Image used under Creative Common license courtesy of Flickr user darrenhester.

More than half a billion eggs have now been recalled due to a recent salmonella outbreak.

Half a billion.  500 million eggs.  I can’t even wrap my head around that number, or the number of hens required to produce that many eggs.

Sure, I’ll be one of the first to let out a huge sigh of relief and be glad it’s not spinach again, (remember how horrible that was?). But what I want to consider today is: what does this egg recall do for veganism?  Does a recall of this size and scope have a positive effect on veganism or a negative effect?

And with that, I welcome you to Making the Vegan Grade, a new segment of Vegan Mainstream’s blog that will publish bi-weekly (every second Wednesday). In MVG I’ll discuss a hot topic and rate its impact on veganism for good or for bad.  I’ll be giving these items a grade somewhere on the scale of -5 VMs to +5 VMs. Stories that will have an overall positive effect on veganism will be closer to +5, and stories having a negative impact on veganism will be toward the -5.  Got it? Great. Read on. Share your thoughts, then pass it along.  Please feel free to comment and agree or disagree, so long as you do it civilly.

According to the Wall Street Journal, more than 1,000 people have gotten sick from tainted eggs and more than half a billion eggs have been recalled. Stories are coming out about the cleanliness of egg producing facilities and the situation is further complicated by the alphabet soup of agencies assigned to regulate egg production.  The Food and Drug Administration regulates safety while the US Department of Agriculture regulates the consistency of color and size of eggs sold together.  Ever wondered what Grade A, Grade AA, and Grade B means?  Nothing more than similar sizes and colors.  Also, these categorizations are not required – they are just a (paid-for) stamp so the eggs can be priced higher.

I’d like to think a recall of this magnitude will encourage people to explore egg substitutes and eventually try veganism, and I’m sure some will. But ultimately, I imagine most will return to their egg-eating ways.   In 1972, a man named Anthony Downs published an article describing what he called the Issue Attention Cycle.  In a nutshell, Downs’ theory is that at any given time a problem exists which only a few people know.  At some point there is an “alarmed discovery” where the public first hears of the problem and demands a solution.  This is followed by a realization of the true costs of solving the problem, a decline in interest, and finally, a sort of existence where the problem is seen to be under control.

This has happened time and time again, and the non-vegan public consistently responds accordingly.  Remember all those beef recalls?  So many people talked of giving up beef for good, until they determined the costs to be too great.  And now the public at large continues to eat beef in record amounts.  I imagine lots of people will give up eggs for a time, and maybe some life-long vegans will come out of it, but eventually interest from the masses will wane.  Many will return to eating eggs without thinking about it, but I also have faith that some will see the benefits of expanding horizons.

My cynicism notwithstanding, if we can convince someone to try going without eggs just once, that is a victory.  It may not stick today, but it’s a seed, and once planted that seed may continue to grow and blossom into something days, weeks, and months from now.  I’m not happy about the egg recall by any means, but I’m going to give it +3 VMs.  Today, more people are aware of the dangers of centralizing our food sources, the unsanitary nature of factory farms, and hopefully, the conditions the hens are kept in.  It is, of course, up to us to help turn that knowledge into action.

THE EGG RECALL: +3 VMs

Interested in seeing what’s coming up for the rest of the week on Vegan Mainstream? Watch our weekly blog video!

Talking to children about veganism is an important thing to do, but when you’re talking to other people’s children, it’s easy to get into hot water–fast. It’s best to keep in mind that reaching your own children with the vegan message is completely different than influencing other people’s children. It’s inappropriate to preach to other people’s children without their parents’ permission (and even then it’s quite inappropriate if the child isn’t interested and initiating the continuing discussion). Yes, you can be passionate and true to yourself at all times, but you must first be respectful or you won’t even be heard. This is true even if you are related (maybe even especially if you are related).

My 10 tips for reaching other people’s children with the vegan message:

1. Never lie. Children are naturally curious. If one asks you what you are eating, or why you won’t have a bite of his chicken, tell the truth–gently. Once a child truly understands what veganism is, they almost immediately comprehend the importance of being a vegan. I once had a girl proudly tell me that she was a vegetarian and then tell me about the McDonald’s french fries she ate once a week. I had to tell her about the beef powder in those fries… She wasn’t very happy, but she was glad to know. What she did with that information was up to her.
2. Talk about animals. Children naturally love animals. It came as a shock to my older daughter when she found out that people ate chickens. She thought chickens were lovely, sentient creatures. She was right. When talking about animals, talk about their personalities and how smart they are–especially the pigs, chickens, cows, and other animals the humans around you commonly eat. Kids don’t want to eat creatures who have personalities.
3. Wear your message. The “I am not a nugget” and other kid-friendly vegan promotional buttons and stickers are cute, adorable, and get the message across without showing blood and other horrors of killing animals for food (plus kids really like stickers!). The PETA Kids site also has fun games, free comic books to order, and much more! It’s truly a great resource.
4. Let it be known that not all people feel the same about food. I’ve had children tell me quite adamantly that all people need meat and milk to be strong and healthy. I’ve gently told these children that not all people feel that way and that I found that my family doesn’t need animal products at all, and we are much healthier now. They’ve been surprised and doubtful, but a seed was planted.
5. Buy only vegan-friendly kid products as presents. It’ll come as a lovely surprise to your kid-friends that vegans have plenty of amazingly fun and cool toys and games that are vegan, including phone covers, shoes, bags, and other traditionally non-vegan products.
6. Know your vegan nutrition. If a child’s parent comes up to you after they’ve heard you say something to their child, be prepared to state factual information only about children’s nutrition. If you don’t know what this means, check out Raising a Vegan Children in a Non-Vegan World or PCRM.org or DrMcDougall.com.
7. Buy vegan-friendly kid books and keep them around your house or business. There are many cute vegan books for kids these days. Some include: That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals, Benji Bean Sprout Doesn’t Eat Meat! (the neat loaf in this book is delicious), and my own Wright on Time children’s chapter book series. Considering a book, but aren’t sure if it really is vegan-friendly? Check out VegBooks reviews. If they don’t have the book you are wanting to know about, contact them!
8. Feed them delicious kid-friendly vegan foods! People often think that kids will only eat bland and boring foods. This just isn’t true. Kids do, however, like to eat foods they are familiar with. If you are feeding kids you don’t know for the first time, find out their favorite foods and make vegan versions of them. I’ve yet to have a child tell me a favorite meal I couldn’t veganize. Ready to get more creative? Check out the Vegan Lunchbox, or take the kids grocery shopping and have them pick out fun fruits and veggies they’ve never tried.
9. Point out vegan role models. In today’s world, there are thousands of vegan athletes, vegan movie stars and other famous people, and vegan children saving the world. Point them out to the curious kids around you. State their veganism matter-of-factly. Be a role model for them!
10. Seriously–don’t preach. I’ve heard it said that a person needs to be told things three times before they’ll remember it and seven times before they’ll believe it. I couldn’t find the source for this, so it might be anecdotal. Whether it’s scientifically true or not, don’t try and shove all seven of those times into one meeting. It just won’t work, it’s rude, and it has huge potential to backfire (making the person adamant that they never want to be a vegan).

Yes, it is possible to reach other people’s children with the vegan message, but it’s important to do it appropriately. If you aren’t a child’s parent, you must remember to treat the child’s parent respectfully. This can easily be done while you stay true to who you are as a vegan, with tact, fact, and politeness.

Image: br3akthru / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My wife’s aunt runs a recruiting firm.  They help large companies find the perfect CEO, or fill other similar high-level positions.  The first piece of advice she gave me when I was job hunting was to not send out resumes en masse, lest I risk becoming stale in the market very quickly.  It was counter-intuitive to everything I thought I knew about job hunting.

A friend of mine, who writes for a blog site where posts offer advice like how to check your Google reputation before an interview, had other suggestions for me.  Job hunting, like having the hiccups, brings advice and suggestions out of all the dark corners of the woodwork.  Ask 10 people how they got their job, and you may get 10 different answers.  If I consider my group of friends, I can think of some who interned with their current job, others who work for themselves, others who found a position through a mentor or friend, and still others who found theirs the old-fashioned way: Craigslist.

Is there a secret to finding the “right” job? Unfortunately, I don’t think there is.

Ultimately, I think the best advice is to keep trying, be yourself, and try to stay positive.  Whether you’ve just started looking, are working and casually keeping an eye out for something new, or have been looking for quite a while, stick to those 3 guidelines and you should be fine.  If something isn’t working for you, change it.  Not drastically, but change it.  Rearrange your resume or change your lucky shoes.  The important thing to remember is that nothing is certain to work, until it does.  What advice have you gotten?  Share your jobseeking tips in the comments.

While no one may have the perfect formula, we just may have the perfect job.  Sign up for customizable job alerts and check our Twitter @VeganJobs for the most recent job postings.  And be sure to look at these 2 great opportunities:

Have start-up experience?  Self-motivated and enjoy a fast paced environment? More importantly, want to help Apparent “optimize the world’s energy system by helping consumers conserve and energy providers deliver ubiquitous, clean power?”  They’re looking for a Chief Financial Officer and there doesn’t appear to be a deadline, so you’d better hurry.

And the Union of Concerned Scientists is seeking a Foundations Officer.  This is a great position with a great organization that works to fight global warming and other global threats.

To see all of our vegan jobs or to post an open position go to our VeganJob Board.

Happy job hunting!

Image: graur codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

People say the future is in the hands of the youth. But could it be in their mouths as well? 

Not enough people are aware that eating meat is bad for the planet on such a global scale.  Any environmentalist would agree that two huge issues facing us today are water and greenhouse gases. In the case of water, besides the fact that factory farms cause water pollution, the amount of water that is expended to raise “food” animals greatly exceeds the amount of water that would be used to grow plant crops to feed the same number of people.  Where greenhouse gases are concerned, factory farms (which is where most of the meat produced in North America comes from) generate an absurd amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide emissions, which are all responsible for greenhouse effects.

The challenge is to change people’s minds when they are already settled into the “eat-meat-til-you-drop” mentality. It’s not easy to make an adult who has been eating meat his/her whole life into a conscientious vegan - not even people who are in their late 20′s and early 30′s, and whose childhoods are marked by happy memories of McDonald’s. (By the way, according to Eric Schlosser, author of the book Fast Food Nation, that was exactly the tactic that McDonald’s marketing executives applied; they wanted not only to bring children and their families to McDonald’s, but to also create a brand loyalty that would last for their lifetime.)

That is exactly why we need to target youth with the vegan movement – and for those of us who are already on board, we need to start raising our children and teenagers in a more conscientious way. We need to let them know why we are vegan, and why they are eating that way. They have a right to know that the steak their friend is eating was an animal raised in an inhumane way, killed in a most unsanitary manner and pumped full of antibiotics.

As all vegans know, there are so many reasons not to eat meat. It’s more a matter of challenging our culture now. Ideas can be changed, and that will start with our children. It’s important to teach children and teens what happens every time they eat meat, and how that hurts the planet, as well as their own bodies. They will be the consumers of the future. They will decide what to buy at the grocery stores. It’s comparable (although admittedly more personal and life-changing) to the way that recycling has made its way into the collective consciousness: people started teaching their children to recycle at an early age, and as these children are growing up recycling is second-nature to them.

It’s time for the vegan movement to start reaching out to and supporting our youth, so they can transform ideas into actions and make an impact in our world. One bite at a time.

Children spend a large chunk of their time in school. From 8 am to 3 pm every school day, your child is soaking up knowledge on literature, mathematics, world history and science. These school subjects are essential, but imagine how much gentler a place this world might be if they also took a daily class on animal compassion. In an effort to raise awareness about the injustices that occur to animals every day, Stacey Radin founded and developed Unleashed, a program designed for pre-teen and teenaged girls in New York City middle schools.

Radin, who has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, initially developed the program to boost the self-esteem and confidence of adolescent girls. After 15 months of research, she found that, almost unfailingly, these young girls had one thing in common: a passion for animals and animal welfare. Now Unleashed is fully developed, and this month 45 girls from three middle schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn will begin thier involvement in the 12-week program by meeting once a week.

What is the goal of Unleashed? The program is designed to empower young girls, but it also teaches them about animal injustices and encourages them to think creatively about potential solutions for issues to do with animal cruelty and homeless dogs and cats in the city – it’s not just about rescuing animals, but about finding sustainable solutions to very real problems.

Some schools may not be as progressive or open to vegan-friendly programs, but even if they aren’t, don’t let this discourage you or your child from developing a school or community program. Even though Radin’s daughter is in fifth grade and too young to participate in Unleashed, she has taken it upon herself to research puppy mills and post banners around her school.

As a role model, there are many ways you can encourage compassion and activism in your child – in or out of the classroom. Maybe it’s by taking your child to a dog park where he/she can pass out fliers about puppy mills, or perhaps it’s by helping to organize community vegan potlucks or events like walks in support of a farm sanctuary or another local animal-friendly organization (and empowering your child to become involved). It just takes some support and guidance to encourage children to change the world, and you can be that guiding light in their life. Check out PETA’s action centre for ideas on animal activism – for adults and kids.

Some other good vegan news stories for this week:

• Support Farm Sanctuaries
• Enjoy a Vegan Barbecue
• Egg Replacement Options
• Vegan Rolos Unveiled….and Lack of Vegan Food Racism?

It’s that time of year again: back to school time, or in my family’s case: Not Back to School Time!

It saddens me when I hear parents expressing their gratefulness to be rid of their kids after a long summer with them. For my family, we all cheer at this time of year for very different reasons. Why? Because we’re vegan unschoolers who are now going to be spending even more time together.

Unschooling (quick definition): living life as though school doesn’t exist; life long learners; autodidacts

With school back in session, we’ve been spending more time at our local family-friendly locations. Here are several things we’re able to do now:

1. Go to local museums, ceramics shops, bowling, tour places (pizza place, copper mine, planetarium, etc.) without long crowds.
2. Go on trips, still using “summer” discounts, to tourist attractions around the country (we’re currently planning a several-week-long Amtrak trip; kids are 1/2 off!). My daughters are both planning several short and long trips they want to take over this upcoming “school” year. We would not have the freedom, or the money, to go on these trips if we had to do them only in-between school sessions.
3. Go swimming at public pools without a wait, or crowds. Since it’s still in the low 100F’s, cooling off in a pool is lovely and refreshing.
4. Go grocery shopping during the day with lines 1/2 their summer length.
5. Movies! We can now pick up matinee pricing again without hunting for seats, even at the “cheap” theaters.

While we’re sad for the kids who don’t love school (and happy for those who do), we thoroughly enjoy the added freedom we have as a homeschooling family at this time of year. Want to share some of our unschooling joy in your household? Consider these activities:

1. Declare at least one weekend day a “no homework day” and a “no work day” (turn off those cellphones, too). Go somewhere beautiful and fun as a family (there are scenic places everywhere on Earth)! Enjoy a vegan picnic or other outdoor activity. Really breathe in the surroundings, fully appreciating each moment. Life isn’t about school and work, it’s about our connections and relationships with other people. Who are the most important people to you? Spend more time with them. Invite others over for a vegan BBQ (I recently had grilled watermelon and pineapple–wow!).
2. Make lovely vegan meals up well in advance, and pack your whole family’s lunches with love and joy. Every member of the family will appreciate yummy foods which remind them of home. It’s even better if you’ve made the meals together (but not everyone likes to cook, so don’t force it–find new autumn vegan recipes together if your family does enjoy this). Put love notes in your spouse and children’s reusable lunch bags/boxes.
3. Plan now for fun things to look forward to during school breaks and weekends. Do your kids really want to go and see friends in another state, or grandparents in another country during their winter break? Help them plan it, figure out the costs, and think of ideas of how to pay for it (together as a family). Make all of your desires known to the world and others might want to help you make your travel dreams come true. Consider couch surfing or house swapping to make this more affordable.
4. Schedule fun. This might seem silly, but not every moment needs to be a “learning opportunity” or a way to sneak in a “moral lesson”. If this is hard for you, actually write down “FUN” on your family calendar.
5. Above all, make time to enjoy the people in your life. Go on long walks together. Don’t overplan anyone’s schedule, especially your children’s. Allow each of you to have free time alone, and together. Celebrate all your successes together. Chop up some delicious late summer fruits and veggies. Enjoy the coming crisp air and the loveliness of now.