Their Lives, Our Voices 2014 returns! We are hosting our fifth Midwest animal advocacy conference on Saturday, September 27th, 2014 at Hanson Memorial Hall on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

Join us for this inclusive, hands-on conference and empower yourself to help farm animals. In addition to lectures and discussions, the conference offers an opportunity to network with other activists from around the country.

Register today! We’ve made it very affordable, only $20 regular price or $10 student/low-income. The fee includes all of the conference activities and lunch. You can’t beat that! Follow the TLOV Facebook page, RSVP to the Facebook event, and share with your friends.

If you’re coming to the conference from out of town, you’ll want to stick around an extra day to celebrate compassion at our Twin Cities Veg Fest. This popular festival is free to attend, draws thousands of people, and showcases delicious food, cooking demos, and inspiring speakers.

In the meantime, join us for our August potluck, a Backyard Barbeque on Friday, August 22nd at the home of Suzy Sorensen in St. Paul. RSVP on the Facebook event page and let us know if you’ll join us for an evening of delicious food and good company.

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad

Our third annual Twin Cities Veg Fest is happening on Sunday, September 28th, at Coffman Union on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Of course, we want this year’s event to be the biggest and best yet, with a record-breaking number of attendees getting a taste of compassionate living. Here’s how you can help get them there:

• Talk to your friends in person! The best way to get new people to the festival is direct person-to-person conversation.
• Use social media! Follow and share our Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest pages. Also, invite your friends to Twin Cities Veg Fest using our Facebook event. Use the the hashtags #TCVegFest2014 and #CelebrateCompassion whenever posting about the festival.
• Put up posters! Let us know if you can come to one of these four sessions. We will provide food!
  • Saturday, August 16th and Saturday, September 6th, meeting at the CAA office
  • Monday, September 8th and Thursday, September 11th, meeting at Coffman Union
• Leaflet at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday, September 2nd and Thursday, September 25th.
• If you’re a University of Minnesota student, announce the festival at the beginning of class (with your professor’s permission) or flyer in the dorms on the university campus on Tuesday, September 23rd.

To learn more about these opportunities to promote Twin Cities Veg Fest 2014, check out our most recent blog.

You can also forward our Weekly Updates to your friends. Remember, Twin Cities Veg Fest welcomes everyone, whether vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore. Invite everyone you know and share how awesome compassionate living can be.

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad

I want to let you know about two special events that Compassionate Action for Animals is hosting in the month of August.

On Saturday, August 9th from noon until 1pm, you are welcome to join us for a tour of Chicken Run Rescue. Matt Schroeder recently wrote an inspiring blog post on our website about his experience at last year’s tour of the sanctuary. For more information (or more inspiration!), check it out. RSVP on the Facebook event page or email [email protected].

That same weekend, CAA is hosting a camping trip to Wild River State Park. We’ll be traveling there on Friday, August 8th and returning on Sunday the 10th. Register as soon as possible if you’re interested in joining us and invite your friends on the Facebook event page.

Since both events are happening on the same weekend, you’ll have to pick one or the other. What’s more, in the next few weeks we’ll bring you even more opportunities to share fun, inspiring times with the animal-friendly community, from a potluck picnic in Washburn Fair Oaks Park to a dine out at Seward Cafe. Check out these events on our website and keep in touch with us via our Facebook page.

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad

I just returned from the 2014 Animal Rights National Conference in Los Angeles, and I’m feeling energized and inspired by what I experienced there. The movement is thriving and the community continues to grow. This expansion is evident in the size of the conference, this year’s being the largest ever with more than a thousand attendees.

While the conference offered a full plate of informative sessions and speakers, I most appreciated the opportunity to network with activists, all of whom are part of a global initiative to eliminate the exploitation of animals in every realm. The movement for strategic farmed animal advocacy is undeniably gaining momentum, and I feel encouraged to continue supporting that momentum through the work we do at CAA.

At the awards banquet, I was happy to see friend and colleague Jon Camp get into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame. Jon has worked with Vegan Outreach for many years. He recently hit the world record for handing out the most leaflets — one million! Vegan Outreach has been a leader in developing cogent strategy for the movement, and we’ve been following their lead. Over the last 15 years, CAA has distributed hundreds of thousands of their leaflets at our outreach events.

Perhaps the most moving of the sessions I attended included talks by former undercover investigators TJ Tumasse and Taylor Radig. TJ was the investigator at Christianson and Sparboe Farms in Minnesota. Their firsthand accounts of the abuse of animals on factory farms reminded me of why I do the work I do. We hope to bring TJ or Taylor to the Twin Cities at some point to share their powerful stories.

Our own visiting group from Compassionate Action for Animals included three staff members and six volunteers. As we return to the Twin Cities, I’m excited to think of how we can draw on all we learned and the connections we made to create a more animal-friendly community right here in our own backyard. For more information about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities with CAA, visit exploreveg.org.

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad

The idea of cutting back on meat consumption is becoming more and more mainstream. Recent articles in The Washington Post and The New York Times highlight not only compelling reasons for moving towards a plant-based diet but also practical ways to make that transition work for the average person. This idea of presenting not only the “why” but also the “how” is one big reason that Compassionate Action for Animals decided to launch Twin Cities Veg Fest in 2012.

We’re now working on our third Twin Cities Veg Fest, and we are quite convinced that this form of advocacy is where it’s at. Last year’s festival was attended by 2000 people, and we anticipate an even bigger crowd this year. Attendees range from vegans to omnivores, and the festival shows all of them how easy (and delicious!) it can be to move towards a plant-based diet. Our planning committee is hard at work on having even more food, brand new exhibitors, and the addition of cooking demos at this year’s festival. Read about our volunteers Andrew and Liz, and get a glimpse behind-the-scenes with Twin Cities Veg Fest.

I’m also happy to share that our recent outreach efforts at the Pride Festival on June 28th and 29th were outstanding. At our pay-per-view table, more than 500 people watched a video about factory farming. Our outreach efforts continue throughout the summer, with a steady stream of activites in both July and August. Contact Outreach Coordinator Grace Van Susteren at [email protected] if you’re interested in volunteering to table or leaflet at any of these upcoming events.

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad

This July, Compassionate Action for Animals has a great set of activities where you can connect with the animal-friendly community and reach out to the public, encouraging others to embrace their empathy and move towards a plant-based diet.

We’ll come together for an evening of good company and 100% organic, raw, vegan cuisine at Ecopolitan on Tuesday, July 8th at 6:30 pm. If you’d like to attend this July edition of our monthly dine out, RSVP by Monday, July 7th on the Facebook event page or email Justin Leaf at [email protected]. If you prefer to RSVP by phone, call 612-276-2242.

Later in the month, on July 27th from noon to 3:00 pm, we’ll host a potluck picnic in Fair Oaks Park at 200 24th Street East in Minneapolis. Bring a vegan dish to share and enjoy a summer afternoon in the park. A delicious assortment of vegan food is guaranteed! Check out the Facebook event page for recipe ideas. In case of rain, we’ll make our way to the nearby CAA office at 2100 1st Avenue South.

In addition to these fun social events, we’ll also be doing some outreach in July. You can find us leafleting or doing pay-per-view tabling at the Fireworks near St. Anthony Main on this Friday, July 4th, at the Warped Tour in Shakopee on Sunday, July 20th, and at the Aquatennial Torchlight Parade in Minneapolis on Wednesday, July 23rd. If you are interested in participating any of these vital outreach events, email Grace Van Susteren at [email protected].

Also, our Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for Twin Cities Veg Fest 2014 was a great success. Thank you for your generous support! We surpassed our goal and are looking forward to expanding this year’s festival to reach new audiences, provide even more tasty vegan food, and include cooking demos for the first time. You can get an overview of the festival in the most recent edition of our podcast, “Exploring Veg.”

Thanks to you all of you for your continued engagement and support as we strive to share our message of compassion.

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad
Executive Director

Become a Twin Cities Veg Fest Funder with a donation to our Indiegogo campaign. Contribute today! The campaign expires on Tuesday, July 1st. Only 6 days left! We’re almost halfway there, and we need your support to make it the rest of the way.

Your support helps fund a festival that celebrates compassion and welcomes everyone, whether vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore. Twin Cities Veg Fest brings the community together and shows how fun and delicious a compassionate lifestyle can be. It’s a powerful form of outreach and a good time, all rolled into one.

Our third annual Twin Cities Veg Fest 2014 will happen on Sunday, September 28th, 2014, 10am – 4pm at Coffman Memorial Union on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota. Our previous festivals were great successes, and we anticipate continued growth. With your support, we can reach new audiences, provide more tasty vegan food, and bring cooking demos to the festival.

To learn more about Twin Cities Veg Fest, listen to our most recent Exploring Veg, the Compassionate Action for Animals podcast. In this first podcast of a four-part series devoted to all things Veg Fest, we give an overview of the upcoming festival. I talk with Twin Cities Veg Fest organizer Dave Rolsky about what the Veg Fest is, how it came to be, and what it offers the general public.

Twin Cities Veg Fest is free to attend. Your generous support is what makes this event possible.

Visit our Indiegogo campaign page, and check out the range of perks for different levels of contribution. We have everything from a cute CAA button to a homemade vegan cake delivered straight to your door.

Visit our website to learn more about all the ways that you can be involved with CAA, including a Potluck and Bonfire on this Friday, June 27th, and an outreach event at the Minneapolis Pride Festival on Saturday, June 28th and Sunday, June 29th. If you’re interested in volunteering at Pride, email Outreach Coordinator Greta Van Susteren at [email protected].

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad
Executive Director

Would you like to expand on the compassionate action that you take for animals? Tabling and leafleting are two effective ways to reach the public and share vital information on factory farming and plant-based diets. Compassionate Action for Animals is currently looking for volunteers to help manage these regular outreach activities.

If you are passionate about outreach and have an outgoing personality with strong leadership skills, consider applying for a volunteer position as either the Tabling Supervisor or the Leafleting Supervisor.

The Tabling Supervisor manages a CAA outreach table in a high-traffic area once or twice a month. The Leafleting Supervisor oversees CAA outreach leafleting at colleges, concerts, and festivals twice a month.

To learn more about the responsibilities and qualifications for each role, read the blog Outreach Leadership Positions Available. For more information or to apply, contact Outreach Coordinator Grace Van Susteren.

In addition to the outreach that we do at CAA, we also focus on education and community building, and we have a couple upcoming events that will give you the opportunity to develop your skills in the vegan kitchen and to have good times with other animal-friendly folks:

Tomorrow! Thursday, June 19th, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Our June Cooking Class: Simple Vegan Mexican Food will be held at Van Cleve Recreation Center, 901 15th Avenue SE, Minneapolis MN 55414. This event is FREE and open to the public and may very well teach you all you ever wanted to know about making your own vegan taco fillings.

Next week! Friday, June 27th, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. You’re invited to join us for a June Potluck and Bonfire at the home of Jennifer Swick, 1080 Country Road C2, Roseville MN 55113. The theme is “Fiesta,” so bring your favorite Latin-American-inspired vegan dish to share. Please note that Jennifer has two cats.

Join us for one or both of these fun, summer events and share in the joy of compassionate living.

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad
Executive Director

The month of June is filled opportunities to connect with our community and to help animals.

First, a cooking class. Learn how to make easy, delicious, vegan Mexican food. Transform plant-based pantry staples like tofu, lentils, and tempeh into tasty taco fillings. Think Tofu Rancheros, Ancho Lentil, and Tempeh Asada. Yum! This cooking class taught by Jeff Johnson will be held at Van Cleve Recreation Center, 901 15th Avenue SE, Minneapolis MN 55414 on Thursday, June 19th, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Any of the dishes explored at the cooking class would be the perfect thing to bring to our June Potluck and Bonfire: Fiesta! Get inspired by the fresh and flavorful world of Latin American cuisine, and bring a vegan dish to share. Jennifer Swick will host this event at her home, 1080 Country Road C2, Roseville MN 55113 on Friday, June 27th, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Please note that Jennifer has two cats.

Would you like to volunteer for either of these events? If interested, contact Communications and Event Coordinator Justin Leaf.

CAA will be doing outreach at Rock the Garden, a summer music festival at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden on Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22, and at the Minneapolis Pride Festival, a celebration of the LGBT community at Loring Park on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29. If you are interested in volunteering for either of these vital outreach events, contact Outreach Coordinator Grace Van Susteren.

Also, our Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for Twin Cities Veg Fest 2014 continues through Tuesday, July 1st. Contribute today! Your support will help us reach new audiences, provide even more tasty vegan food, and bring cooking demos to the festival. All of these improvements to our annual festival will help us to further our mission to encourage people to cultivate empathy for animals and move towards a plant-based diet.

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad Executive Director