Being vegan is all about your total impact on the world - what you take from it and what you contribute back to it. This page is for you to describe what you or somoeone you know is doing to make the world a better place,
or to describe your vision of the better world you're working towards. 

Arkansas Vegan: An online community and information source for vegans and vegetarians in Arkansas.
Being vegan is all about your total impact on the world - what you take from it and what you contribute back to it. This page is for you to describe what you or somoeone you know is doing to make the world a better place,
or to describe your vision of the better world you're working towards. 

Ripples Of Hope
These inspiring RFK quotes came from a Vegan Outreach newsletter:

Senator Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968), "Day of Affirmation" Address, University of Capetown, South Africa, June 6, 1966:
"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time [we stand] up for an ideal, or act to improve the lot of others, or strike out against injustice, we send forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
"Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change.
"All of us will ultimately be judged and as the years pass we will surely judge ourselves, on the effort we have contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which our ideals and goals have shaped that effort. The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of new ideas and bold projects. Rather it will belong to those who can blend vision, reason and courage in a personal commitment..."
Meat: Just Another Addiction

Rob shares a daydream: I think that at some point in the (probably distant) future the physical health problems associated with the consumption of meat will impact society and public policy much the way smoking has. People will acknowledge that meat eating was once widely acceptable, that caring well-intentioned parents fed meat to their children, and widely respected doctors recommended consuming meat on television and in magazines. It will cause some public outcry then when airlines no longer allow passengers to eat meat, not even in the lavatories. Restaurants will establish separate seating areas for meat eaters. More sensitive patrons will gasp as they walk past those tables; other more belligerent diners may make intentionally loud comments about "that filthy, disgusting habit." Office employees will be forced to take their brown bag lunches outside if they contain meat, and those employees will huddle in a small group for support. They'll be known as the Meat Eaters Club, and will have a reputation as the best place for the latest gossip. The rest of the employees will be angry at meat eaters because of the food wrappers inevitably left on the ground, but their anger will be tempered by a strange sense of pity. Poor meat eaters,  they just weren't strong enough to fight the temptation and now they're addicted. I wonder if they thought eating meat was "cool?" Do you think they believe the hype? They continue to buy meat, despite the Surgeon General's warning labels, despite the Meat Eaters Settlements won by the Attorneys General of at least sixteen states (eight additional cases are still pending). It's a wonder that it is even still legal to sell meat and animal-byproducts; I suppose that's an indication of the power and entrenchment of the meat industry in our political system.

Think about it: a number of things that kill people while they enjoy them have been street legal in the United States until science and common sense caught up. Heroin was still legal until around 1905. Tobacco is likely to finally be made illegal within a generation or two. Meat is several generations ahead, but it's time is nearing. But don't worry, all those poultry and beef farmers won't just still be in business; they'll be thriving. They will have all changed product and will be enjoying the far lower costs associated with rice, soy, cotton, and many other crops. And with a vegetarian diet, they might even live longer to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Thanks Wild Oats
When you consider how difficult it is to meet another vegan in Arkansas, or even find anyone who knows what the word vegan means, you start to appreciate the business risk that Wild Oats took when it bought the old Beans N Things Store. For years Wild Oats has really been THE reliable place in Arkansas for the best selection of vegan convenience foods, cooking ingredients, cleaning products, and health supplements. Other places have had one thing or the other, but none has had everything wrapped up in one place. Can you imagine the person in Wild Oats strategic purchasing department when they pitched the "buy Beans" idea to their bosses? "What? In Arkansas? Home of Tyson Foods, factory farms, 'Go Hawgs,' and a thousand barbeque stands in every county?" Luckily for us that strategic purchasing person pitched the buy to their boss very effectively; the boss said yes, and we have a Wild Oats store. The store does appear to have lost its sparkle the past year or so, but of course now we know why they've not been polishing: in just a few months they will be moving into their brand new state-of-the-art location in the Midtowne Little Rock Center at Markham and University. The Arkansas vegan team has seen some of the new Wild oats stores in other towns and they are really nice. They look upscale, but still have the same friendly people and rootsy culture. We're glad to see Wild Oats doing well here, and hope that their success will be a catalyst for other similar retailers and for existing grocers to expand their "natural" sections.

Thanks Wild Oats!
My Inspiration

I was always interested in animals, and certainly felt more of an unconditional bond  with several family pets than with several family members. As an adult I looked at  these things more analytically and discovered something very cool: Vegetarianism is  one of those rare lifestyles that lets you enjoy both ends of the social acceptance  spectrum. It is out of the ordinary enough to be anti-establishment and even  rebellious, and yet is considered a respected moral choice and occasionally even a  religious one. It's all in how you live it, good angel, bad angel, or both.

That dichotomy attracted me to vegetarianism, and the more I read the more I was  attracted to veganism. To me, veganism was obviously the most compassionate choice,  the choice that most positively impacted the world around me, and that most  positively impacted my health. I made veganism my goal and began planning lifestyle  changes in small steps to help ensure success.

Plans don't always work out.

I adopted a staggeringly handsome six week old, Spike, from my local rabbit rescue.  I hadn't had a pet since I was a kid, and the little guy really opened my eyes to  the impact humans have on other animals. I litterbox trained him and he had full run  of the place. I was careful to note Spike's reactions to various things I did, and  one of his reactions changed my life forever: I noticed once when I was cooking meat  that he ran into his cage. That was his safe place, and he normally ran in there  when he was scared. It occurred to me that he had done the same thing in the past  when I was cooking; I had just never put two and two together. I immediately opened  the windows, threw the meat away, cleaned out my fridge, and haven't had meat since.

So much for the step-by-step approach to vegetarianism. I was still working towards  veganism though, so steps included things like replacing wool, silk, and leather;  finding dairy substitutes I liked, etc. I volunteered for Farm Sanctuary's local   Walk For Farm Animals several months later and when I got there was shocked - there  were so many vegans! Not only that, they were friendly, professional people! One was  a real estate agent, one was a lawyer, one was a doctor, one was a pilot. These  weren't the screaming tattooed animal freaks I kind of expected; these were normal  business people who had made a compassionate choice. I decided that I would be vegan  from that day forward.

Thank you Spike, and thank you Farm Sanctuary!