October is World Vegetarian Month! Starting with World Vegetarian Day on October 1st, the month aims to promote vegetarianism and spread awareness about vegetarian lifestyles. Everyone is encouraged to give vegetarianism a go!

To celebrate the NZ Vegetarian Society has announced the finalists for its Think Kind student competition on its website: http://www.vegetarian.org.nz/vegetarian-events/think-kind/ Students from across the country were encouraged to use their unique talents to help the animals. We received entries from around 30 schools! Among the final entries are a fundraiser, a drawing of Papatūānuku (the earth mother) suffering because we are not looking after her, and even a mobile app to help us reduce food waste!

Now, it's time to choose a winner. You can vote for your favourite entry online: http://www.vegetarian.org.nz/vegetarian-events/think-kind/

Viktória Lencsés Spear, one of the Think Kind judges, says she was very impressed with this year’s entries.

‘We had a wide variety of entries - everything from colourful drawings, to a fundraiser to help raise money for an animal charity! All of the children put a lot of effort into their projects, using their talents and developing new skills.’

Ms Lencsés Spear said the competition promotes values associated with vegetarianism.

‘The competition promotes vegetarian values, like healthy living, sustainability, and non-violence. Most important of all, it encouraged the kids to reflect on kindness to animals. Some projects focused on what we eat, some on animal experimentation, while others thought about the effects of pollution on animals’ lives.’

Voting closes 31 October, and the winner will be announced on 1 November. The winner of the People's Choice award will win $1,000 for their school, donated by Linda McCartney’s. Other supporters include Hell, Proper Crisps, Goodness Me, New Way, Trade Aid, Terra Nut Cheese, and IsoCream.

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