International Vegetarian Union (IVU) | ||
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35th World Vegetarian Congress 'Food for all our futures' Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland July 8-14, 2002 |
Hosted by![]() The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom |
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Fox Earth Greetings from a very harassed CEO! I am writing this from the Congress helpdesk as I am afraid I missed my deadline with our Editor. Fortunately everyone is eating now so it is nice and quiet. I am very pleased to report that all is going well - the talks are well received, everyone seems to like the venue and, most importantly, the food is really excellent! The excursions also seem very popular with nice locations and good lunches, so although I am run off my little feet I am a very contented person. We have also had a very manic lead up to National Vegetarian Week so all in all quite a buzz at present. On Sunday I am off to look after the post-Congress tour - I feel like a bona fide tour guide. I would like to be able to report how good the speakers were, but I hardly managed to see any of the talks, so I will have to take the word of the delegates who did. All the best - View From the Chair One of the key themes of the week was learning from each other. In this area I was really pleased that all the Societies around the world wanted to learn from the UK. In my many discussions with individuals and at the workshops/presentations I attended, we were always held up as the most effective vegetarian society in the world. People across the globe are interested in adopting our approach (to be helpful, informed, supportive and non-confrontational) as they have seen the results we have achieved in the UK. People were amazed at the quality and quantity of vegetarian food in Britain, both in restaurants, pubs and shops and the growth of our Seedling Symbol. They were very impressed with the way that we work in schools, with the Health Service and other parts of the Government. They also liked our literature with its focus on humour - past copies of the magazine and promotional literature disappeared as soon as we put it on our stand. And what did I learn? That there are some amazing people around the world of all ages who care passionately about vegetarianism, animals and the environment. And that there is so much more to do both in the UK and even more so overseas. Mick Collier Chair |