Working Group on Right Relationship with Animals
BYM Veganuary Challenge "No Pressure"
Want to give veganism a little try? Here's your chance!
During “Veganuary” people around the world try out and share their experiences with vegan eating. Any meal that does not include animal products is a step toward equitable distribution of world resources, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, habitat preservation, and a non-violent relationship with our fellow creatures. BYM's Working Group on Right Relationship with Animals hosted Zoom meetings on Veganuary in January 2023 with many participants, and we will again host Zoom meetings on Sunday evenings, 7:00 pm, January 14 and January 28, 2024 to continue our last year's sharings and welcome new participants in our conversations about exploring veganism, share recipes and experiences. See especially, “One month intro to plant-based eating” for exciting recipes, cookbooks, and other helpful sources.
Sign up here to receive tips and the link for the optional Zooms: https://forms.gle/i1onHWzXxfyt8RHe6.
Please call or email Bob Rhudy at 443-890-6548 or bobrhudy@yahoo.com if you have questions.
The Working Group on Right Relationship with Animals is under the care of the Unity with Nature Committee. Its creation was approved at Sixth Month 2015 Interim Meeting (I2015-23) with a mission to stimulate thought and discussion among Friends about the effect that our food choices and other personal decisions have on the lives of animals and the rest of the living world.
Mission Statement: The Working Group on Right Relationship with Animals of Baltimore Yearly Meeting seeks to stimulate thought and discussion among Friends about the effect that our food choices and other personal decisions have on the lives of animals and on the rest of the living world.
All Friends are welcome to join our occasional working group meetings (in person and by teleconference). Contact Margaret Fisher for information about the next meeting. (703-244-9174)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting Minute on Animals and Our Food Choices
At Baltimore Yearly Meeting's Annual Session in August, 2018, the gathered Meeting adopted the following minute: "In the interest of peace, and with a deep concern for the living world, Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends encourages Friends to discuss how to extend their love and compassion to animals, and to consider their welfare when making food choices."
Local Meetings that have endorsed BYM's minute:
Patapsco Friends Meeting (September 2018)
Herndon Friends Meeting (November 2018)
Midlothian Friends Meeting (February 2019)
One month intro to plant-based eating
You are invited to try out as many or as few of our suggestions as you like, or challenge yourself to stick to it for a month. . https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jP2QSAlIQxxOvhbl9aZQ31RgjgR13qj-UFrc1vP9AL8/edit?usp=sharing
"Two Books" Project
To further this discussion, our Working Group invites all members and attenders in the Yearly Meeting to participate in our "Two Book" project. We invite you to gather together with others in your Meetings to read and discuss one or both of two books we have carefully selected and highly recommend. A full description can be found by clicking here.
Our video series
The working group is creating a series of short videos, each of which features a Friend talking about his or her experience with animals and how it relates to Quakerism. As these are available (we are aiming for monthly), links will be provided below. Would you like to be involved? Let us know and we can arrange to create a video featuring you and your journey. All viewpoints would be gratefully welcomed.
To watch the videos, click here for our YouTube channel.
- January 2019: Video #7: One Joke and One Song
- January 2018: Video #6: Twelve Reasons
- January 2017: Video #5: Quaker Kwashiorkor
- August 2016: Video #4: Connecting to Animals – BYM Annual Session 2016
- February 2016: Video #3: A humorous perspective on our food choices.
- January 2016: Video #2: Howard Brod’s journey began with chickens.
- December 2015: Video #1: Margaret Fisher talks about her unfortunate frog experiment.
- Prequel: Eat Them as Long as You Can
Recorded webinars sponsored by the Working Group
- Does a fish have an Inner Light? Jonathan Balcombe, author of What a Fish Knows
- Anti-racism, Social Justice and Good Food: Naijha Wright Brown and Crystal Forman from the Black Vegetarian Society of Maryland
- Our Diets and the Environment: Becky Ramsing from the JHU Center for a Livable Future
Ideas to start the discussion
- Invite us to speak at your meeting. We would love to visit you and lead an Adult Religious Education session.
- Have a book discussion. Good choices include
- Enlarging our Circle of Love, Pendle Hill Pamphlet #440
- Cowed, by Denis and Gail Boyer Hayes
- Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows, by Melanie Joy
- The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
- Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin
- Taking the Adventure: Faith and Our Kinship with Animals, by Gracia Fay Ellwood.
- Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel, by Carl Safina
- Host a video showing. Good choices include
- Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home
- Vegucated
- Speciesism: The Movie
- Hold a plant-based potluck
- Contemplate a query
- Read and discuss the June 2019 Friends Journal issue on food
- Vegetarianism in Quaker History by John Sniegocki
- Butcher Hogs for Sale by Dayna Baily
- A Vegan Offers Three Reasons for Hope by Margaret Fisher
- The Great Food Transformation by Elizabeth Root
On line discussions
- Vegetarian Friends – a blog and forum
- “Quaker Vegetarians” Facebook page
To learn about the basics of eating a plant-based diet:
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Vegetarian Starter Kit
21-Day Vegan Kickstart
Click here for some climate-friendly potluck suggestions from members of our Working Group.
Listed below are the current members of the Committee.
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Margaret Fisher, Co-Clerk
Dayna Baily, Co-Clerk
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