Seeking Information/A Letter - Making Havenheed Happen
I sent this message to PETA. I know that support of PETA varies from vegan to vegan, but being that they are as large as they are, I figure that they must be a good starting point for information, in the very least.
I don't know how legitimately the other members of Havenheed are about making a physical community become a reality. But this is something that resonates within me and I do spite my "poorness" and ability to only contribute my entire savings -- which is around $1000 -- that I would gladly put into the kind of utopia, haven, and paradise our cruelty-free, environmentally-friendly nation would create. Unfortunately, our conversations seem to include Jonas, Lion, Moon, and myself, and I would really love for this to get more in-depth and for true monetary commitments to be made (for those wishing to own or live on the land).
Anyhow, here is what I sent to PETA, mostly on behalf of myself, since I did not want to speak for Havenheed directly, but I do include that I am, in fact, Rand Geralt, citizen of Havenheed:
______________________________________
Colleagues and myself are a bit unsure as to where to go to seek a few answers, as well as possible help and guidance, for an endeavor we all support...
Being that PETA is the largest and "go-to" organization against animal cruelty, I figured this would be the best place to start to see if there is any help, information, or resources available.
Basically, we want to prove that "living vegan" is entirely possible. PETA is a big part of that, and we want to take it beyond just animal rights and include that we want to live as modern as possible in as purely a cruelty-free life as possible. This includes the intense desire to steer clear of all or any forms of animal products in not only food and clothes, but in all aspects of life. In addition, we'd want to live a life FREE from environmental harm.
The dream is to create a true vegan paradise. We have several who are able or willing to spill around a thousand each (if not more) into some kind of land purchase. The goal would be an entirely cruelty-free, sustainable existence and society.
There's been a lot of hypothetical planning and talk about locale, as well as ways to overcome obstacles. There are some large islands for sale that would (or could) make good starting points, but as of now we're only capable of making a dent in the purchase cost. But the dream of happy gardens and the absence of exploit fuels many of us.
This is primarily a general inquiry to PETA to see if there is any information or suggestions that can be offered, or, if that is not possible, to be steered in a helpful direction.
A cohesive, vegan nation... merely fiction, or shall we strive for our ideals to become reality? If the opportunity were to arise, we will show the dedication to see things through.
But even moreso, we will hope to disprove the conventional societal belief that this entire endeavor isn't possible. Many of us don't just believe that we are vegan for animal rights, but also because something inside us tells us that this is how we were made to be.
And so, before getting any more in-depth, I digress. If PETA can offer any help our way, we would be eternally grateful. If not, this group of lunatics and idealists understands. :)
/Rand Geralt, citizen of "Havenheed"
____________________________________________________________
And so, I seek my fellow Havenites' (?) comments and criticisms regarding not only this letter, but the legitimacy of this entire "real Havenheed" endeavor.
I don't know how legitimately the other members of Havenheed are about making a physical community become a reality. But this is something that resonates within me and I do spite my "poorness" and ability to only contribute my entire savings -- which is around $1000 -- that I would gladly put into the kind of utopia, haven, and paradise our cruelty-free, environmentally-friendly nation would create. Unfortunately, our conversations seem to include Jonas, Lion, Moon, and myself, and I would really love for this to get more in-depth and for true monetary commitments to be made (for those wishing to own or live on the land).
Anyhow, here is what I sent to PETA, mostly on behalf of myself, since I did not want to speak for Havenheed directly, but I do include that I am, in fact, Rand Geralt, citizen of Havenheed:
______________________________________
Colleagues and myself are a bit unsure as to where to go to seek a few answers, as well as possible help and guidance, for an endeavor we all support...
Being that PETA is the largest and "go-to" organization against animal cruelty, I figured this would be the best place to start to see if there is any help, information, or resources available.
Basically, we want to prove that "living vegan" is entirely possible. PETA is a big part of that, and we want to take it beyond just animal rights and include that we want to live as modern as possible in as purely a cruelty-free life as possible. This includes the intense desire to steer clear of all or any forms of animal products in not only food and clothes, but in all aspects of life. In addition, we'd want to live a life FREE from environmental harm.
The dream is to create a true vegan paradise. We have several who are able or willing to spill around a thousand each (if not more) into some kind of land purchase. The goal would be an entirely cruelty-free, sustainable existence and society.
There's been a lot of hypothetical planning and talk about locale, as well as ways to overcome obstacles. There are some large islands for sale that would (or could) make good starting points, but as of now we're only capable of making a dent in the purchase cost. But the dream of happy gardens and the absence of exploit fuels many of us.
This is primarily a general inquiry to PETA to see if there is any information or suggestions that can be offered, or, if that is not possible, to be steered in a helpful direction.
A cohesive, vegan nation... merely fiction, or shall we strive for our ideals to become reality? If the opportunity were to arise, we will show the dedication to see things through.
But even moreso, we will hope to disprove the conventional societal belief that this entire endeavor isn't possible. Many of us don't just believe that we are vegan for animal rights, but also because something inside us tells us that this is how we were made to be.
And so, before getting any more in-depth, I digress. If PETA can offer any help our way, we would be eternally grateful. If not, this group of lunatics and idealists understands. :)
/Rand Geralt, citizen of "Havenheed"
____________________________________________________________
And so, I seek my fellow Havenites' (?) comments and criticisms regarding not only this letter, but the legitimacy of this entire "real Havenheed" endeavor.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Jonas Hellö on -
I think we must stay patient and respect the fact that purchasing any land might be many years from now, but if we don't start now we won't get there, simple as that, and it might also happen sooner than we think. We have to keep scouting, questioning and investigating this issue - and spread the word - so you writing to PETA is an excellent initiative.
One idea actually reasoning with this goal being so far away, is the starting-to-save-now-project we might want to engage in. That is, we start saving, collectively or individually, money on e.g. a monthly basis in order to purchase land at some point. We won't have to sacrifice our savings directly (though I would, had we the chance now, of course), but instead save like 10 Euros/month for a couple of years. Were we to save collectively, this would be money back guaranteed if one wanted to withdraw before land could be found, and hopefully some interest could be made too, but at least we could show us capable of closing in on such a goal even though we aren't very many yet. This could maybe be spread on different projects as well, as maybe some people would want to live on a tropical island and some in a temperate forest, some close to a large city and some far off into 'the wild', so that maybe we'd be scattered, yet connected - or possibly we could unite around one or a few locations. But facts remains - we need to be more people, and buying land costs money.
I think it is quite possible to create a real nation of Havenheed - at least real in our eyes, with a physical land, a functioning economy, government and businesses, but we could also look at its 'remoteness' as a positive of sorts, as we must have time to develop said economy, government and businesses anyway before we can unite under our flag for real.
Regardless of which, I do think Havenites is the best name yet for us, and I will go with that. :)
-
Permalink Reply by Moon Appleby on -
I couldn't have put the letter any better myself.
I really hope that Havenheed can be a reality someday (more preferably during my lifetime!).
Just think... We could be the pioneers and founders of a great vegan paradise. =)
-
Permalink Reply by Development Department on -
Thanks for this innovative thinking and activity. Peta is an overall force for good but could improve. If Peta recognises Havenheed as a force to be reckoned with then Havenheed could be a platform for disgruntled vegans to voice their views to help improve the organisation. I don't find vegans being hyper anti Peta helps very much. Few vegans live their lives as ethically precise as they would like to. Things like pet food, non organic food, non organic clothes, low paid fruit pickers, fossil fuels etc. are things that feature in the lives of most western vegans. Most vegans don't have ethically flawless lives so we can't really expect vegan organisations to be so either. It is better to co-operate with Peta rather than just hating it. Hopefully Havenheed can make this co-operation a bit more realistic and open up a more reasonable dialogue between Peta and their vegan critics.
And yes Havenites definitely sounds like the best name for our citizens.
-
Permalink Reply by Rand Foxwillow on -
i agree... i think a lot of vegans don't like that PETA "settles" on some things... the obvious goal is to eliminate all meat and all exploit and so when PETA campaigns for "better conditions" for animals that will be killed to eat, some dislike it.
some have an issue with the nudity or shock campaigns. everyone is going to be annoyed by something, and no person is perfect, therefore no organization comprised of people will be perfect. their aims are virtuous, despite their flaws. i'm not a PETA fanboy, but i am far, far from a harsh critic.
-
Permalink Reply by Rand Foxwillow on
-
no response yet, guys.
anyone know of vegan celebrities that may be sympathetic to our cause or have some connections/suggestions to help us out?
-
Permalink Reply by Jonas Hellö on
-
I'm thinking Ellen DeGeneres (however she spells that), and Joaquin Phoenix (however he spells that). :P I've brushed upon that subject before, but I am unsure how to get in contact with them and other celebs.
-
Permalink Reply by Moon Appleby on
-
Don't forget Weird Al Yankovic, Olivia Wilde, Tobey McGuire, Liv Tyler and James Cromwell.
There are quite a few famous vegans in this list: http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html
Couldn't hurt to message most or all of the ones in the list, and hope that some could support us.
-
Permalink Reply by Desiree Meisner on
-
Permalink Reply by Rand Foxwillow on
-
Lion - via our newsletter, I see that you're the head of promoting now. :) I leave this letter (and task) in your hands -- feel free to alter it in any way if you'd like. I'm pretty sure seeking the assistance/support/direction/resources of a celebrity of some sort would fall under promotion.
Unfortunately, PETA did not and likely will not respond to me, so I think seeking out some like-minded people with some clout would be important. Again, we aren't necessarily looking for monetary support or donation -- we don't want someone to "own" us unless they legitimately mirror our concerns.
I already dislike the concept of "buying" land in the first place, since I don't think we have the right to own animals, I also think we don't have the right to own any of the earth, but that's kind of an entirely different discussion. ;) Current social norms make a purchase a requirement.
-
Permalink Reply by Jonas Hellö on
-
Yeah, we'd be buying land only to appeal to normal praxis - us trying to create a new nation will most likely be annoying enough for many, without us also stealing other peoples' land. :P
-
Permalink Reply by Development Department on
-
At least we have notified PETA of our existence. That in itself is worth doing given the size of our goal. Their media machine could be helpful to us in the future but perhaps it is better we don't become associated with them in our "infant" stage. I think it is very important that Havenheed is (and clearly appears to be) independent. Arguably PETA has done the celebrity thing to death and I think we need something where everyday vegans feel they can make a more significant difference.
So as far as promotion goes I'd like to concentrate on the embassy proposition from Jonas. We would only need 20 euros each from 45 people to keep the embassy open for 2 months. We would need good preparation but I think it would be a well worthwhile risk. Even if it is not financially successful it would be a good experiment from which we can learn for future projects.
Perhaps for all projects we invest in (particularly business ones) we should set timelines by which the project has to be successful otherwise it is stopped. In all cases we would at least gain knowledge from the investment. 'd like our business policy to be along the the lines of multiple investments in small well prepared low risk projects rather than going for broke in large high risk ones. A sentiment I believe already reflected in Jonas' original embassy proposition.
I'd also like to make a proposition for a mobile embassy which I'll write about later.
-
Permalink Reply by Rand Foxwillow on
-
depends on what kind of significant difference we're going for. for me, one of the biggest ways to get the vegan message, the complete vegan message, across would be to live it purely, and publicize it. the embassy proposal will gain us a few people who sign up to the site, but all in all, little more than that. given a significant amount of time, it could make something happen, but we're talking about raising more than $1000 for 2 months of mild benefit in one specific spot.
i think they are an excellent grassroots type idea, but it seems like we should probably consider an avenue where we may have more exposure. just because we aren't PETA doesnt mean that someone with connections isn't a good idea. living, comfortably and happily, as purely a vegan lifestyle as possible, that's a great way to make the world question not only their diet, but how theyre treating the planet
© 2013 Created by Development Department.
