5 Ways to Celebrate World Vegan Month

November 1st is World Vegan Day, a celebration of vegans and veganism around the world. The first day of each November also kicks off World Vegan Month.

The History of World Vegan Month

The world’s oldest vegan charity, The Vegan Society, originally started the tradition of World Vegan Day. Vegan Society began in the United Kingdom in November of 1944, at the same time that their founding members are thought to have coined the word “vegan.” Celebrating the first World Vegan Day marked the 50^th anniversary of their organization in 1994. World Vegan Day stretched into World Vegan Week and now extends to World Vegan Month.

5 Ways to Celebrate World Vegan Month

World Vegan Month is the perfect time to try new plant-based foods, gather with vegan friends, donate to your favorite non-profit organizations, and offer resources to the veg-curious. Here are five ways to celebrate World Vegan Month:

Host a Vegan Movie Night

Movies and videos are powerful tools. World Vegan Month is the perfect opportunity to gather friends and family to share some of your favorite vegan documentaries or vegan-friendly movies.

Vegan-Friendly Movies

Finding vegan-friendly movies that are not documentaries can be challenging unless you use a website like VegMovies or IMDB lists. VegMovies has information about films that are “plant-based, animal-friendly, and vegan-friendly” and where they can be purchased or streamed. These sites are an excellent resource for hosting a vegan-friendly movie night in honor of World Vegan Month.

“We will list most movies that have a vegan message, a vegan character, the goal of reducing or exposing animal suffering and exploitation, a focus on climate change, or a focus on sustainability that does not specifically recommend consuming or exploiting animals.” – Vegmovies

Here are a few vegan-friendly movies to get you started:

Pig

Pig is a film starring Nicholas Cage. It follows the story of a loner former chef turned truffle hunter who lives in the Oregonian wilderness. After someone kidnaps his beloved foraging pig, he goes on a dangerous journey to get her back. At the time of this article, Pig was not available on any streaming service or free resource. It is for rent or sale on most of the popular video platforms.

“The film stars Nicolas Cage as a truffle-hunter who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness and must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.” – Wikipedia

Save Ralph

Save Ralph is a 2022 Webby Award-winning short film that The Humane Society of The United States produced. It’s easy to watch Save Ralph for free on the HSUS YouTube channel.

“Ralph, the spokes-bunny of Humane Society International’s global campaign to ban animal testing for cosmetics. #SaveRalph is a powerful stop-motion animation short film featuring an all-star multinational cast including Taika Waititi, Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Pom Klementieff, Tricia Helfer and more.”

“Ralph, who is being interviewed for a documentary as he goes through his daily routine as a “tester” in a lab. HSI’s #SaveRalph campaign tackles the cruelty of animal testing in an original and unexpected way—using the story of one bunny to shine a light on the plight of countless rabbits and other animals in laboratories around the world.” The Humane Society of the United States

Okja

Okja is a heartwarming tale of a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful corporate entity from taking her friend, a genetically modified “super pig” named Okja. The meat industry created Okja to “own” a new being for humans to exploit for food.

“A gentle giant and the girl who raised her are caught in the crossfire between animal activism, corporate greed and scientific ethics.” – Netflix

The Okja film is available on Netflix as a part of their paid subscription plans. The Okja movie trailer is also available on Netflix’s YouTube account.

The Farm

The Farm is a vegan horror movie thriller where the animals run a farm, and humans end up on a dinner plate. The Farm is streaming on Tubi for free when you sign up for an account.

“When a young couple on a road trip are kidnapped by local farmers, they become livestock on a farm where humans are the main dish.” – Tubi

Vegan-Friendly Documentaries

We previously wrote a blog with 5 Ways to Inspire Your Friends to Go Vegan, where we explored some vegan documentaries. Change begins with a single step; for some people, all it takes to find that motivation is discovering the truth.

“Here is a short list of influential films to share with friends and family:

Dominion

“Exposing the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture through drones, hidden & handheld cameras, the feature-length film explores the morality and validity of our dominion over the animal kingdom.”  Watch Dominion online for free from the main website.

Forks Over Knives

“What if one simple change could save you from chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease? Take a deep dive into the plant-based diet documentary that has influenced millions around the world.” Watch Forks Over Knives for free on the films website.

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

“A groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary following intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it.” Cowspiracy is avaliable on Netflix or for purchase here.

Earthlings

“A 2005 American documentary film about humankind’s total dependence on animals for economic purposes. Presented in five chapters (pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research) the film is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, featuring music by Moby, and was written, produced and directed by Shaun Monson.” Watch Earthlings on Vimeo for free.

Blackfish

“Blackfish,” tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people in captivity. Along the way, director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite compiles shocking footage, and emotional interviews to explore the creature’s extraordinary nature, the cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers, and the pressures brought to bear by the multi-billion-dollar sea-park industry.” Blackfish is available on DVD and Blu-Ray or for download on iTunes.”

If you are looking for some more inspiration on how to inspire others to go vegan, check out the original post: 5 Ways to Inspire Your Friends to Go Vegan.

Organize a Vegan Potluck or Dinner Out

Another fun way to celebrate World Vegan Month is by organizing your vegan and veg-curious friends, neighbors, and co-workers for a plant-based potluck. All guests can bring a favorite vegan item of their choice while collaborating with other attendees to guarantee a delicious variety of foods.

If some people in the group are unfamiliar with preparing vegan food or want to relax, a group meal out at one of your favorite vegan restaurants is the next best thing. The Happy Cow App is a vegan’s best friend for discovering new, local vegan restaurants.

Splurge on New Vegan Products

There are so many new vegan products to try, not to mention the new ones released all the time. World Vegan Month is a great excuse to splurge on that one new vegan thing that you can’t get off your mind. Maybe you have been eyeing that latest vegan fast-food option, or there is a new vegan-friendly shoe that caught your attention. Supporting vegan products and businesses is always a win-win for our animal friends. We have a list of 22 Vegan Products We’d Love to Try in 2022 if you need some inspiration. And for the vegan plant-powered fast food lovers, take advantage of our Vegan Taco Bell Guide and Eating Vegan at Burger King Guide.

Encourage Others to Try Veganism

It is a great feeling to influence a friend, acquaintance, or family member to transition to a vegan lifestyle or start eating more plant-based meals. A temporary vegan pledge or vegan challenge can provide the right tools a newbie needs to avoid getting overwhelmed. Some challenges last for months, while others only last weeks. Most of these programs offer a variety of resources like vegan recipes, support, and plant-based meal plans. Gather a group of friends to take a challenge together for extra opportunities to offer support.

We included links and information about vegan challenges in our previous post, Challenge Friends and Family to Try Vegan, including Veganuary, Challenge 22, VegWeek, and 10 Weeks to Vegan.

Donate To a Vegan Organization

Veganism is not a diet; it’s a lifestyle. The core reason that many people transition to veganism is to stop supporting products, buying food, or purchasing any items made from animal exploitation and abuse. A plant-based diet’s health and environmental benefits are welcome additions to our way of life, but they are only a part of what makes someone a vegan.

Donating to your favorite vegan organization or animal rights group like FARM Animal Rights Movement in honor of World Vegan Day and World Vegan Month is a great way to support the vegan movement as it stands and the bright future of veganism.

Other ways to help the vegan movement and our animal friends don’t involve a monetary commitment. Non-profit vegan organizations and not-for-profit animal rights organizations need advocates to volunteer for vegan events and demonstrations. These groups are often run by small teams and survive on small budgets, so donating time can sometimes be more valuable than money. Here is a simple list of 9 Ways to Help Animal Rights Organizations during World Vegan Month.