American Vegan Society

The logo of the Vegan Society (UK), which associated international groups of such (similar) societies based on veganism.

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The American Vegan Society (AVS) is a nonprofit organization that promotes veganism in the United States.

AVS was founded by 1960 by Jay Dinshah. The date of the earlier The Vegan Society (UK)'s founding, November 1st, is now celebrated annually as World Vegan Day.

Activities

• Information--e.g. the website, books, videos
• Support--(in the site and magazine, including possibly a network of local contacts)
• Licenses--UK Vegan Society trademarked Sunflower symbol to companies: for the labelling of vegan products
• Publishes 'American Vegan'--a quarterly magazine sent free to members of the society
• Publishes every so often an AV issue listing and describing vegan businesses/companies and their items available in the US

American Vegan Society History

A decisive and historic of the usage and meaning of the term 'vegan' was accomplished through the success of the American Vegan Society under the Dinshahs. Although the term 'vegan' had, since its coining in 1944 in England by Donald Watson (and possibly others), usage could refer either to merely an entirely plant-based diet (without spiritual or philosophical or ethical underpinnings) or to a purely plant-based diet ONLY in terms of those principles and motivations (which is represented by AVS).

Under their seemingly indefatigable energies and their "evangelical" enthusiasm for promoting veganism AS "dynamic harmlessnes" ("Ahimsa" derived from the Sanskrit, meaning "not to harm"), Jay and Freya Dinshah, beginning almost immediately after their founding AVS on the parcel of land the Dinshah brothers inherited from their father, organized a number of conferences, and conducted vegan promotional tours.

In 1961, the American Vegan Society organized and carried out a Coast to Coast Crusade for Veganism across North America, including various parts of Canada and the USA. In 1965, the American Vegan Society organized and carried out North Atlantic Lecture Tour (Iceland, Britain, Europe). In 1967 and 1968, the American Vegan Society organized and carried out an international ("Round the World") Lecture Tour. Through these efforts, Jay Dinshah managed to lecture to vegetarian audiences in 19 different nations, on 5 continents, with the benefit of local interpretation into a dozen languages by ad hoc local polyglots, reputedly found widely in some communities of widely-traveled vegetarian entrepreneurs.

The name of the AVS quarterly, Ahimsa, was changed in 2001 to American Vegan.

Today, countless vegan organizations (and animal rights organizations and organizations bearing the name 'vegetarian) promote this purer form of veganism, in the self-effacing and missionary spirit of AVS in which the message is far more important than any of the messengers. The word vegan did not appear in most English dictionaries published in the USA until the late 1970s or the mid-1980s. By the mid-1990s, a much clearer appreciation of the meaning and implications of the word 'vegan' (AS 'ahimsa' or dynamic harmlessness) had pervaded American consciousness. Even if they didn't practice veganism, most younger Americans now know what veganism is, though idiosyncratic practices continue to dim the clarity of 'ahimsa'.

American Vegan Society conventions

1995, 8th International Vegan Festival, in San Diego California, AVS cohosted with VUNA (Vegetarian Union of North America) and Vegans International (VI).

Alternate conferences and conventions were held, largely in the northeastern US (New Jersey and New York) but also in California (Arcata), Colorado (Denver), Oregon (Portland), and Washington, often sharing logistical responsibilities with local and regional vegetarian societies. For a number of years, beginning in 1989, convention proceedings were videotaped.

The Dinshahs conducted weekend workshops, cooking classes, and other educational programs at Suncrest in Malaga, as early as 1969.

Incomplete List of American Vegan Society conventions

• 1969 - Malaga NJ: Educreational Program
• 1987 -
• 1989 - Arcata CA (videotaped)
• 1991 - Denver CO (videotaped)
• 1993 - Portland OR (videotaped)
• 1995 - San Diego California: 8th International Vegan Festival, co-hosted with VUNA (Vegetarian Union of North America) and Vegans International (VI)
• 1997 - Olympia, WA (videotaped)
• 1998 - Olympia, WA (videotaped)
• 1999 - Boulder, CO (videotaped)
• 2000 - Toronto, ON

The American Vegan Society mentored and enabled the growth toward independence of VUNA, the Vegetarian Union of North America, the IVU's North American regional arm, by cosponsoring biennial conventions with VUNA. Alternate AVS conferences and conventions were held, largely in the northeastern US (New Jersey and New York) but also in California (Arcata CA - 1989), Colorado (Denver CO - 1991), Oregon (Portland OR - 1993), and Washington, often sharing logistical responsibilities with local and regional vegetarian societies. For a number of years, beginning in 1989, convention proceedings were videotaped.

Jay and Freya Dinshah conducted weekend workshops, cooking classes, and other educational programs at Suncrest in Malaga, as early as 1969.

External links

• (The) American Vegan Society
• The Vegan Society (UK)
• First issue of the Vegan Society newsletter