Page 47 - Vegan Life - Issue 59 (February 2020)

Valentine’s
Compassion for all

Will Rankin suggests how to show
your appreciation for animals on Valentine’s Day

ove is in the air, so, what better plant bulbs and the seeds that will make To know them is to love them
time to show the depths of your a beautiful spring or summer display We are all keen to spend time with
Lvegan compassion by sharing (visit growwilduk.com). animals, but how about taking it a step
compassion with our animal friends? further with enrolling on an animal
Valentine’s Day is a chance to spread Sweet sanctuary psychology course? We approach our love
the vegan message, and to remind others Get down and dirty on one of the dozens for animals from a human perspective,
that love, in its purest sense, surely of farms, sanctuaries and charities that and perhaps the world would be a better
involves inflicting no harm on others. ofer care for injured, abandoned or place if we all viewed things from a
Leading up to the big day, why not drop a sick animals. Some of them even ofer diferent angle. There’s lots of courses in
few social media posts reminding people accommodation. Many serve vegan subjects like animal welfare and behaviour
that showing your love with gits of dairy food and sell vegetables. The animals that are free online (classcentral.com/
chocolates or a meat dinner is hardly will thank you for it, and you’ll create course/animal-1357). Alternatively, take
loving to the victims. a day to remember. You might want to the opportunity to show how much you
We all agree animals need more consult the Vegan Life 2020 calendar care for animals by studying a course in
love in this cruel world, so here’s a for some great places to visit. Just don’t animal first aid, which could make a huge
quick rundown of some ways you can forget your wellies. diference one day.
help make them feel less forgotten, and
perhaps have some fun, too. The git of life Bake it, don’t fake it
A quick Google will reveal dozens of Why not spend time in the run up to
Don’t eat them charities that ofer care to all sorts of Valentine’s Day selling homemade vegan
An obvious one, but a sure-fire way of animals — from snails and hedgehogs animal treats for a local animal charity
losing a friend is by killing and eating to girafes and rhinos. You can adopt or of your choice? It’s cheap and easy to
them. Make a point of sharing the sponsor any one of a number of diferent rustle up biscuits, for example, and might
amazing vegan food and gits you might animals — whether it’s endangered encourage humans to adopt a more
have organised for Valentine’s Day via whales and dolphins (orcaweb.org.uk), compassionate lifestyle, too. There’s room
your social media feeds to underline how or a symbolic adoption of a Costa Rican for a little advocacy served alongside your
easy and delicious they are. sloth (toucanrescueranch.org), the git of wares. And yes, cats might be obligate
If you’re lucky enough to have a adoption or sponsorship helps saves lives carnivores, but veggies are healthy for
partner, but they might not be vegan, and provides a thoughtful, enduring git. everyone (visit, thecollienois.com/vegan-
it’s a good time to suggest that for this dog-food-homemade-recipes).
day — if they really want to prove their Have a happy holiday Valentine’s Day should be a day when
love to you — it would be nice for them If you want to go big, treat you and your we show love and compassion to all, not
to abstain from eating, wearing or using significant other to an animal-focused just our significant other human. So, get
any animals products, too. holiday. A step further than adoption out there and use the opportunity to
or a day on a farm, many global animal remind others of the need to show more
Create a love garden welfare charities ofer trips and stays love and thought for the animal world
We all know about the decline in the where you’ll not only be helping out and for the planet. ■
bee population, but you can care for in person, but also ofering some poor
all the bees, birds and bugs by creating downtrodden creatures the opportunity
a themed Valentine plant display or to begin to build trust again. If you
area of your garden. Even a window want a more academic approach, visit
box can attract the creepy crawlies and earthwatch.org, which ofers the Will Rankin is the founder of London
provide them with good nourishment. chance to reach some of the world’s Vegan PR, The UK’s first and only purely
Why not present your loved one with most inhospitable places to assist with vegan-focused public relations agency. If
seeds, pots and advice, or make a scientific studies of wildlife and the dogs could type, he’d have an ofice full of
display yourself? Think of making ‘seed environment. Imagine studying the habits them. Follow the firm on Instagram
bombs’ with wildflowers that attract of wildlife in Mongolia or checking out @veganprlondon, or reach him on
butterflies. Now is the perfect time to biodiversity in Cuba... will@londonveganpr.com

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