Month: January 2012
Book Discussion Group Meeting
This discussion will cover the middle section of the three in the book, in which Robert Gardner presents “A Defense of Broad Animal Protectionism.”
February 2012 Events
Download a printable copy of our February calendar of events by visiting our Scribd page here.
Events Organized by Huntsville Vegans
- Weekly Meetup – Join us every Friday night at Cafe 153 at Bridge Street to drink coffee, socialize, and plan events. Our meetups begin at 6:00PM and usually last until 8:00PM.
- Book Club – Tuesday, February 7th and Tuesday, February 21st @ 6:30PM – Join us as we continue our discussion of Gary Francione’s The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation? In February, we’ll have two book club meetings: Tuesday, February 7th discuss through page 174, & Tuesday, February 21st to discuss the rest of the book. We’ll start the meeting at 6:30PM. This meeting is at a residential address, but all are very welcome to attend. Please email us at huntsvilleveg@gmail.com for directions.
- Vegan Mainstream Webinar: “Relationship Marketing: Creating a Veg Friendly Bridge with the World” – Wednesday, February 8th @ 1PM – Join us at Mike and Jenni’s place to watch the live webinar, or register to watch at your own computer by visiting http://www.anymeeting.com/veganmainstream
- Movie Night – Thursday, February 9th @ 6PM – Main Library’s Auditorium on the 1st Floor – Join us for a screening of the movie Bold Native, with special guest speaker Peter Young.
- Huntsville Vegans visit the Raw Potluck – Saturday, February 11th @ 6:00PM – Members of Huntsville Vegans will attend the local Raw potluck, organized by Teresa. Location: 2801 Castle Pines Circle, Hampton Cove, AL.
- Potluck – Sunday, February 12th @ 4:00PM – Location: Private Residence on Drury Lane. Our theme this month is Japanese food. Please bring a dish to share with about 8 people. If you aren’t able to bring any food, please still attend! There’s always enough food to go around.
- Rodeo Protest – Saturday, February 18th @ Alabama A&M – Visit Facebook for details.
- Vegan Mainstream Webinar: “Pimp Out My Facebook Page: Plant Strong Baby!” – Wednesday, February 22nd @ 1PM – Join us at Mike and Jenni’s place to watch the live webinar, or register to watch at your own computer by visiting http://www.anymeeting.com/veganmainstream
- Cooking Class at Earth Fare – Saturday, February 25th @ 12:00PM – Join Mike Cross and Huntsville Vegans as Mike demonstrates how to cook healthy vegan snacks and meals for children. Free recipes and samples are provided for all attendees. This cooking class will be held at Earth Fare, in the dining area.
Local Events of Interest
- Don’t Be a Sucker Protest, Organized by AREA – Wednesday, February 1st @ 10:00AM – 1:00PM – “We will have a peaceful pre protest protest for the circus. When tickets go on sale we will be out there encouraging everyone to not buy tickets. We will have posters and info to share with the public.”
Free class: Online Resources for Plant-Based Nutrition
Join us for a free class on Plant-Based Nutrition at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library in downtown Huntsville on Thursday January 26th! The class starts at 5:30 pm and will be in the Computer Training Center on the 2nd floor.
Mike Cross of Huntsville Vegans will go over the basics and share links to nutrition and lifestyle resources online, and how to use some key sites and services, including: health and nutrition tracking sites, recipe searching sites, pages for medical and nutrition information, and how to subscribe to podcasts in itunes and blogs in google reader.
The only thing you need to bring is yourself. You should have some basic computer skills, be able to check your email and go to specific websites, and be able to follow on-screen instructions to install new programs.
This event is hosted by the Huntsville Public Library and space is limited to 24 people! Please do not RSVP if you will not attend this class.
If you *would* like to go, please let us know on our Facebook Event Page, and then call the library’s Computer Training Center at (256) 532-2356 and tell them that you want to attend the Online Plant-Based Nutrition class on January 26th. If you don’t call the library you may not be able to attend. They’ll let you know if space in the class is becoming scarce.
Bandito Burrito Restaurant Smash
On Saturday, January 21, 2012, members of Huntsville Vegans ate together at Bandito Burrito on Governor’s Drive as part of our Restaurant Smash series of events. The purpose of a Restaurant Smash is to show local restaurants that there is a growing number of vegan consumers in Huntsville.

Huntsville Vegans member and Co-Founder of AREA Melissa and her family enjoy vegan food at Bandito Burrito
{“Smash” is just playful terminology; our visits to these restaurants are non-confrontational. }
For many of us, Bandito Burrito had been a favorite restaurant. Many members of our group had been eating at Bandito 3 – 5 times a week. Then we found out that Bandito uses whey in their refried beans. This was really disappointing for those of us that had been loyal Bandito customers, because we had previously been assured by Bandito staff that the refried beans were vegan.
If you’re looking for vegan dishes to order at Bandito Burrito, we recommend these two items:
Veggie Tamale
This dish is small, so you might want to get two of them or pair them with another dish.
You don’t have to make any special orders – the veggie tamale is vegan as is! 🙂 Woot!
Veggie Taco Salad
Be sure to ask for whole pinto beans instead of refried beans. Ask for no cheese, and to substitute guacamole for the sour cream. If you like spicy, then it is great to add jalapenos as well. This dish will fill you up. It’s a great meal.
At our restaurant smash, the manager on duty, Steve, was extremely helpful. He’s promised that they’ll work with us to have more vegan options on the menu. We’d like to give a big THANK YOU shout out to Bandito Burrito for working with us to bring more vegan options to the Huntsville community!
Book Discussion Group Meeting
Join us on Tuesday, January 17th at 6:30PM for our discussion of the first two parts of Gary Francione’s The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation?
Our discussion will be held at Lucy’s house, so please email us at huntsvilleveg@gmail.com for directions.
Forks Over Knives Screening
On Thursday, January 12th, Huntsville Vegans hosted a screening of the film Forks Over Knives at the Main Library.
Despite the freezing temperatures and snow, we had 21 participants at this event. Everyone who attended was given Vegan Outreach’s Guide to Cruelty Free Eating as well as information from PCRM.
Thanks to our members, we were able to share a variety of vegan food. From Natalia’s delicious samosas to Carole’s amazing dessert, there was a wealth of healthy food for those considering a plant-based diet to try.
Before the screening, Alex Graff gave a short talk on the importance of a proactive approach to health.
After the screening, Alex Graff and Mike Cross answered the audience’s questions. These questions included “Where do I start?”, “Where do you get your B12?”, and “What does a vegan breakfast look like?”
We received great feedback from this event, with more than one audience member telling us that the movie was an eye-opening experience. Our aim in hosting health-based events is to support our community by offering education and support as people transition to a plant-based diet.
If you have any questions about going vegan please email us at huntsvilleveg@gmail.com. You can also join our online community on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/huntsville.vegans.
Huntsville Vegans to Host Screening of Forks Over Knives
Join Huntsville Vegans on Thursday, January 12th, at the Main Library’s Auditorium on the 1st floor for a screening of the movie Forks Over Knives. We’ll share food and information starting at 6:00PM, with the movie to follow.
We’ll have free food, a Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating for every attendee to take home, and handouts with information about health from PCRM.
Please join us!
Watch the trailer
Visit the official website
See our Facebook event page