2004-03-18
The Santa Barbara Independent

The current state of animal rights awareness in Santa Barbara is embarrassingly low. As a six-year vegetarian I am pleased that most Santa Barbara restaurants are veggie-friendly, but disappointed that we do not have a completely vegetarian restaurant in the area.
I am aware of the difficulty in uniting vegetarians with animal rights activists. It is not a surprise that groups who center around one issue are difficult to unite for common campaigns or even just a vegetarian potluck.

You can understand my enthusiasm around two local groups that are hoping to change this cycle of separation. The newly formed S.B. Vegetarian Society and the S.B. Animal Advocates are working together to host the Compassion for Animals Road Expedition (CARE) on its trip to Santa Barbara. CARE has brought national attention to issues concerning nutrition, vegetarianism, animal abuse, hunting, rodeos, and factory farming. The two main speakers for this event include Anthony Marr and Brenda Davis. Marr�s main goal is to unite animal advocates across the county to develop concerted action. He is currently working to pass a referendum to abolish cruel hunting, trapping, and factory-farming practices in many states. Brenda Davis is a registered dietitian and author of The New Becoming Vegetarian and Becoming Vegan.
Through this event we are hoping to form a coalition of S.B.�s isolated organizations so that we are better prepared, motivated, and funded to fight local animal abuses and bring awareness to a healthier lifestyle through vegetarianism. Santa Barbara County has a proud history of supporting the environment. It seems logical that we place as much effort on maintaining that environment through sustainable agriculture and animal welfare. The CARE tour will be in Santa Barbara on Thursday, March 18 from 6-9 p.m. at the Faulkner Gallery in the S.B. Public Library. To learn more about the tour you can visit www.hope-care.org. 

Jennifer Rogers
 

Return to CARE Tour - 1

This site is hosted and maintained by
The Mary T. and Frank L. Hoffman Family Foundation.

Since