4
ESSENCE November 25, 2010
Time to Simplify: Challenging Norms through Simplicity
STAFFORD RICHTER
It is a blistery autumn morning, and I am
running late — as per usual. In a hurry, I
lock my bike up beside the bookstore and
quickly take refuge inside the Multifaith
Services Centre. Once inside, I am given
a warm reception from Henri Lock, one
of the University of Victoria's chaplains.
His role, he explains, is to provide stu-
dents with resources on how to nurture
spiritual growth and also build commu-
nity in the process. A tall and congenial
fellow by nature, Henri's demeanour
makes it seem as if we are old friends. I
am here to talk to him about Voluntary
Simplicity and how it is subtly transform-
ing lives at the University of Victoria. But
before jumping ahead, I need to explain
what Voluntary Simplicity is.
In the teaching manual created by the
Northwest Earth Institute from Port-
land Oregon, Duane Elgin, author and
educator, writes that Voluntary Simplicity
is concerned with challenging our pre-
vailing views and attitudes to realize the
importance of “a singleness of purpose,
sincerity and honesty within, as well as
avoidance of clutter, of many posses-
sions irrelevant to the chief purpose of
life.” When it comes to the clutter and
the irrelevance of most material posses-
sions, Henri Lock is candid: “What are
my needs and wants, where is that cut-off
point, and what do I really need to live?
How do I use my time? What is enough
time and not enough time? What kind
of stuff gives me a sense of security? How
much stuff is enough? We all make these
choices, such as how many shirts do I
need or how many shoes do I have in
my closest?
It was these types of questions that
drove Chloe Donatelli, a current work
study student with Multifaith Services,
towards embracing Voluntary Simplic-
ity in her first year at the University of
Victoria. Chloe was dissatisfied with the
status quo. “I had just come out of high
school,” she explains, “and I was look-
ing for new ideas, because the old ideas
weren’t filling me up.” Now in hindsight
Proposal: UVic to Address the Farm Animal Welfare Blind-Spot
KYLE ARTELLE
Here on Vancouver Island, awareness of
our food production systems seems to be
growing exponentially. However, as we
work towards integrating elements from
the 100-mile, Slow Food, and organic di-
ets into new ways of sourcing, purchas-
ing, and consuming our foods, it’s impor-
tant we don’t make choices that solve one
problem while ignoring another. Unfor-
tunately, despite the growing awareness
of local and organic foods, an aspect too
often overlooked in food production is
the welfare of farm animals.
UVic offers a striking example of the
ethical blind spot associated with farm
animal welfare. Campus culture has
been torn about the animal welfare im-
plications of dealing with our adorable,
though invasive, feral rabbits. However,
compared to the lives of agricultural ani-
mals consumed daily on campus (and on
campuses, in homes, and in restaurants
across the region, the province, and the
world) these rabbits have lived in the lap
of luxury. Moreover, their destruction via
lethal injection or even via ‘sharpshoot-
ers’ would be considerably more humane
than the end faced by most farm animals.
Why is there such a loud outpour of
support for little Peter Rabbit but not a
peep over Chicken Little? What is to be
done for the far greater number of animal
she explains that this decision to take the
seven-week long program was like tak-
ing the “road less travelled,” changing her
life for the better. “It really helped me to
question norms that I had thought before
were just the way life was. To have this
atmosphere where people in many differ-
ent periods of their life were questioning
these things [was inspiring].” Similarly,
Henri Lock had a transformative expe-
rience when he first encountered a Vol-
untary Simplicity booth at an Earth Day
celebration on the lawn of the provincial
legislature in 2000.
His curiosity spiked, he gave over his
contact information, but did not hear
back from anybody until his phone rang
in early September. An invitation was ex-
tended to him to join a discussion circle
in Fairfield. He almost decided against it
because of the back-to-school rush, but
upon attending the first few discussions,
Henri became enthralled. “We were able
to freely share with one another and
no one was an expert and no one was
preaching.” The diversity of the opinions
and insights being shared was especially
encouraging. “One fellow grew up in
Russia and became a sheep farmer on one
of the Islands here. He had a rich history.
He was a member of the royal family and
he lost everything during the revolution.
Those of us that were from here talked
about our own experiences, and it was
brilliant and beautiful.” Wanting to share
the wisdom and insight he gained at the
discussion circle in Fairfield, Henri lob-
bied to introduce the Voluntary Simplicity
program to UVIC.
When Henri first pitched the idea he
encountered some skepticism from his
colleagues. “The first of response was:
why would anyone want to take another
course? But we offered it that first fall and
we had such a great response from the
two discussion groups. It takes about 45
minutes to read a chapter, and students
just read and talked.” Now in its tenth
year at the University of Victoria, the
Volunteer Simplicity program has touched
the lives of over 300 former and current
students. Students like Heather, Alex,
lives directly affected by the dietary deci-
sions made on campus?
While UVic has already taken great
strides to purchase local and organic
goods and offer meat-free options, nei-
ther the university nor the SUB facilities
have animal welfare requirements for
their meat or dairy purchases.
This is not to say the campus is a lag-
gard on this issue. Beyond requirements
for cage-free production of eggs (already
in place at all UVic Food Service outlets),
requirements for the welfare of farm ani-
mals do not currently exist at any Cana-
dian university. Sadly, this is a blind spot
of our culture, not our school.
UVic’s Food for Thought is a group of
students whose mandate is to stimulate
reflection on the ethics of the food we
eat. Our 10–15 year vision is for UVic to
become the first university in Canada to
purchase meat, dairy and eggs exclusively
from producers certified by SPCA and/or
Certified Organics Associations of B.C..
Farms certified by these organizations
follow a set of welfare standards informed
by the best available scientific studies on
the welfare requirements of farm animals;
standards that are a great deal higher than
those required by the government.
Given that UVic is the single largest
purchaser of food on Vancouver Island,
our long-term vision for the campus is
ambitious. In fact, there currently aren’t
Kara and Ingrid, who let me sit on one
of their weekly discussion circles this fall.
Curious about their experiences, I
asked if they encountered any misun-
derstandings with friends or family
members who do not subscribe to their
new lifestyle of self-imposed simplicity.
Heather, a local lawyer, is candid about
the challenges she is facing. “My friend-
ships are shifting, so I can talk to some
friends but some aren’t interested at all. If
you stop accepting the standard societal
package — graduate from high school,
go to university, get a job, find a partner,
get married, have kids, and buy a house
— you discover that you are living life on
this treadmill. Then you start to question,
and then what? Then you have to find
you own steps, which can be scary.”
This process of self reflection that is
integral to Voluntary Simplicity may be
intimidating, but it is also liberating says
Ingrid Brule, because it forces you to
learn how to live with a purpose and to
discontinue putting life on autopilot: “A
lot of people are fine with this existence,
but a lot of people, like this group, want
enough ethically certified farmers to
match such a large demand. To work
towards our goal we propose an interim
strategy of starting small, purchasing
from certified sources where they cur-
rently exist, and incrementally increas-
ing the proportion of such purchases
through time.
As farmers realize that UVic would
provide a market for certified farming
methods, more and more would likely
improve their operations, increasing the
supply available while at the same time
narrowing the price gap between certified
and conventional sources.
The cost of switching to ethically
sourced meat, dairy, and eggs is surpris-
ingly low, with B.C. SPCA certified
products costing 25% more on average.
The cost of meat in the overall price of
a meat-containing product in the SUB
is around 10% (the rest goes towards
other ingredients and overhead). This
means the average meaty meal would cost
2.5% more if it contained certified meat.
A $4.00 slice of pizza would cost $4.10.
The initial response to our proposal
has been positive. The UVSS has passed
a motion supporting our campaign in
principle. Although (at the time of writ-
ing) the UVic departments of Purchas-
ing and Food Services have not made
any commitments or public statements
regarding this campaign, they have ex-
more.”
But wanting to change and actually
cultivating lasting simplicity isn’t an easy
process, states Kara Martin. “One of my
goals was to sit down and intentionally
eat my meal without getting distracted by
anything like TV, or reading a book, or
making it a social event. But it has been
difficult because you get bored easily.”
Kara then adds that “simplifying is dif-
ficult because we live in such a fast-paced
world where we want to do everything
right now.”
This need for immediate gratification
is part of the problem, according to Alex
Laliberte, and bears reconsideration.
“Question what makes you happy and
figure out where the root of your hap-
piness is. Try to look at our society and
question what drives us to want more.”
But when you give serious thought to
these issues of consumption and the fail-
ure of capitalism, it can be emotionally
draining. Apathy can arise as a defense
mechanism, because it’s overwhelming
to consider these issues on top of a full
course load and a part time job.
pressed interest and are looking into their
options.
Pardon the pun, but this campaign
needs to be more carrot than stick. Did
you know UVic already has a cage-free
egg purchasing policy? If so, have you
sent a note to Purchasing or Food Ser-
vices telling them you appreciate their
efforts? Decision makers need to know
students would actually appreciate the
transition we’re proposing if they are go-
ing to put in the hard work required.
While some would argue that the only
real solution is to abstain from animal
consumption altogether, we realize that
Adam Podolec
Henri Lock explains that this reac-
tion is normal, but that it shouldn’t be
paralyzing. If anything, it should be a
call to action, encouraging us to change
our world view by asking: “what is the
meaning of my existence, and how can
I live in greater harmony with the Earth
and with other people?”
You don’t have to give up all your ma-
terial possessions and live reclusively in
the woods, but what Voluntary Simplicity
does ask of you is to be consciously aware
of your impact on the natural world.
So go for walk, call up an old friend,
or just look up at the stars on your
walk home from the library. You’ll be
surprised to see how connected you
can be to the world around you (even
without Facebook).
If you want to join a Voluntary Simplic-
ity discussion circle starting in January
contact Henri, for more information by
email at: hlock@uvic.ca.
Mila Czemerys
the vast majority of our student body is
omnivorous. Working towards improved
animal welfare practices, regardless of
one’s personal dietary choices, could have
an immediate impact on the lives of farm
animals (100 million in B.C. alone). As
the largest purchaser of food on Van-
couver Island, the purchasing decisions
UVic makes could help drive such im-
provements here and across the province.
Please visit uvicfood.ca or contact us at
uvicfood@gmail.com to find out more
about this and other campaigns, and to
find out how you can get involved!