Marisa wants to help with your vegucation.
Courtesy of Marisa Miller Wolfson
Marisa Miller Wolfson is the outreach director for Kind Green Planet, a nonprofit that conducts outreach on healthy, humane, eco-friendly living. "I focus mostly on the food sector and speak to people at colleges, law schools, seminaries, churches, conferences, etc, about eating greener, cleaner foods," she explains. More specifically, Marisa runs a free e-mail coaching program called Vegan at Heart, which, she explains: "Empowers the health-conscious and veg-curious with resources to make it easier to transition to a more plant-based diet."
Obviously, all that would be reason enough for any greenie to sit up and take notice but before we get to the Q&A, I'm happy to say there's even more: Marisa is also in the midst of finishing up a documentary called Vegucated. "I took three New Yorkers and turned them vegan for six weeks and tracked their process on tape," she says.
Needless to say, I had a few questions for Marisa Miller Wolfson.
WATCH VIDEO: G Word: Keep it Vegan
Check the Trailer (created before film's title was changed)
My Conversation With Marisa Miller Wolfson
Planet Green: When and how did your interest in environmental and vegan issues get started?
Marisa Miller Wolfson: I've been involved in the environment movement since high school when I headed up the environmental club, but we were more into peddling environmental message gear than making a real difference for the planet. It wasn't until my twenties that I got concerned with the life cycle of the stuff we consume. And I certainly wasn't focused on food. I had to be hit over the head with footage and information about industrial agriculture before I realized that so many of the crises we face—climate change/pollution/biodiversity loss/health epidemics/food safety & security/a culture of violence—can be alleviated by simply changing the way we eat. We can literally eat our way to hope and change. It's that message that gets me out of bed every morning.
PG: Now that's the kind of authentic hope and change we all need. I'm sure Planet Green readers who are thinking about going vegan would love to hear a little about the e-mail coaching you do. What's that process like?
MMW: Thank you! Well, the process is super simple: once you subscribe to Vegan at Heart, you'll automatically receive one vegan "mission" a day for thirty days that takes less than ten minutes to complete. This is usually a task, a bit of information, or a resource that will make the transition easier. The truth is, there are a gazillion helpful tools and resources on the web that have been designed for the sole purpose of making it easy for people to be vegan; it's just a matter of plugging in. After the thirty days, you'll receive a weekly mission, but I also welcome emails from individuals who have questions or want moral support. You can wade through the web or scour forums, but sometimes you just need a real person to "talk" to. I've also realized that I'm just one person with one set of life experiences, while there are almost 850 subscribers with almost 850 life experiences, so we just created an online cheering section where people can write in with questions, victories, or challenges and other people can relate, reply, and cheer them on.
PG: What's surprised you most while doing such coaching?
MMW: What has surprised me the most has been the level of commitment that people show in this process. I went vegan in NYC, where we have 141 veg restaurants, Veggie Parades and Veggie Proms, but there are people in small towns all over the world who have no vegan community and no support, and they're making it work. Last week one Vegan at Heart from my hometown in Indiana told me that she was the only one at a 90-person work lunch who didn't eat meat, and she was proud of her stick-to-itness. Now her boys are phasing out meat, led by her example. Another one in North Carolina told me that her parents try to sabotage her by surrounding her with her favorite non-vegan foods to lure her back to "their side," but she's persevering, losing weight and gaining confidence. Many members also struggle with financial and mobility issues yet still manage to make major changes and celebrate victories. You can't help but feel hopeful.
PG: Which brings us to your film project, Vegucated. Tell us something about this documentary.
MMW: Vegucated was inspired by Supersize Me, but this film focuses much more on the ethics of eating than the health aspect, although we do go into health, and all three film subjects experience real improvements in their health after the six weeks. What we especially wanted to capture, though, was the psychological/emotional disorientation that happens when people learn the truth about modern animal agriculture. It can really turn your world upside-down, and you start thinking that lifestyles that you originally considered wacky and radical suddenly make more sense. So we deliberately chose three people for whom veganism would be a real change and a real challenge. There's Brian, a 20-something bachelor who only eats out; Tesla, a Honduran-American college student who lives with her family and doesn't like vegetables or beans; and Ellen, a single mom/psychiatrist/stand-up comic who doesn't have time to cook.
PG: That's a great mix.
MMW: From the pre-screenings we've done so far, I can tell that we completely lucked out with the three subjects that I chose. They're funny and sincere, and audiences will be able to relate to them on their journey down the rabbit hole into Veganland, where we introduce them to such exotic offerings as raw food and leather-free motorcycle jackets. But it's when we traipse around on farms and get first-hand exposure to the hidden sides of animal agriculture that they begin to wonder if veganism is so extreme after all. Or is it the status quo that's unhealthy, unsustainable and extreme? We gave them camcorders to document their experiences integrating new perspectives into their old lives, and they find that not everyone is as sympathetic as they had thought, and not every city is as vegan-friendly as NYC. They capture their challenges staying vegan while on vacation visiting family in Honduras, on a cruise to England, and spending time with skeptical parents in New Hampshire. I'm not going to give away the ending, but I will say that they all experience emotional shifts, which is pure gold for a filmmaker, and they all land in slightly different places with their lifestyles, which reflects real life.
PG: It sounds as if you've found a unique avenue upon which to share information.
MMW: As a grassroots activist, I've organized screenings of other films on similar topics, and I've actually felt bad making people sit through so much unpleasantness. With this film, audiences are more likely to laugh than to cry, and I'm super excited to share it with the world. It works like a really good ice breaker to get people thinking and talking about issues that they normally don't want to think and talk about.
PG: When can we expect to see Vegucated?
MMW: Time-wise, our goal is to wrap up post-production by the fall and to start talking to broadcasters and entering it into film festivals. We're currently raising money to build an online Action Center that will help people not only find out about screenings but actually help organize them and build a community in their area around these important issues.
PG: When faced with such urgent global issues, some might feel overwhelmed or even guilty.
MMW: It is so easy to feel overwhelmed and guilty, but we can look at it from a more positive perspective. We live in an interconnected web, and as environmentalists, we're often keenly aware of the harmful repercussions of our actions. But we should also focus on the good repercussions of our actions. We can never know what our true positive impact is on the world, but we can each look back and remember all of the individuals who inspired us to make changes, and suddenly we can see the cumulative effects that these little positive actions can have. We also shouldn't freak out about the effectiveness of every positive action we take. The point, I think, is to do something and to keep doing something. It will undeniably create ripples, and we can learn and grow from each experience. The optimist in me believes that we're nearing a tipping point with the food issue. And we can make it happen if we each dig deep inside and discover where our skills and passions meet, visualize what our contribution would look like, set goals, and then take it one goal and one baby step at a time.
PG: What can you share with Planet Green readers to help each of them utilize their unique skills in the name of a cleaner, saner planet?
MMW: It's pretty clear how teachers, journalists, and legislators can use their skills to address this issue because they already have a platform to educate people and make change happen, but you don't need a traditional platform to be effective. The way people consume information is changing, and with the breakdown of traditional media, having a voice is easier than ever. Blogs are replacing newspapers and magazines; the web is replacing television; podcasts are replacing radio shows, and technology is making it easier to create films and art. I've seen firsthand how a short web film made with a flipcam and iMovie can land you on CNN.com. And I'm finishing a feature film without having been to film school! Facebook and Twitter can be great community-building, info-dispensing tools. If you've got something to say in today's world, you can find a way to say it and be heard. But you don't have to be plugged in to make a difference. Artists can create pictures, sculpture, designs, and songs that inspire. Joggers can run races for a cause. Lawyers can take on farm- or food-related pro bono work. Entrepreneurs can start sustainable food-related businesses. Health professionals can encourage patients to eat better. Athletes can show what being plant-powered can do for strength and stamina. Parents can get involved in creating healthier options in schools. Writers can pen letters to the editor or move people with their poetry or prose. When important legislation comes up, we can all take two minutes to call our legislators. Finally, eating is something we all do every day. Even small changes add up if enough people make them. Growing our own food and cooking and sharing delicious, healthy dishes with others can be ways to set powerful examples of what a more sustainable way of life looks like. Each and every one of us can "be the change" every meal every day.
