It is important that all students has the possibility to eat at the canteens while studying, so everyone can participate socially. Eating food in the canteen is a social thing and when there isn't food on the menu for you, you get left out of something. It is already difficult as a vegan or vegetarian to find food in the short breaks. It requires that you always have food with you, prepared from home. It's time consuming and it also means that you get left outside a social event; food in the canteen with your fellow students.

The problem:
In most of the canteens at the universities in Denmark there's is meat in every meal on the menu. Some places in Copenhagen have "meat free mondays" but far from every University has backed this initiative, by doing the same. Therefore there is a lot of places where meat is served every day, and not on the side - so only meat eaters can eat the food.
At Aalborg University the chefs even refuse to have the meat on the side so vegetarians, vegans, allergic etc. can eat too.The argument is "meat tastes good" and "there aren't not enough vegetarians" even though there is plenty of vegetarian and vegans who want to eat there on a daily basis.

Now we take it a step further - vegan meals please!
Since everyone can eat vegan, it would be most beneficial for everyone to serve vegan meals instead of meat meals. It is not only good for us, it's also good to the environment and the animals. And as a University where we are suppose to be educated - shouldn't we be a good example for everyone else? Starting with; the food which is served.

Not everyone wants to eat meat for various of reasons.
Some of us have tried to talk to the chefs at Aalborg University about this, suggesting that the meat could be served on the side or be skipped- so it would be a choice and therefore everyone could eat the food in the universities canteen. Again; everyone can eat vegan food - not everyone can eat meat.

One example of why this petition is necessary for a change to happen:
The response at Aalborg University (North Jutland, Denmark) was a clear NO "because there has to be meat in the meals". Why? "meat tastes good and there aren't enough vegetarians for us to change the menu".
Further more the chef expressed "You are the worst people! You vegetarians and vegan. I go out and shoot animals in the head, hang them up and cut them... and you just go out and pet them! You are the worst!"

This is how the suggestion "meat on the side instead of meat in the meals" is received at Aalborg University. So we really need all the support we can get - if vegan meals are to be on the menu in the future.

All we want is to be able to eat in our breaks as everyone else. And be sure to find some food in the canteen without animal products.

All the universities canteens are run by Chartwells, which is an English company. For any change to happen in the menu in Denmark - they need to be contacted.

If you agree that the Danish universities should have food for everyone...
Please sign and show your support!

A letter will be sent to Chartwells demanding food for everyone with your signature attached.

The benefits in serving vegan meals at universities:

•  It's cheaper
•  It's for everyone
•  It's environmental
•  It's saving animals

Thank you for taking the time to read this!
And thanks for signing, so everyone can eat in the canteens at the Danish Universities. We can use every support we can get!


Sincerely,
Kolbrún Gunnarsdóttir
Student at Aalborg University, North Jutland, Denmark.
Vegan.




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Optional:
If you want to read more about why it's cheaper, for everyone, environmental and saving animals... you can read more below.
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Why it's cheaper?

7 kg grain can be fed to a cow, which is slaughtered and consumed by a person, which will only provides 1/3 of the daily caloric needed for one individual.

Or the 7 kg of grain can be eaten directly by people, providing enough calories to 10 individuals, one day.

Vegetables, rice, lenses, beans, pasta, coconut milk etc. is cheap

http://www.peta.org/living/food/eating-vegan-budget/

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Why vegan food is for everyone?

I wish I could post pictures here, to show that vegan meals is food that can satisfy everyone's taste buds.

Rice and vegetables - red pepper, fried mushrooms with spices, garlic, leeks, broccoli, carrots, chickpeas and coconut milk with curry or another taste. It really doesn't have to be boring if made by people who know what they are doing, such as chefs.

Vegan pizza - with spicy tomato sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, red pepper, onion, spinach and olives fx.

Instead of cows milk cheese:

Food yeast flakes and cashew nuts
Sliced avocados on top (fresh) which gives a fat texture
Delicious coconut cheese - a plant based cheese which melts
http://www.alles-vegetarisch.de/Kaesealternativen-Aufschnitt---Streukaese-Wilmersburger-PIZZASCHMELZ-Grosspack--1000g-,art-2745

Vegan sushi - with vegetables such as spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, carrots, red pepper, fried mushrooms with spices, broccoli, cucumber, avocado, olives, blueberries, sesame seeds, linseed, pumpkin seeds, peas, beetroot and more. Not everything goes into one sushi roll, of course - but a lot of different rolls can come out of these ingredients !
For nigiri: sliced vegetables can be used on top of the rice

Salads - such as bean salad, chickpea salad, vegetable salad, fresh green salad etc.

Vegan burger - with lens steak, bean steak or chickpea steak with various other ingredients in such as red peppers, broccoli, chilli and garlic
Salad, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, egg free mayo and barbecue dressing to name one example

Veggie lasagna - tomato sauce as usual - put vegetables instead of meat and coconut cheese on top (or food yeast flakes)
For cream in the middle of every layer; almond cream, soy cream or rice cream is good.

More menu suggestions:
Noodles with veggies and spices
Tomato soup
Mushroom soup
Onion soup
Veggie soups in general
Chilli con VEGGIE
Hummus;
Pesto; almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and salt
Mock-tuna-salad
Mock-egg-salad

Many actually often eat vegan food without thinking that it is vegan, and therefore have been open minded about it before - you probably already like vegan food weather you call it this or that. Food made with vegetables, rice and corn is therefore something everyone can eat and enjoy together. If you are already vegan or vegetarian, you have probably discovered the many tasteful dishes, where only the imagination is the limit.

If you want to.. Check out Jamie Olivers vegan dishes and recipes:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/special-diets/vegan/#ZheydoVOllrWUdYB.97

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Why it's environmental?

With just one vegan meal you have saved about 3.000 gallons of water and 16 pounds of grain.

One hamburger = 2 months of showering (Cowspiracy, 2014)

It takes a lot of water to grow the grain to feed the ow that ultimately produces a hamburger. Replacing just 4 ounces of beef to one vegan option saves 3.000 gallons of water. We put far more energy into animals per unit of food than we do for any plant crop. The main reason is that the cattle consume 16 times as much grain as they produce as meat.

Did you know that eating meat contributes more greenhouse gases than all the traffic together?
For most people, global warming gives them a picture of cars polluting our earth. But all the world's cars, planes and boats are actually not the biggest threat to our planet. The worst pollution is not due to transport, but the production of animal foods such as meat, milk and eggs.

A vegan can actually turn on the shower and let the water run 24 hours a day for a whole year and still not be guilty of the same water waste as a person who consume animal products.

Of the world's total grain harvest 1.01 billion tons is used to feed people and 760 million tons of the harvest goes to feed animals that people breed for meat, milk and eggs. The amount of feed that we give animals could cover the world's food hung 14 times.

For other environmental information about animal agriculture, here is a link:

An easy overview with graphics to illustrate:
http://www.chooseveg.com/environment

Good description in an article by Peta:
http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/meat-environment/

10 reasons why eating vegan helps our planet:
https://www.downtoearth.org/go-veggie/environment/top-10-reasons

Short videos with illustrations:
http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/

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Why it's saving animals

It takes 25 minutes to change a live bull into steaks in the modern slaughterhouse where Ramon Moreno works. The cattle should be dead when it comes to Moreno. But too often it is still alive.
"They blink. They make noises" - Moreno says quietly.
"The head moves, the eyes are open and looking around."

Nevertheless Moreno cuts dozens of animals which reaches his workstation, while they are obviously still alive.

He says: "Some survive for so long that they reach the tail cutter, stomach tearing and skin removal...fully alive."

He continues: "They die...piece by piece"

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My visit to a small local dairy farm in Denmark, North Jutland

"Can we say hello to your cows?"
"Yes, of course come this way... but it smells"

The first thing we were greeted with, was all the dairy cows.
They were shackled with a chain in front, so they couldn't move or clean themselves.

I ask immediately "Where are the calves? I can see that they are filled with milk and this happens when they have calves, but I can't see one calve here"

Farmer: "Come this way...Here we have the newest calves - just a few days old".

They are in separate small bars, where it is difficult for them to move.

The farmer informed us: "I even had boards put up between the stalls once, so the calves could not see each other. But this is forbidden now, because the calves need to have contact to each other."
Now the contact the calves get is seeing each other in the small bars without being able to touch each other or move.

Suddenly, one of the calves kicked backwards in the small cage, trying to get out. He was just a few days old, but really strong.
I couldn't help myself: "It looks like it needs more space"
And right after this, he broke out of the bars in the cage - which is really hard.  "He wants to be free!"

The farmer took the calf and pet him... and then put him behind bars again.
"Can't he walk around for a while?" - "No, it cannot"

These calves so called life, is behind bars without ever feeling grass under their feet. Without being able to run around, or move much. After one year of this kind indoor life behind bars, they get shipped with other bulls they don't know - no matter the weather - to a slaughterhouse where they get to walk into their own deaths, even though they don't want to.

We then came to another barn with older bulls and heifers.
There are 5 large calves in one stall, so they do not have much space. They could stand and walk back and forth, but not without getting in each others way. The slightly larger calves, share a booth together - 4 in each and deal with the same challenge - not being able to move much.

There was an open door to one of the booths, which was empty ... the door led out to a large grass area.
"Do they get to go outside?"
"Yes, the heifers get to go out daily" (the females)
"What about the others, do they get to go out?"
"No, that's bulls - so they don't get to go outside"
"Why not?"
"Because then they mate and we can't have that"

Later, when we stood outside and watched the 6 heifers that were allowed to get out on the grass, I asked:
"Why not just take turns? So the bulls can get out as well, and without parring." Answer: "Then I would have to much to do"

Calves in the dairy industry:
The males live for one year, inside in small bars - then they're slaughtered.

"How old do the female get?"
"5 years old"

This is one of the 'good' milk industries in Denmark where some of the cows are allowed to go outside and feel grass (heifers/females) and the farmer is in contact with the animals (call them names and pet them a little).

But still there is a huge ethical problem:
"How long is the calves allowed to be with her mother after they are born?"
"0 days"
"0 days?"
"Yes, 0 days"

Over by the milking cows.... those who are shackled with chains so they can not turn itself.... we see a cow with a broken tail.

"What happened to her tail?"
"It's broken because there was too much shit on it .... it was removed properly by a veterinarian where the cow was stunned"
(It's hard to stay clean when the cows cannot reach themselves)

The farmer told us, that cows have a really good memory and remember if you hurt them, and that they of course have feelings.

So why this treatment? The farmer is a sweet and loving humorous man who believes what he is doing the right thing; following animal welfare rules in Denmark. The animal welfare rules just aren't good enough!

This is taking place here and now, in 2015, in a small farm in Denmark, North Jutland.. so please be kind and take this information in.
Don't close your eyes or ears to what is happening to animals all around.
Animals have tried to break free from their small bars and live life in the open - without bars, chains and knives - and the only reason they 'must' live under these conditions is because there is money in it for the farmers - and those who sell the product.

You can make a difference every time you shop!
You are the costumer that they are doing this for.
If you stop purchasing animal product... less will be needed to produce and fewer animals have to live as prisoners and then die horrible deaths.
It counts each time you choose animal free products - even though you can't see yourself go all the way - it still counts to reduce your consumption.

Cows CAN live for 25 years

- In the dairy industry bulls are get to ''live" for one year
- They get to spend 0 days with their mothers
- They will never feel what it is like to be outside, or how it is to run and exercise
- They live their whole life behind bars
- They spend the last hours in a truck and then in a slaughterhouse
- They are killed in an age of 1 year

- In the dairy industry the heifers spent 0 days with their mother
- They get to go outside on a grass field
- They are artificially inseminated by a veterinarian
- After giving birth to their calves - it gets taken away from the mothers immediately.
- Then they are milked daily, where they are shackled with a chain so they do not have freedom to move or clean themselves
- They get 4 calves during their life
- They too spend their last hours in a truck and then in a slaughterhouse
- They are killed in an age of 5 years old

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------or For more information about how NOT eating meat, fish, eggs and dairy is saving the animals, check this webpage out:

http://directactioneverywhere.com/
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Thank you for your time!