Last Vegan MoFo experience, I began selecting people that I respect who have made a difference for me and other vegans. My first two were Kyung Sun Won (of Pulmuone Wildwood fame) and Daryl Hannah (of acting and activist fame). In discussion with Seitan, we realized that both of us were inspired by Diet for a New America… so it’s high time that I selected John Robbins as my Vegan MoFo Hero of the Week (VMFHW).

John Robbins, Our Vegan MoFo Hero of the Week

You have to respect someone who believes so strongly in something that he would turn his back on one of the largest ice cream empires… and that’s exactly what John Robbins did. The son of Irma and Irv Robbins (the guy who’s surname makes up half of the Baskin-Robbins name), John decided that his father’s dream… one that was built on the backs (and udders) of cows… wasn’t his own. As he states on his site Healthy at 100 (also the name of Robbins’ most recent book), John wanted to “…pursue the deeper American Dream…the dream of a society at peace with its conscience because it respects and lives in harmony with all life forms. A dream of a society that is truly healthy, practicing a wise and compassionate stewardship of a balanced ecosystem.”

On a more personal level, it was his book Diet for a New America: How Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness, and the Future of Life on Earth that affected me the most. This landmark book really connected everything for me… how food, animals, health, and the earth are so intertwined. It was after reading this book that I became more determined to be a vegetarian… and then later a vegan. Diet for a New America, also a DVD, was revolutionary in that it so easily explained the results of our food choices. It made it clear to me that what I eat really does affect not just me, but my environment. Nowadays, we’re all about reducing our carbon footprint… it’s a catch-phrase that’s become popular… but back when Robbins wrote this, with many of the same messages popular today, he was one of the few saying it.

Diet for a New America

His later books, The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life And Our World and Reclaiming Our Health: Exploding the Medical Myth and Embracing the Source of True Healing, explore diet and go beyond to challenge what we think we know of medicine and the healthcare industry. What makes his writing so great is the fact that he challenges the reader, provides facts, and yet still speaks with passion and conviction. The ignorant masses will often ignore the issues and truths by flippantly saying that activists are radicals or just being “PC,” but when people are confronted by the eloquence of John Robbins, they have to take notice. He’s not some Jerry Garcia look-alike. He’s not bashing people over the head like PETA (not that there’s anything wrong with that on occasion). What he does is present the facts in a straightforward way, and he speaks as someone that we can all relate to… a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a concerned human. At the same time, he doesn’t shy away from the hard truths… he isn’t afraid of telling the readers how many acres of rain forest are destroyed by the beef industry or how much water is used for a single cow. He isn’t afraid of opening eyes.

Healthy at 100

Throughout the years, Robbins words have also come to my rescue. His fact-filled articles explain different issues and help me understand a variety of topics… and his work gives me information I can use when angry omnivores come to ask about the truth about soy or why I’m careful about the chocolate I buy or the horrors of the beef industry. His articles also amuse and inspire while opening eyes. I especially liked his lyrics from his article If You Want To Be A Hero (sung to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It). Check it out. It’s thoughtful and fun… without giving it away, just know that instead of “Clap Your Hands,” the refrain is “Bomb Iraq.”

It’s this honesty that he writes and speaks with that got me thinking, and has me continuing to think about ethics and our place in this world… and that’s why he deserves to be the Vegan MoFo Hero of the Week here at Wok on the Wildside. Check out any one of his books if you haven’t already.

Daryl Hannah Image from Bananawacky on Flickr

With dozens of movies in her filmography and a career that has spanned more than twenty-five years, Daryl Hannah has had a very successful career as a movie star. In my opinion, what sets her apart from most celebrities is the fact that she believes in some very real issues and is an activist for causes that make a difference in our world. A vegan and firm believer in using bio-fuel (she has an El Camino that runs on filtered veggie oil), Hannah has traveled the world to highlight endangered species, created a video podcast and website (DH Lovelife) to educate people about a variety of environmental issues, and has camped out in trees to make a point. She’s not afraid of using her celebrity status to bring more attention (read media) to an event.

My first memories of Daryl Hannah are of her roles in Blade Runner and Splash (two of my favorite movies when I was a growing up… I know, eclectic tastes). Although she continued to act in movies and even produce some work, I didn’t really read more about Daryl Hannah until I saw a November 2006 feature on her in VegNews, one of my favorite magazines on vegan living. Then I began watching her DH Love Life video podcast, and I was hooked on all the wonderful things that Hannah does for the environment, animals, and vegan, sustainable living. Here episodes include topics like biodynamic wine, vegan junkfood, solar science, Rwanda, and electric cars. Although I wish she’d podcast more frequently, I’ve enjoyed every episode I’ve watched, and I’ve also learned something new in each one.

For all she does for increasing awareness for environmental issues, I lift up my glass of 100% fruit smoothie and offer a toast to this week’s VeganMoFo Hero of the Week… Daryl Hannah.