Congress Promotion of Raw Food

This year's meeting of the EVU was held in Widnau, Switzerland. Organised and directed by Sigrid De Leo, this was considered by many of the attendees to be one of the finest vegetarian conferences in their recollection. Speakers from around the world were brought in to present on a wide variety of subjects of interest and special concern to vegetarians, including Ecology, Ethics, Health, Animal Rights, Veganism, Raw Food Nutrition, Sports Performance and many others. Sport experts: Prof. K. Jung (Germany), A. Wingqvist (Sweden), G. Coffey (USA), Prof. Gruben (UK), Prof. Hebbelinck (Belgium), Dr. Bukovsky (Slovakia). It was good to hear from the long-time leaders in our movement such as Prof. Dr Marcel Hebbelinck, Arne Wingquist, Joyce D'Silva, Tina Fox, Dr Douglas Graham, Prof. Rozalind Gruben and Prof. Dr. Klaus Jung. It was equally refreshing to experience the enthusiasm and excitement of newcomers to the movement. Held at the Widnau Sport centre, the conference offered many opportunities for attendees to get to know one another. There were small and large tables at every meal, offering chances for intimate conversations and boisterous group meetings. Several outings were offered giving all conference goers a chance to see many local sights. All tastes were catered for with excursions ranging from mountain walks to cultural and historical places. The sport centre, with its variety of superb facilities including a gymnasium, huge outdoor pool and soccer fields, provided everyone with plenty of recreational choices. Each day the presentations focused on a different topic making for a powerful impression. A proclamation declaring October as Reverence for Life Month was drafted, signed, and sent to many of the world's powers that be.Friends met old friends, and made many new ones. Due to the inspiring promotion of Raw Foods by many of the speakers, delegates were searching at meal times for more raw fare. This resulted in a progressive demand upon the kitchen staff to come up with raw alternatives to their delicious cooked meals. This led to one hitch in the proceedings. The food staff inadvertently served an improperly prepared dish of raw legumes, believing that simply soaking them for a short while would render them fit for consumption. This caused about seventy people to become severely ill, 31 of who were hospitalised. The good news was that everyone recovered within 12 hours of becoming ill. The chief doctor in charge of this calamity said that he had seen food poisoning many times before, but never even once from vegetarian fare. He also stated that usually people take 5 to 7 days to recover from this type of experience, and wondered aloud at the press conference what type of healthy people these vegetarians must be to show such amazing recuperative powers! Prof. Rozalind Gruben. Joyce D'Silva from Compassion in World Farming (CIWF). Dr Igor Bukovsky, new EVU president. Widnau put on a smiling face for this convention, providing delegates with excellent summer weather throughout most of the event. Everyone expressed dismay at having to go home, it seemed all would have been happy to stay put for at least another week. Simultaneous translations made communications easy at the lectures, and when translators were not available someone was always willing to pitch in and help facilitate any conversation. Plans were made to see each other at subsequent conventions, with everyone agreeing that it would have to be quite an event to match the spirit, energy, and good will that was experienced in Widnau.The level of organisation and was second to none and Sigrid deserves recognition for the tremendous effort, energy and enthusiasm that she has spent injecting into this project over the past two years. Her daughter Francesca and sons Marc and Tommaso were also truly marvellous and never tired in their cheery smiles and offers of help. The success of the whole event can be summed up by one person's words as they parted on the last day: "The whole experience has been far better than I could ever have hoped for. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I return home feeling re-energised, better educated and inspired to live and spread the vegetarian message further." Douglas Graham, Rozalind Gruben