Be an ambassador.

Be kind. Be approachable. Live compassionately, and healthily, but don’t forget to take care of you. Often, very empathetic people like animal advocates find it much easier to do good for others, but put their own needs off. You are the light in the darkness. The animals need you to shine that light on others. When people see that veganism has changed your life for the better, they may take a second look. Exercise, pampering, meditation, creating something beautiful, spending time with friends or family or in nature are all great ways to recharge. And always remember to be proud of what you’re doing. You ARE part of a movement that is absolutely changing the world. Feel good about that. You walk the walk. You can be your own sanctuary!

Volunteer

Is there an animal sanctuary near you? Chances are, they need volunteers. At Tamerlaine, our volunteers help with many aspects of running a sanctuary—from fence painting to planting to cleaning and more. Commit to volunteering a certain day of the week, or a set number of hours per week or month. You can also volunteer at your local animal shelter to walk dogs or snuggle kittens. Especially at crowded shelters, human interaction can be hard to come by, and your attention makes their days go faster. And, it can help animals get adopted into their forever homes more quickly.

Start a club

Whether you’re a kid in school, or an adult in a community, it’s nice to find vegan friends. Together you can plan fundraisers, advocate for legislation through letters, decide which sanctuaries you’d like to donate to (here’s a good one), and much more. You can also host vegan socials and invite nonvegans to experience yummy vegan meals. Being around people with the same values is also validating and comforting, because let’s face it, there aren’t that many of us (but we’re growing!), and many of us start out as the only vegans in our families. When it comes to advocacy, organized clubs are always a good idea: there is power in numbers, and being a member of an organization gives letters, petitions, or demonstrations events more authority.

Dress the part

Get rid of that plain old gray t-shirt and don some animal welfare duds. Clothing with a message of compassion is a great conversation starter for anyone eager to learn about being vegan. Also—and equally important—it normalizes ethical veganism, which is so important in changing minds, hearts, and actions.

You can also shop with many organizations that support animal welfare. For example, all of our sales proceeds benefit the animals here at Tamerlaine—and our merch is pretty cool!

“Many people don’t realize that popular materials like wool and leather are associated with disastrous climate impacts, loss of biodiversity and animal cruelty. At Brave GentleMan we simply don’t view animals as acceptable sources of fiber.” Joshua Katcher

Photo - BRAVE GENTLEMAN by Joshua Katcher.

Share a movie.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a movie is worth a million. There are so many documentaries changing minds today. Earthlings and Dominion depict the cruelty of the animal agriculture industry. Cowspiracy and Seaspsiracy get into the politics of environmental advocacy, too. Live and Let Live and Called to Rescue offer hopeful, sometimes heartwarming stories that may be easier to stomach (and watch). The Last Pig and 73 Cows tell stories of farmers who ditched animals for plants after befriending them.

If you know someone who cares about their health, you can share What the Health, or Game Changers. It’s okay if someone goes “plant-based” for their health, rather than ethical reasons. It’s keeping animals off plates and…it’s a small step that may lead to larger ones. Local to New York City? Share The Fight to Ban Live Animal Markets with them—knowing there are 80 slaughterhouses in their city, any one of which could lead to the next pandemic, will probably be eye-opening.

Sign up for an Action Team

Many animal welfare organizations do the research for you—and will keep you in the loop on actions taking place: petitions, demonstrations, upcoming legislation, and more. Locally, our amazing partner SlaughterFree NYC regularly posts alerts for actions you can take in person or from home to help shut down slaughterhouses, including wet markets, in NYC. Follow their Facebook page to receive alerts. On a national scale, the ASPCA Mobile Action Team will alert you via text of happenings you can be involved in. PETA also has a team you can sign up with.

The Animal Welfare Institute, a group that began to eliminate animal suffering in labs but has expanded to include all animals, has a wonderful set of alerts for which you can sign up, many of which are legislative in nature. Although it may feel more powerful to be part of a physical demonstration, researching and working to change public policy is equally necessary.