It All Starts With a Plan
One of the major issues facing ecofeminist is our relationship to non-human animals and how we perceive them. Vegetarian ecofeminism is a theoretical view attached to sympathy of non-human animals. Millions of animals are killed, or worse unnecessarily everyday in the U.S. alone. These animals are rendered powerless to the hands of humans. Furthermore non-human animals are oppressed by the same patriarchal structures that oppress women. Greta Gaard confirms there is a “specific linkage between sexism and speciesism between the oppression of women and the oppression of animals” (Gaard). In that respect there is a connection between feminism and veganism and thus is an ecofeminist central issue. In order to raise awareness regarding this important aspect of ecofeminism I plan to enact a personal/political idea. In feminism, the personal is political.
My choice of activism will be to donate. I will support my cause by raising money for a charity related to ecofeminism, ideally one specific to my interest of vegetarian ecofeminism. My original plan was to host an entirely vegan dinner party and request my friends “donate” what they would normally pay to go to a restaurant to attend the dinner party. 
I would then donate that money to an organization that supports my cause. However, in lieu of the pandemic that we’re currently experiencing I have to get more creative and modify my charity dinner. Instead of having guests come to my home I have decided to prepare an all-vegan dinner and do “take-out” for the friends I invited. They have all agreed to still participate and accepted “take-out” as an alternative. In addition, to further expand my activist action I have decided to challenge myself to become a vegan for this period of 5 days (or longer). Although I’m currently a meat eater, to completely represent the change I want to see, I will have to “practice what I preach” to support my cause.
In order to organize the dinner party I would receive donations for I would first need to prepare a vegan menu. This is a challenge as I mentioned before I’m currently not a vegan and I’m not used to cooking like this for my family or myself. I looked up recipes for the “dinner party”. Here is what the menu will consist of:
First course
- Mixed greens salad with garlic and lemon vinaigrette
- Spring Minestrone
Main Course
- Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils and Marinara Sauce
- Creamy Mushroom Risotto
Desert
- Churro Banana Bites
- Vegan Snickers Cheesecake
I hope that my dinner will initiate conversation with my friends and family about why I choose to do this and give me the opportunity to discuss veganism as a ecofeminist perspective. In addition, I also hope as a result of changing my eating habits others will recognize the possibility of contributing to making a change as well. In other words I hope my eating choices can reinforce the message that small change can make a difference.
Bibliography:
Gaard, Greta. “Ecofeminism on the Wing: Perspectives on Human-Animal Relations.” Women & Environments (2001): 19-22.
I LOVE this so much! And the fact that “In the Time of Covid, you have become flexible in how you’re going about the vegan dinner party. As we all work through the craziness of social distancing, washing hands incessantly, wearing masks when out in public, etc, etc, you have come up with a great plan. You are a brave soul to tackle going completely vegan from carnivorous eating. I applaud you. I have yet to take the leap from vegetarian to vegan, although in Southern California, there are more and more vegan restaurants all the time.
I love that your friends and family are still going to participate, and that they’re donating toward the dinner so you can donate to a great cause. Full circle. That was my goal as well. Good luck on your cooking day! I wish I were one of the lucky people…
Hi Holly,
I think this is a great idea. Your original idea was also really good because you would have been sharing a very important ecofeminist view to many people. It would have been a great way to get people together and practice repeat toward non-human animals that humans should always be doing. The women and nature relationship is something a lot of people overlook but there definitely needs to be a change in how humans treat animals. However, since you were not able to stick to your original plan I think vegan “take-out” is a great alternative. I personally think going vegan makes a much bigger impact than vegetarian. Vegetarian is also great because it is against not killing animals which is important. However, veganism respects every part of animals and saves them from a lot of suffering that they experience in factory farms. I am in the middle of practicing veganism for a week and it has been a challenge but I have been successful so far. I really care about animal rights and I think your praxis will make a very big impact. Some suggestions I have help you make this form of activism stronger is add some notes with the food that you deliver. I could be some facts about ecofeminism or animal rights. Since you are not able to have a party and communicate with this people during dinner I think this could be a great alternative to educate.
Hi Holly,
What a great and innovative idea. I like that you were able to come up with a work around to the dinner party idea by making it delivery instead. Im curious, can you tell me how much money it will cost you to prepare the meal for your friends and how many people you are serving? Also, what about asking the group that you’re cooking for to take turns doing the same thing? Perhaps once per month? That would get everyone in your group to skip meat at least once per month, which would save animals and reduce emissions even if on a small scale, it’s a great idea. Kind of on the lines of a Bunco party but using Vegan or Vegetarian meal sharing. This concept could potentially go on indefinitely if you have friends that are open to it.
Hi Holly,
I saw a lot of our classmates addressing the activism of going vegan/vegetarian, which is a really great way to contribute at a personal level, but your approach to activism is creative and unique! Not to discredit the efforts of others who chose to go vegetarian/vegan because it is a wonderful contribution of activism no matter what approach is taken, but I just found your idea of a vegetarian dinner take-out to be so fun and motivating. As you said, it isn’t something that can be executed safely during this time of social-distancing, but it is a wonderful idea that is also inclusive. During the blog about vegetarian ecofeminism, I was taken aback just by looking at the “Kill clock,” as it was very disturbing to see how many animals die for the sake of meat consumption in the United States. Your initiative for activism shows that you can make an important difference to causes you care about without making harsh decisions, and doing it in a creative way!
Personally, I am also a meat eater, and I just hadn’t seen the importance in trying to live meat-free until recently. My significant other is allergic to a lot of produce and well, a lot of foods in general so going full-time vegetarian/vegan would be highly challenging with someone in my life that can’t have certain vegetables, meat substitutes, or soy products. Something I have personally been trying is to implement one vegetarian meal a week into our diets so that way it isn’t a complete lifestyle overhaul for the both of us, but it is making some sort of difference rather than none. I think your plan of activism is something great and it is all about what works best for the person seeking to make positive changes in their lives. I hope everything goes well with your take-out dinner party and that you raise money for your charity by increasing awareness on vegetarian ecofeminism!
Hi.
Thank you! Everything went great. It was tough to get a feel for something everyone would like. I wanted the food to be appealing to everyone because my goal was to show my friends that being vegan wasn’t necessarily sacrificing too much. They all said it was delicious (I trust them) so I was happy with that. It must be difficult with allergies. That creates even more limitations. I commend you for incorporating at least one vegan meal per week. Sometimes it can’t be all or nothing but the fact that you’re making an effort makes a difference! I have struggled with going completely vegan myself but after this project I have found myself more conscious of my eating habits. I have also learned how to grocery shop with a “vegan mind” because of having to shop for the dinner party. Thanks for checking out my blog!
Hi Holly!
What an amazing way to fundraise amidst the COVID-19 pandemic! I had struggled quite a bit in determining how I could fundraise at the moment with so many people in fiscal crisis. You really nailed it! I definitely think that your choice of fundraising will open the door to conversation about veganism as an ecofeminist perspective. Frankly, this course has opened that specific door for me. I have to ask, how long have you been vegan? Did you find the transition difficult or expensive or both? My year-long stint with veganism was VERY difficult. I felt I didn’t have enough time to adequately prepare my foods amidst my busy life and, I found it financially draining. If you have any tips please let me know! I’ve learned to meal prep which took care of the first problem but, the expense is still hindering my from trying to become vegan again. I’m contemplating becoming pescatarian for the time being until I can fully make my decision. It’s not a whim to me or something I take ‘willy-nilly’ so I’d love to hear back from you. Back to your activism- I applaud your creativity! I think take-out is such a fantastic way to fundraise and I wish you the best of luck!
Hi!
It was pretty awesome to talk to people about vegetarian ecofeminism. It turned into a conversation about ecofeminism in general and my friends wanted to know what I was studying and asked me questions feminism in general. I was happy to answer and was surprised by the knowledge I had and how none threatening it all was for them and me!
The transition was pretty difficult in that I’m a meat eater. It was difficult to switch gears and change my way of thinking, shopping, and even cooking. The dinner party was pretty expensive but I was also trying to go “all out” so to speak to impress my friends (lol). It is true, eating vegan is expensive in general and my grocery bill defiantly went up for that week. It really makes you wonder, why is eating healthier so much more expensive than eating junk? Pretty sure our food industry was designed that way. Any thoughts?
I currently do a lot of food prep already so it wasn’t as time consuming (as someone who doesn’t already have that built into their schedule). I love your idea of a pescatarian diet because I love fish although I regret to say it is counterproductive to a vegan diet. Unfortunately being vegan is expensive and time consuming but once you make it part of your routine (and budget) it’s a little easier. Good Luck to you!