Link to - Plymouth Vegans group Description.
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About our group.
Plymouth Vegans was formed after the 2012 Plymouth Vegan Fair to enable Vegans in Plymouth to socialise and form friendships and acquaintances so that we are mutually supported in continuing to be vegan and hopefully to also go on to do campaigning, outreach and any other forms of activism to try to encourage and persuade other people to also be vegan.
Plymouth Vegans is expressly a Vegan for the Animals group, making us ethical vegans, making this an animal rights/liberation group.
It is a group for those vegans who want to see animal rights and animal liberation both philosophical stances are supported here.
People who are vegan because of environmental concerns and or health issues may join, but views elevating those over animal liberation aren't welcome and may not be tolerated.
Being vegan is more a than a diet, it is a fundamental change in our thinking and beliefs about animals and how they are treated.
This can be challenging as we realise the enormity of the situation. Sometimes we may find it difficult to accept that attitudes we hold still need to be changed. Such things are honey, companion animals and what they eat, the language we use about animals, service animals, zoos and other forms of animal containment, horse riding, no doubt there are others...
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Plymouth Vegans facebook group rules, guidance, and expectations:
This document is quite lengthy and involved, it has been garnered from other similar groups, and an amount of time and consideration by the admin / moderators of this group.
The aim here is for us to be able to quickly and amicably resolve any confusion or difficulties without having to spend an age in discussing and considering the pros and cons of every troublesome situation as it arises.
Plymouth Vegans is a closed group - members have an expectation of privacy.
Plymouth Vegans is intended to be a safe space for people who are or are nearly vegan for the animals to mutually support and encourage each other to be and remain vegan - and aim to be ethical vegans, and maybe feel confident enough to embark on vegan advocacy, protest and outreach etc.
So, no gore, bullying, shaming or any other bad behaviour.
Please treat others how we think they might like to be treated - with compassion and consideration - and remember why you became or are trying to become vegan - most probably it isn’t for want of bullying and meanness that hinders your progress.
It must be appreciated that we all make mistakes in our dietary choices, our activities and even our posts to facebook groups.
People new and old to being vegan may not yet fully understand the tenets of ethical veganism so it is expected that we will be respectful and tolerant as best we can in these interactions; disagreeing is not disrespect, but redefining veganism, justifying the use of animals in any way shape or form, criticising others' activism and dismissing peoples' passion & enthusiasm as 'militancy' really is disrespectful and unwelcome.
If ethical veganism is not for you then please do look on the contacts page and find another group, there are many other local groups, also search for national groups, or make your own group.
This guidance will be updated as the need arises.
What to post
Whilst what is permissible to post is very broad it is not a free-for-all:
We Do Not Permit
Some issues come up time and again -
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Palm oil
Palm oil is considered to be vegan, if you choose to avoid it then that is good, but -
no shaming of those members that post about products that contain it,
nor any tricksy 'does it contain palm oil' comments - you want to know you look it up.
If you want to instigate a discussion about it then make a post rather than comment negatively on someone else's post.
This group accepts the Vegan Society stance on palm oil.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-vegan products & Parent Companies.
Some companies that produce vegan products may produce other products that are tested on animals (by them, by suppliers, or govt. agencies) or are required by some countries to have products tested in order to access those markets; and / or they may produce things that are made from animals / animal products.; and / or they may own or be owned by other companies that have these issues.
There may be human-rights or environmental concerns too.
Some people choose to boycott products from some of these companies.
Some people choose to support them to make vegan products more accessible.
This is for us each to decide for ourselves what we think is best for us - there are no clear cut answers that work for all of us in all instances.
At the very least vegans ought to be avoiding products that have been tested on animals and/ or contain animal ingredients.
Ethical Consumer and Naturewatch are good sources of information about boycott calls and ethical policies of companies.if you want to find out more information.
But - no shaming of those members that post about vegan products from companies that have these issues, that includes telling them about the ownership etc unless they explicitly ask for that information, comments may be deleted without warning or discussion.
If you want to instigate a discussion about it then make a post rather than comment negatively on someone else's post.
This is intended to be a workable compromise.
The Vegan Society trademarks products not companies.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Companion Animals
Some people feed their dogs and cats a vegan diet some people don't.
Our group is not the place to settle these issues because this usually ends badly and there are much better resources to find clarity.
Please check https://www.veggiepets.com/ and research as appropriate online.
Here are some facebook groups that may be of use and interest to you:
Vegan Cats
Vegan Dogs & Cats
Vegan Dog Nutrition
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cross-contamination and mistakes
Whilst it is possible to not eat out at places that also serve animal products and buy nothing made in a non-vegan factory for most vegans there will be an ever-present risk of cross-contamination, mistakes, and even malice. This can happen with any catered food and food made in not wholly vegan factories; even at the homes of friends and family, or we can make mistakes all on our own.
We should be able to expect to be fully informed of the risks of cross-contamination. Some restaurants may cook things on griddles or in fryers than are also used to cook meat items this will make these items not strictly vegan. Some people will be OK with this others not so much, but it is best to leave it to each of us to make our own informed decisions, and at least try to accept these differences.
https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/allergen-labelling-0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Junk Food / Processed Food
So long as people aren't eating animals or animal products then everything else is up to them.
If you want to post about the negative side of junk food / processed food and the companies that produce them then do, but
don't judge others for the choices they make that may be anathema to you.
Comments judging the posts of others will be removed.
Sharing information about and encouraging healthy eating is positive and welcome.
If you want to instigate a discussion about it then make a post rather than comment negatively on someone else's post.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Old, Secondhand & vintage clothing and other non-vegan items
For some when they become vegan they may not be in a position to replace all of their items that contain animal products and may use them up or wear them out.
For others they will giveaway, give to charities or sell and donate the cash to animal charities or use the money to buy replacements their non-vegan items.
The continued purchase and use of non vegan clothing, furniture, footwear etc such as leather, silk, wool, feathers, fur, is discouraged.
In rare circumstances this may be the only option, but continuing to use leather etc validates and normalises the use of these items,
this can create further demand , prevents a non-vegan buying them, and does not honour the animal, there are no legitimate environmental arguments for using second hand leather etc. Secondhand items that are vegan are readily found, and new environmentally-friendly materials are available already with more in development.
Even if you have decided to wear out your non-vegan items they ought never to be worn on any form of activism or outreach.
Also, by not wearing them you may well save yourself some grief from non-vegans and perhaps other vegans.
We can only press for leather fur etc to socially unacceptable by not accepting them ourselves.
Alas though, sometimes these items are unavoidable, particularly in situations where we don't personally have control.
This article explains - https://doublecheckvegan.com/do-vegans-wear-leather-wool-second-hand-vintage/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zoos etc
People sometimes ask for recommendations for places where they make be able to see animals in a sanctuary setting.
The boundaries are sometimes blurred. Horse sanctuaries who re-home horses to be ridden, places claiming to be sanctuaries but are for entertainment etc.
If in doubt you can ask Freedom for Animals
------------------------------------------------------------------------
How you can control your interaction in the group.
Admin and Moderation Team
Guidelines for Businesses and Events
Events
Members of Plymouth Vegans are encouraged to arrange meet-ups, trips out, meals out , pot lucks etc.
Many people know no other vegans, meeting and hopefully becoming friends with other local vegans
can be very mutually supportive.
Adding people to our facebook group - If you want to add any of your facebook friends to our facebook group just send them this link - https://www.facebook.com/groups/PlymouthVegans - and suggest to them that they might like to join. We will no longer accept requests to join from people who have been invited by other members and they will be declined as soon as any admin spot them.
Group Safety/Disclaimer
Please don’t respond to requests to personal message someone in the group, unless you know and trust the person making the request,
and if you do then on your head be it.
We cannot be held responsible for the actions of all the members.
-----------------------------------------
About our group.
Plymouth Vegans was formed after the 2012 Plymouth Vegan Fair to enable Vegans in Plymouth to socialise and form friendships and acquaintances so that we are mutually supported in continuing to be vegan and hopefully to also go on to do campaigning, outreach and any other forms of activism to try to encourage and persuade other people to also be vegan.
Plymouth Vegans is expressly a Vegan for the Animals group, making us ethical vegans, making this an animal rights/liberation group.
It is a group for those vegans who want to see animal rights and animal liberation both philosophical stances are supported here.
People who are vegan because of environmental concerns and or health issues may join, but views elevating those over animal liberation aren't welcome and may not be tolerated.
Being vegan is more a than a diet, it is a fundamental change in our thinking and beliefs about animals and how they are treated.
This can be challenging as we realise the enormity of the situation. Sometimes we may find it difficult to accept that attitudes we hold still need to be changed. Such things are honey, companion animals and what they eat, the language we use about animals, service animals, zoos and other forms of animal containment, horse riding, no doubt there are others...
-----------------------------------------
Plymouth Vegans facebook group rules, guidance, and expectations:
This document is quite lengthy and involved, it has been garnered from other similar groups, and an amount of time and consideration by the admin / moderators of this group.
The aim here is for us to be able to quickly and amicably resolve any confusion or difficulties without having to spend an age in discussing and considering the pros and cons of every troublesome situation as it arises.
Plymouth Vegans is a closed group - members have an expectation of privacy.
Plymouth Vegans is intended to be a safe space for people who are or are nearly vegan for the animals to mutually support and encourage each other to be and remain vegan - and aim to be ethical vegans, and maybe feel confident enough to embark on vegan advocacy, protest and outreach etc.
So, no gore, bullying, shaming or any other bad behaviour.
Please treat others how we think they might like to be treated - with compassion and consideration - and remember why you became or are trying to become vegan - most probably it isn’t for want of bullying and meanness that hinders your progress.
It must be appreciated that we all make mistakes in our dietary choices, our activities and even our posts to facebook groups.
People new and old to being vegan may not yet fully understand the tenets of ethical veganism so it is expected that we will be respectful and tolerant as best we can in these interactions; disagreeing is not disrespect, but redefining veganism, justifying the use of animals in any way shape or form, criticising others' activism and dismissing peoples' passion & enthusiasm as 'militancy' really is disrespectful and unwelcome.
If ethical veganism is not for you then please do look on the contacts page and find another group, there are many other local groups, also search for national groups, or make your own group.
This guidance will be updated as the need arises.
What to post
- We can post whatever we think may be of interest such as (but not excluding other things not in this list) nutritional questions, vegan related lifestyle questions, vegan supermarket finds, vegan product finds, cafe/restaurant reviews or recommendations, constructive and supportive advice related to veganism, Petitions, campaigns and events.
- May also be lost or rescued animals, events and fund-raisers, items for sale, property to rent, requests for support or assistance, pretty much anything that might be helpful or of interest to you and / or the group.
- This includes issues that may be contentious, but be aware if things turn nasty the post and/or comments may be removed without discussion or warning.
- If you are vegan and have a vegan business you are welcome to promote it in the group, but remember no-one likes a spammer.
- If you are not yet fully vegan (or even if you are) and you have a business that is not fully vegan then DO NOT promote it in our group. If other members post about the vegan aspects of it then all well and good.
Whilst what is permissible to post is very broad it is not a free-for-all:
We Do Not Permit
- Redefining veganism
- Violent, or intentionally offensive language - however, swearing is permitted.
- Questioning someone's personal vegan identity, or accusing them of carnist thinking - not everyone in the group will already be an ethical vegan.
- Aggressive, offensive and judgemental posts or comments including attacks on group members, or any comments meant to harass, threaten, deliberately antagonise or abuse. If you cannot express your view without resorting to this behaviour this is not the group for you.
- Don't troll, harass, attack, insult, abuse or shame other members
- Hijacking posts for your own favoured issues is not permitted, if you have something you need to say then make your own post.
- Hateful or discriminatory posts or comments regarding (and not limited to) race, ethnicity, nationality (country of origin), religion, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, ability, class, species(ism), or political beliefs. If you feel someone has made a post or comment that is one of these then report it to admin/moderators or if you don't feel confident that we will deal with it to your satisfaction then report it directly to facebook.
- Links and comments containing explicit content or material, including sexually explicit imagery and graphic images of animal cruelty, abuse or distress.
- You can make posts about animal abuse issue etc if you give a warning of the graphic content even if it is just words, people can be distressed by descriptions of abuse and the good thing to do is give a warning, but no graphic images or auto-play videos.
- Do not post non-vegan recipes, products etc.
- Be careful when posting pictures of menus and websites of places that provide vegan things but also meat, in a vegan group no-one wants to see pictures of meat etc, sometimes people report posts of menus listing meat, so try to edit your pictures, though, if no-one complains they are often left.
- Sharing screen-shots from the group without express permission is not permitted. Do not share any personally identifiable information from the group without permission (always gain explicit consent if you wish to quote from the group). This is a private group, there is an expectation of privacy. What is said in the group stays in the group.
- Non-vegan posts/comments that try to justify or rationalise the use of animals or animal products - but asking questions about whether or not something or an activity etc is considered vegan is OK - we don’t know stuff until we know.
- Do not post fundraisers for charities that fund vivisection and / or have 'send-a-cow' type schemes, if in doubt check with admin or look on the Animal Aid charity list.
- Posts encouraging members to leave negative reviews on vegan or non-vegan business pages.
- Spam - this includes repeated promotion of the same thing and multiple posts about the same events.
- Do not post unverified or unverifiable claims.
- Don’t post links without a description.
- Exit posts will make you look foolish and will be deleted
- Posts questioning admin/mod decisions may be deleted and the member muted or maybe removed, if you are troubled by something then contact a different admin.
- Breaches of these rules may result in deletion of your posts and comments, or you being muted for a while, or even your temporary or permanent removal - with or without a warning.
- Do not do anything that is likely to bring the group into disrepute, or jeopardise our relationships with third parties.
Some issues come up time and again -
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Palm oil
Palm oil is considered to be vegan, if you choose to avoid it then that is good, but -
no shaming of those members that post about products that contain it,
nor any tricksy 'does it contain palm oil' comments - you want to know you look it up.
If you want to instigate a discussion about it then make a post rather than comment negatively on someone else's post.
This group accepts the Vegan Society stance on palm oil.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-vegan products & Parent Companies.
Some companies that produce vegan products may produce other products that are tested on animals (by them, by suppliers, or govt. agencies) or are required by some countries to have products tested in order to access those markets; and / or they may produce things that are made from animals / animal products.; and / or they may own or be owned by other companies that have these issues.
There may be human-rights or environmental concerns too.
Some people choose to boycott products from some of these companies.
Some people choose to support them to make vegan products more accessible.
This is for us each to decide for ourselves what we think is best for us - there are no clear cut answers that work for all of us in all instances.
At the very least vegans ought to be avoiding products that have been tested on animals and/ or contain animal ingredients.
Ethical Consumer and Naturewatch are good sources of information about boycott calls and ethical policies of companies.if you want to find out more information.
But - no shaming of those members that post about vegan products from companies that have these issues, that includes telling them about the ownership etc unless they explicitly ask for that information, comments may be deleted without warning or discussion.
If you want to instigate a discussion about it then make a post rather than comment negatively on someone else's post.
This is intended to be a workable compromise.
The Vegan Society trademarks products not companies.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Companion Animals
Some people feed their dogs and cats a vegan diet some people don't.
Our group is not the place to settle these issues because this usually ends badly and there are much better resources to find clarity.
Please check https://www.veggiepets.com/ and research as appropriate online.
Here are some facebook groups that may be of use and interest to you:
Vegan Cats
Vegan Dogs & Cats
Vegan Dog Nutrition
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cross-contamination and mistakes
Whilst it is possible to not eat out at places that also serve animal products and buy nothing made in a non-vegan factory for most vegans there will be an ever-present risk of cross-contamination, mistakes, and even malice. This can happen with any catered food and food made in not wholly vegan factories; even at the homes of friends and family, or we can make mistakes all on our own.
We should be able to expect to be fully informed of the risks of cross-contamination. Some restaurants may cook things on griddles or in fryers than are also used to cook meat items this will make these items not strictly vegan. Some people will be OK with this others not so much, but it is best to leave it to each of us to make our own informed decisions, and at least try to accept these differences.
https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/allergen-labelling-0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Junk Food / Processed Food
So long as people aren't eating animals or animal products then everything else is up to them.
If you want to post about the negative side of junk food / processed food and the companies that produce them then do, but
don't judge others for the choices they make that may be anathema to you.
Comments judging the posts of others will be removed.
Sharing information about and encouraging healthy eating is positive and welcome.
If you want to instigate a discussion about it then make a post rather than comment negatively on someone else's post.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Old, Secondhand & vintage clothing and other non-vegan items
For some when they become vegan they may not be in a position to replace all of their items that contain animal products and may use them up or wear them out.
For others they will giveaway, give to charities or sell and donate the cash to animal charities or use the money to buy replacements their non-vegan items.
The continued purchase and use of non vegan clothing, furniture, footwear etc such as leather, silk, wool, feathers, fur, is discouraged.
In rare circumstances this may be the only option, but continuing to use leather etc validates and normalises the use of these items,
this can create further demand , prevents a non-vegan buying them, and does not honour the animal, there are no legitimate environmental arguments for using second hand leather etc. Secondhand items that are vegan are readily found, and new environmentally-friendly materials are available already with more in development.
Even if you have decided to wear out your non-vegan items they ought never to be worn on any form of activism or outreach.
Also, by not wearing them you may well save yourself some grief from non-vegans and perhaps other vegans.
We can only press for leather fur etc to socially unacceptable by not accepting them ourselves.
Alas though, sometimes these items are unavoidable, particularly in situations where we don't personally have control.
This article explains - https://doublecheckvegan.com/do-vegans-wear-leather-wool-second-hand-vintage/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zoos etc
People sometimes ask for recommendations for places where they make be able to see animals in a sanctuary setting.
The boundaries are sometimes blurred. Horse sanctuaries who re-home horses to be ridden, places claiming to be sanctuaries but are for entertainment etc.
If in doubt you can ask Freedom for Animals
------------------------------------------------------------------------
How you can control your interaction in the group.
- The Original Poster (OP) ( the person making the post) can delete and re-post if things go awry - this wipes out all of the comments
- Or report to admin/moderators if you want any comments removed.
- You can turn off comments on your own posts, be aware that admin/mods can also turn of commenting and may do so without warning.
- Also be aware that even if you or admin turn off commenting then commenters are still able to edit their comments, a way some people may choose to continue a squabble.
- You can turn off notifications for a post you have commented on.
- You can save a post
- You can block all notifications from organisations that you feel are posting spam
- You can block other members of the group - but you must not block admin/moderators, if you do you will be removed and blocked from the group.
- You can report posts/comments to group admin and/or facebook
Admin and Moderation Team
- Admin and moderators can be found in the ‘members’ tab of the group.
- The moderation team is also responsible for trying to keep discussions and contributions positive and safe, and have guidelines in the admin group.
- We operate a three strikes policy when implementing of the Community Rules & Expectations. For any major incident we may ban a member instantly.
- Any post considered inappropriate for the group may be removed by the moderation team without discussion.
- Admin and Moderators have a right to turn off comments, mute or remove members or delete posts or comments without discussion.
- Any further posts questioning moderation will be deleted and the poster muted, persistence will result in removal from the group.
- If you want to contact admin/moderators choose any or all, they will then take your concerns to the admin group.
- If there is an issue that requires in-depth consideration, we will endeavour to discuss it in the admin group.
- We rely on our group members to self-regulate the group and to report offensive posts. Posts that break the rules may or may not be left depending if it is or isn't reported to admin.
Guidelines for Businesses and Events
- Advertising - if you are vegan and your business or event is vegan you can share posts, also for businesses and events that aren't in themselves vegan but don't include animal products or involve anything else non-vegan. You can periodically post a link to your business page/website, and post notable occurrences and events - but don’t spam the group. If you are not vegan and/or your business also sells animal products and/or non-vegan things even if it includes some vegan products please do not advertise; if someone else shares about your vegan products that's OK.
- Your events can be posted when you make the event, a week before, and the day before or the day of. If your event is a long time away please do post every few weeks. Multiple posts by multiple people of the same event will be considered to be spam and will be deleted as will comments sharing the events. Hijacking other peoples’ events posts by adding your event in the comments is not acceptable and they will be removed.
- If you are a PVE page editor also add your event to the page ONCE or tag an admin/mod or send a notification to the page for an editor to approve.
- If you put on or get notifications for a lot of events please consider being an editor for the ‘plymouth’s vegan events’ page which forms part of the pinned post. There is a separate file regarding the criteria for addition of events to the page.
- Please do promote events, businesses and restaurants etc that others in the group may find interesting.
- The admin/moderation team will delete any post it considers to be spam (we may or may not attempt to make contact by Facebook Messenger).
Events
Members of Plymouth Vegans are encouraged to arrange meet-ups, trips out, meals out , pot lucks etc.
Many people know no other vegans, meeting and hopefully becoming friends with other local vegans
can be very mutually supportive.
- You can make an event in your own profile and share it to the group
- Or, you can make an event in the group, as it is a closed group events cannot be shared.
- Or, you can ask to join the ‘Plymouth Vegans Events’ group and make the event there under your own profile. As this is an open group events are shareable.
- Or, if you want anonymity you can ask an admin to make your event for you under the ‘plymouth vegans’ persona and be made a co-host if you like.
- Events made in the open group can be shared to the ‘Plymouth’s Vegan Event‘ page.
- Also, members events/meet-up made specifically for the PV group can be added as a link to the top of the pinned post and / or a line on the banner picture.
Adding people to our facebook group - If you want to add any of your facebook friends to our facebook group just send them this link - https://www.facebook.com/groups/PlymouthVegans - and suggest to them that they might like to join. We will no longer accept requests to join from people who have been invited by other members and they will be declined as soon as any admin spot them.
Group Safety/Disclaimer
Please don’t respond to requests to personal message someone in the group, unless you know and trust the person making the request,
and if you do then on your head be it.
We cannot be held responsible for the actions of all the members.