PETA's panel of judges has cast their votes for the fifth annual Proggy Awards, which recognize animal-friendly achievement in 21st century culture and commerce. The winners have helped people discover, access, and explore delicious vegan food options, trendy animal-friendly fashion, and outstanding cruelty-free beauty products and household products. Others—ranging from celebrity chefs to religious leaders—have helped raise awareness by promoting respect and empathy for animals.
This year's Proggy Award winners have gone above and beyond in PETA's eyes. By educating consumers about animal rights issues—and providing them with resources to help animals as well as alternatives to processes that hurt animals—recipients of the Proggy Awards are contributing to a more humane life for our entire society. Help us give a round of applause to the following Proggy Award winners for their initiative, creativity, passion, and desire to make a difference.
Company of the Year
Garden Protein International
Self-described "chickenless chicken farmer" Yves Potvin used to run a small factory on Vancouver's Eastside, where he learned about German sausage making, Chinese tofu production, and sausage stuffing techniques. Potvin mastered tofu dogs and dozens of other vegan faux meats before eventually selling his company, Yves Veggie Cuisine, to Celestial Foods Group.
Now, Potvin is back with a new company, Garden Protein International; a new product line, It's All Good; and a new product, Gardein—faux chicken and beef made from soy, wheat, and carrot fiber, which is marinated and then slow-cooked. Packaged in marinades—like Tuscan tomato, herb Dijon, zesty lemon, and Mediterranean herb—Gardein is packed with texture and taste.
Best Humane Wildlife Innovation
SlugsAway
Slugs may be honored at several Pacific Northwest "slug fests," but they are routinely baited and poisoned by gardeners and homeowners. Now, thanks to Contech Electronics, Inc., there is a humane way to keep slugs away.
SlugsAway, this year's best new humane wildlife innovation, electronically and harmlessly deters slugs. The new gizmo is the latest nonlethal wildlife deterrent from Contech Electronics, which also makes ScareCrow, a device that uses short bursts of water to repel birds and animals from vegetables, and CatStop, which uses ultrasonic sound to keep free-roaming cats out of gardens.
Most Vegan-Friendly Coffee Chain
Peet's Coffee and Tea, Inc.
Don't you wish your morning coffee stop had more vegan goodies? Next time, try PETA's most vegan-friendly coffee chain: Peet's. With locations across the U.S., including several inside grocery stores, Peet's serves up a full line of beverages to go along with its vegan chocolate chip cookies and other vegan baked goods. Just thinking about one of Peet's vegan double chocolate muffins is enough of a reason to take a coffee break!
Best Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Line
Urban Decay, LLC
"We DON'T do animal testing. How could anyone?" Now that's the kind of corporate slogan we like! From Heavy Metal Glitter eye gel to Love Junky lip gloss, cruelty-free company Urban Decay speaks the language of fashion and makes sure that it includes compassion for animals. Check out the special Vegan Products section on the company's Web site, or keep an eye out for Marley's purple paw, which denotes vegan products.
Best Cruelty-Free Household Product Line
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day
When it comes to natural, eco-friendly, cruelty-free household products, it's hard to beat Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day aromatherapeutic household cleaners. Mrs. Meyer's carries a complete line of household cleaners, from oatmeal pet shampoo to baby blossom surface wipes to laundry products, which are made with natural essential oils, are biodegradable and phosphate-free, and are never tested on animals. And there really is a Mrs. Meyer. Thelma Meyer raised nine children and cleaned up after them, so she knows a thing or two about fighting grime.
Best Cruelty-Free Personal Care Product Line
White Rain
White Rain is a value brand, which means that buying its personal care products won't put you in the poor house. Buying them won't put animals at risk either, since White Rain never tests on animals and uses no animal ingredients in its full line of shampoos, conditioners, hair sprays, mousses, styling gels, and body washes. Available at most major drug-store and supermarket chains, White Rain was recognized by SELF Magazine as the best all-around shampoo in 2006 in its Healthy Beauty Awards.
Best Cruelty-Free Personal Care Product
Max Green Alchemy's Scalp Rescue Shampoo
Customers can't rave enough about Max Green Alchemy's shampoo, and neither can we. Not only are Max Green products certified vegan and cruelty-free, they are also free of parabens, PVP, and other mysterious petrochemicals commonly found in many hair care products.
Why feed your hair junk food when there are Max Green 100 percent vegetable-based shampoos? All Max Green products sport the PETA cruelty-free rabbit logo and are available at Whole Foods Markets, independent health-food stores, salons, and spas as well as from naturopaths and online.
Most Progressive Food Magazine
Gourmet
Vegetarian meets mainstream in Gourmet, which boasts a monthly vegetarian column and a vegetarian-friendly Thanksgiving section. Gourmet also published an incredible column about factory farming, "A View to a Kill." Gourmet recipes—like skillet potatoes with olives and lemon, vegetable barley couscous, spaghetti with olive oil and pine nut salsa, and raspberry-chocolate ice pops—will even have meat-eaters putting on a bib and pulling up a chair.
Most Progressive Chef
Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Puck served meals to 10 million customers in 2006, from fine dining to casual eating to frozen pizzas to airplane-ready meals-to-go. So when this celebrity chef, a frequent guest on Good Morning America and NBC's Las Vegas, says "No!" to cruelty to farmed animals, people listen.
Wolfgang's Eating, Loving, and Living (WELL) program promises environmentally sustainable, organic food and requires adherence to animal welfare standards. That means only cage-free eggs, veal from free-roaming calves, gestation-crate-free pork, and no foie gras.
Most Progressive Shoe Company
LifeStride
Vegans deserve happy feet, and LifeStride shoes make vegan feet happy with a huge line of stylish leather-free shoes and boots for work or casual wear. LifeStride offers selections ranging from dressy pumps to versatile ballet flats (in shiny patent, tortoise, or leopard print) to slingback evening-style sandals and glamorous strappy vamp—all in smooth faux leather. Stride in style knowing that no animals suffered for your shoes. Most Progressive Restaurant
Java Green
Java Green—recently voted the Best Vegetarian Restaurant in the Washington, D.C., area—can best be described as an ultra-eco-conscious café. The socially responsible and conscious lifestyle promoted by Java Green means that all its products are organic, vegetarian, and fair-trade. In addition, Java Green is part of a clean-energy partnership to support wind power, and it only uses real dishes in the restaurant and biodegradable materials for takeout. And best of all, green tastes great! Wraps, rice rolls, panini, soups, salads, and faux meats make Java Green the tasty and environmental choice for people who care about animals and the environment.
Most Improved National Food Chain
Burger King
Efforts to promote vegetarianism in the U.S. received a huge boost when Burger King introduced the BK Veggie as a standard menu choice at all its outlets in 2002. This year, Burger King announced that it would buy a portion of eggs and pork from suppliers that don't confine animals to battery cages or gestation crates and that it would favor suppliers that use controlled-atmosphere killing, the least inhumane slaughter practice. With more than 11,000 restaurants in the U.S. alone, Burger King has made a socially responsible decision that has had a ripple effect on other fast-food outlets and farms.
Most Animal-Friendly Movie Theater
Naro Expanded Cinema
Settling down in an independent movie theater with a soy latte, a vegan cookie, and nutritional-yeast-flavored popcorn sounds like a vegan dream, but dreams come true at the Naro Expanded Cinema in Norfolk, Virginia. In addition to a varied lineup of cutting-edge films, documentaries, and independent and commercial films, the Naro regularly has special showings of movies such as I Am an Animal and Earthlings—followed by discussions with guest experts—and even distributes animal rights literature in the lobby.
Most Vegetarian-Friendly Spa
California Health and Longevity Institute
The California Health and Longevity Institute (CHLI) staff have developed a series of "lifestyle experiences" lasting from one day to a year. Not just another spa, CHLI is part of the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village, California, and focuses on healthy lifestyle choices, including vegetarianism. So along with an individual workshop, a personal consultation, or a relaxing facial or massage, you can also get a quinoa and broiled tofu salad, curried red lentil stew with rice and veggies, or tofu mock egg salad.
Best New Cookbook
Quick-Fix Vegetarian
Finding that perfect vegetarian recipe for busy people—quick and effortless to prepare, healthy, and tasty—got easier this year with Robin Robertson's Quick-Fix Vegetarian. The new cookbook—by the author of Vegan Planet, Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, and the Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook—will free you from your microwave and fast-food boredom with quick-fix treats like spinach and sun-dried tomato quesadillas, oyster mushroom po' boys, and five-minute slow-cooker chili. Top off your vegan meal with a few no-bake oatmeal-almond cookies, and you'll see why Quick-Fix Vegetarian is a winner.
Most Vegetarian-Friendly Employer
Holiday Systems International
It's easy to love your job when you work for a company that bans fur at work and will give you a free membership to PETA, provide you with free vegan lunches, and pay to have your companion animal neutered. Welcome to Holiday Systems International, a Las Vegas-based vacation planner whose focus on healthy, happy, well-fed employees makes it PETA's most vegetarian-friendly employer. HSI's employee guidelines stress animal rights and green issues, promote education and awareness, and reward employees for their compassionate choices.
Most Animal-Friendly World Hunger Charity
Fruit Tree Planting Foundation
Following in the footsteps of the legendary Johnny Appleseed but leading the pack of "hunger" charities is the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) of Mill Valley, California. This unique nonprofit is dedicated to planting fruit-bearing trees and plants to benefit needy populations, including animals. From low-income communities in the developed world to international hunger relief sites, FTPF works to strategically plant orchards that will provide fruit to communities for decades. FTPF's "Orchards for Animals" program serves a similar function by providing fruit trees for shade, shelter, and healthy diets for rescued animals in sanctuaries.
Most Vegetarian- and Earth-Friendly Corporate Cafeteria
Yahoo! Inc.
There is only one result when you do a Web search for the most vegetarian- and earth-friendly corporate cafeteria—and that's Yahoo! Yahoo's various environmental efforts can be seen on Yahoo! Green, but the real measure of the company's compassion can be tasted at its employee dining hall at Yahoo's Sunnyvale, California, headquarters. The cafeteria serves more than 6,000 meals per day and features a variety of vegetarian options at each station, including an Asian bowl with Gardein or tofu, pasta and veggie marinara, Boca burgers, a vegan mezze plate, a salad bar, and more along with strategically placed posters pointing out the benefits of a vegetarian diet for the environment, resources, and health.
Most Animal-Friendly Search Engine
DogPile.com
Those who need to know search. Those who know how to search metasearch. Since 1996, Dogpile.com and its mascot, Arfie, have helped the curious metasearch multiple search engines simultaneously. While you read about Arfie's adventures on the company's Web site and even e-mail him, you will also come across Dogpile's many references to adopting animals from shelters. Steering Web surfers to sites where they can rescue and support abandoned and abused animals makes Dogpile the search to find. Scoop 'em up.
Most Progressive Religious Leader
Rev. Susan Manker-Seale
Under the progressive leadership and guidance of Minister Susan Manker-Seale, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Northwest Tucson has become instrumental in encouraging sustainable living by promoting carpooling, using solar energy, recycling, water conservation, and organic and vegan cooking classes.
The church's Green Sanctuary Action Plan has members helping to preserve the nearby Ironwood Forest with cleanup and conservation events while they learn about a greener lifestyle, which includes an emphasis on vegetarian food at all church events.
