IMPORTANT: Any of these four videos will help you understand what we pay for whenever we consume milk, cheese, ice cream, or any dairy product. Seeing can help you make informed choices, but just click "blur" under the video if you prefer to listen only.

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Also recommended:

For a relatively short period of human history, milk played a survival role in the lives of a minority of people. These were primarily people who had no choice but to drink another animal's baby's milk in order to survive cold winters.

However, the "survival" reasons for doing that apply to virtually nobody in the United States today. The rare exceptions might be a tiny few who find themselves in extreme survival situations.

In extreme survival situations, bizarre things can happen. For example, to survive a winter stranded in heavy snow, the Donner Party had to resort to eating other humans – their friends. However, once the Donner Party got out of that extreme survival situation, they didn't keep consuming their friends.

Likewise, now that we have year-round access to an abundance of delicious plant-milks, we don't have to continue doing something as bizarre as killing the newborn babies of friendly animals just to be able to drink their mother's breast milk.

Such cruelty is 100% unnecessary under normal circumstances today. No other animal on Earth normally does anything like that.

As more consumers learned that cow's milk does not build strong bones, the dairy industry backed away from emphasizing calcium in its "got milk" marketing campaign, and began focusing more on protein in its "milk life" campaign.

However, this WashingtonPost article explains why they made that decision to focus on milk's protein content (which is about the same as soy milk's). Key point: it wasn't because Americans need more protein, but because they think they do. Market research showed that "protein" is what Americans buy – despite the fact that virtually none of us need more of it, and despite the fact that protein we don't need gets stored as fat.

Coca-Cola's Fairlife milk ad below is yet another example of the lengths to which the milk industry is going to keep selling a nutritionally unnecessary and environmentally harmful product by emphasizing protein:

Cow's milk is nature's perfect food if you're a baby cow. It's perfectly designed to help turn a 50 pound calf into a 1000+ pound cow.

But cow's milk is not the perfect food if you're a human, especially in a country where 2/3 of adults are now medically obese or overweight, where obesity among children has quadrupled in the last 50 years, and where heart disease and cancer are now our nation's top two killers.

Human breast-milk is perfect for baby humans, and cow's milk is perfect for baby cows. But if you can read this, you no longer need your mom's breast-milk, and you never needed a dog's, cat's, rat's, or cow's milk.

P.S. Speaking of nature, dairy is terrible for it.

1. First, recall some "happy cow" ads.

2. Now, imagine being kidnapped from your mother at birth, and then forcibly impregnated by your abductors every year of your life. And every year, your baby is kidnapped from you, your sons are murdered, and your daughters are forced into the same life of perpetual misery as you. And every year, while you're still crying for your newborn's return, your breasts are attached to machines that steal the milk that your body is making for your stolen baby, so that it can instead be consumed by those who stole him/her from you – even though they don't need it. That's the essence of how dairy works.

Just try to imagine that feeling of losing a child every year of your life. The mother and calf bond is one of the strongest in nature, and the description above is the nonstop hell that is a milk cow's entire life — until she's murdered at 1/3 her normal lifespan and sold as hamburger (actually it's more poo than ham, but that's not funny).

To be clear, there is no such thing as humane milk. Rape, kidnapping, infanticide, lifelong enslavement, and premature murder are simply inherent in modern dairy. Whenever we consume milk, cheese, ice cream, or any dairy product today, we're paying someone somewhere to do these things to animals. Plus, we're often paying for non-routine abuse as well.

Sadly, we're doing all this for a product we don't even need – one that's actually harming us and our only home too.

In response to pressure from the Federal Trade Commission, the dairy industry then agreed to change their ads "until further research provides stronger, more conclusive evidence of an association between dairy consumption and weight loss."

However, following that agreement, the dairy industry appears to have simply transitioned to using the word "leaner", despite the likely possibility that some people might interpret "leaner" to imply weight loss.

We don't doubt that "some studies" suggest that teens who drink milk instead of sugary sodas are leaner. But we highly doubt that telling teens to drink more cow's milk to slim down would be as honest or helpful as simply telling them to cut down on sugary drinks.

Although a study published in 2017 did find that calcium could help with reducing "mood disorders" during PMS, it makes more sense to get that calcium from foods that don't also increase estrogen (like dairy can). Furthermore, several studies have shown saturated fats to play a role in increasing PMS symptoms, which the above ads didn't mention. Though they didn't have the same advertising budget, Mercy for Animals helped clarify the dairy industry's relationship with the female reproductive system by running the ad below. It also included a website: MilkIsCruel.com (Now: GotMisery.com)

Milk Marketing 101 | How to get away with "stretching the truth"

Through aggressive lobbying efforts and other tactics to influence government agencies, the dairy industry has gained access to a sort of loophole whereby they're able lie to American consumers with a fair amount of impunity.

For example, dairy producers in California and Vermont have been sued multiple times over claims that dairy cows are "happy" constitute false advertising. But these lawsuits have all failed for one reason or another, including government defendants (remember: gov't now advertises dairy) being exempt from false advertisement laws that apply to private individuals! And this has in turn helped perpetuate unwitting consumer complicity in extensive animal cruelty in the dairy industry (as well as in completely needless environmental harm).

Sadly, it seems that dairy cows (and Earth) will never get a fair day in court, especially when the government is on the side of big dairy. The only real hope for these feeling animals and our planet is that we humans might see for ourselves what's happening, and stop paying for it to happen.

The lying-loophole described above also raises the question: Can we ever trust anything the dairy industry says about its products? Even when they point to "scientific" health findings, it's likely the information is coming from their own paid researchers(more).

Understanding the clearly awful truth behind their "happy cow" claims, it goes without saying that we should be very wary of the dairy industry's claims about human health, the environment, and everything else.

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Update for 2024

In 2023, MilkPEP (Milk Processors "Education Program") hired Queen Latifah to act in a "Milk Shaming PSA" that AdWeek called "a direct hit to the funny bone" that "picks up where Wood Milk left off."

However, anyone familiar with the truth about dairy immediately knew that the PSA itself was shameful. And interestingly, as of October 2024, it seems to have been removed from its original YouTube channel.

You can still see what the dairy industry did here. But we highly recommend this intelligent (AI) Queen Latifah's revised solution to milk shaming.

More about the players and their manipulation

THE "GOT MILK" ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

Starting in the 1990's, the dairy industry paid 200+ celebrities $25k each to pose with white mustaches and a very creative slogan as a way to boost milk sales. One example was Whoopi Goldberg, who's actually lactose intolerant:



The campaign also instilled the messages that cow's milk is necessary to enjoy foods like cookies and for kids to have strong bones.

Of course, we now know that the strong bones message was complete nonsense. And plant-milks go equally well with cookies, without funding the needless evils of animal violence and environmental harm. In other words, we definitely don't need what milk's got.

Sadly, the "got milk" campaign was one of the most successful of all time. Millions of people got milked.

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Footage credits:

• What the Health
• HOPE Project

Also see:

• They're Trying to Kill Us
  Should be called "They Are Killing Us - Slowly - Cuz That Maximizes Profits". This film can help you live. Watch 1:03 to 1:12 for dairy info.
• The Invisible Vegan
  Slave owners cared more about profits than people, so slaves were fed low quality food. See how that has impacted the Modern American Diet.
• Slavery vs Animal Agriculture and Flawed Assumptions
• Who You Are  |  Unity  |  Einstein  |  Earthlings

1. Cow's milk is specifically designed to nourish baby cows. If you're not a cow and/or not a baby, be aware of: 2. You'll never see an adult cow drinking another cows' milk. Adult cows get all their nutrients from plants and supplements. And if you're over 3 years old, that's better for your body too. You don't need dairy for: 3. Did an under-educated doctor tell you different? 4. Many world-class athletes are ditching dairy: 5. Wondering why you haven't heard this before? 6. Also:

Parkinson's Disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's. Studies show that consuming dairy products can increase our risk of developing the disease, with one study showing that those who consumed the most dairy milk had a 70 percent greater risk(1).

On the bright side, another study showed that a plant-based diet was able to lower the risk of developing Parkinson's Disease by 31 percent(2).

An explanation of the relationship between dairy and PD is beyond the scope of this website, but you can find more information at the links below:

Dr. Michael Greger, M.D. is an American physician who worked on mad cow issues while attending Cornell University School of Agriculture, and later appeared as an expert witness when cattle producers unsuccessfully sued Oprah Winfrey for libel over statements she had made about the safety of meat. In 1999 he graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine with a specialty in clinical nutrition, and he's now President and Research Director of NutritionFacts.org. The following is a selection of dairy related videos that he has produced:

John Robbins is the son of Baskin-Robbins founder Irv Robbins, and nephew of co-founder Burt Baskin. As a child, John was groomed to one day take over the billion dollar ice-cream empire. However, after seeing his uncle Burt die from a heart attack at 54, as well as other family members (and his own body) suffering from ill health, he began to question the links to what they were often eating. Learning that the product they were selling was making people sick, John rejected both his father's business and money, and instead lived a very simple life in a one-room log cabin with his wife for many years.

In 1987, John published the international bestseller "Diet For A New America: How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness, and the Future of Life on Earth." The book, which was very favorably reviewed by the American Journal of Cardiology, would later help his father reverse severe diabetes, avoid amputation, discontinue insulin, and get off high blood pressure medication. In other words, John's knowledge saved his father's life – which was arguably more important than all his money.

In 1991, a PBS affiliate produced a documentary based on John's work called "Diet for a New America: Your Health, Your Planet". You can watch that video below for free. The film itself is a bit dated, but the message is timeless. Alternatively, John has done a more recent Google Talk that you can also watch for free.

Watch Diet for a New America

Watch John's Google Talk

Super Size Me Clip
 

Menkay is a former dairy business owner turned vegan. He's made numerous short videos to explain why: See more Menkay on: Instagram | Facebook

Casomorphin is a morphine-like compound produced from the digestion of milk protein. Essentially, dairy contains something similar to opiate molecules. They attach to the same brain receptors that heroin does.(1)

Researchers believe the evolutionary reason for this is to keep baby cows emotionally attached to their mothers during infancy (to increase their chances of survival).

But instead, dairy companies kidnap and kill those babies so they can profit by selling us the "emotional comfort" of nursing on a baby's milk. And casomorphin is especially high in cheese – which helps explain why food companies love adding cheese to everything. And to think that the dairy industry spends at least $50 million advertising their products to children in public schools – hooking us while we're young.

Would you be okay with companies adding microdoses of opioids to cholesterol-laden foods to keep your kids coming back for more? That may have survival value for newborn animals in nature, but not for humans in a country where 2/3 of adults are now medically obese or overweight, where obesity among children has quadrupled in the last 50 years, and where heart disease is now our nation's #1 killer.

It's time we humans grow up, stop consuming dairy like babies, and stop subjecting other animals to lives of misery just so we can feel comforted by their murdered babies' milk. If you experience withdrawal cravings while quitting dairy, try to remember the enormous suffering and death you're sparing other beings by going through that relatively brief discomfort.

Of course, some people with self-interest may dispute dairy addiction. But here's an expert to explain why dairy is so hard for humans to quit.

Even our government is in on pushing casomorphin, in the form of government programs like "checkoffs" authorized by Congress to increase spending on dairy marketing. This government involvement has, in turn, empowered dairy to stretch the truth about dairy's production conditions and purported health benefits in their promotional efforts. As of 2023, they're even using our tax dollars to criticize alternative products that would be better for the planet.

Please, next time you're offered anything with dairy, Just Say No.

BUT:  Isn't drinking cow's milk natural? Haven't humans always been drinking it?

1. Actually, humans only started drinking the milk of other animals about 10k years ago. And even then, only a minority of humans did so. Given that humans have been walking the Earth for at least 200-300k years, consuming animal-milk is an extremely new phenomenon. That minority of humans that started drinking milk 10k year ago only did so for survival reasons – reasons that are no longer relevant today. Even now, only about 30% of humans have mutated to be able to digest milk. The normal human digestive system stops being able to digest milk after infancy. So in fact, nearly 70% of the world's population is still lactose intolerant.

2. Humans have always done a lot of things we no longer find acceptable. Why should we model our behaviors on those of ancient and ignorant ancestors? Some cultures have practiced human sacrifice, cannibalism, and female genital mutilation, and they considered those things normal. The fact that some of our ancestors did bizarre things doesn't mean we need to keep doing those things forever.

3. Along the same lines, some of our recent ancestors chose to do some things differently than those before them. Should we now assume that the older ways were more correct, and revert to those? For example, our very recent ancestors struggled to put an end to slavery. Should we assume that slavery was actually right because it's what those before them did? Likewise, should we revert to not allowing women to vote because that what our older ancestors did?

4. Is it really safe to assume that we're the first generation that's doing everything right? On the contrary, more and more people are beginning to recognize that the way we're mass producing, exploiting, and consuming animals today is the most backwards, barbaric, and destructive practice the world has ever seen. It's actually unlike anything our prehistoric ancestors did. It's our generation's slavery — on an exponentially larger scale than slavery. 5. Even if our ancient ancestors did sometimes drink milk and eat meat, the GMO-fed, antibiotic/pesticide/dioxin and misery-laden stuff that we're being sold today is hardly what they consumed. So it's definitely time we evolve. Fortunately, we now have easy, year-round access to more plant-based milks and other foods than ancient humans ever had.

6. If you're interested in drinking more of what our ancestors have been drinking since the beginning of humanity's time on Earth, that would be: water. Water is almost exclusively what every adult mammal drinks.
 

BUT:  Soy is bad for the environment. Therefore, eating or drinking soy is bad for the environment.

1. The first statement above is correct. Soy is currently being cultivated on such enormous levels that it's destroying habitats, such as rainforests. That deforestation is in turn releasing massive amounts carbon into the atmosphere, and pesticides/fertilizers used in cultivation are then degrading water sources, etc.

2. However, 75-80% of the world's soybean crops are being fed to farm animals. Vegan and vegetarian consumption only account for about 5%. And with rapidly increasing familiarity with other vegan protein sources, direct human consumption of soybeans is unlikely to grow significantly in the future. HOWEVER, even if the entire human population were to eat soy for protein rather than meat/dairy, the destruction of natural vegetation required to supply us with the same amount of protein would decline by over 90%! That's because converting plant-protein/calories into animal-protein/calories is extremely inefficient. (MORE EXPLANATION)

In other words, direct human consumption of soy is not bad for the environment.

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Short videos:

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Dairy investigations and health info

A study by the University of Oxford found that plant-based diet may be the "single biggest way" to reduce your environmental impact — far bigger even than buying an electric car or reducing air travel. And with an abundance of delicious plant-based milks already available, finding one you like is an easy (but giant) step in that direction:

Dairy producers receive huge government subsidies (funded by our state and federal taxes) that plant-milk producers don't receive. This insulates dairy-milk from free-market competition, exposes plant-milk to unfair competition, and means the government is basically providing built-in foodstamps that specifically encourage cow-milk consumption over plant-milk consumption.

The reason our taxes are subsidizing dairy has a long history that involves dairy's heavy influence in government through, among other things, aggressive lobbying and well-funded campaign donations. But at this point, if our money is going to be subsidizing any particular food, it certainly shouldn't be one that's riskier for our health and planet than another. Given what's now known, the only financial assistance dairy producers should be receiving should for assistance with transitioning away from nutritionally unnecessary and environmentally destructive products.

But as things stand today, our taxes are even being used to help dairy producers pay for their advertising. In other words, our taxes are being used to convince us to buy more of a product that we don't even need, that's harming our health, and that's terrible for our planet.

Even worse, in 2023 they started using our taxes to discourage consumption of products that would be better for the planet. Criticism is usually okay, but there's something very wrong when it's our government using our taxes to help an outdated industry criticize new, more planet-friendly products.

A full discussion of the hidden costs inflicted on our country by the dairy industry is beyond the scope of this website, but here's a short Vox video, a similar overview by Business Insider, a very in-depth video about the government+dairy relationship, as well as numerous articles.

The video below was created by an Emmy-winning independent journalist and contributor to the New York Times. He's not vegan, and even says he loves milk. He never mentions the environmental issues associated with dairy, nor does he seem concerned about the animal welfare issues or human health issues. However, he does a great job of explaining how the dairy industry has influenced U.S. government policy and convinced Americans to consume enormous quantities of a nutritionally unnecessary substance that's full of saturated fat and cholesterol. If you have limited time, just watch the first and last. *The journalist's full video included paid promotion for a fitness program, which you can find in his original video's comments.

A study by Emory University(1) found that 60% of conventionally produced milk contains antibiotic residue, and 60% contains at least one pesticide. This actually isn't surprising – because what some cows eat is scary. But even "clean" feed can have pesticide residue, PCB's, and dioxins.

Yes, you can limit your exposure to questionable contaminants by buying organic dairy milk. Or you can simply get organic plant milk and also avoid the pus, cholesterol, complicity in animal cruelty, and so on.

From the World Health Organization(1): From the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine(3):

GMO, Antibiotics, Soil Health, and B12

According to the FDA, more than 95% of animals used for meat and dairy in the United States are now eating genetically modified (GMO) crops. Sadly, a major motivation for genetic modification has been to make feed crops resistant to increased application of a chemical herbicide known as glyphosate (aka. Roundup). As a result, glyphosate use in the U.S. has risen over 3000%, and Americans' exposure to glyphosate has grown by about 500%, since 1996 when glyphosate-tolerant (aka. Roundup Ready) GMO seeds started being planted.

As one small example of how such chemicals make their way into our bodies, a 2017 NYTimes article reported that glyphosate was found in 10 of 11 samples of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

ANTIBIOTICS:  A 2019 study by Emory University found that 60% of conventionally produced milk contains antibiotic residue. Factory farms in the U.S. actually administer more antibiotics to animals now than doctors do to humans. In the United States, 80% of antibiotics are now used in livestock production.

SOIL HEALTH:  Understandably, many scientists are concerned about the unknown long-term effects that the heavy use of antibiotics on factory farmed animals, and increased application of chemical hermicides like glyphosate to the crops they're now eating, will have on soil health.

Vitamin B12 Example

Other environmental issues

Imagine if rather than taxing cigarettes, the government gave your tax dollars to tobacco companies so they could lower cigarette prices as a strategy to encourage your family to smoke more. Well, given what we now know about dairy's impacts on our health and planet, that's essentially what's happening with dairy today. Dairy producers receive huge government subsidies (including your tax dollars) that plant-milk producers don't receive. Dairy also has more externalized costs than plant-milk, which we all eventually pay the price for as well.

Sadly, these artificial subsidies that are decreasing the price of dairy below its real price are in turn increasing environmental harms, as well as human disease.

The most logical solution to this problem would be to simply end the dairy subsidies. Another strategy might be a tax to discourage dairy use, just as has proven effective for discouraging tobacco use. But unfortunately, the truth is that the dairy industry's powerful influence on our government today makes a logical solution difficult to implement.

However, we as individual consumers still have the power to make the companies we support do their part in not supporting harmful policies. It's our Constitutional right to not buy from companies that don't act in our best interests, and to instead buy from companies that do.

So regardless of what our government does or doesn't do about dairy subsidies, simply switching from cow-milk to plant-milk is one of the most powerful things you can do to help motivate food producers to start doing what's right for us and the planet. It's within your power to prevent companies from profiting from unjust, unhealthy policies and environmentally-externalized costs.

Please don't buy dairy. Say bye to dairy.

Imagine you're a new business trying to create a new product that's better for the environment and/or healthier for people than an existing product. However:

• Your government gives taxpayer dollars to the producer of the existing product, which helps them to keep their prices lower than yours, and makes your product appear "expensive" to consumers.
• Your government gives your competitor assistance with marketing their old product, and even enables them to make false claims about it.
• When some people start switching to your product, your government uses taxpayer dollars to help your competitor ridicule, disparage and discourage the use of your new product.
• Even as people stop buying your competitor's inferior product, your government buys their unsold inventory using taxpayer dollars (including your customers' taxes), which keeps them in business doing all of the above to your unending disadvantage.

Do you think this type of government favoritism and assistance to old products might discourage innovation of new, improved products? And might it encourage some businesses to instead remain producers of old, inferior products?

VITAMIN B12

Many people have been told that dairy products are a good source of B12. But the truth is that B12 comes from bacteria in the soil. Our ancient ancestors could get B12 simply by eating unwashed plants or drinking river water. And until recently, it's true that we could still get B12 by consuming the meat or milk of animals who ate unwashed plants.

However, with soils today increasingly exposed to antibiotics and herbicides that kill bacteria, factory farmed animals are now often supplemented with B12. And being told that you should consume the flesh or fluids of a supplemented middlecow to get a nutrient that you could have gotten directly is misleading. There are much better ways to get B12 today, without the animal fat, cholesterol, and who knows what in dairy.

Easy sources:
B12 can now be found in many plant-based milks, such as Oatly oat milk and Silk soy milk. Note that all plant-milks are cholesterol-free. Alternatively, B12 is also in many multivitamins.

Do you cook?
Just one tablespoon of Bragg's Nutritional Yeast (available at grocery stores) has 315% DV of B12, and is very easy to incorporate into pasta dishes, pizzas, dips, and much more.

Starbucks is great at projecting an ethical image to help sell their seemingly sophisticated beverages — they say and do a lot of little things(irony) that serve to distract customers from the enormous white elephant in their cafes. But the unfortunate fact is that every dairy drink they offer contains needless animal and environmental harm.

Sadly, Starbucks actually discourages the #1 most important form of conscientious consumption by adding a surcharge to plant-milk.

As a top user of cow-milk, Starbucks is profiting from taxpayer-funded subsidies, environmentally-externalized costs, and goodwill generated by false advertising and lies.

To help Starbucks corporation to start doing the right thing, please avoid all their cafes and products until they:

• 1. Remove the surcharge for plant-milks (DONE), and
• 2a. Make a plant-milk their default drink base, and/or
• 2b. Implement a surcharge on dairy milk.

Fortunately, it's very easy to make even better drinks at home, with your favorite plant-milk, without the casomorphin, without the cholesterol, without the estrogen, without the wait, and for a fraction of the price.

NEW: Please also sign our petition.

And if you have any friends who still think Starbucks is cool, conscientious or sophisticated, please tell them that:

HOWEVER, we're keeping this page online to explain why:

1. Starbucks should also make a plant-milk their default drink base.
2. You should only consume Starbucks beverages with plant-milk.
3. Any other cafes that still upcharge for plant-milk should be avoided.
4. Eventually, cow-milk options should be surcharged or eliminated.

GREENWASHING

Starbucks is great at projecting an ethical image to help sell their seemingly sophisticated beverages — they say and do a lot of little things that serve to distract customers from the enormous problems hidden in those beverages. Pertaining to the environment, what Starbucks is doing to hide those problems is what's known as greenwashing.

But underneath that greenwashing is the unfortunate fact that every dairy drink Starbucks offers contains needless environmental harm. And with Starbucks selling over 100 million gallons of dairy milk every year, that needless harm is a very serious problem for the planet.

Our planet needs real change, not deceptive marketing. It's time for Starbucks leadership to wake up if they wanna sell their coffee.

Help Starbucks

Make better drinks at home, with your favorite plant-milk, without the casomorphin, without the cholesterol, without the estrogen, without the wait, at just the right temperature and sweetness you like, and for a fraction of the price! Find YOUR favorite drink:

• Use CopyMeThat to search for "vegan [your favorite drink]". You can also search for pastries and other treats.
• Or do a YouTube search for "DIY [your favorite drink]", then simply replace cow-milk with your favorite plant-milk.

Please share a site with friends via email: Circle Sqr1 Sqr2 Standard Circle Sqr StarbucksSucks (4"×4") BuckStarbucks (4"×4")

The SBSucks and BuckSB stickers are the best choices for promoting the campaign to help Starbucks change its ways.

But if you prefer, any of these other stickers will indirectly help promote that campaign as well.

Ordering business cards is probably the cheapest option for bulk printing if you want to hand out a lot of cards.

But if you just want a couple dozen cards to give to friends, you can print the PDF below on thick paper, then cut the cards out yourself. This design uses a lot of ink, so you might want to print at a copy shop. Somewhere like FedEx Office will also have DIY cutters that you can use.

Download PDF | Back to biz card

Imagine if rather than taxing cigarettes, the government gave your tax dollars to tobacco companies so they could lower cigarette prices as a strategy to encourage your family to smoke more. Well, given what we now know about dairy's impacts on our health and planet, that's essentially what's happening with dairy today. Dairy producers receive huge government subsidies (including your tax dollars) that plant-milk producers don't receive. Dairy also has more externalized costs than plant-milk, which we all eventually pay the price for as well.

Sadly, these artificial subsidies that decrease the price of dairy below its real price then increase animal and environmental harm, as well as human disease.

A logical first step to offsetting this problem would be a tax to discourage dairy use, just as has proven effective for discouraging tobacco use. Another logical solution would be to end the dairy subsidies. But unfortunately, the dairy industry's powerful influence on our government today makes any logical solution very unlikely.

However, we as consumers have the power to demand that the companies we support do their part in not supporting unjust and harmful policies. It's our Constitutional right to not buy from (i.e. boycott) companies that don't act in our best interests.

By placing a surcharge on dairy milk, Starbucks will be doing their part in shifting consumption of cow-milk to plant-milk, rather than profiting from unjust subsidies and environmentally-externalized costs.

By boycotting Starbucks until they do their part, we're all doing our part in motivating that corporation to do what's right for us and the planet.

A sin tax (also known as vice tax) is a tax specifically levied on certain goods deemed harmful to society and individuals, such as tobacco, alcohol, drugs, soft drinks, fast foods, and sugar. In contrast to taxes that are used to pay for the damage to society caused by such goods, sin taxes increase the price in an effort to decrease the use of those goods in the first place. Increasing sin taxes is often more popular than increasing other taxes. – Definition based on: Wikipedia

When someone says that plant-milk is more expensive than dairy-milk, they're overlooking the fact that dairy producers receive huge government subsidies that plant-milk producers don't receive. They're also ignoring the fact that animal-derived products have more externalized costs than plant-foods do. We all pay those costs eventually. In fact, consuming animal-products like dairy is basically costing us the planet that we call home. That's very expensive.

Find your favorite drink:

1) Use the site CopyMeThat.com to search "vegan [your favorite drink]".

2) Alternatively, do a search for "DIY [your favorite drink] recipe", then simply replace cow's milk with your favorite plant milk.

ANIMAL WELFARE

Paul McCartney once said that if factory farms had glass walls, we'd all be vegan. Some brave filmmakers have given us windows. Please look.

Dairy is Scary: Watch here
The truth about milk & cheese in 5 minutes.

Dominion: Trailer Intro * Cows  (12 mins) All  (2 hrs)
To end a suffering, we must be aware of it. Please bear witness.

Earthlings: Trailer Watch on Youtube More
One of the first movies to expose factory farm practices.

Farm to Fridge: Cows (3 mins) Full (12 mins)
Short but powerful film produced by Mercy for Animals.

Dairy Disclosed: Watch free
25-minute documentary with softened graphic footage.

Death on a Factory Farm: HD on Amz Free on YouTube
Are we meant to harm helpless beings, or protect them?

73 Cows (15 mins): Free on Vimeo
Animals are not just robots.

Seaspiracy: Trailer Watch on Netflix More
You are someone.

Violated: All Animals Cows
"Without sexual abuse, animal ag does not exist."

HEALTH

What the Health: Trailer Netflix Amazon More
Why you don't know what's good for you.

Game Changers: Trailer Netflix Amazon More
Game changing information for athletes of every sport.

HOPE Project: Trailer Watch on Youtube
What you eat matters.

Forks Over Knives: Trailer Watch free More
Roger Ebert called this "a film that could save your life."

PlantPure Nation: Trailer Watch free Amz More
With the son of T. Colin Campbell, co-author of China Study.

Eating You Alive: Trailer Watch free Amz More
Manage or reverse many diseases with a plant-based diet.

Diet for a New America: Watch free
The insights of billion dollar ice cream empire heir.

YAWYE - A Twin Experiment: Trailer Netflix
Identical twins change their diets for 8 weeks.

DOCTORS

POLITICS/ENVIRONMENT

MLK Jr. said that "to save man from the morass of propaganda is one of the chief aims of education." But given the modern reach of dairy propaganda into education, we must now educate ourselves.

Cowspiracy: Trailer Netflix Amazon More
Exposes possibly the most destructive force facing our planet.

MILKED: Trailer Free Vimeo Amazon More
Filmed in NZ, but relevant for consumers & farmers everywhere.

MILKED: Filmed in NZ, but very relevant for the US. Trailer Watch Free Amazon
N/A

Eating Our Way To Extinction: Trailer Watch free Amz
When what we eat costs the Earth, who pays?

Food Inc: Trailer Amazon WatchDocs Kanopy
Draws on the books Fast Food Nation and Omnivore's Dilemma.

Invisible Vegan: Trailer Youtube1 Youtube2 Amz More
Connects the Standard American Diet to slavery.

Mad Cowboy: Trailer Watch on Youtube
Along with Oprah, this man got sued for speaking his truth.

Punk Rock Vegan Movie: Watch free
Clips from this film by Moby are included in the got evil video.

They're Trying To Kill Us: Trailer Tubi (free) Vimeo More
Killing you slowly is where the $ is. Watch 1:03 to 1:12 for dairy.

Why We Use Certain Animals: Watch free Part 2
What we consider truth is often passively accepted belief.

HISTORY

"If you don't know [real] history, it's as if you were born yesterday... and anybody up there in a position of power can tell you anything" – Howard Zinn

American Milk in 4 minutes: Watch free
For years, we've been told milk is essential. It's not. Also see: 8 minutes.

The White Lies We've Been Sold: Watch free
By an Emmy-winning contributor to the New York Times.

SPIRITUALITY

A Prayer for Compassion: Trailer Vim Amz More
Expand your compassion to include all creatures.

Christspiracy: Trailer Watch now
Get ready for a revelation.

Unity: Trailer Amazon Vimeo More
By the maker of Earthlings.

Peaceable Kingdom: Trailer Watch free
Farmers question their inherited way of life.

SHORTS

Menkay: Short videos
Former dairy business owner turned vegan shares his reasons.

Philip Wollen: Watch here
Hear from a former VP of Citibank. 10 minutes.

What Cody Saw: Watch on DailyMotion YouTube
Meet a factory farm investigator. 10 minutes.

Casa de Carne: Watch here
Debunk delusions of fine dining in 2 minutes.

Norm: Watch here
Does enjoyment justify violence? 11 minutes.

Glass Walls: Watch here Website
With Paul McCartney. 13 minutes.

Smarter Diet: Watch here More
By world champion Jiu Jitsu fighter David Meyer. 15 mins.

Food Marketing Secret: Watch here
You'll never guess the #1 ingredient.

Last Moment of Grace: Watch here
Baby cows have strong bonds to their moms. 3 mins.

New Roots Institute: Select a video
NRI is inspiring critical thinking about factory farming in classrooms.

Hope Stories: Select a video
Inspirational stories by the creator of HOPE Project.

PEOPLE

UNDERCOVER

ETC

The Corporation: Trailer Youtube Amazon More
When an ever-expanding economic system considers the health... more

The Internet's Own Boy: Trailer Watch here More
Aaron Swartz created the Creative Commons licensing system, under which this site's design is licensed.

Pink Floyd The Wall: Why it's included Clip1 Clip2 Watch on Internet Archive Watch on Vimeo Get DVD

LiveKindly: LiveKindly.co /tag/sports /tag/athlete /tag/athletes /tag/vegan-athlete /tag/vegan-bodybuilder /tag/plant-based-athlete

Super Size Me: Trailer Youtube Amazon More
By the maker of Earthlings.

When an ever-expanding economic system considers the health of the planet and its inhabitants to be irrelevant costs, at some point that system begins to guarantee an uglier future for every future generation. We've passed that point, and something needs to change... US.

But...

• What about calcium?

• What about protein?

• What about B12?

• What about vitamin D?

• My doctor said...

• I love milk and cheese

• Humans have always...

• Almond milk wastes water

• Soy causes man-breasts

• Soy is bad for the environment

• Plant-milk is expensive

• Plant-milk isn't real milk

• Plants have feelings

• Growing plants kills animals

• What about the farmers?

• You've never been on a farm

• Cows will go extinct

• Cows will overpopulate

• Cows are stupid

• Animals don't feel pain

• Breeding is not rape

• What about humane milk?

• What about organic milk?

• The world has bigger problems

• Human rights are more important

• The problem is overpopulation

• I help animals in other ways

• I'm a vegetarian

• Stop forcing your beliefs on me

• Even Buddhists drink milk

• God said use animals for food

• Morality is subjective

• It's my personal choice

• It's a free country

• Milk is my culture

• The law says it's okay

• Friends won't like me

• I'm too old to change

• I won't make a difference

• I don't like animals

• I don't care

• I'm sad / mad / disturbed

New Roots Institute is a branch of Factory Farming Awareness Coalition that sends skilled educators into high school and college classrooms to inspire critical thinking about the connections between factory farming and important issues affecting us all – animal welfare, worker welfare, the environment, and human health. These are suggested videos from their site:

Inspirational stories filmed by the creator of Hope Project:

BUT:  What about calcium?

Adult cows get their calcium from plants and/or supplements, and so should you. You don't have to drink a middlecow's secretions to get the nutrients she got from plants and/or supplements.

Many plant-milks already include calcium. For example, Oatly has about the same amount of calcium as cow's milk, and Ripple has 50% more calcium than cow's milk.

Vegetables that have more calcium than grass include broccoli, many green leafy vegetables, almonds, lentils, chickpeas (hummus), chia seeds, and many more.

And calcium is very easy to find in tablets or capsules if you prefer.

P.S. If you were told that cow's milk helps build strong bones, that wasn't true.

Some other high protein plant-foods include almonds, walnuts, broccoli, lentils, black beans, brown rice, soy/tofu/tempeh, and much, much more.

If eating soy or tofu as a protein source, you may want to opt for organic, as there are concerns about genetically modified soy (aka. GMO soy) and super-processed soy (e.g. soy protein isolate).

Protein is made of amino acids, and there are 22 amino acids required to make it. Our body produces 13 of those amino acids on its own. The other 9 are called "essential amino acids" because they're obtained through food. A food is referred to as "complete" protein if it has all 9 essential amino acids in amounts the body needs. Examples of plant-foods that provide "complete" protein include quinoa, chia, hemp, and shakes.

However, two or more so-called "incomplete" proteins can combine to form complete protein. And they don't even have to be eaten in the same meal – because our body can store amino acids.

In other words, we don't have to eat animals who made complete proteins from plants. And we don't have to steal their baby's milk to get our protein either. Our bodies are equipped to make complete protein directly from plants, without the unnecessary cholesterol, animal cruelty, etc.

Your body is equipped to create complete proteins from plant proteins. And you don't need to know how to do this — your body knows. You just have to provide your body with a variety of plant foods.

Quinoa has been eaten by humans for over 5,000 years. The Inca called it the "Mother of all Grains" (though it's technically a seed). And we now know it to be a near nutritionally perfect complete protein – and it's low in fat, and high in fiber. Quinoa is an excellent replacement for rice (or mix into rice) in any dish.

• Pronounced: "keen wah"
• Sample recipe search: "vegan quinoa burger"

Chia seeds have been eaten for thousands of years, and were a staple of the Aztecs and Mayans ("chia" means "strength" in Mayan). Chia seeds include high quality complete protein, lots of fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and various essential minerals and antioxidants.

Sample recipe search: "vegan chia pudding breakfast bowl"

Technically a nut, 2 tablespoons of hemp "seeds" contains five grams of protein and two grams of fiber, plus potassium, vitamin-A, and iron.

Sample recipe search: "vegan hemp seed"

BUT:  What about vitamin B12?

Many animals today are supplemented with vitamin B12, but we can supplement ourselves – we don't have to consume a middlecow's fluids to get the nutrients she was supplemented with.

Easy sources:
B12 can now be found in many plant-based milks, such as Oatly oat milk and Silk soy milk. B12 is important, so choosing a plant-milk that includes it is a good idea. Alternatively, B12 is also in many multivitamins.

Do you cook?
Just one tablespoon of Bragg's Nutritional Yeast (available at grocery stores) has 315% DV of B12, and is very easy to incorporate into pasta dishes, pizzas, dips, and much more.

The truth about B12:
Vitamin B12 comes from bacteria in soil. Our prehistoric ancestors would get B12 simply by eating unwashed plants or drinking river water. More recently, humans could get B12 by eating animals who ate unwashed plants. However, with soils today increasingly exposed to antibiotics and pesticides that kill bacteria, factory farmed animals are now often supplemented with B12. So at this point, it makes more sense to just supplement ourselves, bypassing the saturated fat, cholesterol, etc found in milk and meat.

BUT:  What about vitamin D?

Adult cows get their vitamin D from plants, sun exposure, and/or supplements, and so should you. There's no need to consume a middlecow's cholesterol-laden secretion to get a nutrient that she got from plants, supplements, sun exposure, or that was merely added to her milk.

a) Like cows, the human body can make Vitamin D naturally from sun exposure. If you live in a sunny climate, just 5-30 minutes of mid-day sun exposure per day is enough for most people.

b) Alternatively, vitamin D is already in many plant-milks, such as Silk's Oat and Soy milks. That way you don't have to worry about getting too much sun exposure.

c) And vitamin D is also in many multivitamins.

BUT:  Doesn't soy cause men to grow breasts?

1. The rumor that soy milk causes "man-breasts" arose because soy contains phytoestrogen, and when some people hear "estrogen" they think "woman." But phytoestrogen is plant estrogen, not actual estrogen. And this phytoestrogen actually blocks real estrogen!

2. Ironically, cow's milk has actual estrogen + other female hormones.

3. We know that some cultures have been consuming soy for thousands of years without men growing breasts, and medical research completely contradicts the rumor as well.

4. To avoid man-breasts, choose a diet associated with lower obesity, as excess body fat on men is what often looks like breasts.

5. If someone tells you that drinking soy-milk is unmanly, remind them that drinking dairy milk is literally drinking breast milk made for a baby.

P.S. If consuming soy, many people opt for non-GMO.

BUT:  Don't plants have feelings? If so, isn't murdering oats the same as murdering animals?

1. Plants may have a form of "consciousness" but they don't have a central nervous system or pain receptors, so they don't experience physical pain like we (animals) do.

2. If your house were burning down, who would you save first: your pets or your plants? Would you ask a firefighter to run through the flames to rescue your plants?

3. If a plant suddenly appeared in the road, would you swerve your car into a dog to avoid running over the plant? We've all boiled vegetables before – would you ever boil a screaming calf alive with the same indifference?

4. Even if you are the very rare person who thinks that harming plants is the same as harming animals, the fact is that significantly more plants have to be consumed by a farm animal for conversion into meat calories than a person would have to consume directly from plants to get the same amount of calories. Or put another way: Eating plants saves plants.

When tractors till farmland, animals underground get crushed. If insecticides are used on crops, bugs die. So adopting a plant-based diet doesn't completely eliminate one's harmful impact on animals.

However, when a person gets their calories from plants, that person's sustenance requires only a small fraction of the amount of plants that would have to be fed to farm animals for conversion into an equivalent amount of meat calories. In other words, by eating plant-based, we actually reduce crop cultivation, which in turn reduces harmful impacts on wild animals and insects.

So for those concerned about the animals harmed during crop production, adopting a plant-based diet is still the best way to reduce the number of those animals harmed.

Graph of death toll for animal vs plant foods

A reminder from Mahatma Gandhi (who was a strict vegan):

BUT:  Plants don't have udders / You can't milk an almond / It's not real milk / It should be called plant-juice.

1. Check Dictionary.com and you'll find that definitions of milk include "any liquid resembling the milk of animals" and "a whitish, potable liquid made of ground nuts, legumes, seeds, or grain blended with water". Language evolves, and anyone who still thinks that "milk" only refers to mammary gland secretion is simply outdated.

2. Despite attempts by the dairy industry to block plant-milk producers from using the word "milk", the FDA has rightly decided that it's fair to call oat/soy/etc beverages types of "milk" because plant-milks "do not pretend to be from dairy animals — and US consumers aren’t confused".

3. If labeling requirements were entirely fair, dairy milk would not be allowed to market itself simply as "milk", but would instead have to be labeled as something like:
• "Cow's milk"
• "Milk made for baby cows"
• "Cow nipple juice"
• "Baby cow juice"
• "Milk made by cows for calves, not intended for human consumption"

1. Don't be duped — most factory farms today bare little resemblance to the idyllic family farm images you see on milk cartons. Most animal products like cow's milk are now produced in large corporate arrangements, and it's rarely Old MacDonald doing the work. In many cases, the workers aren't treated much better than the animals.

2. Even many farmers and workers have concerns about the violence inherent in animal agriculture. By transitioning to a plant-based diet, you help create demand for new products they can produce. The plant-based revolution is actually a huge opportunity for companies that care about the future of this planet. Now is the time for those companies to be the change our world needs – that's where the money will soon be. Sure, there will be some businesses that resist and ridicule that change. But the fact is that without change, humanity's chances of survival on this planet are being undermined.

3. Drinking plant-milk creates revenue for plant-food farmers. Why should animal-food farmers be considered more important than plant-food farmers? Especially if plant-foods are better for our health, and the planet's health.

4. Did you ever avoid watching Netflix/Youtube/etc because of what those new products would mean for video stores like Blockbuster? No, because there were clear advantages. It's the same here. Plant-based diet is an idea whose time has come. Inflicting unnecessary disease on customers and destroying the only planet we have is not a sustainable business model.

5. Did you ever tell people to keep smoking cigarettes because not smoking creates hardship for tobacco farmers? Note that animal agriculture is now responsible for more human disease and environmental destruction than cigarettes ever were.

6. "What about the slave owners, what will they do?" was a popular sentiment for protecting slavery at one time. But while it may have been a popular sentiment, it was not a strong argument. And there are very strong similarities between that historic situation and modern animal agriculture.

7. If human welfare is your priority, remember that factory farm workers have some of the highest rates of stress, depression, PTSD, alcoholism, drug addiction, and suicide in the world. As we transition to plant-based diets, we stop paying workers to commit and experience needless violence for us.

8. Continuing to consume dairy isn't going to help small farmers. As explained in MILKED, innovative companies are already beginning to produce milk protein identical to dairy for 10% of the cost, using 5% of the resources, 1% of the waste, and 0% of the cows. So even without any shift in consumer behavior, conventional dairy's days are very numbered. You can learn more about this at RethinkX: one / two. But the point is that dairy is not the game to be in today, and forwarding-thinking farmers should be taking action now.

9. The inconveniences that some farmers may experience in the near future is unfortunate, but should be viewed relative to 1) the excruciating suffering experienced by millions of factory farmed animals every day, 2) the diet-related diseases arising because of animal foods, and 3) the environmental impacts being inflicted on unborn generations by animal agriculture.

10. Given that dairy farmers have received government assistance with promoting a harmful product for decades, it seems likely that they'll be able to arrange for assistance with transitioning to something better for humanity and the planet.

BUT:  You've never even been on a factory farm.

1. If you know what happens in a place, you don't necessarily need to go there in order to know whether what happens there is wrong. Most of us have never been to a concentration camp or slave plantation, but knowing essentially what happens in those places is enough to be against them.

2. There's abundant video footage that shows us exactly what happens on factory farms, as well as numerous farmers and investigators exposing the truth.

3. If the average person were to visit a factory farm, they'd likely just be turned away, arrested, or given the amusement park tour.

BUT:  If we don't commercialize cows, won't they go extinct?

1. At this point, 60% of all mammal biomass on Earth is farm animals. There's nearly twice as much farm animal mass on the planet now as there is human. Meanwhile, only 4% of Earth's animals are now wild.

2. If extinction of species is a concern for you, keep in mind that our planet is currently in the midst of its largest mass extinction in 65 million years – comparable to the extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs. In the last 50 years alone, over 50% of all wildlife on Earth has disappeared, with about 1000 species still going extinct every year, and with that rate of extinction continuing to accelerate.

This mass extinction is largely due to our diet. Livestock production now takes up nearly 80% of global agricultural land, and is one of the largest causes of deforestation, habitat loss, water pollution, and ocean dead zones. At this point, we human animals are actually risking our own extinction for the sake of eating other animals and their fluids.

3. If cows ever need to be protected in zoos, it's unlikely that eating them will be the solution. We'll update this page if cow extinction ever needs a conversation. But don't hold your breath — rather, please help with the other 1000 species per year.

BUT:  If we don't keep killing cows, won't they overpopulate?

Most dairy cows today are bred through artificial insemination (forced impregnation). And because there's a cost associated with raising any animal on a farm, insemination rates are determined by demand. Therefore, if dairy consumption slows, cow insemination by the dairy industry will also slow.

Moreover, since the world isn't likely to go plant-based overnight (it will be a slow transition), and since the average life of a dairy cow is only 4-5 years, there's zero chance that we have to worry about cow herds crowding our roadways or overwhelming nature.

P.S. Meat and dairy consumption are causing cows to overwhelm nature now. See: the world's #1 overpopulation problem.

BUT:  Aren't cows stupid? If so, why not exploit them?

1. Cows actually have excellent problem-solving abilities, as well as extremely high emotional intelligence. The ironic problem with the above statement is that we humans simply don't understand their intelligence. 2. Nevertheless, if we use intelligence level to determine whether or not a sentient being should be used for food, then dogs and cats are both proven to be less intelligent than pigs. Are you okay with eating them? Also, the average pig is just as intelligent as a 3 year old child, so would you say it's okay to breed, butcher, and eat small children?

3. Would you be okay with a new law saying it's okay for smart people to harm dumb people? Hopefully not. But if we don't use low intelligence as reason to exploit, experiment on, or kill humans, then why do so with animals that may be smarter than those humans?

4. Rather than being a reason to exploit nature, is it possible that our intellectual superiority might be a reason to become kind stewards of nature? Given that we are nature, is it possible that using our intelligence to do good for nature might be our actual place in nature?

5. If you're going to use low intelligence as justification for exploiting/killing/consuming other beings, then the lowest intelligence beings are plants. They literally don't have a single brain cell.
 

BUT:  Is forcibly impregnating a cow the same as rape?

Due to dehorning and separation from (infanticide of) bulls, cows are essentially defenseless animals. But just because a cow is incapable of defending herself from a worker inserting his arm deep into her anus, and a steel rod deep into her vagina, doesn't mean she's indifferent to it. On the contrary, there are plenty of visual indications that cows don't like this. And research into cows' cortisol levels proves that it causes them stress.

If a defenseless woman were unable to fight off a rapist, we wouldn't cease to call her rape a rape. Likewise, the dairy industry is only raping cows because they've been rendered easy to rape. If cows were able to respond to an arm in their anus like a lion, tiger, or bear would, we wouldn't be drinking cow's milk (and certainly not kidnapping their babies).

We also wouldn't cease to call the rape of a less intelligent female rape just because of her low intelligence. Otherwise, raping women with intellectual disabilities (or young children with still low IQ's) wouldn't be considered rape.

Note that the dairy industry itself coined the term "rape rack" to describe a device used to restrain cows during forced semen insertion. So clearly, even the dairy industry understands the essence of what's taking place.

Most people would find the thought of forcibly impregnating a young girl on a "rape rack" and then killing her newborn baby just to be able to drink the young girl's breast milk to be unthinkable. But that's what we pay the dairy industry to do whenever we consume dairy products. It's time to question the assumptions we passively accepted about milk while growing up – it is NOT a wholesome, harmless or victimless product by any stretch of the imagination.
 

BUT:  What about organic milk?

BUT:  Doesn't the world have bigger problems than factory farming?

With what we now know about animal agriculture's impact on the environment and our health, it's clear that the solution to many of our planet's biggest problems hinges on solving this one. But even if there were a bigger problem, that doesn't mean we can't solve this one too. This one has a simple solution that anyone can contribute to.

P.S. If your dog or cat was mistakenly sent to a slaughterhouse, would stopping the slaughter line be more important to you? Do unto others.

BUT:  Aren't human rights are more important than animal rights? Let's fix those problems first.

1. You're allowed to care about more than one issue in this world. You can care about human rights and animal rights simultaneously.

2. However, you can't really care about human rights without caring about animal rights:

1. As St. Francis of Assisi said, "Those who exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion will deal likewise with their fellow man."
2. Which is why Leo Tolstoy (author of War and Peace) said, "As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields."
3. And that's why Abraham Lincoln, the President who abolished slavery, said, "I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being."

3. If you care about human rights, keep in mind that factory farm workers have some of the highest rates of anxiety, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, and suicide in the world. Just imagine what we pay them to do and see. Should we assume that industries that murder millions of docile animals daily are going to care deeply about human wellbeing?

4. While working to resolve important human rights issues like human trafficking, mass shootings, and child abuse, does it make sense to financially support an industry based on rape, kidnapping, exploitation, and premature murder at genocide-levels?

5. But again, it's not necessary to argue about which is more important — human rights or animal rights — we can support both.
 

BUT:  I love animals, and choose to help them in other ways.

1. If we love someone, do we willfully pay for them to experience lifelong suffering, multiple kidnapped offspring, and brutal deaths? And if we do that, can we really say we love them? At the very least, being a lover of someone means not intentionally harming and killing them.

2. If you've ever had a dog or cat you loved, imagine for a moment that s/he had instead been born into a dog/cat farm in Korea, or into the body of a pig/cow in our culture. Would the knowledge that every meat/dairy product you ever consumed had the potential of coming from the animal you love make you think differently about what you're consuming? Note: every animal product you ever consume does have that potential.

We must question the assumptions we were born into. It's very unlikely that we're the first generation doing everything right.

BUT:  The real problem is human overpopulation.

As of 2024, about 60% of all mammal biomass on Earth is now farm animals, while humans are now about 35% and wild mammals are down to about 5%. So there's nearly twice as much farm animal mass on the planet today as there is human animal mass. And farm animal waste mostly goes untreated into the atmosphere, rivers and oceans.

So while having 8 billion humans (and still increasing fast) on this planet is very likely an overpopulation problem, it's not actually the #1 overpopulation problem.

P.S. You're not limited to caring about one issue in this world. You're allowed to care about both population problems.

BUT:  I'm vegetarian.

1. Choosing to be vegetarian usually reflects love for animals and not wanting to harm them for the mere sake of our taste buds. That's an awesome choice! But as awful as the meat industry is to animals, what happens to cows in the dairy industry is in many ways even worse. So while it's best to avoid both industries' products, if starting your vegan journey by cutting out the most horrific products first, that would be dairy.

2. Cows only produce milk for their babies. In the dairy industry, females are forcibly impregnated every year to induce their body to make milk. And every year their baby is taken so that we can drink their milk instead. Keeping in mind that the bond between mother cow and calf is one of the strongest in nature, can you imagine having your baby kidnapped from you every year of your life? And when mother cows eventually dry up and can't produce anymore milk, they're often turned into hamburger. That's right, supporting the dairy industry is supporting the meat industry as well.

3. Since male calves won't be able produce milk for the dairy industry, they're often immediately slaughtered for meat. Again, the dairy industry is the meat industry. And in the case of dairy, the meat most often involves infanticide.

4. Do you ever think it's strange that we humans drink the milk of another species? If not, think about it now. Would you ever drink dog milk, cat milk, or rat milk? Industries have chosen to exploit cows because they're easy to exploit. But you could equally get your dog pregnant, kill her pups, and drink her milk. But would you do that? Or would you first consider trying oat milk? If you wouldn't kill a baby in order to wrap your lips around his mother's breast for milk, then it's time to look at what a lifetime of exposure to dairy industry marketing has you doing. It's sick.

BUT:  Don't Buddhists drink milk?

As with all religions, many people call themselves Buddhists, but don't actually follow that religion's teachings. In fact, consuming modern dairy violates all all five precepts of Buddhism.

The core teachings of Buddhism are about reducing suffering, not inflicting it. Reducing suffering involves considering the consequences of all one's actions. As Thich Nhat Hanh (a Buddhist monk and vegan) said, "We must look deeply. When we buy something or consume something, we may be participating in an act of killing." Harming and killing are inherent in modern dairy, so if we consume dairy, we are harming/killing. And since dairy is clearly not needed for human health, consuming dairy involves needless harming/killing.

It's uncertain where the "harming is okay if you pay someone else to do it" idea came from, but it certainly wasn't from any genuine Buddhist text. And while some so-called "Buddhists" have tried to justify harming other sentient beings if someone else does it for them, the Buddha himself clearly said, "One should not kill a living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should one incite another to kill." Consumption of dairy products today causes needless killing and extreme suffering.

Buddha means "awakened one", and no awakened or awakening one would choose to put fellow sentient beings through the absolute hell of a modern factory farm/dairy.

Note to those who've switched to plant-milk
 

BUT:  You shouldn't try to force your beliefs on me.

1. If you saw a dog being abused for no good reason, would you say something to try to stop the abuser? Or would you walk away because you don't believe in imposing your beliefs?

Veganism is not just a belief. It's more akin to being against child abuse, slavery, murder, and environmental violence, all in one. It's taking action to end a culturally-induced passivity to 100% needless violence against animals and the environment. Consuming animal-foods, on the other hand, is like giving an abuser money and saying "do that again for me."

Nobody likes a proselytizer, including us. But there are times when speaking up against the status quo becomes necessary – e.g. to oppose slavery, genocide, rape, bullying, or any form of needless violence. Whenever there's needless abuse taking place for which we would speak up if it were happening to our own family/friend/pet or self, it becomes appropriate to speak up, regardless of who the victim is. Silence is complicity. 2. How many times have you gotten angry at the meat and dairy industries for actually inflicting false beliefs on you? As children we see an average of three to five fast food ads every day — ads that are often promoting the needless consumption of animal flesh and fluids. These ads get us seeing such foods as something other than what they are.

And the only reason you might still not see the actual pain on your plate or in your glass is simply because industries have been constantly forcing their views on you since birth. They've literally spent billions of dollars to keep you (and everyone) convinced that using animals for food is healthy and fun. They have children seeing happy cows and dancing pigs who can't wait to be killed and consumed. These animal-exploitation industries have become experts at entertaining us into complicity in their crimes. And the only reason you've never gotten angry about what they're doing – never even questioned it – is because you were born into it.

3. Much of what's right about our world today is owed to those before us who questioned the once passively accepted beliefs they were born into, who instead listened to what that greater part of them knew, and who chose to do things differently than those before them. Imagine if none had ever questioned once mainstream beliefs about slavery, or arranged marriage, or human sacrifice, or women's right to vote. Lucky for us, some did question, and they encouraged others to question, and that's how some very harmful wrongs were eventually made right for us today. Doing the same is our obligation to future generations now.

4. Once you find your way back to seeing things as they really are, you'll likely want to help raise awareness of the injustices of modern factory farming as well. The challenge is that we don't have multi-million dollar budgets to pay for manipulative marketing campaigns. However, we do have something that's even more powerful in the long run – the truth. And although we may ruffle some of our friends' feathers with that truth at times, in this case that's what friends do.

Note to those who've switched to plant-milk
 

Note to those who've already gone plant-based:

1. We all know from our own journeys that criticism is often counterproductive. Most dairy drinkers today still "know not what they do", so accusations typically just create defensiveness/reactivity and aversion to discussion. Therefore, when speaking on this issue, try to remember that you once held the exact same perspective as the person you're speaking to, and at that time you assumed it completely normal as well.

2. Also try to remember that it was never a single conversation that righted your perspective. So rather than frustrate yourself by expecting instant agreement from everyone you speak to, see yourself as simply planting seeds of awareness. Those seeds can't be forced to grow, but subsequent conversations and experiences will cultivate them. Simply trust that whatever you're able to communicate calmly and respectfully today will one day play a part in freeing your friends' minds.

3. Ultimately there's a balance between speaking up (planting seeds) and backing off (allowing them to grow) that's most effective. But don't confuse the "backing off" with being accepting of needless violence. Acceptance of others is usually a good thing (aka. "live and let live"), but that's not the case when others' behaviors have needless victims. So while periods of not speaking up for those victims may feel "comfortable" (when we're not rocking the boat), remember that staying in that apparent comfort when it's time for changing course will only lead to more needless suffering.

4. Feeling sad, mad, disturbed, or patronizing? Be sure to take breaks.

5. Check out the Center for Effective Vegan Advocacy courses.

While there are some flaws in this vegan's criticism of other vegans, it may be helpful to watch if you notice any "I'm better than non-vegans" feelings arising. Those feelings can be counterproductive when trying to motivate others to eat kindly. Don't let veganism become another source of the me vs you "othering" from which most our world's problems, including animal agriculture, have arisen in the first place.

Yes, choosing vegan is clearly the moral choice. But ultimately, we're all in an evolution together here, and occasionally remembering our real shared identity (e.g. NATURE, or perhaps Earthlings on a single family tree) can help manage polarizing attitudes that only interfere with motivating "others" to not needlessly harm fellow Earthlings.

Remember, the goal is not to "be vegan" or identify as vegan. The goal is to end the needless suffering being caused by modern factory farming. You'll likely be more effective in that effort long-term by seeing yourself as much more than just "vegan", AND by seeing others as much more than just "non-vegans". Try seeing yourself and everyone you're dealing with (farm animals and human animals) as one in some way (e.g. on a single family tree of life).

Yes, choosing vegan does put you on the right side of history. But because most non-vegans still truly know not what they do; and because patronizing attitudes will turn them off and frustrate you; and because animals need you to not burn out, a patronizing attitude isn't going to do much in the long-term for anyone. Finding a mental state that will allow you to persevere in educating your fellow humans is what will make the most sense for most people. And for animals.

BUT:  Morality is subjective, so isn't it just an opinion that animal violence is wrong?

1. Subjective means "based on or influenced by personal opinions." And legality is often subjective. For example, in the 1920's, enough people felt that drinking alcohol was immoral that it was made illegal. But later, that consensus changed, and alcohol was made legal again. That was a law based on subjective morality.

2. But while legality may be subjective, and while the line between moral and immoral may shift a bit, there are certain behaviors that are always clearly immoral. This is always the case when there's a direct victim of needless violence. For example, if someone you don't even know intentionally murders you for no legitimate reason, would you say they're guilty of a wrong? Of course.

And it's exactly the same situation with animal violence today. Given that we know understand animal-product consumption to be completely unnecessary, animals on factory farms are being exploited and/or killed for absolutely no legitimate reason. These animals are direct, unnecessary, unwilling victims of intentional violence. And when there's a direct, unnecessary, unwilling victim of violence, that violence is immoral. This is not a gray area.

3. Determining whether your food choices are moral is as simple as watching any of the factory farm footage on this website, and then asking yourself: "Would I want that done to me for no reason?" This is applying the Golden Rule – the principle of treating others as you would want to be treated.

BUT:  It's my personal choice to consume animal-products, and you should respect my personal choice.

1. If you find a dog and brutally abuse it, is that a personal choice? What if you beat a person to death, would you call that a personal choice?

2. The "it's my personal choice" reasoning is overlooking the fact that there's another being – a victim – involved in any choice to consume animal products. It may seem to be our personal choice when we're eating a murdered being's flesh or drinking their kidnapped baby's milk, but it certainly wasn't the choice of that being to be bred into a life of captivity and exploitation, nor to be slaughtered prior to being sold to us.

3. It would be rational to say "I respect your personal choice to like rock music, and you should respect my personal choice to like country music." There's no direct victim there. But to say "I respect your choice to not abuse children, so you should respect my choice to abuse them" is a flawed justification for abusing children. There's a victim.

4. General rule: If there's a direct victim involved in anyone's choice of behavior, then the "it's my personal choice" justification for the behavior doesn't apply.

Note: Veganism is 100% about respecting choice.

BUT:  It's a free country, so I can eat whoever and drink whatever I want.

1. Every country on Earth has the "freedom" to drink stolen baby cow's milk and to eat their murdered mothers (aka. hamburger). But the only reason anyone thinks that's "freedom" is because we've been programmed to think that way. 2. The most significant fights for freedom in our nation's history include the Revolutionary War (gaining freedom from England) and the Civil War (gaining freedom from Slavery for Black Americans). And at this point in our history, the majority (not all, but the majority) of Americans would be more proud to learn that their grandparents had fought for those freedoms than not. 3. It's unlikely that anyone is going to lose their "freedom" to drink cow's milk and eat hamburgers any time soon. Again, there's no country on the planet that doesn't have those false freedoms. The goal of this website is simply to remind you that there are better options available that you've been made blind to and/or averse to. Industries have spent billions of dollars shaping you into a consumer who thinks that eating animal products is necessary. But that's pure nonsense – there's no longer any major health authority saying people need to consume animal flesh or fluids to be healthy. And we're pretty sure that if free-minded people had a choice between eating healthy and delicious plant-based foods, or eating animals just like their own pets whose flesh/fluids were more likely to cause them disease and destroy their children's planet, people who are really free would choose plant-based.

BUT:  Milk is part of my culture and family heritage.

Possibly the worst reason for continuing any cruel custom is "because those before us did it." Other behaviors that have been part of human culture include child sacrifice, cannibalism, female genital mutilation, stoning, slavery, segregation, on and on.

Yes, there's a part of each of us that desires the comfort of conformity, social acceptance, and maintaining the status quo. But there's also a greater part of you – a part that desires to shed comfort's constraints and act in congruence with who you really are.

Much of what's right about our world today is owed to those ancestors who questioned assumptions, who listened to what that greater part of them knew, and who did things differently than those before them. Imagine if none had ever questioned cultural assumptions about slavery, or arranged marriage, or human sacrifice. If nobody had ever re-defined culture before us, imagine the burdens we'd be facing today. But lucky for us, they did question, and they did change. And paying it forward is our obligation to future generations now.

You define your culture.

BUT:  The law says it's okay to consume animal products.

Legal does not necessarily mean moral. Please spend some time watching the factory farm footage on this website. As you watch, you'll start to sense a law beyond written law – one that's inscribed within us:

BUT:  My friends won't like me if I stop eating animal products with them.

1. If going plant-based is something you've determined to be the correct decision for you (for animals, health, environment, etc), then aren't you doing your friends a favor by setting a good example? Yes, being the first-mover is less comfortable than being a follower. But if you've found a better path, then being a true friend means taking that path anyway.

2. Yes, many social activities are centered around food — we all encounter challenges there. But with veganism becoming more mainstream all the time, and with more plant-based options appearing on restaurant menus all the time, it's becoming much less of an issue very quickly. And by becoming another early adopter yourself, you'll be helping to normalize plant-based eating even faster.

3. If your friends criticize/reject you for doing what you know in your heart to be right, does that feel right? If this continues to be a problem, know that the problem isn't yours. Make things easier on yourself by finding a couple friends that share or support your kind values. And perhaps steer your time with non-vegan friends toward activities that don't involve meals. Whoever you go through it with, this life is too short to not follow your heart's path. And you're more likely to find the friends who are really right for you on that path.

BUT:  I'm too old to change now.

It's never too late to stop harming animals and nature, and to start eating kindly. This is especially true if you believe there might be more to this life than meets your eyes, ears, nose, and taste buds.

Leo Tolstoy (the author of War and Peace) wrote another book called "Death of Ivan Ilyich". Toward the end of the book, after Ivan had lived an unquestioned life and is lying on his death bed, the question suddenly occurres to him, "What if my whole life has been wrong?"

If you have even one day left in this world, and if you sense that how you live here might matter at all, then this matters. Every living being on this planet is on a single family tree of life with you, and it's never too late to start acting accordingly.

BUT:  I won't make a difference / One person won't make a difference.

1. If that were true, no social justice movement would have ever started. MLK Jr wouldn't have fought for civil rights. Rosa Parks would never have sat at the front of a bus. We would've never heard the name Mahatma Gandhi.

One person can definitely make a difference, and they often do. Large movements are always made up of individuals, and it's ultimately individuals that bring paradigm shifts. A few might stand out as leaders, but change wouldn't happen without many standing with them. So the only question is whether you want your life to stand for what you care about.

2. Would you ever say "our vote doesn't matter, so let's stop voting"? Actually, in our current economy, how we spend money is the most powerful vote. Every dollar you spend at the grocery store today is a vote for or against how you want to treat the planet, your fellow Earthlings, and your own health. Every dollar is direct action for the kind of world you want to live in.

3. Our limited perspectives may not be able to see how our individual actions will fit into changing the world, but as MLK Jr said, "You don't need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Even if we can't see it, each step that you take in the right direction helps us all move in the right direction.

You don't have to like animals in order to not want to hurt them.

BUT:  I don't care about animal welfare.

1. Do you not care, or have you been programmed to not care? Our entire lives we're shown advertisements telling us that drinking milk is healthy and that dairy cows are happy. Industries have spent billions of dollars to keep us convinced that we should ignore our hearts, and harm our own health, planet, and friends. But suppose it was your own dog being exploited or slaughtered – would you care then? Even if you knew that just one of every hundred animals you ate the flesh or fluids of might have had the same potential for being your friend as your own pet, would you care in that case?

2. We've been trained to see pigs and cows as exploitable/edible, but it's a completely arbitrary distinction from cats/dogs/etc. In other cultures, cats and dogs are considered food, because that's what their culture arbitrarily trains them to see. 3. Unless you enjoy harming all animals, you do not "not care" about harming the animals you're eating. You've simply been trained to not care. But you can always return to who you ARE before that programming. Now that you're conscious of how you've been misled, returning to who you ARE underneath (who you really are) is just a choice.

Note to those who've switched to plant-milk
 

It can be uncomfortable to see what we've been paying industries to do to animals. But try to think of this discomfort as the discomfort a caterpillar feels when shedding its cocoon — discomfort is good if it helps us become something we'd rather be.

Learning what animal "agriculture" has had us doing to animals, our own health, and our planet may make you mad. And that's okay – emotional energy can help fuel change. Unfortunately, most companies don't care that you're mad. They only care what you're paying for. And they'll keep doing what we're paying them to do.

The good news is that every time we choose plant-based foods, we help make outdated industries obsolete faster, and plant-based industries our world's reality sooner.

Vystopia, as defined by psychologist Clare Mann, is the existential crisis experienced by some people when they become aware of their trance-like collusion with a world where needless violence against animals goes unquestioned. Carnism, as defined by Dr. Melanie Joy, is the invisible belief system that conditions us to exploit/kill/eat certain animals, and to never question why we do so to those animals while loving other animals. Fully waking up to the absurdity of the needless violence we've been participating in can be very disturbing.

One visitor put it this way: "Imagine you suddenly wake up in Nazi Germany, and find that many of your friends are in concentration camps for no reason, while your family are all Nazis working the gas chambers. And you suddenly realize that you've been goose-stepping your way through life without ever thinking about this. That's how I feel."

Another visitor described her feelings as similar to the feelings that anti-slavery Whites must have felt in the 1850's South when all their friends and family still assumed Slavery to be completely normal.

You may or may not experience such intense feelings. But if you do, know that what you're experiencing is a completely normal reaction to the truth of what's happening today. Of course we wish such things weren't happening, so we wouldn't have to feel such feelings. But when atrocities do come to light, it's important to remember that throughout history, similar feelings have been encountered by all who've chosen to stand for transformation, progress, and making the world a better place. So please don't suppress those feelings. Instead, please be the change that those feelings are calling you to be.

This website was designed to:

• Provide you with an all-in-one information resource to direct people to when doing outreach/advocacy. If launching your own site, you can add/change any of the content.
• Make it easy for you to promote the documentary films that are really helping people understand the problems with eating animal products. If launching your own site, you can add more films.
• Allow you to simultaneously support vegan-friendly restaurants. The HappyCow link will automatically direct your visitors to restaurants in their location. Or if launching a local site, you can also create a popup with personal suggestions.

Of course, you're more than welcome to direct people to this website. But if there's anything you don't like about this site, know that you also have the option of launching your own. Doing so gives you full control over the content you're directing people to. If there's anything you want to add/change/improve, that's no problem on your own website.

The Creative Commons license requires providing attribution (giving credit) to the websites on which your design is based. You can do that here. Providing a list of alternative designs is also a great resource for anyone launching a new outreach site. The more we help each other with ideas, the more we help animals, human health, the environment, and hope for all Earthlings.

WhyPlantMilk.info is based on the designs of:

• ChoosePlantBased.org

When viewing this website on an archiving service, many images and videos will not display correctly. You can instead download a fully functional version of this site from:
https://archive.org/details/boycott-milk-dot-org

Copying this site? Change above link to a reliable backup of your site.

NOTE: The domain you linked here from is going to be retired soon. Please don't use that URL for signs/t-shirts/etc.

Please consider supporting these awesome organizations:

1. Animal Recovery Mission
   Responsible for investigations of the largest U.S. organic dairy, a Fairlife supplier, and many others.
2. Animal Outlook
   Responsible for investigations of a Nestlé supplier, a California dairy, and many others.
3. Mercy for Animals
   Investigations of Ohio dairy, creator of What Cody Saw, and much more.
4. DirectActionEverywhere.com
   Fighting for the Right to Rescue sick and injured animals. Many of their volunteers have been arrested, but they keep taking compassionate action.
5. PETA
   People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Check out their 2024 Superbowl commercial.
6. Switch4Good
   World-class athletes speaking up against the dairy industry.
7. We Animals Media
   Bringing visibility to animals through photojournalism.
8. Others:
   Plant Based News and Sentient Media are helping to raise awareness of important issues that mainstream media often doesn't cover.

While the dairy industry spends millions on deceptive advertising, those it harms have no voice to defend themselves. This site was created to help you to help you to help animals, the planet, as well as anyone who doesn't yet understand how we've all been duped by dairy. And if you have an idea for how this site might better help, please tell us or copy us.

Some ways to help spread this site's (or your site's) message:

• Put a sticker on your car
• Share a custom URL
• Share an image / video / answer / page
• Flyers / handouts / chalktivism
• Kindness cards
• Door hangers and signs
• Write a letter

Got other promo ideas? Please share! Also see:

Dairy Milk in Schools

Many people assume that the decision to distribute cow's milk in public schools was made by a medical authority. But that's not the case. It all began as a marketing scheme over a century ago:

• Short history of American milk (4 minutes)
• Medium history of American milk (8 minutes)
• Full history of American milk (Recommended)

The truth is that children don't need breast milk after infancy, and they never need dog's, cat's, rat's, or cow's milk. Moreover, it's now known that cow's milk makes many children sick (now and later), and it's making their only planet sick. If kids knew the truth about cow's milk, they wouldn't be choosing it.

However, kids rely on adults to know the truth and choose what's best for them. So it's time we stop subjecting them to dairy's harmful marketing schemes. It's been over 100 years, and it's been well established that:

1. Milk does not build strong bones
2. Cow's milk is not designed for humans
3. Big dairy has been deceiving children
4. Dairy makes many children sick
5. Dairy gives many teens acne

Unfortunately, getting Big Dairy to stop pushing their nutritionally unnecessary products on children would be difficult at this point. But sharing the truth about the industry's harmful impacts on our health and planet, and telling kids to just say no to milk at school, is our constitutional right.

Please share this page with teachers, administrators, students, and anyone you know who has kids in public school. You can find contact info for teachers and administrators on your school district's website.

Write to Your Elected Officials

While switching to plant-milk should be everyone's first step to helping end our country's dairy industry nightmare, really stopping this monster will require that our government stop using our tax dollars to keep the monster alive. Please personalize and send the short email below to your elected officials in Congress (where Federal laws are made) and State Legislature (where State policy is made). Remember that any elected official's job is to represent you — and to do their job right, you must tell them what's important to you.

• Find your Congressional Representative
• Find your Senators in Congress
• Find your State Senators

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Email Template    Copy to clipboard

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Write to your local newspaper

While the dairy industry can pay millions for their deceptive ads, you don't need a penny to get the truth published in your local newspaper. Newspapers are always looking for content, and animal agriculture is currently a hot topic for "letters to the editor" and "opinion pieces".

Some topics you might write about:

• An overview of reasons you switched to plant-milk
• Why taxpayer dollars shouldn't be subsidizing dairy
• Environmental impact of cow's milk vs plant-milk
• Show more
• The truth about strong bones and other dairy ads
• Why kids shouldn't have milk pushed on them at school
• An overview of how dairy treats cows and calves
• A comparison/overview of different plant-milks

Note that newspapers won't publish a letter that's already been published elsewhere, so we're not providing a template here. But you can use anything you've learned on this website, or see the examples below for inspiration. Just be sure to put anything you submit to a newspaper into your words.

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Show examples

Keeping your advocacy efforts legal

While civil disobedience has played a vital role(modern version) in U.S. history, and while some advocates intentionally break unjust laws in order to get important issues challenged in court, the goal of this website is to provide a legally safe way for anyone to help change unjust cultural patterns using the power of constitutionally-protected Free Speech.

However, since Free Speech limits vary among states, counties, and cities, nothing on this website should be considered legal advice for your location. Nevertheless, here are some general guidelines:

• In general, it's legal everywhere in the United States to hand out leaflets or hold signs on public sidewalks, as long as doing so doesn't endanger public safety. However, it's always illegal to block sidewalks or business entrances. Therefore, never stand directly in front of entrances, and always let people pass on sidewalks.
• Free speech activities are typically not allowed on private property without permission. However, some states may provide exceptions for multi-tenant shopping areas, which are often the modern equivalent of public gathering areas. For example, in California, free speech activities are protected in the common gathering areas of malls and strip malls when those areas contain features designed for entertainment or relaxation, such as benches, as long as those free speech activities do not interfere with normal business operations (e.g. no blocking business entrances). Free speech is also protected in the outdoor plazas of public colleges and universities, subject to reasonable time/place/manner restrictions.
• If you've observed free speech activities regularly taking place in any particular public area, that pattern likely means you cannot be denied the right to engage in your free speech activities in that area.
• Permits are typically required for large protests and marches, where managing traffic, safety, and competing-uses of an area would be a concern. However, a permit generally cannot be denied based on the content of your speech. That would be what is called viewpoint discrimination, which is unconstitutional.
• Rules regarding door-to-door advocacy (e.g. leaving doorhangers or leaflets at homes), leaving business cards on car windows, and posting flyers on poles, will vary by location – so be sure to check your local ordinances.
• Libel, slander, obscenity, threats of harm, and speech that incites imminent violence (including fighting words) or law-breaking are NOT protected free speech. But general criticism is. So "f*ck Starbucks" is protected free speech, but "f*ck you" might not be.

The #1 thing we can always do to help animals is to not use them for food. The #2 thing we can do is to share our reasons for not harming them with other people in a motivating way. But don't frustrate yourself by expecting everyone's instant agreement. Rather, see yourself as planting seeds of awareness, and just trust that some of those seeds will eventually grow – because they will.

When doing advocacy with the public (e.g. speaking up for animals by handing out leaflets, posting flyers, holding signs, etc), you'll likely find doing so regularly to be easier when you team up with a friend or two. Even a tiny group can help ease the "am I crazy" self-doubts that arise when speaking up against the mainstream on your own.

If you don't yet have any friends who love animals enough to speak up for them, check meetup.com for vegan groups in your area. You can then either post an outreach event, or direct-message people who've attended similar events in the past.

If no such groups exist in your area, you might consider starting one – even if for just long enough to make a few like-minded connections.

You're also likely to encounter kind minds at events hosted by these groups.

Animal Advocate Training

Dr. Melanie Joy is the author of "Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows", and founder of Beyond Carnism. She has more recently helped establish the Center for Effective Vegan Advocacy, which provides research-based guidance to anyone wishing to become a better animal advocate.

Some of their many useful videos:

• Remember what you once believed
• Seeing from others' perspective
• Common obstacles to helping
• It's not about winning a debate
• Put food before morality
• Water the seeds that feel good
• Speak from the heart with your story
• Don't be vegan, be "As Vegan As Possible"
• Non-vegans are crucial to reducing suffering
• Non-vegan allies are also crucial

Also check out their helpful vegan communication hacks. And when you're ready to dive deeper, their online training courses are excellent. Although they're a great organization to support, don't let price deter you:

• Regular price: $25
• 50% off coupon code: "HALFOFF"
• 100% off coupon code: "FREE"

View available courses

Share any of the URL's below via email, social media, signs, t-shirts, license plate holders, stickers, etc.

You're welcome to copy/paste any text from this website, or to simply link to text boxes on this website by clicking the '🔗' to the right of their back button.

Doing this can make online outreach (e.g. replying to questions and misinformation on social media) much more efficient, and less frustrating.

You'll likely find our list of "BUT's" (aka. FAQ's) quite useful for such efforts.

And if you come across any faq/but that needs revision, or if you think any additional faq's/but's should be added, please let us know!

Kindness cards (aka. business cards) can be printed in bulk quite cheaply, and then 1) handed out in public places, 2) left in door jambs, 3) slid between car windows and weather stripping or windshield wipers, or 4) posted anywhere you'd post a flyer. Be sure to check your local ordinances.

Printing services will usually want you to add "bleed" (a margin of the same color as the card) to allow for cutting variances, and the size of that bleed/margin will vary from printer to printer. Once you choose a printing service, you can either 1) use a software like GIMP to add their required bleed, 2) or just email us and we'll add it for you, or 3) don't bother adding it if you don't care about your cards having a white border on one or two sides.

*Have other image ideas for kindness cards? Please share!

Flyers are quick+easy to print, and can be posted on bulletin boards or anywhere that's allowed (check local ordinances before posting on utility/light poles). Use the ready-to-print flyers below, or feel free to make simple text flyers using any of these URL's.

Have other ideas for flyers? Please share!

Handouts can be distributed in pretty much any public place where free speech is allowed. Check local ordinances before putting in mail slots or distributing door to door. We've included some ready-to-print ideas below, or check out VeganOutreach.org for cheap, full-color booklets.

Have other ideas for handouts? Please share!

We're happy to mail you ONE sticker FOR FREE! If you'd like to support our free sticker efforts, you can make an optional donation, but that's certainly not required. We appreciate you speaking up for animals!

Want more than one sticker? In that case, please make a small donation ($3 per sticker) to help cover the cost. Anything you donate over our cost will be used to make more free stickers available (to help more animals). Thank moo!

Already requested a second sticker but prefer not to donate? No problem at all, just email to let us know which sticker to send.

Animal Protection & Rescue League is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to protect the rights and habitats of all animals. You can donate to our free sticker program via BuyMeACoffee.com.

Remember that the first sticker is on us (no donation required).

If you request more than one sticker, please purchase one "coffee" ($3) per additional sticker (which is roughly our cost). Anything you donate over our cost will be used to support our free sticker program — i.e. to make more free stickers available to help more animals.

Donate  |  Cancel

In a high foot traffic area, chalktivism can be an very effective means of raising awareness. However, be sure to check for any laws in your area that might prohibit it (see note at the bottom of this page), and be wise about placement (e.g. avoid private property where free speech is not protected and/or owner will immediately spray it off). Here are more slogan ideas. Alternatively, use one of our URL's or your URL, or WatchDominion.org / a hashtag / any other attention-grabbing way for people to learn more.

You can find additional inspiration on Pinterest and Reddit, but don't let lack of artistic ability stop you from speaking up for animals — the right words in messy text multiple places may be more effective than one beautiful but time-consuming drawing. Much of what you'll see on Pinterest/Reddit/etc was done with the intention of instead getting shared on social media.

*LEGAL NOTE: While we've all seen children chalking on sidewalks with impunity, and while selective enforcement (viewpoint discrimination) is likely unconstitutional, some jurisdictions may have laws that prohibit all forms of sidewalk chalking (e.g. as forms of vandalism, etc). But since the chalk is on the sidewalk/ground (not defacing a building, etc), and since chalk easily washes away (no permanent damage), laws can vary from absence, to tolerance, to prohibition. So be sure to familiarize yourself with how it's been handled in your area. Also see these articles from WashingtonPost.com and Bloomberg.com.

Have other promotional ideas or artwork? Please share!
 

TERMS OF USE

By using this website, you agree to the following terms:

Age Requirement:

The minimum age to use this website is 13.

Medical Disclaimer:

This website was created to raise awareness of new possibilities for kind and healthy eating. However, you should not rely on any information here as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult a knowledgeable medical professional before changing your diet or medications to confirm that the change is appropriate for you. Your use of any information on this website is solely at your own discretion and risk.

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Updates:

If you continue using this website, you agree to be bound by and subject to any updates to these Terms of Use. Accordingly, you should check these Terms of Use for updates regularly.

3rd Party References:

The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world's largest organization of nutrition and dietetics practitioners. They state: "It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes."

PRIVACY POLICY

We consider your personal data a liability, and strive to collect the bare minimum necessary to operate this website safely and efficiently. This page describes what information we collect, and how that information might be used.

• We do NOT use cookies to track you.
• We do NOT sell your data to anyone.
• We do NOT send spam.

Email data we collect:

If you send an email to us, any personal information you choose to include in your message is up to you. Please include as little as possible.

System information we collect:

Your IP address, website access time, referrer (URL of link you clicked to reach any page on website), useragent (web browser identifier), device type (e.g. Desktop), operating system, and ISP (company that assigned your IP address to you) may be logged at any point while visiting this website.

Other information we may collect:

If you request a free sticker, we'll need your name and mailing address, and may ask for social media info to confirm the request.

What we might use the above information for:

• To communicate with you.
• To mail you a sticker (if requested).
• To help confirm validity of any sticker request.
• To improve website design/efficiency.
• To analyze general web traffic patterns.
• To prevent fraud/abuse/crime.
• To assist law enforcement in the event of a crime/threat.
• To determine your general geographic location and ISP.
• To comply with the law.

3rd party disclosures and tracking:

Aside from the exceptions below, we will only share your personal information with 3rd parties when necessary to comply with the law, assist law enforcement, enforce our Terms of Use, or protect our or others rights, property, or safety.

Embedded video exceptions:

This website embeds content from Youtube.com, Vimeo.com, and Instagram. Such content is governed by the privacy policies of those sites, which can be found on the preceding links.

Hosting and email exceptions:

We host this website, its log files, and emails on third-party providers (e.g. Gmail). You can find their privacy policies at: Bunny.net, DigitalOcean.com, Cloudflare.com, Fastmail.com, and Gmail.com.

Web analytics exception:

We use Plausible.io for web analytics. Plausible.io is a privacy-focused web analytics service that is fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA and PECR. You can view their data policy here.

Paid advertising tracking exceptions:

We may sometimes run paid advertising on Google, Facebook, and/or Reddit, and may include tracking code from those companies on this website. Their privacy policies and data options can be found at the preceding links.

Unintentional disclosure exception:

While we strive to store data securely, we cannot be responsible for unintentional disclosure, theft, or hacking of your email or other personal information.

COPPA compliance:

We do not knowingly collect any information from any person under 13 years of age. The minimum allowable age to use this website is 13.

CCPA compliance:

We are not a for-profit business, nor do we sell your personal information, so there is no need to opt out of the sale of your personal information. To review or request correction or deletion of your personal information, see "Data requests" section below.

DNT policy:

We do not respond to Do Not Track (DNT) signals because the limited tracking that we perform is necessary for safety/operating/monitoring purposes.

Data retention policy:

• We generally retain email correspondence and web traffic data for a period of one year. After one year, that data is either anonymized or permanently deleted.
• Names and mailing addresses for sticker requests are generally deleted within 30 days of the request. The only exceptions to this would be in cases of suspected fraud, abuse, or crime.
• If you include a Reddit username with a sticker request, that will be deleted within 14 days, without exception.

Data requests:

If you'd like to know what personal information about you is in our system, the sources of that information or to whom is has been disclosed, or if you'd like to request correction or deletion of your personal information, please use the "contact" link at the bottom of this website's homepage.

Your consent:

By using this website, you consent to the above Privacy Policy.

Updates:

If you continue using this website, you agree to be bound by and subject to any updates to this Privacy Policy. Accordingly, you should check this Privacy Policy for updates regularly.

STICKER PRIVACY:

Mailing address:
Names and mailing addresses for sticker requests are generally deleted within 30 days of the request. The only exception would be in cases of suspected fraud or abuse (rare). In any case, your info will never be shared with marketers, and we won't send you anything other than your sticker.

Email address:
Including an email address with your sticker request is optional, but allows us to send you occasional updates on our campaigns, sticker offerings, etc. Your email will not be shared, and every email we send will include an unsubscribe link.

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This site was built by volunteers using Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). You should be able to make site changes without purchasing any software.

• Audacity - Audio recorder and editor.
• Geany - Text editor we used for HTML and JavaScript.
• GIMP - Image/photo editor, an alternative to Photoshop.
• Inkscape - Vector graphics editor, alternative to Illustrator.
• Kdenlive - Video editor. Also Shotcut and Olive.
• LibreOffice - Alternative to Microsoft Office.
• Mozilla Firefox - Most popular FOSS browser.
• VLC - Media player.

More about FOSS at:

• Debian.org
• Wikipedia.org

You arrived here via DairyIsScary.org: Watch the "Dairy is Scary" video

You arrived here via GotEvil.org  |  More about that

You arrived via StarbucksSucks.org | Please read

You arrived via BuckStarbucks.org | Please read

You arrived via StarbucksPetition.org

You arrived here via LetDairyDie.org. If you're looking for the DirectActionEverywhere.com petition to tell the USDA to stop subsidizing dairy, click here.

You arrived here via GotPus.org. For a short video about dairy's pus content, click here.

You arrived here via PooBurger.org. At about 1/3 of their natural lifespan, most dairy cows are killed and sold as hamburger. But FYI, it's more poo than ham. If you want more ham than poo, that would be pigburger.