Get Vegucated at the Vegetarian Museum!

Reporting from The National Vegetarian Museum in Chicago, Elysabeth Alfano takes us through the nation’s only vegan/vegetarian museum with founder, Kay Stepkin. Finally there is a museum where you can learn about vegetarian history! Come along and learn with us as we explore vegetarian roots!

The museum has plenty of exhibits for everyone to learn about the history of vegetarianism.

Elysabeth begins with a display that shows all of the health benefits of a plant-based diet. From preventing ailments like cancer and diabetes to treating them. Next, we view a display about factory farming with some very intriguing statistics. Tragically 99% of farmed animals are raised on factory farms, and they are raised in unfathomable conditions. Our environment is also suffering, with 51% of greenhouse gasses as a result of animal agriculture. The practice of raising livestock is literally smothering our planet. Many countries like Greece, Israel and India have long histories of vegetarianism and compassion for our fellow animals. The museum promotes veganism as a sustainable, healthy way of life. They also offer a vegan restaurant guide in Chicago along with fun vegan recipes from celebrities like Alicia Silverstone, who advocates for veganism.

The National Vegetarian Museum, “for your health,

Kay Stepkin, the founder of the museum, joins us so we can learn more her reasons for creating this museum. She explains that when she was asked to speak about the history of vegetarianism, she did research, and she realized their was so much more to be learned than she anticipated. She also found out that Chicago also has a rich vegetarian history that people did not know about. She decided to share that history and so much more by making The National Vegetarian Museum! She created the museum for the people to educate themselves about vegetarian lifestyles and their impact historically and presently. This is also a traveling museum so it is to reach many others around the Chicago area. Any city that wants to be included in this display, can provide information, and have a panel made about them. In the future, the museum can travel to their city.

The vision and mission of National Vegetarian Museum is:

Confetti Snacks: Captivating Chips From Unwanted Vegetables

“Our vision is of a healthy world, in which both human and animal suffering are significantly decreased, with all life in sustainable balance. Eating a whole, plant-based diet is one of the most significant factors that will lead us to this harmony. Our mission is to educate and demonstrate the values and benefits of veganism and vegetarianism for human health, the environment, and the well being of all life.”

Everyone should encourage other cities and states to host their own vegetarian museums like this one until they are around the world. We can all learn from exhibits like these. Hopefully they will change the perceptions of many, so we can create a better world for all of its inhabitants!