European Vegetarian Union

Press Corner

from EVU News, Issue 1 /1998

Cycling-Linda McCartney gives vegetarian team ticket to ride

LONDON, March 15 (Reuter) Linda McCartney, wife of former Beatle Paul, is to sponsor an all-vegetarian professional cycling team. McCartney, who heads a vegetarian food company, will pay for a six-man team to race internationally in preparation for the nine-day Tour of Britain in May.

The team, headed by British circuit race champion Simon Cope, will race in jerseys emblazoned ‘Linda McCartney on tour’ and are believed to be the first all-vegetarian cycling team.

‘By competing without meat we are blazing a new trail for sport’, team director Julian Clark said on Sunday. ‘Meat-free diets are playing an increasing part in athletes’ training’.

More about Paul and Linda McCartney

New Book:

Leena Vilkka: The Intrinsic Value of Nature

Amsterdam/Atlanta, GA 1997. XI,168 pp., Value Inquiry Book Series 59, ISBN 90-420-0325-1, Hfl. 55,-JUS-$ 28.50

What is intrinsic value? What is the origin of value? Are people always superior to nature? This book is a philosophical analysis of the human relationship to the non-human world. It is a pioneering study of the philosophy of nature-conservation in relation to the discussion of intrinsic value. Vilkka develops a naturalistic or naturocentric theory of value that is based on ethical extensionism and pluralism. Vilkka analyses natural values and environmental attitudes: zoocentrism, biocentrism, and eco-centrism. This book forms a taxonomy for nature having intrinsic value. The theory of intrinsic value is based on naturocentric and naturogenic values. The book questions the thesis of weak anthropocentrism that denies tile existence of values. In Vilkka’s theory, animals and nature are the origin of value. She defends the existence of zoogenic and biogenic values in the non-human world and discusses the possibility of ecogenic value, nature as a whole having value independent of human or animal minds. Vjlkka analyses the goodness and rights of nature, the problem of priorities, and ecological hurnanism. A naturocentric recommendation is that the well-being of animals and nature should have priority over human values at least in some real decision contexts. Ecological humanism recommends an attitude of respect for people, animals, and nature. The book includes an extensive glossary, index, and bibliography.

More about Leena Vilkka

Oldest person in the world vegetarian

The Guinness book of world records has named Marie-Louise Meilleur as the oldest person alive in the world. The almost 117 year old lives in Northern Ontario and eats three vegetarian meals a day. She says she owes her longevity to hard physical work and prayer. She smoked cigarettes till she was almost 100. From Lifelines, The voice of Toronto’s Vegetarian Community, Sept. & Oct. ’97

Vegetarian Posters Prohibited

(sda) The SBB, (Swiss Federal Rail-ways) have ordered the posters that advertise a vegetarian diet to be taken down from their trains. This measure was taken after the intervention of the national council member Joseph Kühne from St. Gallen. Kühne, who is a farmer and member of the SBB Executive Council, confirmed a report in a specialist journal. The SBB gave as the reason for their internal prohibitive order ‘political advertising’.

The advertising campaign was paid for by the ‘Society against Animal Factories’ (VgT). The posters said: ‘Essen Sie heute vegetarisch – Ihrer Gesundheit und den Tieren z uliebe’ (‘Eat vegetarian today – for the sake of your health and of the animals’). From Rheintaler, January 1 st , ’97 (SDL)

[As nearly all Swiss newspapers and radio stations published the news, the publicity for vegetarianism was probably even more effective than with the posters in the trains! SDL]

Animals at School

Dogs, cats, ducks and rabbits will go to school in the Italian city of Padua from the end of February. It’s true though that the idea is not to make the animals more intelligent but to teach the children to come into contact with animals. - (SDL) Translated from Rheintaler,12.2.’98

Wholegrain Food and Milk Not Good For Everyone:
Dairy products ‘utter humbug’

Wholegrain products and milk can lead to numerous neurological problems, as scientists at a symposium for environmental medicine in Kassel, Germany, have declared.

The scientists claim that often, patients with neurological disorders are admitted into psychiatric wards, even though in 57% of those with disorders such as tingling legs and movement problems, an increased number of antibodies to grain structures had been diagnosed. In some cases, the disorders and even depressions were cured by a specific diet. The scientists also stated that the claim that osteoporosis could be stopped by consuming dairy products was “utter humbug”. Quite the contrary, the condition might be aggravated, since increased consumption of protein and calcium may lead to an increased excretion of calcium.

St.Galler Tagblatt, 30.10.97 (Stab.)

Summer Festival for Ecological Seniors

In exchange for a free board and lodging (excellent organic vegetarian meals) active retired people are asked to work 5 hours per day (25h a week). helping to built up and restore an ‘early retirement farm’, an ecological and useful project in the beautiful North Eastern part of the Vosges, France. There are special leisure activities on offer like sauna, a breathing course, tea-time dancing, sun-terrace and many more things.

Obtain an application form, (including 2 internat. reply coupons) from: Mrs. C.A. Zijlstra, 2 rte des Fourneaux, F-88430 Gerbépal, France.



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