A week of inspiration and action: Reflecting on CAA’s Veg Week festivities

April 29, 2024

Veg Week is a week-long celebration of compassionate living that CAA has hosted since 2004. Over the course of a week, we focus on events that educate the public on compassionate food choices and inspire respect for farmed animals. This year, Veg Week took place from April 14-20. It saw hundreds participating in a variety of inspirational and educational activities. Festivities included a movie and social action event, talks, cooking classes, potlucks, outreach, and even the premiere of a new online vegan series!

The Earth Day connection

Since 2015, the event has taken place around Earth Day – a great reminder that a plant-based diet is one of the most impactful things individuals can do to make a difference for the climate. Fittingly, on the first and last days of Veg Week this year, there were events focused on the environmental impact of our food choices. We started with a screening of the movie The Smell of Money and on the last day, we had an outreach event at the Eden Prairie Eco Expo.

In between these events, we helped support people in their compassionate journey with talks, a cooking class, and our Vegan Recipe Club. The Duluth area was represented too with a special session of their monthly Vegan Cooking Group potluck. Two of the events were held virtually to ensure that folks throughout the state and beyond could share in the fun of Veg Week.

Veg Week Event Details

Sunday, April 14, The Smell of Money Screening: Documentary & Social Action Night

At this event, we screened the award-winning movie The Smell of Money. The film covers the harms suffered by local communities (primarily communities of color) living alongside corporate “hog farms.” It delves into their legal fight for clean air, clean water, and a life free from the stench of manure. Before and after the film, over 50 participants also stopped by our action area to meet with representatives of 8 groups with related missions. Each group helped those interested find ways to take action on the issues of the film.

Monday, April 15. Lecture by Seb Alex – Humans & Other Animals: Where Did We Go Wrong?

The founder of the Middle East Vegan Society, Seb Alex, visited the University of Minnesota to share a compelling history of the philosophy of animal rights. Over ten attendees heard the history dating back to the work of poet Abu al-Ala Al-Ma’arri, who around 1000 BC, swore off taking any product (milk, honey, eggs, etc.) from animals. Mr. Alex showed how this history led up to the modern-day animal rights movements.

Monday, April 15. Online Cooking Class: Vegan Mushroom Gravy with Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Around 10 youth and adults joined our Community Organizer, Tamuno Imbu online to learn how to make this classic comfort food dish. Participants got the ingredient list ahead of time and were then guided through the steps of how to veganize this tasty dish.

Tuesday, April 16. Vegan Recipe Club: Plant Based Delicious

Our monthly Vegan Recipe Club is usually online only. But for Veg Week, we switched it up and offered a hybrid experience. Around ten people met in person to share a potluck of dishes from the cookbook that was featured this month: Plant Based Delicious. Online and in-person participants shared their experiences with making the dishes with the delectable recipes that were sent out ahead of time.

Thursday, April 18. Duluth Vegan Cooking Group

Around two years ago, a group began meeting monthly to share a tasty potluck of vegan dishes. All shared an interest in learning more about vegan cooking. Shortly after they started meeting, they decided to become a chapter of CAA! Every month has a theme for the dishes they share. This month, everyone decided to cook something from their favorite cookbook and bring the cookbook or recipe url to share with the others.

Saturday, April 20. Outreach at the Eden Prairie Eco Expo

One of our most dedicated volunteers who is also an environmental activist got CAA connected to have a booth at the Eden Prairie Eco Expo on the last day of Veg Week. The event was a day of family-friendly fun, full of inspiration and information on going green. It was a great opportunity for staff and volunteers to share with over 70 participants how a plant-based diet helps the planet — along with a lot of other benefits for human and nonhuman animals.

Saturday, April 20. Web Series Premiere of VEGAN PLEASE

Veg Week closed out with an exclusive red-carpet event! Over 50 guests were among the first to see episodes 1 and 2 of the hilarious new comedy web series VEGAN PLEASE! They also got to hear a panel featuring the production team behind it and ask questions. Hark! Cafe was the venue and they supplied lots of tasty gluten-free appetizers and desserts to make the event extra special.

The Veg Week Pledge

Over 125 people signed up for the Veg Pledge this Veg Week! Participants were asked to pledge to move closer to a vegan diet for the week. These participants then received a 15% discount from April 14-28 for vegan food at some local restaurants. They also received a week’s worth of daily emails filled with tips and inspiration from the community to support them on their compassionate journey. Those who were already eating a plant-based diet could refer two friends and also receive these benefits.

Which restaurants participated in the Veg Pledge discounts this year?

Thank you to the restaurants that offered discounts to Veg Pledgers! For 2024, these were:

*The Korean BBQ Mock Duck Tacos at Reverie Cafe + Bar — just one of the great restaurants that offered a discount for the Veg Pledge*

What was in the daily emails Veg Pledge participants received?

Grace Prins was one of the 16 people who shared tips and inspiration for the veg journey

CAA reached out to our community, asking them to share their tips and inspirations to help those undertaking the Veg Pledge. Thanks to the 16 people who responded and took the time to share from their experience and their hearts. Their responses were compiled into seven emails on the following topics. The emails are all now available on our blog so all have access to this wealth of useful tidbits.

Day one: Inspiration and support for your veg journey
Day two: Navigating nutrition on a plant-based diet: It’s easier than you think!
Day three: Affordable vegan eating: Busting the cost myth
Day four: Resources for plant-based eating: Community-recommended blogs, cookbooks, recipes, and restaurants
Day five: Navigating questions and comments: Discussing your vegan lifestyle with others
Day six: Fuel your journey: Books, films, and blogs on related topics
Day seven: Continuing your compassionate journey for the long haul

We hope you were able to join us for some of our Veg Week activities and/or the Veg Pledge. If not, stay tuned for future events. Let’s continue to celebrate the strides we’ve made and to help keep this momentum going.