By: Petra Chase, Arts & Culture Editor
The writer of this piece is affiliated with VeggieSFU.
VeggieSFU has been steadily racking up members and sparking discussions among SFU’s vast plant-based community. It’s a club which exists to “create community, facilitate discussion, and provide support and resources for those looking to switch to a plant-based lifestyle.” The Peak spoke to three VeggieSFU executives to learn about what being a member means, their club’s steadfast values, and the exciting things on the horizon.
“To us, plant-based means a diet that is made up of mostly plants but may contain some animal products,” Evelyn O’Neill, the group’s events coordinator shared. “VeggieSFU’s brand of activism is community-based. We aim to encourage each other to pursue an ethical and sustainable lifestyle by learning from each other and making plant-based lifestyles more accessible.”
One of the ways they do this is by hosting events, which usually involve plant-based food. Recently, they’ve held subsidized restaurant meetups, potlucks, hikes, and attended the Planted-Expo. They’ve also introduced bi-weekly meetings every other Friday, a casual window to drop-in, socialize, play games, and eat free snacks.
“I think our restaurant meet-ups are some of our most memorable events,” Evee van de Velde, the club’s discussion leader shared. “It’s always fun to explore vegan restaurants around Vancouver as a community, and it’s also super cool to see our non-vegan/vegetarian members experience vegan food alongside us!”
“Our central values of ethics and sustainability guide many of our decisions in event planning, such as serving only vegan food at our events and never supplying single-use plastic cutlery, dishware, etc,” O’Neill shared.
One of the group’s core missions, which are all chosen by the members, is to support those interested in plant-based diets. As a member of their Discord group, you’ll gain access to a network of people with a wealth of experiences and knowledge. The many discussion topics include resources, recipes, discussion prompts, and personal development. There’s even a “Fruit of the Week,” channel (which is what it sounds like) and “Ferret Central,” where van de Velde shares a picture of a ferret and a fun fact about them every day.
To join, you don’t need to be vegan or vegetarian. You don’t even need to like vegetables! All that’s required is an open mind. VeggieSFU is made up of and run by a mix of vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores, and civil discussion is one of their top priorities.
“I think the mix of [ . . . ] lifestyles in our club helps to create a more nuanced and less polarizing space to discuss different ways of living in relation to animals and the environment. It helps us be more conscious of others and see new perspectives we might not have otherwise,” O’Neill shared. “I personally learn a lot from the diversity of perspectives in the club and I think it helps bridge gaps and challenge our assumptions.”
Riya Dhariwal, VeggieSFU’s Club President, noted how VeggieSFU set out to be inclusive for all dietary palates since its inception. Melody Lim, founder of Mala the Brand, an eco-friendly candle company, founded VeggieSFU in 2017. Despite not being vegan herself, Lim made sure that everyone who was interested in leading a plant-based lifestyle could participate in the club. “VeggieSFU used to host bake sales and regularly meet at Veggie Lunch,” Dhariwal said, through activities like this, the community learns and gets involved in plant-based lifestyles.
“Because we know that vegan-related spaces can sometimes be judgemental and prone to gatekeeping, one of our main missions as a club is to make a space that is welcoming to everyone,” O’Neill explained. “We try to make that clear to our club members both through our actions, and by stating it in our club rules on our Discord server: ‘Conversations related to plant-based diets are encouraged. However, disparaging comments about any diet/lifestyle, vegan, vegetarian, or omnivorous, are prohibited. This is a space for everyone.’”
“I hope to continue fostering a welcoming environment for people to explore plant-based diets and make new friends,” Dhariwal said.
VeggieSFU has many exciting new things planned for the future. Their plant-based diet mentorship program pairs people new to eating plant-based with more experienced group members. They also have a plant-based nutrition workshop with Vancouver naturopathic doctor, Dr. Matthew Nagra. You can also look forward to their upcoming bake sale fundraiser, which will raise money for animal sanctuaries and animal rescue organizations.
When asked what they would say to someone who is interested in joining, O’Neill said, “I personally was nervous about joining the club because I wasn’t a strict vegan at the time and worried about being judged.” She added, “So if you’re nervous about joining for that reason, don’t be! We would love to have you.”
