Contents

1. Let Live Conference at PSU to Feature 60 Speakers on Animal Issues
2. Candidates Announced for Northwest VEG Board Positions
3. June’s Portland Potluck to Feature Great Food and Membership Meeting
4. Celebrate July 4th – Vegan Style!
5. Upcoming Volunteering Includes Conference and Farmers Markets
6. India Oven to Host June Dine-out in Their New Location
7. VegFest 2009 – Only 3 Months Away!
8. Business Partner The Vita Café Has Moved, Across the Street
9. Pick Your July Festival and Pack Your Bags
10. Going Veg Unveiled a Whole New Perspective on ‘Healthy’
11. Master Veg Grads Volunteer at Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary

E-Bits, edited by Charley Korns, may be viewed on the web at www.nwveg.org/news/NWVEG_Ebits_2009_06.htm. If you are interested in writing for future E-Bits editions, please email charko@hevanet.com. The next deadline is July 22, 2009.

1. Let Live Conference at PSU to Feature 60 Speakers on Animal Issues

Just a few days into summer, on June 26-28, a conference at Portland State University is sure to draw big crowds to learn the “ins and outs” of animal rights issues. The Let Live NW Animal Rights Conference is a grassroots forum for people who want to help put an end to animal suffering. Through an open, respectful, and friendly environment this conference will provide an opportunity for attendees to learn skills and strategies to become better advocates for the animals, no matter one’s experience level in activism. “Let Live” will be held at PSU in the Smith Memorial Building.

Among the dozens of speakers are leaders from three outstanding national organizations: Farm Sanctuary (Gene Baur - pictured, with friend), Compassion Over Killing (Erica Meier), and Mercy for Animals (Nathan Runkle). Local speakers include Matt Rossell from In Defense of Animals, Josh Hooten from Herbivore Clothing, and Peter Spendelow from Northwest VEG. Vegans for Animal Advocacy is organizing the conference with support from Let Live Foundation as well as local area businesses such as Herbivore Clothing and Food Fight Grocery. Northwest VEG is a platinum sponsor of the conference. Check out the line-up of speakers and register at: www.letlivefoundation.org/conference. Conference fee is $15, and it is possible to volunteer in lieu of payment. A volunteer meeting will be held at Food Fight Vegan Grocery on June 10; email info@foodfightgrocery.com.

2. Candidates Announced for Northwest VEG Board Positions

Six candidates for the upcoming Northwest VEG election for board of directors are a mix of dedicated, experienced current directors, who have chosen to run for another term, and enthusiastic members, who will be new to the board. Current directors Peter Spendelow, Linda Sant'Angelo, and Jill Schatz are seeking another 2-year term. The new candidates are Deanna Cintas, Eric Day, and Keith Iding. Members will receive ballots in early June with candidate information and instructions for voting. Please support the board’s important work by voting.

3. June’s Portland Potluck to Feature Great Food and Membership Meeting

Join Northwest VEG for our monthly potluck at the West Hills UU Fellowship, 8470 SW Oleson Rd., on Sunday, June 21, starting at 5 p.m. Please bring a plant-based main dish, salad or dessert (no animal ingredients, including dairy products, eggs and honey), a card listing its ingredients, and plates and utensils for your use. If you come alone, figure the amount to serve 4-6; increase the amount 4 servings for each additional person in your party/family. Northwest VEG potlucks are alcohol-free events, and we start eating about 5:15 p.m.

This potluck is our membership meeting, our sixth since Northwest VEG was founded in October 2003. We will conclude our elections for new board members who will take office on July 1, or those seeking another term (see article #2). We then want to hear from you, our members and friends. Are we fulfilling our mission as stated at the top of this newsletter? What do you like? What would you like changed?

For more information about the potluck, call (503) 224-7380 or email info@nwveg.org. If you can volunteer to help, please contact volunteer@nwveg.org or call (503) 224-7380. A donation of $2-5 per person is suggested to help cover the cost of the room rental.

4. Celebrate July 4th – Vegan Style!

A Northwest VEG potluck picnic will celebrate the spirit of independence with delicious vegan food. We’ll meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, at Raleigh Park, 3500 SW 78th Ave., between Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy. (bus 54) and Canyon Rd. (bus 58). The picnic will last until 5 p.m.

Bring your favorite plant-based dish (no animal ingredients, including honey), enough to share for 6 people for every member in your party—and we'll supply drinks. Please bring a card listing the ingredients of your dish and plates and utensils for your use. Bring your croquet, badminton, bocce ball or any other lawn or table games! We have reserved a number of picnic tables, but you may want to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Don't forget your tennis racquet, if you play. A swimming pool at the park is available for a few dollars per person. If it looks like rain, we’ll meet at West Hills UU Fellowship, 8470 SW Oleson Road. Check our phone message if you have any questions (503-224-7380) after 9 a.m. on July 4 for any update.

If you can volunteer at the July 4 picnic, there are a few positions that need to be filled. We need a games coordinator (2 - 5 p.m.), help with set-up (11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.), and help with cleanup (5 - 6 p.m.); please contact Wendy at volunteer@nwveg.org.

5. Upcoming Volunteering Includes Conference and Farmers Markets

Come table with Northwest VEG this summer! We'll be including more farmers’ markets, so stay tuned for more opportunities.

Let Live Conference: Saturday & Sunday, June 27 & 28
Portland State University in the Smith Memorial Building
Saturday & Sunday shifts available
www.letlivefoundation.org/conference

PSU Farmer's Market: Saturday, July 25
PSU Park Blocks between SW Harrison & SW Montgomery
Shifts available: 8 a.m. - 11 a.m., 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Wendy Gabbe Day at volunteer@nwveg.org.

6. India Oven to Host June Dine-out in Their New Location

Great news, veg peeps! India Oven, formerly at 39th & Hawthorne, is now hanging out at 3450 SE Belmont, and the eats are spicy good! It is the former location of the sadly missed Kinta Restaurant. Our next dine-out is Sunday, June 14, at 6 p.m. I’m looking for 20 peeps to join me on this beautiful Sunday evening for some savory Indian grub and good conversation! Email me before Thursday, June 11, for a final count. I’ll send you a menu for a look-see—this Indian food restaurant marks V for Vegan on certain dishes—and we can think about ordering ahead of time for faster service. Contact your friendly dining coordinator, Cat at monroycathy@hotmail.com or call me (503) 778-0223. And again, let me know if your plans change!

7. VegFest 2009 – Only 3 Months Away!

Our next VegFest is set for Sept. 19 at the Oregon Convention Center. Keep track of the fest at www.portlandvegfest.org. We'll soon be adding a lot more information as speakers, chefs, sponsors, and exhibitors are confirmed. If your company or nonprofit would like to participate, information can be found at www.nwveg.org/vegfest_exhibitorinfo.php or email Jill@nwveg.org. Many thanks to the following three recent additions to our Silver Sponsor category!

• Book Publishing Company - Sponsoring for the 3rd straight year, Book Publishing Company is a community owned, independent publisher that promotes books on vegetarian and vegan cooking and nutrition, raw foods, natural health care, and Native American culture. www.bookpubco.com
• Pulmuone Wildwood - Strongly committed to organic and natural food products, this is their 2nd year as a VegFest Sponsor. Pulmuone Wildwood has a strong presence in both ethnic and organic food markets. www.wildwoodfoods.com
• Toby’s Family Foods & Genesis Juice - Also sponsoring for the 2nd year, Toby’s recent purchase of Genesis Juice adds a sweet new organic element to their delicious mix of patés. www.tobysfamilyfoods.com and www.genesisorganicjuice.com

8. Business Partner The Vita Café Has Moved, Across the Street

Northwest VEG business partner The Vita Café is excited to announce its re-opening in a new space located directly across the street from its old location. The new address is 3023 NE Alberta St. 

The Vita, open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, specializes in vegan and vegetarian comfort food. Enjoy breakfast with a choice of tofu or tempeh or try the Seitan Cheese Steak Sandwich, the Tofu Buffalo wrap, or the Supergrain Quinoa salad with homemade vegan soup of the day. Enjoy a vegan dessert such as the Carrot cake, “cheese cake” from Sweetpea Baking Co., or a truffle from Missionary Chocolates. There are local microbrews, biodynamic organic wines, and a full bar with a specialty cocktail list. 

Kids eat for a buck everyday from 5 to 7 p.m., and there’s a full kids menu with fresh smoothies, veggie burgers, tofu & steamed broccoli, and gluten-free corncakes all day.  Wednesday night is happy hour, with selected food items for $5 and reduced alcoholic beverage prices. Contact Vita at 3023 NE Alberta St., (503) 335-8233, www.vita-cafe.com. Show your Northwest VEG membership card to receive a 10% discount.

9.Pick Your July Festival and Pack Your Bags

Between the upcoming Let Live Conference (June 26-28) and Portland VegFest (Sept. 19), a few other major events may inspire you to plan a July adventure.

Vegetarian Summerfest on the University of Pittsburgh campus at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, takes place July 8-12. The schedule includes speakers on health and nutrition, lifestyle issues, cooking, recipes, exercise and fitness, animal rights, compassionate living, and Earth stewardship – including George Eisman, R.D., Michael Greger, M.D., and Howard Lyman, former cattle rancher, will be among the speakers. Learn more at www.vegetariansummerfest.org.

The largest and oldest Animal Rights Conference will be in Los Angeles on July 16-20. AR 2009 is a forum for sharing knowledge, reporting on progress, discussing strategies and tactics, networking, and “recharging our batteries.” Among the 90 speakers are Jack Norris of Vegan Outreach, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks, and Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd. Visit www.arconference.org to learn more.

The Taking Action for Animals Conference on July 24-27 is a perfect reason to visit the nation’s capital. Learn how to plan effective campaigns, walk the halls of Congress to lobby your federal legislators on animal protection issues, and hear from speakers such as HSUS president and CEO Wayne Pacelle, comedian and author Carol Leifer, and U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), co-chairman of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus. For more information visit www.takingactionforanimals.org.

10. Going Veg Unveiled a Whole New Perspective on ‘Healthy’

By Trista Cornelius, Contributing Writer

Going veg was one of the most important changes I made in my effort to be healthy because it made me pay attention to what and how I eat, and how I feel as a result. Before veg life, I’d thought that “healthy” was my default setting, that my unexamined diet and lifestyle were “healthy” unless proved otherwise by something like a cold or flu. Now, I make a conscious effort to work toward my evolving definition of “healthy.” 

More recently, while reading a book about food and society, I came across the idea that how we eat can be a kind of “self-determination” (C. L. Harper, & B. F. Le Beau, Food, Society, and Environment. NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003). I saw that how I eat has shaped who I am and how I live. However, the authors also said that how we eat can be a type of protest, a “personal resistance” against cultural norms. Obviously, not harming or killing animals for food goes against cultural norms. However, what about other reasons for living a veg life? Striving for health, happiness, and overall vitality does not go against cultural norms, does it? To my surprise, I think it does. 

Approaching each meal as an opportunity to choose what kind of life I want to fuel goes against the idea that eating is a chore and must be made easier, faster, and more convenient. Foraging in the plant world and finding an abundance of delicious treats goes against the idea that “healthy” means sacrificing pleasure. Believing in the possibility of a life thriving with energy and vitality goes against the idea that “not sick” means “healthy” and that “not sick” is good enough.

It’s not that a veg life is the only path to health and happiness, but it’s been an effective one for me, helping me determine for myself what it means to be healthy and providing the tools to get there.

11. Master Veg Grads Volunteer at Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary

A group of recent graduates of Northwest VEG’s Master Vegetarian Program rolled up their sleeves, prepped the soil, and planted seeds at Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary’s garden, in Scio, Oregon, on May 23. The fruit and veggies will feed both the animals and the people at the sanctuary. Following the planting, the students hung out with the pigs, horses and goats and fed them apples and carrots. One pig in particular, Luke—one of the 100-plus animals rescued by the sanctuary—took a particular liking to the group.

[Photo, from left to right: Jessica Dadds, Flav Tomei, Anna Herby, Kathy Tomei, Mindy Seher, Elaine Armstrong, Wendy Gabbe Day, Eric Day, Eric Haas]

If you are interested in volunteering at the sanctuary, work parties meet every other Saturday from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. For more information visit www.lighthousefarmsanctuary.org. A 2-year anniversary party on Saturday, June 6, will include an afternoon (noon to 4 p.m.) of fun activities including hay wagon rides, hoof trimming demonstrations, entertainment, tours and more. Learn about the animals, the sanctuary and the work of the farm. Meet the residents!

The next session of the Master Veg Program will begin in fall 2009. If you’d like more info or to be placed on the email list, please email Susan Hanson: susan@nwveg.org.

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