� Many vegans dream of living in a completely peaceful society. Gentle World, an organization dedicated to teaching others how to live harmoniously, is working toward just that. The organization has two educational centers (one in New Zealand, and one in Hawaii), is a pioneer in the veganic agriculture movement, published the first ever (!!) [...]
Angel and Poof, a Gentle World rescued rabbit.
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Many vegans dream of living in a completely peaceful society. Gentle World, an organization dedicated to teaching others how to live harmoniously, is working toward just that. The organization has two educational centers (one in New Zealand, and one in Hawaii), is a pioneer in the veganic agriculture movement, published the first ever (!!) vegan cookbook, and rescues and fosters abused or abandoned animals. Recently VM dished with Angel Flinn, the organization’s Outreach Director.
Vegan Mainstream: We love that you not only promote veganism, but help to educate people so that they can be self sufficient. Tell me about Gentle World’s overall vision.
Angel Flinn: Well, the overall vision is a big one that’s limited only by the resources that are available to us. The idea is to show the world that it’s possible for people with shared values to live and work cooperatively, so that we can support each other by devoting our time, energy and efforts toward the accomplishment of our shared goal. In this case, the goal is the building of a model world, a sanctuary from life-as-it-is, and a demonstration of life-as-it-should-be.
We believe that if everyone lived the way we try to, limiting their consumption, conserving resources, reusing everything as much as possible, recycling religiously, and sharing things rather than each of us having our own, there would be far more available for everyone, and our planet would feel the relief.
Our educational program is our way of helping people to learn how to incorporate these values of practical ecology into their own lives. Amongst many other things, our goals for the future include the expansion of our Hawaii center, which is still waiting for us to acquire the ideal piece of land.
VM: You published the first vegan cookbook to come out in the US. That’s impressive! How was it received?
AF: In 1981, there were still very few vegans in the US, and in the rest of the world. However, those who were, and those who had just discovered vegetarianism, welcomed the help it offered wholeheartedly. It was far from a bestseller at first, but little by little, as more and more vegans appeared, it became well-known. To date, it has sold over 100,000 copies, and is still in typewritten form (before computers). It’s a classic and is very well-loved by those who have it, as confirmed by the messages of appreciation we still receive.
VM: Now tell me about the third edition of Incredibly Delicious, which is currently underway, right?
AF: Right now, we’re actually exploring the possibilities for making Incredibly Delicious available in different formats, which might include an e-Book, or a Kindle version. The book will always be available in printed form, but we’re curious about whether it would be possible to leave behind the resource-intensive printing and distribution, in favor of more eco-friendly options.
In the meantime, we’re working on refining the recipes and illustrations, as well as the rest of the information in the book, which includes a lot of really handy resources for new or seasoned vegans. We’re also putting many of our favorites recipes on our website now, and publishing them on Care2.com, exposing many non-vegan readers to the delicious animal-free foods that Gentle World is famous for!
VM: Tell me about your visitor program.
AF: Our visitor program is the ‘hands-on’ part of our educational outreach. Visitors to Gentle World have the opportunity to live and work side-by-side with our member volunteers, some of whom have been vegan for over forty years, and all of whom have an enormous amount of knowledge and experience to share with those who are interested in benefiting from it.
Over the years, we have found that visitors to our center are profoundly influenced by the experience of living in a vegan culture; going about the activities of the day surrounded by people of many different ages, for whom veganism is more than just a lifestyle, but a whole way of approaching life and the world. Everyone who visits leaves with a better understanding of what veganism is, and many of our guests really take the vegan message to heart and carry it with them on their journey.
VM: What types of activities do your visitors do?
AF: The daily activities can include anything from preparing food in the kitchen or caring for the gardens and grounds, to helping us with center maintenance such as cleaning, organizing or painting. In addition to the daily tasks, guests have the opportunity to watch educational videos and participate in thought-provoking discussions, as well as being instructed in basic (or advanced) vegan food preparation and veganic gardening. We always try to include some informal food education along the way – whether that means learning some recipes for outrageous smoothies and salads, trying their hand at creating scrumptious baked goods, or helping one of our volunteers to whip up a batch of our decadent home-made ice cream or chocolate!
VM: What knowledge can they expect to walk away with?
AF: For those who are new to veganism, coming to Gentle World will help them greatly to understand, amongst other things, just how easy and natural it actually is to be vegan. For people who are vegan already, I can almost guarantee that their understanding of the significance of veganism will deepen and expand.
For those who are interested in growing their own food, there are plenty of opportunities to learn what that really involves, including how much hard work it takes! We have some very experienced, knowledgeable, and talented gardeners in Gentle World, including our head gardener at Shangri-La, who has been growing food organically since 1980.
VM: Any final thoughts?
AF: Despite all the resistance that vegans encounter from those who are threatened by our message, the fact is that veganism is the solution to the world’s problems. It’s time for vegan advocates to get together and try to find a way to get the world to finally listen to us. It’s never been more crucial than it is right now, and for those of us who have the answer, we have a responsibility to speak up and try to help others to see this issue through our eyes.
To those who feel alone, I say, reach out to others! Find people online and in your area who are committed to the vegan ideal and get together… Talk to people about veganism honestly, gently and openly, and soon you’ll find that there are people who are willing to listen.
The vegan future will be built one vegan person at a time. Every time any one of us helps someone to understand what veganism is about, what it really means, we take one step closer to the dream we all share.
To learn more, visit http://www.GentleWorld.org/
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