Vegan visionary preaches pragmatism instead of moralising
In his new book, the founder of Ethical Vegetarian Alternative, Tobias Leenaert, calls on fellow vegans to spread the gospel without taking the moral high ground
Veganville
His message to vegans around the world is clear: Preaching alone will not work. “I specifically address those who are already convinced, telling them how we could really attain a world free of animal suffering,” he says. “This is only possible by closing the gap between vegans and non-vegetarians.”
Leenaert (pictured) is a speaker, trainer and vegan strategist, and he’s spent years working towards his aim of a plant-based future. He co-founded the Ghent-based Ethical Vegetarian Alternative (Eva) in 2000 – the first vegetarian organisation to ever receive funding from a national government.
He went on to lead the organisation for 15 years. His achievements in that time include convincing Ghent’s city government to serve vegetarian food on Thursdays in city-run restaurants and public schools. Donderdag Veggiedag even took off in other cities across Flanders.
“We never imposed vegetarianism on anyone,” he says of the initiative, which started in 2009 and made international headlines. “It was possible for people to have meat if they really wanted, but they would have to ask or fill in some forms in advance. The strategy was to make the desired option easy and the undesired option a bit harder.”
One step at a time
In his book, written in English, as is his blog, Leenaert offers a series of similar evidence-based strategies vegans can use to convince others, without becoming the vegan police. “We need to shift focus,” he says.
“The vegan movement has always been ideologically and morally inspired,” he continues. “So our strategies mostly came down to pointing out to other people what we felt was right and wrong. The problem with such an approach is that it very often causes staunch resistance.”
Such resistance can even be provoked without direct communication. Leenaert gives the example of a vegan sitting next to a meat-eater in a restaurant.
The last thing we vegans should do is to add to the guilt with our moral dogmas, because it increases the distance between us and them
“Imagine the non-vegetarian hears the vegan order his dish or looks to see what’s on the vegan’s plate,” he says. “The fact that the vegan is making a conscientious decision about what to eat – in contrast to the non-vegetarian – already causes feelings of inferiority or even guilt. The last thing we vegans should do is to add to the guilt with our moral dogmas, because it increases the distance between us and them.”
Instead, vegans should empathise with the person they’re hoping to convert. “Taste, health, weight and ecology are also good reasons to stop eating meat, why not use those?” he asks.
Furthermore, he argues that vegans don’t necessarily need to convince people to stop eating meat altogether. “In countries where 10% of the population has switched to plant-based dairy because of health reasons or beliefs, the market reacts with a range of new products. In the same way, people reducing their meat consumption forces the industry into providing alternatives. It means we have the chance to move slowly on the spectrum towards a fully plant-based future.”
How to Create a Vegan World calls this future Veganville, a metaphor for the goal of a meat-free world. “We first need to call people to action, then treat them as travellers climbing the hill to the vegan village on top,” he says. “On the way to the top, there have to be places to rest, with food and drinks. We need to make the journey as pleasant and as comfortable as possible.”
Photo: Lieven Van Assche
