To celebrate "Make a Difference" Day—a national day of volunteering taking place on Saturday—we're offering you the chance to win a copy of the aptly named One Can Make a Difference: How Simple Actions Can Change the World autographed by PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk to help inspire you to make a difference for animals every day. 

One Can Make a Difference contains more than 50 original essays by "differencemakers," including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sir Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Russell Simmons, Brigitte Bardot, and Oliver Stone. The book also makes the point that you do not need to be famous to impact the world—all you need is determination.

To enter to win a signed copy of One Can Make a Difference, leave a comment about what you are doing to make a difference for animals.

To pick up a copy of One Can Make a Difference right now for yourself or for a friend, visit the PETA catalog. Happy "Make a Difference" Day!

The contest ends on October 31, 2011, and the most inspiring animal-friendly comment will win. We'll contact the winner on November 1, 2011. Make sure that you read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting.

 

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

These days, it may seem like no one can stop gushing about their Valentine's Day plans, but for those of us whose brains haven't melted to love-mush, we are launching a contest to celebrate February's real holiday: Presidents' Day.

We're giving away a pair of inspirational books written by two leaders who know about making an impact on the world: PETA President Ingrid Newkirk's One Can Make a Difference: How Simple Actions Can Change the World and the Dalai Lama's Becoming Enlightened. Both offer moving stories and guidance for making the small changes in your life that can make a big change in the world. And because most of us will enjoy a day off on Presidents' Day (another reason why the holiday may be superior to Valentine's Day), what better time is there to settle down for a good, inspiring read and get some tips on taking action to help animals in need?

To enter, leave a comment here and let us know how you plan to create change for animals this year. The contest ends on February 23, 2009, and the most inspiring comment will win. We'll contact the winner on February 24, 2009. Make sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting.

So what are you waiting for?

Written by Liz Graffeo

topnews / CC

OK, maybe that headline is a teensy bit of an exaggeration. What President Obama really said during his town-hall meeting in Fort Myers, Florida, on Tuesday was that he's "open to any idea, whether it comes from a Democrat or a Republican or a vegetarian …." Did you catch that? Vegetarians aren't just mainstream, we've been elevated to the status of a political party! Can a faux chicken in every pot be far behind?

We're so honored by the president's personal "invitation" that we've dashed off a letter giving him one of our best ideas: Stop dumping unhealthy meat, eggs, and dairy products on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

Why are kids being force-fed artery-clogging animal products, you ask? Because the NSLP is under the aegis of the USDA, which is in the business of supporting the meat, dairy, and egg industries. This is easy to do if you buy up a bunch of the crap yourself and then foist it off on chronically underfunded schools, which aren't exactly in a position to say no.

Instead of continuing to prop up an industry that hurts animals, pollutes the environment, and exposes people to a greater risk of heart disease, we think that the government should be in the business of promoting healthy veggies. Only common sense, right? Hopefully, the president agrees.

Written by Alisa Mullins

Boston.com/Creative Commons

Yesterday, the Dalai Lama gave a speech in Australia with a very clear message about the way we as a society treat animals. In addition to criticizing companies that "remain indifferent" to animal rights by experimenting on them (see, for instance, Covance), the Dalai Lama made some powerful statements about the horrors and the inhumanity inherent in killing animals to eat them:

He went on to discuss vegetarianism—noting that he himself gave up meat, dairy, and eggs in 1965, though he has occasionally eaten meat since then. In my few years in the animal rights movement, I've learned from experience that animal issues like these can sometimes be tough for people to take on board. When you're asking a person, or an organization, to make a fundamental change in the way they've always done things, tensions are likely to flare, regardless of how compelling your argument is. Which is why moments like these are so important. If anyone's looking for advice on how to live a compassionate lifestyle, the Dalai Lama's a pretty solid choice for a consultation. We're so used to listening to experts when we make decisions about how to live our lives, and it follows that we should sit up and pay attention when an expert on something as essential as kindness makes a pronouncement. I hope a lot of people pay attention to this one.