In the fourth, final, phase of this year’s part of the “Let Them Eat Cake! / Neka jedu kolače!” project, World Vegan Day was celebrated.
Project is being created through a public calls aimed at the general public, enthusiasts and multidisciplinary artists to create video performans aimed at raising the awareness of the topics of the international days covered with this project. The content of the project presents a combination of cooking and nutrition as a general interest, and art and activist topics that society and the media should always deal with more.
World Vegan Day is held on November 1st, and this day is aimed at raising public awareness of the moral aspect of the vegan lifestyle and the importance of animal protection.
Below we bring an overview of films, books and scientific studies intended to inform about the problem of using animals for food purposes, methods of farming and ethical issues in the background of the meat and dairy industry.
Movies:
- Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
IMDb
Follow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability.
- David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020)
IMDb
One man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is his witness statement.
- Vegucated (2011)
IMDb
Vegucated is a guerrilla-style documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks and learn what it’s all about.
- Land of Hope and Glory (2017)
IMDb
A shocking insight into the UK’s standard animal farming practices featuring over 100 UK facilities.
- Earthlings (2005)
IMDb
Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.
Books:
- Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals
Amazon
This book delves into the cultural, social and economic roots of meat-eating. Foer contrasts a thorough investigation into modern-day factory farming with tales of his childhood. In doing so, the author presents an anthropological take on the way that humans try to justify eating meat. Renowned as the book that turned many notable celebrities vegan, this gripping read is part memoir, part investigative report. It has been dubbed a ‘must read’ for anyone striving towards a kinder, healthier lifestyle.
- Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food
Amazon
The Face on Your Plate offers a psychological insight into the decisions which influence what we eat. The author examines the ethical questions attached to meat-eating, and evaluates how these choices impact our moral selves. Masson also takes this examination a step further, looking at how our everyday habits impact the health of our planet, and animals. With a background in psychology, Masson also investigates the power of denial in preventing us from recognising that the meat on our plate was once a living, breathing animal.
- Dr T. Colin Campbell, The China Study
Amazon
The China Study has been hailed as one of the most comprehensive nutritional studies ever conducted. As an obesity epidemic continues to plague western society, Dr Campbell demonstrates the direct connection between a modern diet based on animal products and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Dr Campbell clearly illustrates the benefits of a whole-food plant-based diet in this seminal research piece.
- Hal Herzog, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals
Amazon
Hal Herzog, a maverick scientist and leader in the field of anthrozoology offers a controversial, thought-provoking, and unprecedented exploration of the psychology behind the inconsistent and often paradoxical ways we think, feel, and behave towards animals.
- Peter Singer, Animal Liberation: The Definitive Classic of the Animal Movement
Amazon
Originally published in 1975, Animal Liberation has been responsible for awakening millions to the grim realities of ‘speciesism’. In fact, Peter Singer’s book is largely considered to be a foundational work in disseminating the philosophies of animal liberation worldwide. Singer defines speciesism as our disregard for non-human animals. His work has helped inspire a movement that transforms these attitudes towards animals, and eliminates the cruelty we inflict upon them.