Global Vegan
by Carolyn Tate
International Vegan
Meetup Day!
Being vegan is an individual choice but sometimes I think it would be nice to
sit around with some others who share my belief that animals are not for humans
to exploit and just, you know, chat. We could swap recipes, tips on new products,
talk about that great new deli or Indian restaurant down the street, or complain
that our mothers don't understand why we reject the roast lamb that they have
lovingly slaved over all day. But none of my friends or family are vegan and as
I have mentioned before, my experience with organizations hasn't been great, so
how can I go about finding people in my local area who are?
International Vegan Meetup Day (is there anyone else who thinks it would be more
appropriate to call it Lentilup Day?) is being held on Saturday, September 6th
at 12pm in 591cities all over the world. So far there are 2371 vegans signed up
to go along. It is organized for the first Saturday of every month and is a great
opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals in your local area for some
fun and conversation. Who knows, you may even make some new friends! The idea
is that no matter where in the world you are, you can register on the website
and go along to an organized event somewhere close to you.
www.vegan.meetup.com
The website is part of a larger site called Meetup, which gathers groups of people
together who share an interest, from Elvis fans to ghost trackers. Meetings are
generally an informal chat over coffee or a beer (vegan in our case, of course!)
in a location and venue voted for by participants, so you can use your vote to
bring the meeting to your local participating cafe, bar, skating rink, dog-friendly
park - anywhere you would like to gather. Groups are normally between four and
twelve people - that's between four and twelve potential friends with whom you
have at least one thing in common, which is a great start.
The site is not affiliated with any organizations; it is there purely to provide
the technology to bring people together with the intention of strengthening communities.
In this technological age, when we can buy dinner, do our banking or even get
a date without walking through our front doors, strengthening the local community
seems like a fantastic idea.
Of course, opportunities like this for vegans to get together in a relaxed environment
only exist if people get out there and get involved. Unfortunately, the meeting
for my home town, Melbourne, Australia, is cancelled this month due to a lack
of numbers. If you want Meetup to keep happening where you live, please sign up,
vote for your preferred location and go along. All you have to do is be sociable
- that doesn't seem like a terrible price to pay for such a great initiative,
now does it?
If there is no Vegan Meetup in your area, don't despair. You can make it happen
by following the links on the site. The most difficult aspects to starting up
a new group are finding a willing venue and gathering enough people. Obviously
if you can provide help with one or both of these, it will be easier to get off
the ground. There is no reason why we can't have vegans everywhere in the world
meeting once a month to shoot the breeze and have some fun. One last thing: please don't
read this, go to the website and think, "Hey, that's a great idea - I should do
that," and then go and watch TV. I want you to sign yourself up and go along.
It is only with our support that these opportunities can exist, so do it for yourself
and your fellow vegans. See you out there!
www.vegan.meetup.com
Copyright 2003 Veggieheadonline.com