A really good list of the vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants in Vancouver. Some you wouldn't even expect.

 A campaign to push for an endangered species law in BC.

Hearts on Noses is a registered non-profit society in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, that rescues, rehabilitates and cares for unwanted, injured, orphaned, abused, neglected and abandoned mini-pigs.

Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) is a registered charity that operates two shelters in the City of Richmond, British Columbia. They operate a cat shelter (the largest cat sanctuary in North America) as well as the City of Richmond Animal Shelter.

Founded in June 2009 by Claudia Li, Shark Truth is a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to promoting awareness, education and action around shark fin soup in Chinese communities.

Stop UBC Animal Research is a community-based campaign that employs peaceful and compassionate approaches to educate the public about the grim realities of research on animals at the University of British Columbia and to ultimately bring about an end to research on animals at UBC.

 The Vancouver Humane Society is one of the oldest animal protection groups in the Vancouver area. They currently have campaigns about eggs and rodeos, and they fund emergency animal help.

VRRA is dedicated to raising awareness of rabbits as house pets, to the care and shelter of abandoned and neglected rabbits, and to education regarding the problems of rabbit breeding, selling and their care.

Delicious, animal-friendly fare from Compassion Over Killing.

Named "Cookbook of the Year" by VegNews, vegan cupcakes is the perfect book for beginner bakers wanting to learn the basics as well as the accomplished home baker who wants to expand his or her repertoire.

Karen Moe is committed to creating Beauty and has always wanted to photograph people and pets, both in a studio setting and in locations that complement her client’s unique features and personality. During the portrait shoots, Karen has developed a shooting method that she has named a ‘Technique of Empathy’ where, through conversation, memory and humor, Karen is able to capture feelings that animate a deeper sense of her clients’ expressions and posture. Due to Karen’s long connection to animal rights and social justice, Karen Moe Photography donates 5% all shooting fees to 4 local animal protection organizations like Liberation B.C. During special events, Karen Moe Photography raises the donation to 10%!

Vegan and eco-friendly handbags.

"NEUAURA is committed to bringing uncompromising fashion footwear to animal-friendly consumers. Our purpose is to provide fun and exciting quality footwear that does not involve unnecessary harm to animals and to the environment."

Pangea makes it easier for people to "follow a vegan lifestyle by offering the widest variety of quality vegan products all in one place. We're the one-stop vegan shop!"

The Vegan Collection is an online vegan clothing, shoe and accessories company based out of Los Angeles that is committed to providing cruelty free products at reasonable prices.

 One of the best podcasts out there for learning more about going vegan or vegetarian. Beyond the podcast, the website is loaded with recipes, links, and articles.

Order your copy of PETA's Vegetarian Starter Kit.

"Vegan at Heart is a free e-mail coaching program for people who are vegan at heart but not necessarily in practice. It’s for idealists and animal-lovers and treehuggers and health nuts and everybody in-between who wants to incorporate more compassionate, healthy, sustainable habits into their daily lives but who need a little more info, a little moral support, or just a little friendly kick in the pants."

AnimalRightsHistory.Org promotes and facilitates access to information, education, literary research and the preservation of historical literature on animal rights, animal welfare, and the protection of animals.

Factory farming is an attitude that regards animals and the natural world merely as commodities to be exploited for profit. In animal agriculture, this attitude has led to institutionalized animal cruelty, massive environmental destruction and resource depletion, and animal and human health risks.

"People for Pigeons is concerned with the protection and preservation of mankind's oldest domestic bird, the gentle and loyal pigeon. We support pro-pigeonism, strive to eliminate pigeon persecution and prejudice and promote their positive portrayal in society."

"Cage-Free / Free-Range hens come from the same hatcheries that battery hens come from.  All of their brothers are killed by suffocation or being ground up alive, and the girls themselves endure the same bodily manipulations and mutilations, and they all ultimately end up at the same slaughterhouses when their 'production' declines."

"Labels such as 'Cage Free', 'Free Range',  'Humane Certified',  'Grass Fed', 'Organic', and 'Local' make it seem like those who are willing to pay a higher price can enjoy eggs, dairy, and meat from small-scale 'humane' farms that treat animals with compassion and respect. But is the public being misled?"

"I don't know how they experienced their arrival at the sanctuary – that moment when the van doors opened and the light of day filled their eyes for the first time in their lives – but I know that, for one breathless moment, when we first looked at the 100 souls safely tucked inside, we didn't see the tangled mess of soiled feathers, the open sores, the broken bones, the chopped off beaks, the mocked lives."

 Dedicated to ending the use of animals in medical research.

The global clearinghouse for information on alternatives to animal testing.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.

SHARK battles tirelessly against bullfighting, pigeon shoots, turkey shoots, canned hunts (and all hunting), rodeos, circuses, zoos, and marine parks... any issue that involves violation of the innate rights of living creatures.

"South America is being taken over by a handful of companies in the soy business that are destroying ecologically sensitive areas and pushing people from their ancestral land."

Global warming. Overexploited natural resources. Deforestation. Wasted land. Water and air pollution. The most serious environmental problems of our time are all directly linked to eating meat.

Evidence shows a meat-based diet is bad for the environment, aggravates global hunger, brutalizes animals and compromises health. So why aren't more environmentalists vegetarians?

"People go hungry because much of arable land is used to grow feed grain for animals...in the U.S., 157 million tons of cereals, legumes and vegetable protein – all suitable for human consumption – is fed to livestock to produce just 28 million tons of animal protein in the form of meat."

"'If people have paid money for 5,000 animals, fewer than 200 will actually get there-I can bet on it. This is cynical exploitation of animals and poor people,' Mrs. Gandhi alleged. 'Basically [livestock gift schemes] are a fundraising mechanism.'"

"Communities have been fighting uphill battles against companies who want to take advantage of lax environmental laws. Consumers, meanwhile, can end up with meat loaded with antibiotic-resistant bacteria from thousands of miles away."

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.

Rob Bigwood is one of the top Professional Arm Wrestlers in the Northeast and is currently ranked eighth in the United States in the 242 lb. division. He has won over 40 state tournaments covering the entire country, as well as the a left-handed World Championship in 2006.

"When you have kids, supper has to be on the table every night. And when you are a vegan, the drive-thru, the deli counter, and TV dinners/frozen convenience foods are not an option. So, you do the best you can. This blog is a record of what my family eats."