LWP time correction (was: Teenage vegan embarks on life of activism)

[Guest guest]

Oops, so sorry to be filling up your in-boxes, but Ben's Letter Writing Party actually starts at 7pm, according to the Events calendar at Bay Area Veg: http://bayareaveg.org/events.htm?EID=1054#1054 MelissaMelissa <soshalworker wrote: And of course Ben now also is the enthusiastic host of the BAV Palo Alto Letter Writing Party! His next one is on 1/28 (Saturday) at 7:30 pm at Bay Leaf in Palo Alto. Come support him and write letters on behalf of animals. Melissachristine wrote: Christine----------Way to go, Ben!Teenage vegan embarks on life of activism01/07/2006Palo Alto WeeklyAlexandria Rocha Online athttp://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/morgue/2006/2006_01_06.vegan06jd.shtmlLetters to the Editor: lettersLast spring, Ben Davidow made a commitment to change his way of lifeafter watching a 12-minute video on the Internet. Although Davidow wasalready a vegetarian, the video -- which gave an inside look intoanimal agribusiness -- prompted him to shun eggs, cheese and all otherdairy products as well. Soon after, the 18-year-old Palo Alto HighSchool senior embraced activism by joining the Humane Society of theUnited States' campaign against Trader Joe's for selling eggs

fromcaged hens. In the fall, Davidow gave a series of talks to his fellowstudents at Paly to raise awareness about the campaign. He's started grocery shopping on his own and learned how to cook. He hasalso written a proposal for a course about animal issues that he hopesto introduce to Paly officials this year. Davidow, a soft spoken,articulate student who stands above 6 feet tall and has wild, curlyblack hair, said most vegans know it's impossible to avoid all animalproducts. The tires on his bike, after all, probably contain gelatin. So, why would a student make such a life-altering pledge, especially atan age when pizza is coursing through his peers' bloodstreams? ForDavidow, it started out innocently enough. As an 8 year old, justlearning where the meat on his plate came from, he simply couldn'tjustify eating any animals when his cat, Fluffy, meant so much to him.He let his sister have the last hot dog at a family

barbecue, and thatwas that. Last year, Davidow became more passionate about his veganismand activism, which led to his role in the Trader Joe's campaign. In June, he saw Erik Marcus, author of 'Vegan The New Ethics of Eating,'at a Stanford University book reading. He bought Marcus' book, devouredit, and then asked the author if they could meet one on one. They did.'I told him how much he inspired me,' Davidow said, adding that Marcus'book got him thinking about the potential of activism against animalagribusiness. In September, the teenager made another significantconnection. He saw Paul Shapiro, manager of the Humane Society'sFactory Farming Campaign, speak in San Francisco. Davidow told Shapiro he wanted to join the campaign. Shapiro gave himall the materials he needed to begin the series of talks to raiseawareness at Paly. 'He was really supportive of starting something,'Davidow said. The first talk was called,

'What's the big deal witheggs? The full story.' Davidow admits the title was a little silly. When Trader Joe's announced in November it would phase out selling eggsfrom caged hens, Davidow felt elated about his role in the campaign'ssuccess. 'It has shown me how powerful it can be to live in tune withwhat you believe in,' he said. 'It's hard not to feel powerless, butover time I've realized how much of a difference I can make.' Sincethen, Davidow hasn't faltered in his mission. After seeing ChristineMorrissey, the director of East Bay Animal Advocates, speak in SanFrancisco, he met with her one on one, as well, and ended up bringingher to Paly as a guest speaker. Morrissey brought in a live formerlycaged chicken. 'That portrayed how local this issue is,' Davidow said.The teenager's family has been wholly supportive. His dad makes a point to eat less meat around him, and his older sisterbecame a vegetarian a few years

after he did. Although Talia, 20, hasnot embraced veganism, Davidow said she eats less dairy than she usedto. Besides taking on such huge, complex issues, Davidow said thehardest part about being a vegan activist is the social aspect. Theconcept is so foreign to some of his peers that he decided to writeabout vegans being from another planet -- called Vega in the 'un-MilkyWay' -- in a recent article for Paly's literary magazine, 'Verde.' Ofcourse, he was joking. It's true, however, that veganism has touchedhis life to the point of influencing where he applied for college. Although he said it wasn't a huge draw, he did apply to several campusesknown as vegan friendly and two sites that operate student-run veganco-ops. For now, he is setting his hopes high. 'In the coming decade,we'll see a major revolution in how people relate to animals and thedisconnect Americans have with where their food comes from,' he said. Staff

writer Alexandria Rocha can be e-mailed at arocha