Caroline Lucas(now the Green Party leader) promoted veganism for the planet during her speech at the National Climate March in December 2007. (Caroline is once again one of the headline speakers on Sat 6 Dec 2008). Watch the footage from 5 minutes 40 seconds. If you can..t see the video, read the text from the relevant part of her speech below.

Caroline Lucas said, "I want to end by saying we need personal action aswell and I am going to make one key suggestion for all of you here today and it..s not about having more efficient light bulbs (important though that is), it..s not about going by bus (important though that is). It is about what we eat!! [cheering and clapping]

It..s been said that livestock emissions account for the same amount of global greenhouse gases as all the global transport sector in the whole world. This is something simple that everybody can do. If we reduce the amount that we eat, we can have a big difference on the planet.

It..s been said, and think about this, that a vegan driving a 4x4 (god help you if you do, I hope you don..t), that a vegan driving a 4x4 does less damage to the environment than a meat eater on a bicycle!! [cheering and clapping] I..ll leave you with that thought."

The National Climate March on Sat 6 Dec in London is just a small part of the Global Day of Action, with climate marches/events expected in over 70 countries. The Veg*n Climate March should go global too!! Why don..t you check out details of your nearest event and join in! Find details of all events here http://www.globalclimatecampaign.org 

It doesn..t matter if there..s only you - one person can make a huge difference! But if you do have some veggie/vegan friends, then get them involved too.

Take a look at the quotes below. No matter where you are in the world, these quotes should give you all the inspiration you need to get out on the streets for farmed animals, wildlife, people and the planet!!

"Nothing will benefit health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."
Albert Einstein

"If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing you could do."
Paul McCartney

"The human appetite for animal flesh is a driving force behind virtually every major category of environmental damage now threatening the human future: deforestation, erosion, fresh water scarcity, air and water pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice, the destabilization of communities, and the spread of disease."
World Watch

Be part of history in London! Be part of the biggest ever mobilisation of vegetarians and vegans on environmental grounds!! Veg*nism is the solution to many of the catastrophies facing the planet - it..s time to tell the world!!

Join the march to:

--> Demand that world leaders stop propping up the animal farming industries that cause climate change.

--> Raise awareness amongst environmentalists and the general public that their choice of diet is critical to the survival of the planet!!

Over 10,000 environmentalists are expected to join the National Climate March on Sat 6th December 2008 to "demand that our government takes urgent and radical action to deal with the climate crisis". The National Demo in London will be one of many demonstrations on climate taking place all around the world on the same day ( see here ), midway through the UN Climate Talks in Poznan.

The environmental marchers will make several specific demands of the government. NO to the 3rd runway at Heathrow, NO new coal-fired power stations, NO to agro-fuels and finally, YES to massive investment in renewable energy.

This is all great, we agree with all this, but what about livestock farming! It simply does not feature on the organisers agenda! But with your help, The Campaign for Eco-Veg*nism will make sure this crucial issue is not forgotten!!

Veggies & vegans should be there in our 1,000..s, to demand that world leaders recognise that a massive proportion of climate change is caused by livestock farming and the production of meat/dairy products. World leaders must stop supporting the animal farming/food production industries responsible for this devastation and begin to scale them down before it..s too late, or ultimately, we..ll all pay the price!!

..TR>

Some of the environmental marchers will already be veggie/vegan, but the majority will not. The chances are, many of these people will be unaware of the full extent to which animal agriculture is responsible for climate change. This event represents a fantastic opportunity to inform many thousands of environmentally conscious people of the devastating impact that meat/dairy production has on the planet. The world..s media will be there, so there is a very real chance that our message will be heard by millions more people. Please join the march with banners/placards/leaflets etc, and urge the marchers and general public alike, to change their diet for the sake of the planet, people and wildlife!!

 

Assemble 12 noon at Hyde Park, Speakers Corner (Marble Arch Tube)

 

What to bring with you!!

Please don..t rely on other people to take leaflets, banners etc for you!

Leaflets - All of the national groups that campaign on veggie/vegan issues produce excellent leaflets that explain the environmental reasons for adopting plant based diets. Please contact Viva , The Vegetarian Society , The Vegan Society , Animal Aid , Peta etc, most of whom will probably supply leaflets free of charge.

--> Banners/placards - Please use your imagination! Take a look at veggie/vegan websites for relevant quotes and ideas. The bigger, bolder and more colourful your banners, the clearer your message will be.

--> Costumes/props - Take a look at the photos from last years event on the Campaign against Climate Change website Why not get together with some friends, decide on a theme and construct some props & costumes that will really hammer home your message! Once again, use your imagination! Click here for a guide to making props on the Friends of the Earth website.

--> Your friends! - Please encourage all your veggie/vegan friends to join you. The amount of impact we have will be determined by how many of us there are, so please do all you can to promote the event(see leaflets & posters below). The best thing about this march is that it..s not only a very effective way to raise awareness, it will also be great fun!!! :)

Transport

There will be transport available from towns and cities across the UK, coordinated by local green groups etc. The Campaign Against Climate Change have a comprehensive list of transport contacts on their website. But if you have lots of interested people in your area, why not organise your own veggie/vegan minibus or coach! More veg*ns will be encouraged to attend if they can travel with likeminded people! Let us know your transport details and we will display them here. Email ecoveggie [at] yahoo.co.uk

Help to publicise the event

We have produced a leaflet and poster to help promote the event. Please download, copy and distribute them across the UK. Hand out leaflets to friends, colleagues, your local veggie/vegan/animal rights group etc. Display the posters on noticeboards at your place of work, church, community group, healthfood shop, library etc.

To download the A5 leaflet(2 on a page) click here

To download the A4 poster click here

If you..re not able to print them yourself, we may be able to post some to you, please get in touch, email ecoveggie [at] yahoo.co.uk

 

Display a banner or button link on your website/Myspace/blog etc

We have a wide choice of 10 banners and buttons, ranging in size from the one at the top of this page to this little one!

 
Choose the size that best suits the space available on your website. Click here to see the complete range.

 

..P>

2:55 AM 

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"The livestock sector accounts for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions - more than transport, which emits 13.5%" - Livestock..s Long Shadow - A report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Nov 2006

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Veg*n Climate March Report

On Saturday 8th December 2007, the Campaign for Eco-Veg*nism set out to coordinate the "biggest ever mobilisation of vegetarians and vegans on environmental grounds" at the National Climate March in London. We called on veggies and vegans to join a Veg*n Climate March, which in effect would be a `veg*n block` within the main march.

Sadly, the veg*n block never actually materialised! Instead, veg*n campaigners mingled with the masses, displaying placards and leafletting. This was primarily because the very few people involved in coordinating the event, didn`t arrive till very late due to travel delays. As a result of this, there were no big/tall banners at the meeting point on Millbank, which would have enabled veg*ns to find each other and gather together. We suspect that some veg*ns who turned up, didn`t take part because there was no veg*n block to join. We apologise for this.

Despite heavy rain, strong winds and near freezing temperatures, those that came armed with banners, placards and their own supply of leaflets, enjoyed a very productive day. Many thousands of leaflets were handed out, to both environmentalists and the general public. Groups represented and promoted at the march included Viva, Animal Aid, Vegan Society and Vegetarian Society. There was also a contingent from the Christian Vegetarian Association and we heard of individuals who travelled from as far as Romania to take part!! Other marchers were heard to comment that they had not seen anything like so many veg*ns at such events in the past.

Since we never actually assembled together, it is impossible to accurately estimate the number of veg*n campaigners that marched. But we spotted at least 50 such people ourselves, amongst the estimated 10,000 taking part. Clearly, we wouldn`t have spotted everyone, so there could well have been upto 100 of us eco-veg*ns. Sadly, we heard from many more people that would have attended if they had not been busy elsewhere. There were more than half a dozen other events on the same day.

The march finished at Grosvenor Square where there was a rally. Speeches were given by a number of high profile campaigners and politicians, including the environmentalist and journalist George Monbiot, Michael Meacher MP and Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP. Caroline finished her speech by urging the crowd to change their diet for the benefit of the planet. She said that livestock are responsible for more climate gas emissions than the worlds entire transport system, and she said that a vegan driving a 4x4 does less damage to the planet than a meat eater on a bicycle!! You can watch her speech on our MySpace front page.

Despite the obvious problems, we achieved what we set out to - the biggest ever mobilisation of vegetarians and vegans on environmental grounds! It was an extremely effective day, which may well result in hundreds if not thousands reducing their consumption of animal products or ditching them from their diet entirely!!

Next year, we intend to be far better coordinated. We will have big banners and tall flags at the start of the march to enable all those that wish to march in a block to meet up. We will encourage more groups/individuals to try their hand at banner making, you can be so much more effective with good sized banners! And we`ll encourage other groups to keep the day as free as possible, to enable more veg*ns to attend.

To all those that braved the weather conditions, we thank you. We believe that without doubt, you helped create history! But don`t become complacent, there is much work to be done. The lives of billions of animals and the future of the planet itself, depend on your continued eco-veg*n campaigning!!

Don..t forget to bring your camera to London on Saturday! Lets get loads of great pics of all those big, eyecatching eco-veggie/vegan banners and placards that you..re all making! Don..t forget to email your best photos to us, we..d love to use them on our MySpace page and website.

If you havn..t made a banner or placard yet you..ve still got time! It doesn..t take long to slap a bit of paint on an old bed sheet or piece of cardboard!! Please use your imagination and make your banners as visually stunning as possible. Not only will they been seen by 1,000..s of environmentalists but the worlds media will be there too! Your banner could get on the TV!!! :)

The banner below felt very lonely at last years climate march! This year, lets make sure its accompanied by hundreds more!!! :)

March Update - 3/12/07