On July 26, two days after my 37th birthday, I ran the half in the San Francisco Marathon. Not because I’m a serious runner. In fact, I’ve never really liked it, even when I was running track back in junior high. So begging the question, what motivated me to train for three months so I could run 13.1 miles with 20,000 people through the streets of San Francisco? Aside from the fact that I knew it would be a brilliant way for me to see the city for the first time, I’m vegan and I did it for the animals.
Team Vegan
When I went vegan a few years back it was with the moral support of Vegan Outreach, a non-profit that writes, publishes and distributes literature on veganism and cruelty-free eating. Most of their work is by volunteer leafleters on college campuses but I’m often pleasantly surprised to see them distributing brochures at local events, most recently at the First Fridays Art Walk in downtown Phoenix where I picked up a fresh copy of the Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating.
I am the absolute worst at subscribing to more newsletters than I can possibly read but as fate would have it I read the one from Vegan Outreach announcing the team they were organizing for the 2009 San Francisco Marathon. They were looking for people to join Team Vegan and help them raise $100,000 to help cover the cost of printing brochures.
Again, not being a runner or one to plan impromptu trips by myself to places I do not know I immediately dismissed it. Then my new personal philosophy kicked in – say yes to everything (provided it’s not dangerous or illegal, of course 
The universe presents us with opportunities for a reason and I sensed this was going to be a big one for me. A similar instinct kicked in when the concept of The Vegan Pledge popped into my head nearly a year ago.
The Vegan Pledge
What if I write a pledge that inspires and connects vegans all over the world? What if I build a website around it, providing information and links to other vegan resources?
Again with the dismissal, I wondered what unique perspective I could possibly offer the vegan community. Then came the answer, obvious as it may be. MY perspective and that of every other vegan whose story of choosing veganism is an original one that can and should inspire others to do the same.
Everyone who signs The Vegan Pledge is invited to share their story of why they adopted a vegan lifestyle (as brief or as detailed as you want it to be) so that it may be published here in this blog – not only as a away of motivating others to do the same but also as a way for vegans to formally document the unique situation that inspired them to make such a dramatic change in their lives and, in turn, a dramatic change in the lives of animals. (Read why I went vegan.)
Vegan Outreach reminds me on a regular basis that the best vegan I can be is not one who judges and preaches to those who have yet to make a similar choice. The best vegan I can be is one who sets an example, showing the world what a healthy vegan lifestyle really looks like. If you are committed to doing the same, will you please sign The Vegan Pledge with me?
NOTE: If you have yet to adopt a vegan diet and aren’t certain you’re ready for that lifestyle on a permanent basis, check out the Vegan Society where you can pledge to go vegan on a trial basis for 7 to 30 days.
