• Florida enacts veg school lunch resolution
• Earth Day observance has vegan presence
• AR2006 registration discount ends May 15
• Rosenberg Award applications due May 31
• Some of FARM's favorite Links

Florida enacts veg school lunch resolution

On April 25th, the Florida House of Representatives enacted the Florida Healthy School Lunch Resolution (HR 9095) recommending a daily vegetarian school lunch option.

HR 9095 states in part: "Whereas school children who identify themselves as vegetarian or vegan or are from families who avoid meat and dairy foods are currently at a disadvantage if no appropriate school lunch meals are offered in their respective schools, be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Florida that ... all school districts and parents of school children in the state are urged to emphasize the importance of and to provide plant-based diets consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes; including daily vegetarian entrée options." (Click here for full text.)

The resolution was introduced by Representative Susan Bucher at the request of FARM's CHOICE (of vegan school lunch) program headed by Susan Wieland. It follows on the heels of similar resolutions passed by Hawaii, California, and New York legislatures in recent years.

For assistance in passing a similar resolution in your state, please contact Susan at info@choiceusa.net or 877-6CHOICE.

Earth Day observance has vegan presence

On April 22^nd, caring people everywhere celebrated Earth Day by helping their communities draw the connection between factory farming and environmental degradation. Animal agriculture exterminates wildlife and devastates their habitats, depletes groundwater, pollutes waterways, fouls the air, and denies food to the hungry.

We distributed nearly 6,000 colorful postcards explaining that connection, along with display posters, to more than 100 local events.

Click here to request these and other free colorful postcards to distribute at your events. A small donation to cover costs is always appreciated.

AR2006 registration discount ends May 15

The discounted $120 registration fee for the historic Animal Rights 2006 National Conference in the nation's capital ends on May 15.

You can now register online through our new Conference Community System (CCS) as well as by calling 888-FARMUSA or by sending a check with the Registration Form to FARM/AR2006, 10101 Ashburton Lane, Bethesda MD 20817.

The CCS, open to all AR2006 registrants, speakers, and exhibitors, is designed to greatly enhance your conference experience by communicating with other registrants in a cyber setting.

The Conference Program is rapidly taking shape. Thursday plenary provides a history of our movement and reviews of recent progress and prospects in key areas. Friday plenary hosts a discussion of movement priorities and tactics and eyewitness accounts of Katrina animal rescue, Sea Shepherd's battles for seals & whales, and the SHAC trial.

Observance of our movement's 25th anniversary is scheduled for the Saturday plenary, with a 25-minute video of major activities and reminiscences by movement veterans. The Sunday Awards Banquet will features winners of the Animal Rights Hall of Fame, Grassroots, Youth, and Celebrity Awards.

The Conference will be held August 10-14 at the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, a suburb of Washington DC. This is our most attractive venue since we started hosting national animal rights conferences in 1981. It is located on a small lake and a botanic garden, and runs a free shuttle to the Metro.

Conference Sponsors and Supporters include FARM, In Defense of Animals, Animals Voice , VegNews , Vegetarian Times, Animal Acres, E Magazine, Satya, and DawnWatch.

Please visit our website, then register online or at 888-FARM-USA

Rosenberg Award applications due May 31

Each year, FARM's Bill Rosenberg Award honors a young person who has made a substantial contribution to farmed animal liberation before his/her 18th birthday. The Award was established by FARM in 1990. It consists of a plaque and a $300 cash prize to be presented at the Animal Rights 2006 National Conference.

Past winners are: Kathryn Blomgren, Mike Markarian, David Berman, Katy Reagan, Marc Freligh, Danny Seo, Ella Magers, Paul Shapiro, Chu Hui Cha, Patrick Kwan, Nathan Runkle, Erin Creegan, Janine Ireland, Melissa Cavagnaro, Aryenish Birdie, and Rick (Kump) Corbett.

To be considered, please e-mail an application by May 31 to the Rosenberg Award. The application should contain a 1-2 page listing of your activities for farmed animals and may include up to three pages of supporting materials, including letters of endorsement.

Some of FARM's favorite links