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Local Organizations: Earthsave

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

Another local organization worth knowing about is Earthsave Canada:

Earthsave Canada is a non-profit, educational organization promoting awareness of the environmental, ethical and health consequences of our food choices. We advocate the move towards a plant-based diet for environmental sustainability, better health, and compassion toward non-human animals.

Earthsave is an organization originally founded in the United States by John Robbins after the publication of his groundbreaking bestseller Diet for a New America.

Earthsave hosts potlucks and dine-outs, as well as holding the annual “Taste of Health” vegetarian food fair.

Their email newsletter almost always contains links to useful articles and information, and their print newsletter (sent out to members) has some really well-written articles by a number of smart people.

They also produce a vegetarian directory for the Vancouver area, which is also available online.

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet, or a looking for support in your transition to a plant-based diet, Earthsave might be just the group you are looking for.

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Local Organizations: Vancouver Humane Society

Saturday, July 25th, 2009
ChickenOUT! A VHS campaign
ChickenOUT! A VHS campaign

The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is another Vancouver-based organizations working to help animals.

Unlike other “humane societies”, VHS was modelled on the Humane Society of the United States, and most of their works is advocating for animals. They do fund some animal rescue and emergency care, but they help animals by changing laws and opinions.They do not operate a shelter.

I think this is a good approach to helping animals. By changing the system that produces unwanted and mistreated animals, they can potentially help far more animals.

According to their website:

The Vancouver Humane Society is a registered charity dedicated to the humane treatment of animals. We encourage individuals, organizations, and governments to take responsibility for the welfare and rights of domestic animals and wildlife influenced by human activities.

One campaign that has been their focus for the past few years is ChickenOUT! This is a campaign to raise awareness of the plight of egg-laying chickens (90% of whom are confined in battery cages) and advocate for law and policy changes that protect them. They give people information about the different labelling systems in BC for eggs and help people choose a less harmful option.

ChickenOUT! has its own website, if you would like to find out more about that campaign.

VHS also has a close relationship with Rest.Q sanctuary. They put out a joint rescue calendar for 2009, and hopefully they’ll put out another one.

VHS also was very helpful in finding a home for Hank, our rescued broiler rooster, for which I am forever grateful.

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Local orgs: Vancouver Rabbit Rescue and Advocacy

Saturday, July 25th, 2009

I thought it would be fun to write about some of the local organizations doing good work for animals.

One of the first organizations I got in touch with when I came to Vancouver was Vancouver Rabbit Rescue and Advocacy (VRRA). The local chapter of the House Rabbit Society, they operate a small shelter and care for hundreds (maybe thousands) of abandoned and unwanted rabbits every year.

VRRA cares for the rabbits at the SPCA. I used to volunteer with VRRA cleaning and feeding rabbits at the SPCA, and it was actually all VRRA volunteers caring for the rabbits there.

Rabbits are the 3rd most popular pets in North America, but in shelters they are often stuck in small, poorly ventilated rooms. The SPCA in Vancouver is no exception (to be fair, that building was never designed with rabbits in mind at all – they just weren’t such popular pets when it was built).

This also of course means that rabbits are the 3rd most euthenized pets in North America. Many rabbits come into shelters each year because they are purchased as pets for small children without any knowledge of how rabbits behave or their proper care. VRRA works to educate the public about the proper care and requirements for keeping a rabbit, plus works to stop pet stores from selling rabbits.

VRRA is always in need of donations for the care and feeding of the rabbits at their shelter. They are entirely volunteer-run with no paid staff.

For those of you with rabbits, they operate a small business selling rabbit supplies. They have the best deal on hay in town ($5 per flake). They are also a great source of information about rabbits – and may even be able to save you a trip to the vet.

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