Resources

Links to Useful Resources

Have you ever wondered about green living, sustainable agriculture, health, and plant-based nutrition? Here are some resources that might help you out!
We created this page with links of interest to recent information on all aspects of the plant-based lifestyle. Please note that categories often overlap–for instance, an article under the heading “Animals” might also contain pertinent information about the “Environment.” We update this page as needed. Thank you for visiting us! Don’t miss our Local Veg-Friendly Guide!

ANIMALS

“A conversation about morality and animals,” Gary Steiner, professor of Philosophy at Bucknell University (YouTube video, March 2014)

Philosopher Peter Singer’s latest book, Consider the Turkey (Princeton University Press, 2024), will help you find easy and delicious plant-based alternatives to the customary Thanksgiving feast.
Animal Justice Academy (free) will teach you how to become an informed, vibrant, and effective champion for animals.
Unchained TV (free), plant-based news & entertainment network
One Green Planet, an essential resource on animals, the environment, and health, offering numerous recipes
Sasha Farm, the Midwest’s largest farm animal sanctuary
Faunalytics, a comprehensive library of research about animals and animal advocacy issues
“Humans just 0.01% of all life but have destroyed 83% of wild mammals” (The Guardian, summarizing a May 2018 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
Institute for Humane Education (mostly free) aims to create a just, humane, and sustainable world through education.
The Ultimate Guide to Cruelty-Free Beauty and Household Shopping (offered by Abigail and her teacher LouAnne Taylor)
Guide to Cruelty-Free Skincare & Cosmetics (The Derm Review)

HEALTH AND DIET

Challenge 22, free guidance by mentors & registered dietitians, delicious plant-based recipes, friendly and supportive environment
Unchained TV (free), plant-based news & entertainment network
World of Vegan, list of vegan festivals and also many recipes and suggestions for a plant-based lifestyle
Plant Powered Passport (paying), provides the opportunity to engage with the plant-based community in a series of live Zoom events.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Going Vegan (by Thrive Cuisine)
Clinical Research page of The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Eating More Whole Plant Foods Linked to Healthier Weight Status (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, June 2019)
“How Americans Eat” (Advisory Board, July 2018)
“How I went from Being an Obese BBQ Chef to a Healthy Vegan Chef” (Forks over Knives, July 2018)
“Vegan diet benefits obese children, Cleveland Clinic study shows” (original article in the Journal of Pediatrics, 2015)
Sample meal plans for the female vegan athlete (One Green Planet, May 2017)
Helpful YouTube videos with coach and speaker Vince Lia Vegan
Substitutions for Omnivore Food (Infographic)
5 Things to Know about Vegan Meat Substitutes (Insider)
Vegan grilling recipes (Grillio blog, sent by Heather Dropkin and her daughter Ellie)
“Veganism and Vegetarianism: The Science and Philosophy of Plant-Based Nutrition” (NutritionEd.org)

Films and Documentaries

H.O.P.E.- What you eat matters (2018)

You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment (2024, Netflix): identical twins change their diets and lifestyles for eight weeks in a unique scientific experiment designed to explore how certain foods impact the body.
The Smell of Money (2024, Amazon Video), documentary about a rural North Carolina community who fights the world’s largest pork corporation for their freedom to enjoy fresh air and clean water
Seaspiracy (2021, Netflix): passionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species.
Milked (2022, Amazon Video), documentary about a young activist who takes on the giants of New Zealand’s dairy industry and uncovers alarming information about the industry’s impact on the environment and our health
Cow (2021), documentary about the life of a dairy cow in the UK
Eating Our Way to Extinction (2021, Amazon Video): narrated by Kate Winslet, this documentary exposes the hidden costs of our modern food systems through bold, factual claims, predictions, and solutions.
Gunda (2020), a glimpse into the raw and simple power of nature through encounters with farm animals, the eponymous Gunda, a mother pig, two cows and a one-legged chicken.
New in 2020: VegMovies.com, a website dedicated to promoting vegan films
International Vegan Film Festival, new in 2018!
The Game Changers (2018, Netflix): meeting visionary scientists and top athletes, a UFC fighter embarks on a quest to find the optimal diet for human performance and health.
Eating Animals (2018), based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s 2010 bestselling book and narrated by co-producer Natalie Portman
The Top 5 most exciting vegan films being released in 2018 (Plant Based News, November 2017)
What the Health (2017, Netflix), a documentary that examines the link between diet and disease, and the billions of dollars at stake in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and food industries
The End of Meat (2017), showcasing philosophers, scientists, artists and activists who explore the role of animals in our society
Too Much Milk in Europe (2017, YouTube)
Plantpure Nation (2015), available online for free

ENVIRONMENT

Unchained TV (free), plant-based news & entertainment network
What Is the Most Effective Thing an Individual Can Do to Help the Earth? (Sierra Club, January 2020)
“9 Things You Need to Know about Food and Climate Change” (T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies)
“Eating meat has ‘dire’ consequences for the planet, says report” (National Geographic, Environment, January 2019)
“Huge reduction in meat-eating ‘essential’ to avoid climate breakdown” (The Guardian, October 2018)
“Emissions impossible: How big meat and dairy are heating up the planet” (Grain, July 2018)
“Veganism is ‘Single Biggest Way’ to Reduce Our Environmental Impact on Planet, Study Finds” (The Independent, June 2018)
“Environmental Impacts of Plant-Based Diets: How Does Organic Food Consumption Contribute to Environmental Sustainability?” (Frontiers in Nutrition, February 2018)
“New Research Says Plant-based Diet Best for Planet and People” (Our World, United Nations University, November 2014)
“The Low-Carbon Diet” (Audubon Magazine, January-February 2009)

BOOKS

Click here for a list of books recommended by our VegFest team, with special thanks to Mary Jo Wenckus (pdf file)

GENERAL/MISCELLANEOUS

Plant-based eating and living for a more sustainable future (Ingredion)
Top ten reasons to go vegan (PETA)
A step-by-step guide to planning a VegFest (Compassionate Action for Animals)
The annual Ivy League Future of Food Conference, October 12-14, 2018, University of Pennsylvania
Plant Based News, “The very latest plant based vegan news from around the world”
The Good Food Institute, working toward healthy, humane, and sustainable foods
“Current global food production is sufficient to meet human nutritional needs in 2050 provided there is radical societal adaptation” (Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, July 2018)
“The opportunity cost of animal based diets exceeds all food losses” (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, March 2018)
Vegan Resource Guide

GROUPS AND VEG INFO IN MICHIANA

Michiana VegFest Facebook page
Veg Michiana Facebook group
Vegans of Michiana Facebook group
Vegan Michiana Facebook page
Vegan Kalamazoo Facebook group

resources