Veggie Action
Pamela Rice - Vegetarian Activist in New York City
By Scott Lustig & Edited by Susan Weinstein
Possessing an extraordinary skill for verbal and written communication, a flare for visual graphics, a keen memory for facts, and an enthusiastic, warm personality, Pamela Rice has made far-reaching strides in drawing people to learn about a vegetarian lifestyle.
Pam is a model of self-initiative. She was a typical hamburger-eating American until she attended the North American Vegetarian Society's annual "Summer-fest" conference. "All of a sudden there was all this information," she says in a profile in Vegetarian Times, "and I knew I could not be silent." Pam got straight to work. In 1991 she put out "101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian," consisting of hard facts about the environmental damage, animal cruelty, threats to public health, and other consequences of meat production and consumption, while also addressing the positive effects of a vegetarian diet. Decked out in a signboard reading "Ask Me Why I'm a Vegetarian," she took to the streets of New York City with boxes of "101 Reasons" in tow, distributing the booklet to pedestrians. Within a short time demand for the publication was strong, and it is now in its fourth printing. Pam receives orders from all over the nation, coming from people who purchase bulk quantities to distribute to family members, friends, and co-workers; activists who include it in their table literature; and owners of health food stores, vegetarian restaurants, and book stores. In fact, when Pam isn't attending to her obligations as a freelance computer graphics designer, her time is often spent running to the post office to fill orders for "101 Reasons." But any temporary exhaustion she experiences immediately disappears and her drive is recharged when she reads the letters of thanks she receives daily.
As successful as "101 Reasons" has been for promoting vegetarian awareness, Pam didn't stop there. In 1992 she developed The Viva Vine, a magazine devoted to exposing the damaging practices of the meat industry. It also espouses the benefits of vegetarianism.
An ongoing area of investigation covered by The Viva Vine is government tax support for the meat industry. The use of tax dollars to further meat production and consumption in spite of its devastating effects has become an area of expertise for Pam, and has galvanized her activism to even greater levels. In 1997 she created the Project for Economic Justice for Vegetarians. The project aims to educate the public, vegetarians in particular, about how we are economically taken advantage of by the meat industry. Pam has amassed an extensive research library, aided by her husband Allen, who collects relevant Associated Press releases. From her Soho apartment, Pam is collecting and distributing information that the meat industry spends billions of dollars a year to counter. This information covers topics such as the connection between an animal-centered diet and the increased risk of colon, breast, and prostate cancer, and conversely, the beneficial connection between a plant-based diet and increased health.
Pam is especially enthusiastic about the VivaVegie grassroots organization. Their outreach projects are designed to foster awareness of vegetarianism as volunteers hand out "101 Reasons" and other literature; children are especially drawn to a volunteer dressed as "Penela Pea Pod." By hearing positive information and seeing the gracious, cheerful demeanor of the volunteers, people are more receptive to listening and being educated.
For more information about VivaVegie Society, Inc. their website is <www.vivavegie.org>.
