HOW OUR FOOD CHOICES ARE AFFECTING OUR CLIMATE
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Trigger moments in human history awaken us to injustice and turn the tide of public perception. What happened in Waterloo, Iowa may not have been a watershed moment, but as far as human folly, it was a doozy.
Between March and mid-April 2020, as the pandemic surged, managers at a Tyson Foods plant lay bets on how many employees would fall prey to COVID-19. This, while the brass told workers they had “a responsibility to keep working in order to ensure Americans don’t go hungry.”
Read the complete article here, penned by PB Advocate Karen Rubio.
Between March and mid-April 2020, as the pandemic surged, managers at a Tyson Foods plant lay bets on how many employees would fall prey to COVID-19. This, while the brass told workers they had “a responsibility to keep working in order to ensure Americans don’t go hungry.”
Read the complete article here, penned by PB Advocate Karen Rubio.
Plant-Based Advocates Supports Efforts by Los Gatos to Eradicate Racism
June 10, 2021: The Los Gatos Town Council and Chamber of Commerce recently came under personal attacks from some speakers opposed to their Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity initiatives, which includes banners around Town that encourage residents to “Listen, Learn, Grow and Change.”
The program is meant to address the disparity of racial diversity in Los Gatos as compared to the rest of Santa Clara County, and comes in response to recent local and nationwide attacks on people of Asian descent, as well as the chronic, systemic racism that affects our black, indigenous and people of color communities.
Plant-Based Advocates fully supports the Los Gatos Town Council, Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department and other Town departments and groups in their efforts to maintain a welcoming, safe community for all, regardless of religion, immigration status, ethnicity, race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
The principles of DEI are fully compatible with the work of Plant-Based Advocates in bringing about a more equitable, sustainable society by advocating for a worldwide shift to plant-based diets. Factory farms and slaughterhouses are situated predominantly near people of color and low-income residents who suffer from illnesses caused by pollutants these operations generate. Slaughterhouse workers are usually immigrants who have few other options for work and suffer from crowded, unsafe and unsanitary conditions, which were exposed during the recent pandemic. Climate change, caused in large part by animal agriculture, is driving more frequent and intense storms and other extreme weather events such as drought, disproportionately impacting “frontline” communities comprised mainly of low-income and people of color.
Plant-Based Advocates supports Mayor Sayoc and our Town Council and looks forward to helping make our beautiful Town even more welcoming, inclusive and equitable.
WANT TO STOP A PANDEMIC? STOP EATING ANIMALS.
“PLANT-BASED DIET? IS CHICKEN OKAY?”
By Mythri Ramesh, penned by The Outlook, Los Gatos. Reprinted in full.
One lazy Saturday afternoon, I called a local restaurant and asked to hear their vegan options. I then heard, “Is chicken okay?” and took it as an opportunity to explain the nuances between different plant-based diets. This article will explore those differences, and share some reasons why my Los Gatos family and I have personally chosen a vegan diet.
So what are the different plant-based diets? How do they differ from a vegan diet?
Plant-based: Focuses on foods primarily from plants like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. Doesn’t completely exclude animal products, but prioritizes choosing foods from plant sources.
Vegan: Excludes all animal products, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, and dairy products.
Lacto-vegetarian: Excludes eggs, meat, seafood, and poultry and includes milk products.
Ovo-vegetarian: Excludes meat, seafood, poultry, and dairy products and includes eggs.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian: Excludes meat, seafood, and poultry and includes eggs and dairy products. [1]
Pescetarian: Excludes meats, like beef, pork, or chicken, but includes fish. May include dairy products and eggs pescatarian diet may include dairy products and eggs.
I had been a lacto-ovo vegetarian all my life, but now I am a proud vegan with all my heart and soul. Through this journey of discovery, I learned some eye-opening, jaw-dropping and heartbreaking facts. I will break it down into three parts, to make it look clean, easy to understand and to be frank, not to bore you!
Read the complete article here...
By Mythri Ramesh, penned by The Outlook, Los Gatos. Reprinted in full.
One lazy Saturday afternoon, I called a local restaurant and asked to hear their vegan options. I then heard, “Is chicken okay?” and took it as an opportunity to explain the nuances between different plant-based diets. This article will explore those differences, and share some reasons why my Los Gatos family and I have personally chosen a vegan diet.
So what are the different plant-based diets? How do they differ from a vegan diet?
Plant-based: Focuses on foods primarily from plants like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. Doesn’t completely exclude animal products, but prioritizes choosing foods from plant sources.
Vegan: Excludes all animal products, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, and dairy products.
Lacto-vegetarian: Excludes eggs, meat, seafood, and poultry and includes milk products.
Ovo-vegetarian: Excludes meat, seafood, poultry, and dairy products and includes eggs.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian: Excludes meat, seafood, and poultry and includes eggs and dairy products. [1]
Pescetarian: Excludes meats, like beef, pork, or chicken, but includes fish. May include dairy products and eggs pescatarian diet may include dairy products and eggs.
I had been a lacto-ovo vegetarian all my life, but now I am a proud vegan with all my heart and soul. Through this journey of discovery, I learned some eye-opening, jaw-dropping and heartbreaking facts. I will break it down into three parts, to make it look clean, easy to understand and to be frank, not to bore you!
Read the complete article here...
Los Gatos is pushing back against hate, divisiveness
Penned as an Op-Ed for the Mercury News; reprinted in full. Original article, published here.
Karen Rubio is a resident of Los Gatos, co-founder of Plant-Based Advocates and part of the organizing team for the Los Gatos Stands United Against Hate Walk. The walk will be held Nov. 14 at 2 p.m., starting at Fisher Middle School. See www.losgatosCA.gov/United for details.
When Marico Sayoc was elected to the Los Gatos Town Council in 2014, the first woman of color serving on that body, her deep commitment to diversity and equity opened some doors. But the breakdown of democratic norms and civil discourse that has rocked our country since her first term as mayor in 2016 has now erupted during her 2020 term with some of the ugliest vitriol imaginable. We shouldn’t be surprised to see the instability, because change has been boldly promoted by many, not just the mayor. But change won’t come easy.
The Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition was founded by students amid the Black Lives Matter protests last summer. The town hosted a series of community workshops to address racial and social injustice, including one facilitated by Judge LaDoris Cordell. The Los Gatos Chamber launched a LISTEN LEARN CHANGE GROW campaign with dozens of banners all over town to normalize the idea that building an inclusive culture is a learning process that must be embraced by everyone.
The ensuing turmoil has been painful. For months, protestors have brought chaos and disruption to town council meetings. They’ve expressed outrage at the town’s diversity campaign and LGBTQ support, even going so far as to verbally attack the mayor’s teen son in a council meeting for speaking in favor of diversity. They’ve carried signs saying “Recall Marxist Mayor Sayoc,” decried the COVID-19 vaccine as a “poison shot” and defied mask mandates while espousing far-right conspiracy theories. They have harassed residents — even minors — in person and on Instagram.
Los Gatos-Saratoga High School District meetings have also been embroiled in culture wars over the new ethnic studies curriculum they approved, with critics calling it a “socialism tactic” that will “make white children feel bad about their skin color.”
The family of Mayor Sayoc, who is Filipina, was recently harassed by protesters outside their home. “We know all about you, Mayor Sayoc. You need to leave this town. We don’t want you here,” screamed one woman. “How dare you say there is systemic racism in this town?”
The scrawling of swastikas on the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center and two other town sites led to a town press release announcing Los Gatos Stands United Against Hate Walk, as part of the statewide United Against Hate Week November 14-20. Not in Our Town, the organization that famously inspired Billings, Mont., to stand against discrimination against Jewish, Black and Native people, started the week in 2017 and now has helped over 200 communities stand up against hate.
A majority of voters elected a woman of color to the Town Council. A majority of businesses have posted Los Gatos Stands United Against Hate signs. “All bounds of decency have been eroded by a small number of angry people,” said Councilwoman Maria Ristow. “Enough is enough.”
It’s not only elected officials speaking out.
“The best way to combat all of this hate is by drowning it out with our voices of support,” said Rob Moore, a local community organizer, and that sentiment is building steam. A substantial coalition of school districts, faith communities, businesses, sports clubs, the museum, the Chamber, nonprofits and individuals is joining forces to organize the march on Nov. 14. Elected leaders representing Los Gatos from all levels of government, including U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, Assemblyman Evan Low and state Sen. Dave Cortese, have submitted statements into the Town record affirming that the harassment of public leaders will not be tolerated.
The hope is that the sense of solidarity expressed around the Los Gatos Stands United Against Hate Walk instills the strength in many people to continue being upstanders and promoters of an inclusive town. Hate will not define us.
Penned as an Op-Ed for the Mercury News; reprinted in full. Original article, published here.
Karen Rubio is a resident of Los Gatos, co-founder of Plant-Based Advocates and part of the organizing team for the Los Gatos Stands United Against Hate Walk. The walk will be held Nov. 14 at 2 p.m., starting at Fisher Middle School. See www.losgatosCA.gov/United for details.
When Marico Sayoc was elected to the Los Gatos Town Council in 2014, the first woman of color serving on that body, her deep commitment to diversity and equity opened some doors. But the breakdown of democratic norms and civil discourse that has rocked our country since her first term as mayor in 2016 has now erupted during her 2020 term with some of the ugliest vitriol imaginable. We shouldn’t be surprised to see the instability, because change has been boldly promoted by many, not just the mayor. But change won’t come easy.
The Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition was founded by students amid the Black Lives Matter protests last summer. The town hosted a series of community workshops to address racial and social injustice, including one facilitated by Judge LaDoris Cordell. The Los Gatos Chamber launched a LISTEN LEARN CHANGE GROW campaign with dozens of banners all over town to normalize the idea that building an inclusive culture is a learning process that must be embraced by everyone.
The ensuing turmoil has been painful. For months, protestors have brought chaos and disruption to town council meetings. They’ve expressed outrage at the town’s diversity campaign and LGBTQ support, even going so far as to verbally attack the mayor’s teen son in a council meeting for speaking in favor of diversity. They’ve carried signs saying “Recall Marxist Mayor Sayoc,” decried the COVID-19 vaccine as a “poison shot” and defied mask mandates while espousing far-right conspiracy theories. They have harassed residents — even minors — in person and on Instagram.
Los Gatos-Saratoga High School District meetings have also been embroiled in culture wars over the new ethnic studies curriculum they approved, with critics calling it a “socialism tactic” that will “make white children feel bad about their skin color.”
The family of Mayor Sayoc, who is Filipina, was recently harassed by protesters outside their home. “We know all about you, Mayor Sayoc. You need to leave this town. We don’t want you here,” screamed one woman. “How dare you say there is systemic racism in this town?”
The scrawling of swastikas on the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center and two other town sites led to a town press release announcing Los Gatos Stands United Against Hate Walk, as part of the statewide United Against Hate Week November 14-20. Not in Our Town, the organization that famously inspired Billings, Mont., to stand against discrimination against Jewish, Black and Native people, started the week in 2017 and now has helped over 200 communities stand up against hate.
A majority of voters elected a woman of color to the Town Council. A majority of businesses have posted Los Gatos Stands United Against Hate signs. “All bounds of decency have been eroded by a small number of angry people,” said Councilwoman Maria Ristow. “Enough is enough.”
It’s not only elected officials speaking out.
“The best way to combat all of this hate is by drowning it out with our voices of support,” said Rob Moore, a local community organizer, and that sentiment is building steam. A substantial coalition of school districts, faith communities, businesses, sports clubs, the museum, the Chamber, nonprofits and individuals is joining forces to organize the march on Nov. 14. Elected leaders representing Los Gatos from all levels of government, including U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, Assemblyman Evan Low and state Sen. Dave Cortese, have submitted statements into the Town record affirming that the harassment of public leaders will not be tolerated.
The hope is that the sense of solidarity expressed around the Los Gatos Stands United Against Hate Walk instills the strength in many people to continue being upstanders and promoters of an inclusive town. Hate will not define us.
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Published stories, features and opinion pieces from our core team members.
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