It’s that time of the year again… Join us on December 8th for TVA’s annual holiday book and bake sale! We will have a variety of tasty treats available for purchase from 12:30 at the Toronto Vegetarian Association Resource Centre, located at 17 Baldwin St on the second floor. We’ll… Read More
Sonia Faruqi will speak about her critically acclaimed book Project Animal Farm. Sonia left a successful Wall Street career path to investigate animal farms around the world. In this event, she will talk about how small changes in our day-to-day lives can yield major positive results for people, animals, and… Read More
Care of Florence McCambridge I admit that I’d never heard of Fat Gay Vegan (aka Sean O’Callaghan) before picking up a copy of his book. But after I read a few chapters, checked out his blog and scrolled through his Instagram, it felt like we’d been friends for years. In his book, Sean speaks with a lot of heart and is very candid about a lot of things, including his journey to becoming a vegan: “In my early years growing up in Australia, animals were close to impossible to escape. As a young person (who was gay but not yet fat or vegan), I was confronted by the existence of animals on a daily basis in the seaside town I often reluctantly called home. They were on my plate, in my lunchbox, in the ocean, on my television and on my body in the form of clothing.” He not only shares personal insights and funny anecdotes, but he also goes into the history of the word “vegan” and shares his views on what being a vegan activist in today’s world means: “There is nothing more powerful, no better advertisement for… Read More
Filed under: News Toronto Veg Blog Uncategorised
When Peter Wohlleben released his book The Hidden Life of Trees, it changed what many of us see during a walk in the woods. And in much the same way, his new book, The Inner Life of Animals, will likely change the way many of us look at animals. The Inner Life of Animals is a science book that doesn’t read like a science book, likely due to Wohlleben’s personal anecdotes. And while animal lovers might already know some of the facts presented in this book, there is still much for us to to learn. Did you know, for example, that horses feel shame, rats regret bad choices, and butterflies choose the best places to raise their kids? But make no mistake: The Inner Life of Animals isn’t about giving animals human characteristics or personalities. As the author says: “The goal is not to anthropomorphize animals but to help us understand them better. More importantly, these comparisons serve to point out that animals are not dimwitted creatures clearly stuck a level below us on the evolutionary scale, creatures that experience only pale imitations of our rich range of sensations for pain and other such… Read More
Filed under: Animal Issues Animal Profile News Toronto Veg Blog
Care of Florence McCambridge Adventure racer Mikael Lindnord never had a dog in his life. In fact, he never even wanted one. But in 2014, during the Adventure Racing World Championship, he met the dog who would become his best friend. About four days into the race that takes participants through some of the world’s most unwelcoming terrains, Mikael and his team were on very little sleep and about to conquer the next leg. They warmed up some meatballs and pasta and as they sat down to eat they noticed a muddy dog standing perfectly still. “He was big, and underneath the mud and dirt I thought he was probably a golden colour. Even at a distance I could see that some of the mud was blood; he had bad wounds as well as dirt on him.” Mikael sensed right away that there was something special about this dog. He was stoic, just calmly observing what was going on around him. Mikael gave the dog some of his meatballs, and when the dog finished eating he went back to join his group, hoping the dog would be okay but still focused on… Read More
Filed under: Toronto Veg Blog
You may have already heard of the book How to Create a Vegan World by Tobias Leenaert. It’s getting a lot of press these days, not to mention social media attention. If you’re one of Kat Von D’s six million Instagram followers, you would have seen her recent pic of this book, along with a pretty glowing recommendation. The author of How to Create a Vegan World is Tobias Leenaert, a blogger at The Vegan Strategist as well as the co-founder of the Center for Effective Vegan Advocacy (CEVA) and ProVeg International, a pro-vegan food awareness organization. In his book, Tobias takes a pragmatic approach to veganism, rather than an idealistic one. As he puts it, it’s “about reality rather than rules.” I can see how some folks in the vegan community might have a problem with this book, mostly because of the focus on reducing meat consumption rather than trying to get people to “go vegan”. The idea is that many meat reducers together may change the system faster than a few vegans, and that reducers are actually responsible for fewer animals being killed than vegetarians… Read More
Filed under: News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Toronto Veg Blog
We know you’ll be really busy eating all the delicious things at Veg Food Fest (just take a look at this year’s vendors!), but when you’re ready for a break make sure to check out the festival bookstore. It will be packed with a selection of veg books, including bestselling cookbooks and the latest non-fiction releases. Here are some titles to look out for at Veg Food Fest this year. Captive by Jo-Anne McArthur We are thrilled to have award-winning photojournalist, educator and animal activist Jo-Anne McArthur with us at the festival this year. She is the author of 2014’s We Animals, and her new book, Captive, is receiving attention and accolades from around the world. Whether you’ve seen her thought-provoking photography already, through her website or her Instagram, or whether you’re completely new to her work, you won’t want to miss Jo-Anne McArthur’s photo exhibit happening all weekend long at this year’s Veg Food Fest. You’ll also be able to purchase copies of Jo-Anne’s books at the festival. The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J.Adams Join us at this year’s Veg Food Fest as we welcome Carol J.Adams for a… Read More
Filed under: Front page post News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Toronto Veg Blog
Reviewed by TVA volunteer Florence McCambridge Raised in a half-Italian, half-Swedish household, Eric C. Lindstrom basically grew up on meatballs and chicken Parmesan. He was a meat lover and proud of it. But after several of his friends in their mid-forties and early fifties died of heart attacks and after having his own health scare that landed him in the hospital, Eric was forced to reevaluate his diet. In his new book, The Skeptical Vegan: My Journey from Notorious Meat Eater to Tofu-Munching Vegan – A Survival Guide, Eric tells the story of how he went from an insatiable meat eater to a vegan, seemingly overnight. His decision to go vegan was influenced by Jen, his girlfriend at the time and now his wife. She was vegetarian and gluten free when they first started dating, and when she decided to go vegan for 30 days Eric agreed to do it with her. He writes honestly about the struggles he faced in those first few weeks. Even though going vegan wasn’t easy, he decided to keep it up when the 30 days were over and he hasn’t stopped since. He went all-in early on, giving… Read More
Filed under: News Toronto Veg Blog
Don’t wait until the last minute to get your holiday gifts – score some sweet savings at TVA’s annual Holiday Sale and Open House! Come & meet members of the Toronto Vegetarian Association’s Board of Directors, indulge in treats at our vegan bake sale and pick up holiday gifts from our Vegetarian Bookstore. Special note! We’ll also be collecting non-perishable vegetarian food items to donate to a local food bank so please bring along something to donate if you can. Door prize! Everyone who drops by will be entered into a raffle draw for a bag of Earth Balance peanut butter popcorn & a jar of Earth Balance peanut butter. Special Deals! Hot Off The Press Specials: Purchase any of these new hits and you’ll get any book of equal or lesser value at 50% off! Chloe’s Vegan Italy, Miyoko’s Homemade Vegan Pantry, The Lusty Vegans, Super Fresh, Vegan Eats World, Vegan Everyday Give a Gift of Compassion: Get 50% off Gene Baur’s Living the Farm Sanctuary Life, Rich Roll’s Plantpower Way or Plant Pure Nation Cookbook to go along with any gift membership you purchase for a friend or family member Where? TVA Resource Centre (17 Baldwin Street, 2nd floor). We… Read More
Filed under: Front page post News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association
Hello! Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Barbi, TVA’s Donor and Volunteer Resources Coordinator and I’ve decided to join in on the blog fun that my colleague Carly enjoyed over the summer. Soon you’ll also be meeting Autumn, one of our past communications interns. Ever since the 29th Vegetarian Food Festival, people have been asking me what it’s like post-festival. “It must be such a relief!” “You finally get some relaxing time!”. Actually….no! Thanks to such an amazing, committed army of volunteers that the Toronto Vegetarian Association has, things don’t slow down after the Festival, and the office has been a buzz as we plan for almost non-stop outreach. Since September 8th, Toronto Vegetarian Association volunteers have staffed tables at Word on the Street, a Wellness Fair in Oakville and two Humber College events, and by the end of today will have also given out about 10,000 leaflets promoting a vegetarian diet on university campuses in the GTA. But there is one thing that changes in the office post-festival, and that’s the unveiling of the fully stocked, newly organized, bursting bookshelves full of all the latest and greatest vegetarian titles that shipped in just before September 6th. If you… Read More
Filed under: Toronto Veg Blog Uncategorised
