientifically unfounded hunting practices. S.J. Resolution 18 will revoke the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) rule prohibiting controversial and scientifically unjustified killing methods on over 76 million acres of federal lands in Alaska. You can find your legislators at this link: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials And you can sign a petition at this link.
May all beings be happy and free from suffering. May our own lives contribute to that happiness and freedom. Peace peace peace.
ARC Newsletter March 2017, Rodeo Protest, ARC Banquet, and More!
