ACR 16 was passed by California's State Assembly on April 21st.
Next up: the State Senate!

Veggie Dogs in malls and movie theatres? Yup!

• You've seen those Hot Dog on a Stick vendors with the silly hats at your local mall's food court, right? Did you know that 40 of their franchises offer veggie dogs? They sell approximately 5,000 veggie dogs per month. They've been doing so for 10 years! The next time you find yourself in a mall, circulating the junk food, think about that. Note: The veggie dogs they sell are not vegan or certified kosher. FYI.
• The Albany Theatres, a Landmark Theatre franchise on Solano Avenue in Albany, California, offers veggie dogs, according to a supporter who recently enjoyed an indie flick there. (Soy Happy has contacted the theatre to find out more and will post pertinent information here when it is received.)

Sample of inquiries during the past two months:

• Pizza restaurant and delivery in FLA with a large customer base at a large college campus and nearby hospital. Asked for healthy veg based food suggestions and samples. Interested in offering fully vegetarian pizzas with soy cheese toppings.
• Professional soccer arena interested in offering soy dogs and burgers and other tasty veg fare suggestions.
• NBA arena on the east coast has inquired about veggie dogs and burgers.
• Several hot dog cart vendors interested in adding soy dogs to their fare.

Supporters have contacted us about initiating the effort to get tasty vegetarian fare at:

• College campuses (3)
• Professional ice hockey arenas
• Professional racing tracks
• Minor League Baseball stadiums
• Zoos
• Fairs and Conventions

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

We've received inquiries about including additional lists of particular sports arenas etc to the Reference Guide on our site. We welcome volunteers who might be interested in compiling this information for us! If you would like to compile a list of contact and menu information for your favorite venues (using our Ballpark Reference Guide as an example), let us know. We'll gladly follow up with a "pitch" to your list of venues, encouraging them to add tasty vegetarian alternatives. We will also be oh soy happy to post these lists on our site and spread the word to other supportive fans and consumers in your area.

In addition, don't forget about Soy Happy Managers! SHM's lead the effort to either promote veg fare already existing at their local ball park, or to encourage the concessions manager to add desirable veg alternatives there. We encourage anyone who might be interested in becoming a SHM to look over our list of suggested activities in Taking Action. If you would like to head the effort locally, contact us!

In October, the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health agreed to work with "The Meatless Monday Campaign" in a nationwide effort to reduce the consumption of saturated fat and calories in the American diet. The campaign calls for eliminating meat from meals one day per week to encourage people to explore healthy dietary alternatives and increase awareness of the toll meat consumption takes on our health and the environment. Later this year, the Meatless Monday Campaign will offer recipe ideas, nutritional information, expert advice, and other useful information using its website, cookbooks, and the national and local media to reach Americans all across the country. "Meat consumption in America is higher than in any other country in the world and clearly contributes to heart disease, stroke, and cancer-the three leading causes of death in the nation-along with the risk factors of smoking, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, and lack of exercise," said Robert Lawrence, MD, associate dean and director of the School's Center for a Livable Future. "Meats, as well as dairy products such as whole milk and cheese, are the primary sources of saturated fat in our diet. The good news is that many people have already been making positive changes in their diets over the past decade," he added. Twenty-nine other schools of public health have agreed to support the campaign. If you more information, you may contact Meatless Monday Inc. at 212.679.9606.

Watch the 17th Annual GENESIS AWARDS Television Special !

Honoring outstanding individuals in the major media for raising awareness of animal issues. Presented by The Humane Society of the United States.

Two Hour Special SUN MAY 4 @ 12 pm (PT) / 3 pm (ET)

One Hour Highlights THURS, MAY 1 @ 7 pm and 10 pm (PT); 10 pm (ET)