Everything Under The Sun: Farm Sanctuary And Vegan Education

Friday, January 29, 2016

Farm Sanctuary And Vegan Education

One of the star turkeys on an educational dvd.

Let's take a little trip to County Meath in Ireland. That's the home of Sandra Higgins, a committed vegan and rescuer of farm animals. She rescues farm animals as part of her work at EDEN FARMED ANIMAL SANCTUARY, which opened in 2008. It is a compassionate place, where rescued farm animals have a home for life, and where no part of them is ever used for food. The philosophy is one of Ahimsa, which places equal value upon all, regardless of species.

Ms. Higgins' background as a psychologist, combined with her work with the animals, brought up the idea of how to promote change in behavior in regard to the consumption of animals as food. So, she developed the COMPASSIONATE EATING & VEGAN EDUCATION PROGRAM, also known as Matilda's Promise. Functioning as a sister site to the animal sanctuary, this program is designed to take a multi-tiered approach to teaching others what is involved in becoming vegan, along with the health benefits of a plant-based diet. Of course, there is also the benefit to the animals of being able to live out their lives in more natural conditions, without being exploited for their resource-potential.

The plan for the education program included providing educational materials, cooking demonstrations, and even the ability to arrange nutritional consultation with a dietitian skilled in the vegan lifestyle. Ms. Higgins discussed why the educational component was so important, "[V]egan education is vital because it prevents this suffering in the first place," referring to the abuse that her rescued farm animals had experienced.

In reality, the functions of both programs have intertwined. Matilda's Promise online has become a site in which the life of a turkey is chronicled, in sections that resemble book chapters. Turkey cards are available for sale, but a turkey dvd has been sold out. However, you can view a trailer of the film online and watch an interview by Animal Rights Ireland, with Ms. Higgins. Under recipes, there are a few vegan recipes, with links to other sites that also have recipes.

A poster for an educational program, to be held during the summer.

Although Matilda's Promise had started out with various public education programs, the more recently scheduled programs appear on the Animal Sanctuary site. There is also a wider selection of greeting cards, more online videos, and an educational and activist blog. There is also information within the blog about a current billboard campaign that has brief visuals about the benefits of the vegan lifestyle, along with how to get a kit about becoming vegan.