Are you interested in giving back to those you used to exploit and abuse?
If the answer is yes, then you will find this blog post very useful as I am sharing vegan advocacy ideas. Everyone will find something that will resonate with them.
Since I am an introvert who spends all of her time writing, away from people, I made sure there are plenty of actions you can do on your own.Â
My advice is to do only what you truly want. Because if you force yourself to commit to something that you don’t feel comfortable doing, you will not do your best job.
I tried volunteering in person and talking to people face to face, but the whole time I felt uncomfortable due to my social anxiety. I simply cannot do my job as an advocate well unless I am writing and creating content. Alone.
That’s okay.
Because once I started doing what brought me joy, I became effective and productive. I was willing to work long hours and people could sense that. When I was happy, I was making other people happy as well.
Here are A to Z vegan advocacy ideas and I encourage you to use only those that you would do wholeheartedly:
A is for non-human Animals.
Remember why you are vegan. Remember who you are fighting for. There is a reason why you are reading this post, looking for vegan advocacy ideas. Make sure to keep this reason close to your heart at all times.
Hold your why close to you always.
B is for Blogging.
Blogging is my way of speaking up for those who are ignored and exploited. I started in late 2014 and I’ve been active ever since. If you are a writer and a content creator, consider starting a vegan blog of your choice (lifestyle, food, beauty etc.).
It may seem like blogging is dead but it just changed. You can still influence thousands of people if you are great at what you do.
C for COVID-19.Â
2020 reminded us how quickly our lives can change simply because we love the taste of flesh. COVID-19 can be a great motivation to help people make more ethical food choices. The fewer non-human animals we consume, the lesser the chances of another pandemic in the future.
Talking about what humanity experienced in the past two years is powerful. No one can argue that we suffered and lost millions of lives.
A vegan world would’ve prevented it. Lead with that.
D is for Diversity.
Diversity of race, ethnicity and sexuality. But also diversity of opinions, beliefs and thought. No matter who or what you are, the vegan movement desperately needs your voice. Be yourself, even when the vegan police say you shouldn’t be.
E is for Environment.
Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate change, water pollution and deforestation. If you care about Earth and the environment, you can focus on that area. Many people start their vegan journey because of concern about climate change.
Not every vegan is an environmentalist, but every environmentalist must be vegan to walk the walk. Call them out, kindly of course, but do point out the hypocrisy.
F is for Figureoutable.
Everything is figureoutable is a mantra – and mindset – that I learnt from Marie Forleo. We can always figure out a way to connect to someone. If there is a will, there is a way. Trust that you have everything you need to make positive changes in the world. You already know what to do.
G is for Great.
What are you great at? What are you really great at? That is what you should do. Everyone can do what is expected of them. Everyone can do what is required of them. But not everyone is using their unique talents for the greater good. Use your greatness. We need it.
There are people who will only be inspired by you, so don’t let them down.
H is for Humour.
I love watching stand up comedy. Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappelle always manage to make me laugh out loud until my stomach hurts. But comedy is not only about being funny. It is about bringing the truth to the audience through laughter.
Watch Dave’s The Closer or Ricky’s Humanity specials on Netflix and you will see how little stand up has with just making fun of things and people. It is about reality and the harsh truths being delivered through a joke.
We laugh because it is true. We laugh because it makes us uncomfortable. Most importantly, comedy encourages conversation. Laugh, let your guard down and think about the deeper meaning behind the joke.
You can do the same. Make people laugh while exposing the cruel industries they support.
I is for Introvert.
As an introvert who has social anxiety and a personality disorder, I figured out ways to make these conditions work for me.Â
The internet offers us everything we need to help others without going out of our comfort zone. You can write and make videos or sing and act and innovate, all by yourself. You can be safe while saving others.Â
I use my blog and social media platforms, but there are countless other ways to be an activist.
Join forums, answer questions on Quora, sell your ebook on Amazon, or simply write emails to restaurants and stores encouraging them to start selling more plant-based options.
The limit does not exist. You just need access to a computer and Wi-Fi.
J is for Justice.
Trillions of individual lives are taken every year without consent. Beings are abused, enslaved, raped, beaten, starved, tortured and murdered for trivial things like taste buds and socks.
We must demand justice for them. Change must happen and it has to be drastic, radical and revolutionary. Everyone plays part in making this a reality. You, me, everyone who cares about non-human animals.
Remind yourself of that daily and never stop fighting for justice.
K is for Kindness.
Whatever you do, wherever you go, be kind. I know it is not always the easiest thing to do but the more you practice, the better you will get at it.Â
This is not about abusers and other toxic people, but about humanity in general. We are suffering and we are afraid. Fear and pain make people do nasty shit and the only way to heal the world is through love.
Hurt people hurt people. Remember that everyone you meet who treats you badly is in deep pain. Kindly remove yourself from them; kindly reject them; kindly leave.Â
Kindly listen to their arguments. Give them a chance and if they are not respectful, get up and leave. Kindly.
L is for Lies.
I think that what you don’t know doesn’t hurt. Ignorance is bliss and if you sail through the darkness with your eyes closed you can pretend there is the sun in the sky, shining on you.
But lies do hurt and they keep the pain hidden from the light. When we lie to our kids about who they are eating, they grow up with a closed heart – and sometimes a cruel one too.
The truth hurts and can be uncomfortable, even dangerous, but it is what will set us free in the end. It will set everyone free and that is what matters most.
When everyone sees footage of piglets being tortured to death, cows having their throats slashed and baby chicks being ground alive, we will be free.
M is for Men.
Men continue being a minority within the vegan movement.Â
Since the early days, males were the hunters and providers. They took care of their families and risked their lives to get food on the table. To this day, they are wired to think similarly and that means they are less likely to go vegan.
To show them why eating plants is the best thing they can do is to focus on what they identify most with: Their masculinity.Â
Society must see rescuing the innocent as an act of a strong, courageous person. Health needs to stop being equated with how much meat you can eat, and we must measure it with how clean our arteries are.
We have to stop pushing men to become more feminine, and instead, make veganism neutral. Desirable. Manly… and womanly. Human.
N is for Normal.Â
To expand on the previous thoughts, we need to make veganism normal. It has to become so casual that people cease to fear it.Â
People fear losing what they know, what is comfortable. Right now, veganism represents a sacrifice of sorts – a loss of identity. No one wants to give up what they’ve been gathering for so long. So they rebel.
The more we normalize eating plants and not exploiting non-human animals, the more changes we will witness. But it will take time, a lot of effort and tons of hearts willing to get broken in the process.
O is for Opportunity.
There is always an opportunity available to bring veganism into a conversation. Actually, just by being vegan, you are making a statement.Â
It was Gary Francione who said that he always finds a way to talk about veganism, even in a parking lot he will find an opportunity. When you live an ethical lifestyle, people will be curious and ask questions.
Be ready to answer when this happens.
P is for Politics.
As someone who is a Centrist, not moderate, and pretty independent, I find politics an interesting topic.
Although I am quite progressive, I do hold some conservative and traditional views. Nothing extreme, but strong enough that I have to describe myself as Centrist to feel comfortable.
My whole blog is written from the perspective of someone who wants everyone to go vegan, not just those who think and vote like me. We cannot possibly complain about people eating animal flesh if we are the ones who are making it harder for them to be vegan in the first place.
I create content for everyone. I wrote more about this topic in this post here.
Q is for Quality.
Posting photos of plant-based meals is quite different from providing a recipe. You want people to take away more than just a photo or a quote.
Focus on providing value by giving people everything they will require to transition successfully.
It is better to obsess over a handful of people and what you deliver to them than try to get a thousand individuals to like your photo. Prioritize what matters. Prioritize quality.Â
R is for Radical.
Have you ever been told that you are a radical vegan?
It apparently means that you don’t want to exploit non-human animals for taste, pleasure and entertainment. I am not quite sure why they put radical before a word that describes exactly that, but they do.
So I think we should embrace it.
Be radical when you fight for justice. Be radical when you talk about animal rights. Radically save non-human animals. Be an ethical and moral person, radically.Â
If exploiting others is normal, I don’t want it. I want to be extreme.
S is for Safety.
We have lost many vegan advocates throughout the years. Too many.
The truth is, when you fight against a system that thrives on the exploitation of the weakest individuals, you will bump against the enemy. Many times. Constantly.
It is crucial that you take care of your safety and protection. We want to create a better world, but we have to be alive to do so.
Unfortunately, dangerous people exist and we can never guarantee that they will not hurt us. Still, we must be careful when we are out there, sharing the truth with others.Â
Most importantly, we must take care of each other. We must have each other’s backs.
T is for Transformation.
We are all transforming, evolving, growing and expanding. All the time.
One thing that has helped me was seeing other vegans who were on the same level as I was. It reminded me that I was not the only one and it pushed me to keep up.
I would like to encourage you to share your vegan story. Open up about the obstacles, struggles and mistakes you have made.
We are always transforming into better people. It doesn’t come overnight. It takes time and consistency, and also support and compassion from those around you. We don’t just wake up to be vegan, we chose to be.Â
We are always transforming and improving.
U is for United.
I don’t believe we are united as a community or a movement.
We attack each other and bully those who are different. Many vegans have developed a massive sense of superiority that makes them rather unpleasant to interact with.Â
I fear they are sabotaging a lot of the work we have done. A lot of activists are convinced only socialist progressive woke leftists can be truly vegan. This is the furthest thing from the truth.
Again, this ties to the politics that I was talking about before. If we continue spreading the lie that only a chosen few can be vegan, how can we call ourselves advocates?
The vegan police are not in it for non-human animals, but rather to spread their personal political propaganda. Do what we do. Say what we say. Think as we think. Not to be that person, but this is 1984 in a nutshell.
Only united can we achieve global animal liberation. Only united, despite all of our differences, will we make this planet greener and safer.
V is for Vulnerability.
It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to break down. It is also okay to fail and make mistakes and feel discouraged and afraid.
This is not easy work we are doing.
We are going against the system that has been operating and thriving for centuries. We are fighting for the lives of those who are of different species. We can’t even solve racism and here we are, hoping we can solve speciesism.
We are absolutely mad!
But it is mad people, the crazy ones, who will ultimately liberate the imprisoned. It has always been like that, isn’t it? When you are insane enough to think you can solve a problem, you usually manage to fucking do it.
W is for Women.
Women, in general, are maternal and caring. We want to make everyone feel good and comfortable.Â
That’s why talking about veganism to women feels more harmonious. The conversation flows because we are connecting on a deeper level, from one heart to another.
A woman will have an easier time understanding what cows go through when we rape them, take their baby away and torture them for milk. Because most of us have carried a child, and thankfully, most of us also got to keep the baby afterwards.
Only a mother knows how it feels to lose a child to whom you gave birth, even if just for 10 seconds when a curious toddler gets lost at the store. These are the things women will understand better, and their hearts will most likely be willing to open wider.
Y is for You.
Yes, we are doing this for others, but above all, we are vegan because it makes us feel good.Â
It feels good to know we are living according to our values; it feels good to do good deeds; it feels good to not pay someone to murder a living being.
Tune in with yourself every now and then and check how you feel.Â
Z is for Zealousness.
Maintain your passion and you will notice your words reaching more people. Your energy is contagious and I would rather catch good vibes than a virus. Fight for what is right and be joyful!
Now you can never again say that you lack vegan advocacy ideas. If you use your imagination, you can find even more of them by yourself.
We have entered a time in which veganism is a pure necessity. Three years ago we weren’t even thinking about how drastically our lives can change in a second. The whole world fell to its knees and for a minute we were all one.
We will never be the same again. We lost millions of lives, some to the virus itself, others to conspiracy theories. Relationships ended, businesses and jobs were lost, whole systems collapsed.
All because we continue eating non-human animals. It is so very important that we become a plant-based society within the next few decades because the next pandemic is coming. And trust me, it will be much more deadly than COVID-19.
We are not only fighting for the innocent lives that are being taken away every second. We are fighting for our lives. For a future in which we do not have to be locked inside our homes due to a virus that kills even the healthiest among us.
Hopefully, these vegan advocacy ideas inspire you to take action.
If you want more tips on how to create a sustainable vegan lifestyle, please make sure you are following me on Pinterest and Instagram.
Tanja
