1. Brad Biewer
11/23/2015
CJR 454
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, college students are anxiously awaiting their
holiday meals of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie.
But not everybody is planning on grabbing a drumstick at the family dinner table. For
some people, a plant-based lifestyle is the only choice.
This concept was the highlight of Grand Valley’s third annual Veg Out, an event that
informed students how to work more plants into their diet. The event was held Sunday at noon in
Kirkhof’s Grand River Room. Veg Out was put on by the Humane Society of Grand Valley.
Students who attended the event were able to partake in a buffet of free food. All of it
was plant-based and acceptable in a vegan diet.
Veg Out featured presentations from several different speakers and cooking
demonstrations intended to help students transition into a plant-based diet.
Plant-based chef Sue Stauffacher began the event by giving students tips on how to
overcome the difficulties of going vegan.
“Becoming plant-based…can feel like an isolating experience,” Stauffacher said. “But
you definitely want to make alliances with people doing the same thing so you feel less alone.”
Stauffacher then gave a cooking demonstration with Elizabeth Pitzer, a retired economics
teacher who now grows fruits and vegetables on her own farm.
“We came up with a recipe that we think is very easy and doable,” Pitzer said.
2. The two of them showed attendants how to make a vegan nacho bar, consisting of plant-
based cheese and chorizo. The chorizo was made from tofu and walnuts.
Stauffacher said she learned a lot of her vegan cooking tips through YouTube.
“I think the Internet has made veganism so possible,” she said.
Students were later treated to a food demonstration on how to make a chickpea “tuna”
salad.
Environmentalist Bryan Smigielski gave a talk on how transitioning to a plant-based diet
can have positive effects on the planet. Smigielski said nobody wants to ruin our planet, but not
enough people are taking the necessary steps to save it.
“Ignorance is not bliss,” Smigielski said. “Awareness is bliss.”
Throughout the event, students could visit several different booths that contained
information or products that related to a plant-based lifestyle.
One of these booths was operated by J. R. Renusson who runs the Bit Baking Company.
Runusson specializes in baking cookies that are vegan and gluten-free.
“Not killing or harming or hurting animals is a huge thing and that’s why I started this
company,” Renusson said.
The Bit Baking Company has a production facility in Hudsonville and their products can
be purchased in over 40 stores throughout Michigan.
Other groups with booths at the event included the GVSU Farm Club and GVSU’s
Beekeeping student organization.
