Queen’s Animal Defence, with the Food Portfolio of Queen’s Engineers Without Borders, is excited to announce the launch of a new initiative: the Queen’s Vegan Pledge. This initiative has its own dedicated website, Facebook page and Instagram profile.

What is the Queen’s Vegan Pledge?

There are lots of good reasons to go vegan. People variously change their diet for the planet, for human health and, of course, for the animals. Inspired by the success of initiatives like Veganuary and Animal Aid’s Great Vegan Challenge, the Queen’s Vegan Pledge encourages Queen’s – from students to staff, from societies to departments – to go vegan for the month of March. The Queen’s Vegan Pledge will provide the encouragement people need to take a manageable step towards veganism in a supportive environment, and a voice in support of vegans at Queen’s University. We hope that many of our pledgers – after seeing how easy and enjoyable veganism can be – will choose to stick to a vegan diet after the completion of the month.

The Queen’s Vegan Pledge welcome both individual pledges and group pledges. Individuals who pledge commit to follow a vegan diet for the month of March, while groups who pledge commit to advertising the Pledge and ensuring vegans are well accommodated at their events. Some groups are going a step further, pledging to ensure that all events are fully vegan, and pledging to reach out in support of veganism. At launch, pledging groups include Queen’s Animal Defence, Queen’s Engineers Without Borders Food Portfolio, the APPLE research group, the Department of Gender Studies, and the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, while a range of other groups have expressed interest in taking the pledge.

We are also excited to partner with Queen’s University’s Professor Samantha King, who will be supervising research into the Queen’s Vegan Pledge. When you sign up, you will be asked if you consent to being contacted about further research. It is hoped that this research will provide invaluable feedback on going and being vegan at Queen’s, and prove a useful resource for the ongoing QAD campaign to increase the profile of veganism and support for vegans at Queen’s.

How can I get involved?

In preparation for a wider launch in February, we encourage all of you to sign up to take the pledge on our website and to follow us on social media. Please share news about the Queen’s Vegan Pledge in your networks and encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up. If you are a member of any groups on campus – societies, sports teams, research groups, departments – please encourage that group to take the group pledge, and advertise the individual pledge to its members. We also encourage you to share photos of your vegan meals on our Facebook page, and tag us on Instagram.

In the coming weeks, Queen’s Vegan Pledge posters will be appearing around campus, while news about the pledge will be shared in lectures and other spaces. We will also be arranging some tabling events as outreach in February, and some exciting vegan events in March; news about these will follow.

So please, take the pledge, and encourage those around you to take it as well. Queen’s is vegan, if we want it.

Visit our website queensveganpledge.com
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram @queensveganpledge