KC Activism: Little Things You Can Do

There's lots of stuff you can do to promote the veg*n lifestyle in KC. For example, you can join VegKC and sign up to become an activist. You can also help post to our Activism mailing list to make others aware of activism opportunities. You can also check out the other veg-related groups in KC.

Here's some nice, friendly things you can do to help spread a positive message of veg*nism:

• Choose veg*n options when you dine out. Even if the food option has a few vegetarian ingredients (but you're vegan), ordering the veg*n option on a menu sends a message to restaurants, who only add or increase the availability of veg*n options when they feel there is a desire for these. Your dollar is a powerful vote for more veg-friendly menu options.
  
  
• Ask for veg*n options, especially if you know there are none. When walking by local restaurants that aren't veg-friendly, or when visiting coffee shops or bakeries, for example, be sure to ask the server if there are any veg-friendly items available. And do this every time. The more often they hear requests for these items, the more likely they will be to start to include these options. Coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants won't ever get these items on the menu unless they feel there's demand for them. This is also a great way to find out if a place has just introduced a new veg item on the menu!
  
  
• Post flyers on bulletin boards. Keep a few flyers in your car's glove box or in your backpack to post on bulletin boards at Wild Oats, Whole Foods, coffee shops, colleges, libraries, music stores, local businesses, etc. On the right-hand column of this page are flyers you can download. Post where appropriate!
  
  
• Link to us on your web site. If you have a Web site, please help our ranking on Google by linking to us. A site's link popularity on the web helps its position in search results, and the higher our rank the more we can help those wanting vegan and vegetarian info in Kansas City. Please have your link say "Vegans and Vegetarians of Kansas City", or similar, because the context of the link effects the ranking!
  
  
• Wear clothing that promotes veg*nism. If you're going to be a walking billboard, why not get some good karma out of it? Our links page sports a list of online stores.
  
  
• Buttons, stickers, patches! Put buttons or patches on your backpack, shirt, shorts, jeans, jacket, coat, hat, etc, and put stickers on the cover of a notebook or on your laptop (on the back of the screen, facing others when you're typing). Don't know where to buy any? Check out our shopping links.
  
  
• Put a bumper sticker on your car. Everyone with a car
  should have one or two animal rights bumper stickers on them.
  Animals never get a rest; it's the least we can do to put a
  bumper sticker on our car. If you don't want a permanent bumper
  sticker, you can get a sheet magnet at Kinkos, put your bumper
  stickers on it, and cut them out.
  
  
• Provide local libraries with a copy of your favorite veg-related book. If your local library doesn't provide readers with an opportunity to read your favorite veg-related book, provide them with a copy! Talk to the acquisitions department and tell them why it's important they stock this book on the shelves, give them a free copy, and then ask them to promise they will put this book on their shelves (and won't put this book up for sale, as some libraries do to make money).
  
  
• Distribute veg-related educational literature. VegKC frequently stocks Vegan Outreach's "Why Vegan?," "Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating," "Try Vegetarian," and "Even If You Like Meat..." brochures at local coffee houses, street literature stands, and occasionally hands them out to interested people on college campuses or public events. Distributing literature (or stocking it somewhere) is a great, non-confrontational way to help people learn more about the veg*n diet. Contact VegKC is you want to help us with this effort, or feel free to go it alone. Make sure the literature you distribute has a positive message and provides resources for getting more information.
  
  
• Provide people with tasty veg*n food. This sounds obvious, but it's far from easy. Our general advice is to serve easily prepared, relatively simple foods (e.g., pasta, potatoes, beans, casseroles) with different sauces, perhaps with a new food as an appetizer (e.g., hummus). If serving vegetarian "meats," we suggest providing standard condiments (mustard, pickles, etc.) The goal is to show others that the veg*n diet is easy, healthy, and perfectly normal. If others think that veg*ns eat strange foods, can't eat hardly anything, or have a difficult time cooking, they'll be a lot less likely to try veg*nism themselves. On the other hand, if it looks simple and tasty, they'll be a lot more likely to try it.
  
  
• Sign up to do tabling. If a local event allows you to set up a table with signs, brochures, and other educational materials, sign up to do this! There are plenty of organizations who provide tabling materials. VegKC can provide you with everything you need (and help you). Just let us know!
  
  
• Sign up to receive updates on pending legislation and campaigns. Organizations like Farm Sanctuary, Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Compassion Over Killing (COK), In Defense of Animals, and similar organizations frequently post information about pending legislation, groundbreaking litigation, or events that potentially affect animals, environment, health, and other veg-related issues. Sign up with the organization of your choice to receive updates on campaigns, action alerts, etc. When a particular campaign is important to you, be sure to take the recommended action, which usually involves contacting local representatives or signing petitions to voice your concerns.