Little Actions That Help Animals Big-Time
If you’re already vegan (yay!) but you want to do more to speak up for animals in your everyday life, this list of ideas will help you sprinkle little seeds of compassion everywhere you go—opening the minds of everyone in your circle to the idea that animals are not here for us to exploit.
Because of your efforts, countless others can learn that adopting an ethical, healthy, and sustainable lifestyle is easy and fun asf! Let’s get to it:
1. Wear clothing and accessories that speak up for animals. They are like free advertisements for animal rights and make people think.
How easy is it to wear a T-shirt that reads, “VEGAINS,” to the gym and then kick ass in your HIIT class?
2. Use trending audios to showcase your favorite vegan recipe or some facts about animal cruelty, like this.
3. Pop into ice cream shops and ask if they have any vegan flavors, even if you know that they don’t (especially if you know that they don’t), to show that there’s a demand for it.
“Hey! Just wondering if you guys have any flavors that don’t contain breast milk that came from an abused cow—like, a vegan option? No? Weird. OK. Byeeee.”
4. Share images and videos on social media.
I once had an old classmate from middle school DM me to say that my posts were the reason she was going vegan. I didn’t even realize we were still mutuals online! So share graphic footage from inside slaughterhouses, heartwarming videos of pigs playing together, articles about animals’ intelligence, vegan recipes and tutorials—whatever you think will help get the message across. You never know who’s looking.
5. Give vegan and animal test–free presents.
Do your friends have birthdays coming up? Give them some cruelty-free makeup, a vegan leather bag, or a wool-free scarf, and make them some vegan cupcakes! Just casually mention that no animals were harmed for any of their gifts.
6. Always remember: No one turns down food.
Going to a nonvegan holiday party? Dinner at a friend’s place? Work lunch? Bring vegan food! People who aren’t familiar with vegan cuisine are often amazed that it’s so delicious and want to know more about it.
7. Use every platform as an opportunity to inform people about the ways in which animals are exploited—even if it wasn’t really meant for that.
If you’re swiping on dating apps and come across people who are all too happy to be holding up a dead fish they just killed or posing with a tiger who is held captive, talk to them about it. And be sure to put “Vegan,” “I don’t date people holding dead fish in their pictures,” “#EndAnimalTesting,” or some other animal rights message in your bio.
8. Spread the word at the grocery store.
Buying Beyond Burgers or some other vegan product at the store? Tell the cashier how delicious they are (extra points if you say it loud enough for other people in line to hear you).
9. Name your Wi-Fi network or hot spot “Go Vegan.”
10. Crafts night! 🖌️
Invite your friends over for some animal rights–themed arts and crafts. Paint and sip (on some delicious vegan smoothies!), embroider pictures of tofu or vegan ice cream onto your fave T-shirt, or get some chalk and walk around your neighborhood or local park and draw fish on the sidewalk with messages like “Fish have feelings.” Whatever issue you’re passionate about—animals imprisoned in cages, being experimented on, or murdered for food, etc.—express it through art. The world is your canvas.
11. Leave pamphlets among the magazines at your doctor’s office, in hotels, etc.
You could even stick them inside library books before you return them.
12. If your bank lets you choose a custom image for your debit or credit card, go with an adorable pig, cow, or chicken.
If someone comments on it, that’s your chance to start spreading the word.
13. Rearrange letters whenever you see some lying around.
You get the idea. 😊
14. Have leaflets handy.
This way you won’t miss opportunities to inform people about ways they can help animals.
15. Be a little sneaky.
If you’re picking up some Tofutti vegan cream cheese or Follow Your Heart nondairy cheese slices (or something like that) at the store, you might as well drop a couple of them near the nonvegan versions, just so that people know all their options.
16. Organize and attend demos.
What are you up to this Saturday? A whole buncha nothin’? Rally the group chat, make some posters, and stand outside any establishment that profits from exploiting animals.
17. Take advantage of captive audiences.
Have to do a presentation at school? Explain why the world should go vegan or all the reasons why people shouldn’t support circuses with animal acts.
18. Put up stickers with important messages.
Imagine this: Someone goes vegan because of a well-placed sticker that you stuck somewhere. Crazier things have happened! Be strategic—if it’s at a children’s bus stop, think child eye level.
19. Movie night!
Get some vegan snacks and invite your friends over to watch animal rights documentaries.
20. Put a bumper sticker on your car.
Imagine how many drivers will see the message.
21. Donate stuff.
No money? No problem! You don’t have to give away bucks you don’t have in order to help. Donate old blankets and toys to local open-admission animal shelters.
You can also donate animal rights books and films to your school and local library—after you’ve read or watched them. Books like The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights would be an ideal addition to any library.
22. Invite your friends to get vegan food with you.
Ask your friends to check out a vegan restaurant with you that you heard was really good—or to save money, just invite them over for dinner. Even if they don’t go vegan, it’s one less meal that causes suffering.
23. Leave reviews for restaurants, grocery stores, airlines, concert venues—any place you can think of that sells food—and ask them to carry more vegan options.
Companies want to sell you things. If they think you want to buy something, they’ll try to sell it to you. You’ll never receive what you don’t ask for.
24. E-mail companies that test on animals, make clothing out of animals, or exploit animals in any other way. You can even reach out to businesses that partner with animal-exploiting companies.
Hear a commercial for SeaWorld on the radio? E-mail the station and tell it to stop sponsoring companies that exploit animals. Whenever you get an e-mail asking you to donate to medical research, you can find out if that organization experiments on animals—and if it does, e-mail back letting it know that you won’t be donating until it stops using the money to imprison, torment, and kill animals. If e-mailing doesn’t work, take to commenting on social media or leaving reviews online. Anything to get companies’ attention!
25. Notice some posters or leaflets advertising a company that exploits animals? I’m sure no one would notice if they just … went missing. 😉
26. Be your healthy, happy, positive self.
Your stomach feels good. Your skin (and conscience) is clear. And you have more energy than ever before. Looking and feeling good is evidence for everyone around you that your vegan diet means that you’re living the best life.
*****
We don’t always have the chance to reach hundreds or thousands of people, but that’s OK. Spreading the word in little ways to anyone you can and planting seeds in people’s minds at every opportunity really adds up. You won’t be the only one doing this stuff—you’ll be one more person doing it. If we all speak up, the impact we can have is limitless. ✨
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