An Interview with Erica Meier of Compassion Over Killing

June 2009 issue. Read the full magazine online at VeganCulinaryExperience.com

How did Compassion Over Killing get started and what does Compassion Over Killing do?

Compassion Over Killing (COK) was founded in 1995 as an extracurricular high school club with only three members and without any funding. Today, COK has an office in the Washington, D.C.- area and maintains a strong local presence though we’ve also expanded our efforts on a national level. We have five full-time staff members who work tirelessly to expose the hidden horrors forced upon farmed animals and to empower others to stand up for animals every time they sit down to eat by choosing vegan foods.

How did you get involved with COK and what did you do before that?

I moved to the D.C.-area in 2000 and soon began volunteering for COK at demonstrations, leafleting, feed-ins, stuffing envelopes—pretty much whatever work needed to get done. In 2005, I was hired as the executive director and am honored to work alongside so many dedicated advocates, employees and volunteers alike. Before coming on board at COK, I spent almost four years as an animal control officer in D.C. and prior to that, I worked in PETA’s Research and Investigations Department.

What is the campaign that you’re most proud of doing and what is the biggest change COK has been able to cause?

As small organization with limited resources, COK strives to work as cost effectively and strategically as possibly—and several of our national campaigns demonstrate that you don’t need a lot of money to bring about positive and meaningful changes for animals. For example, our MTV Pro-Vegetarian Commercial campaign, which was launched in 2004, is an ongoing effort that has proven to be incredibly cost-effective and successful. Using video footage from undercover investigations inside factory farms, we’ve created seven hard-hitting 30-second ads that shine a bright light on the routine miseries forced upon farmed animals, and all the ads direct viewers to our website, TryVeg.com, for more information. Overall, our ads have been viewed over 25 million times nationwide at less than a penny per view—and the feedback from viewers has been phenomenal. COK also successfully ended the use of the egg industry’s misleading “Animal Care Certified” logo, which used to be ubiquitous on the nation’s egg cartons. And most recently, COK teamed up with Mercy For Animals and the Animal Protection and Rescue League to urge BOCA to stop using eggs. Within weeks of releasing our campaign website, BOCAEggFacts.com, the company announced that it would be completely egg-free by the end of this year!

What is it like to run a major national advocacy campaign?

For our small staff of five, launching a national campaign is a true team-building experience. Every day is different as new challenges arise along with new ideas, and we’re continually evaluating and evolving our strategies to be as effective as we can for animals. Working on behalf of farmed animals is both heartbreaking and rewarding—every day, millions of animals are suffering inside factory farms while millions more are being slaughtered for food, and every day, each of us can take steps to help put an end to this abuse. Knowing that these animals are depending upon us to be their voice is what drives us to work as hard as we can.

What do you find is the most effective way for people to become advocates and promote compassionate choices?

The most important step each of us can take to help animals is to simply leave them off our plates. Though as animal advocates we can—and should—do more. Whether we work for a nonprofit animal charity or are an individual activist, there are so many simple yet effective ways to encourage others to choose compassion at every meal. From leafleting pro-veg materials on a college campus to sharing vegan treats with co-workers to hosting a vegan dinner or barbecue for friends and neighbors to writing a letter to the editor. Visit COK.net to learn more or contact us at info@cok.net to join our activist network.

What changes have you seen over the last five years in the way others see vegans?

There is no doubt that vegan eating has been shifting from the margins to the mainstream. And as meat-, egg-, and dairy-free foods become increasingly accessible in restaurants and grocery stores everywhere, it’s becoming easier and more socially acceptable to be vegan. Being vegan isn’t about purity or self-sacrifice—it’s about doing what we can—within reason—to reduce the amount of misery we cause others, and the more we represent ourselves in a positive fashion, the more vegan eating will continue to gain mainstream momentum. It’s also encouraging to see vegan celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres openly talk about their dietary choices, helping make vegan a common, household word.

COK also runs the TryVeg.com website. How effective have you found that site in reaching people and do you have any new projects planned with it?

TryVeg.com is a free online resource focusing on the whys and hows of vegetarian eating. It offers a variety of tools, including recipes, meal ideas, shopping guides, and nutritional information, to help others transition to a meat-, egg-, and dairy-free diet—and it’s one our most popular websites with tens of thousands of hits each month. In additional to the information offered online, visitors can also request a free copy of our Vegetarian Starter Guide or they can download a PDF version. This site is an invaluable tool for vegetarian outreach, and we’re actually in the process of revamping it to make it even more user-friendly—so stay tuned!

What’s your favorite recipe from TryVeg.com? (a perfect opportunity to link to the recipe and get a good plug for the site)

That’s a tough question! I’d say it’s a tossup between the sloppy moes, which are fun to make and fun to eat, the veggie sausage gumbo, which is always a hit at dinner parties or potlucks, and the chewy chocolate chip cookies, which are perfect for any occasion.

You’ve also been doing some restaurant outreach. Please tell us a bit more about that! What has the response been?

COK launched our restaurant outreach campaign several years ago with the primary goal of making vegetarian eating as easy as possible by encouraging restaurants to offer a variety of animal-friendly options. What makes this form of advocacy so effective is that is a positive approach that results in a win for restaurant-goers looking for healthier and more humane meals, it’s a win for the restaurant owners who are making their current customers happier with more choices and they’re also attracting new customers, and it’s a win for animals every time someone chooses a vegetarian meal. COK has successfully worked with more than a dozen popular eateries in the D.C.-area to add more meat-, egg-, and dairy-free menu items, including Java Green, an award-winning all-vegetarian restaurant that decided to take meat of its menu completely shortly after working with us to promote its new meatless menu. We’ve also worked with several other organizations to launch similar campaigns in their communities—see COK’s Guide to Restaurant Outreach for more information.

Are you more of an eat-out type of person or do you like to cook?

Both! D.C. is home to dozens of really amazing all-vegetarian restaurants—some of my personal favorites include Java Green and Sticky Fingers Bakery—as well as countless other eateries featuring savory veg-friendly menus. I also really enjoy cooking at home for many reasons, but mostly because it allows me to spend more time with my cats.

What is the most common recipe that you make at home? (please share!)

I’ve always loved rice pudding, and I recently found an amazing recipe for Chai Rice Pudding in the March/April 2009 issue of VegNews magazine that is addictive! It’s so easy to make and it really rich and decadent:

Chai Rice Pudding (from VegNews magazine)

• 1 ½ cups water
• 4 cups unsweetened almond milk, divided
• 1 cup basmati rice
• ½ cup agave nectar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½  teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼  teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼  teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons chopped dates
• ¼ cup raisins

1. In a medium pot, bring water and 2 cups almond milk to a boil. Add rice, agave nectar, and salt. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add remaining almond milk, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until rice is very soft.
3. Remove from heat, add dates and raisins, cover, and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Dust with additional cinnamon and cardamom and serve warm or at room temperature.

What new projects do you have coming up that you’re most excited about, either with COK or just personal ones?

COK is always working on new projects and campaigns! After we announced in March that BOCA has committed to going egg-free by the end of 2009, we started reaching out to other companies about this issue and are hoping to share updates on those efforts soon. This fall, we’re planning to unveil a new hard-hitting 30-second commercial for our MTV pro-vegetarian ad campaign, and we’re also co-hosting the DC VegFest in September, which will feature several guest speakers including best-selling author Rory Freedman, HSUS’s renowned Dr. Michael Greger, and NBC-4 (DC) anchor Wendy Rieger.

Thanks Erica!

Erica Meier is the executive director of Compassion Over Killing (COK), a non-profit animal advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Since 1995, COK has worked to end the abuse of animals in agriculture through undercover investigations, public outreach, litigation, and other advocacy programs. Before working at COK, Erica spent four years as an animal control officer in D.C., rescuing sick, injured, and homeless animals as well as enforcing animal protection laws.

Contact Info

You can reach Erica at emeier@cok.net and at 301-891-2458. Make sure to check out Compassion Over Killing’s website at www.cok.net and at www.tryveg.com.