Thursday 14.55 Speakers

Charlotte Probst, Austria Website: www.tierschutzimunterricht.org Biography: Born in 1931. Primary school, A-Levels, short study of medicine. At the age of 25 I cared for three half-orphans in my family following the death of my sister in law from cancer. I married two years later and had two children of my own as well as very old parents in my household. For 10 years I cared for a really big family.  I studied education in evening classes and spent 18 years as teacher but took early retirement due to bullying from collegues when they learned of my commitment to animal protection. 20 years ago I founded the Society for Animal Protection in Teaching and 18 years ago I started giving seminars training animal protection teachers. 2006 saw the Foundation of the Academy for the Relationship between Humans and Animals in Graz under the patronage of well known university teachers and headed by Prof. Dr. Johann Götschl. Lecture title: Our Future Begins in Childhood Abstract: The main topic of the lecture is the importance of teaching animal ethics  to school children.  A realistic description of the relationship between humans and animals and a discussion (according to age) of animal-friendly solutions must be an essential part of the education of young children. Normally the love of animals and the intention to help are still present and largely undamaged by professional or other assumptions and considerations which may destroy this intuitive feeling of solidarity. Animals are the emotional partners of children, helping them to find their way and develop their humanity. Animal ethics in school is not just a topic for biology. Appropriate animal protection themes can be included in all subjects, from mathematics to geography or whatever. Children carry these ideas into their surroundings and the seeds will bear fruit as an ethically valuable attitude towards animals. We hold a seminar annually to educate animal protection teachers. Interested teachers who are not able to participate may find ideas, proposals and hints for teaching animal protection in school in the book Praktizierte Ethik (Ethics in Practice) Date: Thursday 31 July 2008; Time: 14:55; Room: Festsaal; Language: German with simultaneous translation
Vesanto Melina, USA Website: www.nutrispeak.com Biography: Vesanto Melina, Registered Dietitian, did undergraduate and postgraduate work at the University of Toronto , Canada, and the University of London, England. She has taught nutrition at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and at Seattle’s Bastyr University. She is co-author of the 2003 Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian Diets. She was a coordinator for the Vegetarian Nutrition section (Chapter 10) of the American Dietetics Association's Manual of Clinical Dietetics.  She is widely known in the media - press, television and radio - and is an internationally known speaker.  She has presented workshops on vegetarian nutrition to over 2200 dietitians throughout North America d received the prestigious Clintec award for leadership in dietetics. She regularly consults for government and industry and for individual clients from her office in Langley, near Vancouver, British Columbia. Lecture title: Surviving and Thriving despite Food Allergies Abstract: In this informative and engaging presentation, Vesanto Melina presents research and practical tips related to food sensitivities. Learn about: improving intestinal health; meeting nutritional requirements (adult and child) while managing one or multiple food sensitivities; recent research on diet and arthritis, asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), candida, depression, dermatitis, digestive disorders, fatigue, headaches. Vesanto’s Food Allergy Survival Guide includes 180 pages of delicious recipes free from the top eight allergens (dairy, eggs, soya, wheat/gluten, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts) including outstanding baked goods for those with gluten sensitivity. www.foodallergysurvivalguide.com Date: Thursday 31 July 2008; Time: 14:55; Room: Neumarkt; Language: English
Nandita Shah, India Website: www.sharan-india.org Biography: Nandita Shah has practised homeopathy since 1981. Her path to veganism began in 1985 because of animal issues. One thing led to another and she studied the health effects of a vegan diet and tried it on her patients. The results were more than astounding. Today she gives workshops to inspire people to shift to a wholefood plant based diet to prevent and reverse diseases both in India and abroad. She has founded the organization SHARAN and hopes in the future to have a centre where people can come and stay to reverse their diseases and learn more about vegan lifestyles.   Lecture title: Eating Animals and the Resultant Desensitization of our Species:  Are we paying too high a price? Abstract: We are basically a caring and compassionate species that has been conditioned by society to think of animals as commodities. We could not do what we do to them without this. The very act desensitises us, forces us to close our minds to reality and results in many of our current social problems. Switching to a plant based diet brings a new awareness of our environment and of ourselves and an awakening to a new consciousness. It is also paradigm shift - from the pursuit of pleasure to real happiness. Date: Thursday 31 July 2008; Time: 14:55; Room: Altmarkt; Language: English
Dr. med. vet. Corina Gericke, Deutschland Website: www.aerzte-gegen-tierversuche.de Biography: Studied veterinary medicine. Thesis on German animal welfare law. Worked as a vet in England. Since 1984 active against animal experiments and for animal rights. Co-founder and for many years board member of SATIS (Students’ Workshop Against Animal Misuse in Education). From 1999 to 2007 research officer at People for Animal Rights Germany. Since 2001 research officer at Doctors Against Animal Experiments. Lecture title: The Way Out of the Blind Alley of Animal Research Oriented Medicine – Vegetarian and Vegan Diets as a Contribution against Animal Experiments Abstract: Medicine today is focused on a biomedical view based on animal experiments, but it is becoming increasingly evident that this approach is not up to the tasks it faces. Despite an immense research effort, with millions of animal victims in the laboratories, more and more people are suffering from diseases caused by today’s lifestyle, and diet plays a significant part in this. A vegetarian or preferably vegan diet not only saves animal lives directly but helps to set modern medicine on the right path – a path that leads out of the blind alley of vivisection towards an effective, patient-oriented medicine which prioritises the prevention of diseases. Date: Thursday 31 July 2008; Time: 14:55; Room: Bähr; Language: English

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