Animal Rights, Environmentalism Also in Mission of New Campus Vegetarian Theme House

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 9, 2009

RICHMOND, Ind. — The 11 members of Marmon House want to do more than just eat right.

They are promoting a lifestyle — a lifestyle that benefits people, animals and the environment. Marmon House is one of Earlham College’s new theme houses and it features a vegetarian theme.

“We have a vegetarian policy in house,” says senior Benji Davidow. “I think we have a couple of people in the house who are vegetarian for the first time this semester, and this is really a great place for them to start out.”

A part of Marmon House’s mission is to enrich vegan and vegetarian life at Earlham by providing an accommodating living and congregating space for students who are vegan or vegetarian for reasons of ethics, health, sustainability, or religious practice.

“The best piece of advice for someone just starting out is to find a community of people who have already made the transition,” Davidow says. “Having people around you for advice and support is very helpful during the initial stages.”

Housemates gather once or twice each week for vegetarian meals and open the house once every two weeks to the campus community for a vegetarian meal.

Another part of the house’s mission is to promote humane and non-violent consumption and lifestyle choices including, but not limited to, vegetarian. The mission also states that Marmon House is to serve as a gathering place for animal rights and environmental activists and other social justice and humanitarian groups on campus, and it should host fun and educational events for students, faculty and members of the greater Richmond community.

Davidow, who is also a founder of Earlham Animal Advocates United (EAAU), says EAAU and members of Marmon House both lobbied to bring convocation lecturer Carol J. Adams to campus to deliver the speech “The Sexual Politics of Meat.” (Wednesday, November 11, at 1:00 p.m. in Goddard Auditorium. Admission is free.)

“We explained that we didn’t think that there had been a vegetarian speaker on campus, and we made some recommendations,” says Donnie Smith, a junior who initiated the vegetarian house concept at Earlham.

Adams is the author of more than 20 books including The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Theory, which provides an eco-feminist analysis of the interconnected oppressions of sexism, racism and speciesism by exploring the way popular culture presents images of race, gender and species to further oppressive attitudes.

“Carol Adams is such a renowned scholar in animal rights and social justice issues,” Davidow says. “She is in a very unique position to draw connections between feminism and vegetarianism that few others can.”

Smith says members of Marmon House are planning additional activities to mark the week of Adams visit.

“We want it to be a week where people can be informed about vegetarianism,” he says. “We want people with questions to have the materials in their hands.”

Adams will discuss her path toward becoming a vegan at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday, November 10, in Carpenter Hall’s Womyn’s Center during a vegan potluck, which is open to anyone interested in vegetarianism/veganism.

 “Part of the reason for wanting a vegetarian/vegan house is to provide a living space for people who are interested in this, but we want to do more to reach out in the community,” Davidow says.

Members have created a vegetarian literature display in SAGA that includes a giant poster that explains the environmental, animal rights and health benefits of a vegetarian/vegan diet. The poster includes quotes from several Earlham professors about why they made their decisions to become vegetarians/vegans. The poster template has been shared with other students and will soon appear on other college campuses.

Davidow says members are in continual conversation with Dining Services about how to become even more “veg-friendly.”

“With SAGA on campus, it’s a piece of cake to be vegetarian,” Davidow says. “If you put SAGA alongside other campus cafeterias, there’s no comparison. While SAGA is miles ahead of other cafeterias in their veg offerings, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. In Richmond, there are a lot of good options, but you just have to be creative.”

Marmon House members hope to begin working with a group called Wayne County Vegetarians to approach restaurant management and advocate for more vegetarian friendly options.

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Contact:
Mark Blackmon, director of media relations
765/983-1256 — E-Mail Mark