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Vegan Week promotion in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil

Anne-Sophie Bertrand (annesophie@rede-verde.org)


11/2009

Keywords: veganism, information, food, sustainable life, Rede Verde

This week, RVCN people organized promotional activities for the World Go Vegan Week in southern Brazil
where local communities have little or no information on the vegan diet and its implications in terms of
conservation and climate change. On one of the local farmers’ market, the RVCN crew organized a vegan
tasting session offering vegan treats to farmers and market’s customers. Curiosity led to increasing
interest from the customers and stallholders.

If the concept of veganism sometimes causes


reluctance from the public for falling into pre-conceived
ideas of being radicals, the tasting tackles this diet
option differently and reactions were mostly positive.
Despite common beliefs, locals could discover that
veganism does not reduce the culinary possibilities. On
the contrary, it makes it infinitely more diverse and
creative. Customers and stallholders could taste vegan
dishes such as misso multi-grain sticks with green olive
spread, chocolate-hearted banana muffins, guava-
hearted cornflour muffins, peanut milk, vegan whole-
wheat and rye bread, and vegetable butter made out
of organic carrot juice, virgin coconut oil and soy
lecithin. Organic products from small local organic
farmers were displayed in order to show to communities that they have the means to opt for vegan diet
in their region. While the taste buds were enjoying the carnival of sensations =), people were invited to
leaf through free educational material such as the guide for organic production and consumption, virgin
coconut oil health benefits, myth breakers on calcium brainwashing and other meat and dairy-related
myths, etc.
This first attempt of opening people’s mind to a sustainable lifestyle was a success. This event was to
show that adopting a vegan diet has tremendous positive impacts on climate change and all
environmental disorders that occur in the world.

“A small individual change for a short-term collective result”

Climate change and natural resources decline concern us all. Awareness brings responsibility. All our
choices have consequences. We now more than ever measure implications of choices that were driven by
profit-making. In order to have a future, the choices that we now make should be responsible,

Rede Verde Conservation Network Inc. BN: 845495613NP0001


York street, 8 - 1st floor Moncton, NB E1C2X9 Canada
URL : www.rede-verde.org Email: info@rede-verde.org
sustainable and respectful to our planet. I rather quit eating meat now and not have to worry about all
the fresh water and food being contaminated by inadequate natural resources use. The first is a quite
simple everyday decision supported by convincing arguments such as the environment destruction,
health concerns for both us and our planet and human’s anatomic predisposition for vegan and
vegetarian diets. Let us start to do whatever it takes to reverse current world trend so that we can all
think about tomorrow faithfully and happily.

Profit-driven activities lead to destruction. Conservation-driven activities lead to construction and future
sustainability.

What are you up to?

Rede Verde Conservation Network Inc. BN: 845495613NP0001


York street, 8 - 1st floor Moncton, NB E1C2X9 Canada
URL : www.rede-verde.org Email: info@rede-verde.org

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