On Monday 27th August(Bank Holiday), between 5,000 and 8,000 people are expected to march from Birmingham City Centre to a rally & concert in Cannon Hill Park. Organised by Christian Aid, the `Cut the Carbon` march & rally aims to raise awareness of the fact that climate change is not just a forecast. It is happening now and millions of poor people are suffering.

This event represents a fantastic opportunity for veggies/vegans to inform masses of environmentally conscious people of the devastating impact that meat/dairy production has on the planet. Midlands Vegan Campaigns will be joining the march and rally with banners/placards/leaflets etc, urging the marchers and general public alike, to change their diet for the sake of the planet, people, wildlife etc!!

We are calling on veggies/vegans from across the West Midlands to join us in Birmingham for this exciting event! If you`re part of a local veggie/vegan/animal rights group, please do all you can to encourage your fellow members to join us. Perhaps your group could paint/make your own banners/placards to carry! Maybe you could even make some eye catching props, costumes etc! Please use your imagination!! :)

We will meet outside St Martin`s Church, near the Bullring Shopping Centre at 11am where we`ll have some spare posters(if you can`t bring your own) and leaflets(from Viva, Vegan Society etc). See a map here
 http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=407328&Y=286544&A=Y&Z=1
From there, we`ll move off to gather with the Christian Aid marchers who are meeting in Bradford Street at 11.30am. Feel free to go direct to Bradford Street if you wish, but bear in mind that thousands of marchers are expected, so you may have trouble spotting us in the crowd!!

The general public are being encouraged to `Go Green` everywhere they look. Increasing numbers of people are falling over themselves to reduce their personal impact on the planet - their ecological footprint. We commend people for taking up recycling, saving energy, buying eco cleaning products, switching to renewable energy suppliers, cycling to work, saving water etc. But what most people do not realise is that meat/dairy production are quite possibly the most environmentally damaging practices carried out by mankind!! As ethical, eco-friendly, socially responsible veggies/vegans, we should make it our business to pass on the shocking facts to anyone that will listen. Why on earth should we want to keep the ugly truth to ourselves?!!! If you doubt the environmental impact of meat/dairy production, see  http://www.viva.org.uk/guides/planetonaplate.htm

This march and rally is the launch event for Midlands Vegan Campaigns. If you would like to join discussions about the event, or about MVC in general, please subscribe to our email list  https://lists.rbgi.net/mailman/listinfo/midlandsvegancampaigns

You may also, like to attend our first meeting which will take place on Thursday 9th August, 7.30pm at Friends of the Earth, Allison Street, Digbeth, Birmingham. This is just 5 minutes walk from New Street Station. See map
 http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=407590&Y=286728&A=Y&Z=1
The `Cut the Carbon` march will be one of several issues on the agenda. Anyone interested in getting involved with MVC in any way is welcome to attend.

You can read more about the Christian Aid march on their website  http://www.christianaid.org.uk/

We look forward to seeing you in Birmingham!

MVC
 mvc94@yahoo.co.uk