Creative Outreach

We're constantly reminded how easy it can be to promote vegetarianism to the public at large. While shopping, we use our Vegetarian Resource Group credit card to make purchases. Quite often the cashier asks us if we're vegetarian and will express an eagerness to receive information. This in turn can lead to a friendly chat on the benefits of a vegetarian diet, as well as our sending him or her some information. The same is true when we pay our bills with VRG checks containing the message "Be Kind to Animals-Don't Eat Them!" Even non-vegetarians find this message appealing. Drop us a note if you would like to know more about a VRG credit card or VRG checks. Not only will you be promoting vegetarianism; you will also be supporting our outreach efforts.

The Vegetarian Resource Group is proud to announce that our web site was chosen as "Among The Best" by Tufts University's Nutrition Navigator. This rating guide to nutrition information on the World Wide Web is well respected by health professionals. Comments about our web site include: "This is a substantive, well-organized, and balanced site ... Easy to read and navigate ... This site is an excellent resource for consumers." Indeed, over 20,000 individuals from around the world visit our web site each month now. Congratulations should be given to VRG volunteer Brad Scott for orchestrating the creation of our web pages over the past few years. He, along with many other VRG volunteers, continues to improve and expand upon the information found on our popular site. Special thanks also goes to VRG nutrition advisors Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D. and Suzanne Havala, M.S., R.D. for researching and writing much of the nutrition information appearing on our web site. This has been a huge undertaking! Keep in mind that our entire web site has been created by volunteers.

Some other ways VRG has creatively promoted vegetarianism in recent months include encouraging high school Spanish teachers to use our new pamphlet "Gu a Alimenticia Vegetariana para los J venes" in their Spanish classes. This brochure is a translation of our Vegetarian Nutrition for Teenagers pamphlet. Use of this brochure is sure to lead to lively discussions in any high school classroom. Text from these brochures is also being used in English as a second language programs.

VRG co-director Charles Stahler recently participated in a panel discussion on distributing books. The meeting was for authors and book publishers in the state of Maryland. The Vegetarian Resource Group has now sold over 250,000 books! Charles exhibited VRG's various vegan books and spoke of our successes in marketing. Needless to say, the other book publishers were impressed with our marketing strategies and many were anxious to receive information on vegetarianism.

How often have you wished that your parents followed your vegetarian lifestyle or even understood why you are vegetarian? One way you can expand their vegetarian knowledge base is by giving your mom or dad a subscription to Vegetarian Journal this Mother's Day or Father's Day. At the very least, when you visit them, perhaps you will be greeted by a delicious vegan meal. Give your parent a gift subscription at the reduced rate of $15 until June 21, 1998. We'll be happy to include a note from you when the first issue is sent.