Inspiring a Movement at San Francisco VegFest
How Jan Liband is Championing the Plant-Based Shift
by Christopher Gil, Volunteer Blogger
Researcher. Environmentalist. Public Speaker.
These three roles perfectly define Bay Area native Jan Liband and his influential work at Plant-Based Advocates. Driven by the passion of volunteers such as Liband, this Los Gatos-based nonprofit has a mission of “accelerating the shift to a plant-based diet, lifestyle and food system by empowering communities to take grassroots action.”
Liband is just one of 14 speakers invited to inform attendees at San Francisco VegFest, taking place on Saturday, Nov. 14 and hosted by the San Francisco Vegan Society (SFVS). Speakers’ topics run the gamut from vegan pets to debunking myths to practical tips. There will also be five culinary experts and scores of exhibitors ready to inspire guests. The venue is the SMC Event Center in the city’s conveniently located Cathedral Hill neighborhood (at the intersection of Geary and Gough).
SFVS, a 100% volunteer-driven organization, hosts the annual San Francisco VegFest to bring together residents of the nine-county Bay Area, reaching everyone from college students to community elders, folks new to exploring veganism to those who have practiced the lifestyle for decades. This is its 27th year.
“We’ve invited an engaging group of speakers, including Jan Liband, to San Francisco VegFest to inform and energize our community – and everyone interested in exploring the connection between animal agriculture, the environment and the way we eat,” explains Karen Shuster, co-chair of San Francisco VegFest and co-chair of SFVS events and community impact. “Our subject-matter experts, all leaders in their respective fields, will ensure guests leave armed with information as they embark on or continue their vegan journey.”
Liband’s path to veganism was sparked four decades ago by a pamphlet called “Realities,” which was a compendium of facts from a then soon-to-be-published book by John Robbins called “Diet for a New America.” It detailed the huge environmental toll of animal agriculture; the health problems associated with meat, dairy and eggs; and the horrible treatment of animals in our food system.
“It felt like the veil had been pulled back and that I was told and believed a whole lot of falsehoods about food. I was blown away.”
Plant-Based Advocates is a far cry from its start as a Facebook group a decade back. In 2024, the organization was honored with a Certificate of Commendation from Santa Clara County; that same year, the nonprofit received environmental group Acterra’s Champions of Promise Award in recognition of grassroots climate action and community resilience.
Plant-Based Advocates is well aware of the need for disseminating fact-based, practical information. This is exemplified by Liband having joined community members over two dozen times to screen the 2021 feature-length documentary, “Eating Our Way to Extinction,” narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet. Liband offers complementary context to the film’s focus on the environmental perils of the global food system, specifically animal agriculture and commercial overfishing.
These gatherings highlight Plant-Based Advocates’ goal of meeting the community where they are at. That means partnering with local K-12 schools to integrate healthy, sustainable plant-based options and non-dairy milks; preparing meatless meals for those experiencing being unhoused; hosting monthly cooking demonstrations and expert talks for the corporate world or at community spaces; and lobbying and advocacy, with successes such as passage of Los Gatos’ Green Monday Resolution requiring all meals be free of animal products if served that weekday at city facilities and council meetings.
Liband, who also sits on the boards of the American Vegan Society and Compassionate Living, has named his San Francisco VegFest talk, “Our Food Choices Matter: A Path to Sustainability and Health.” He aims to inform attendees about the staggering ecological impacts of the global food system as well as the environmental restoration that is possible and needed if we shift to more plant-based foods. He notes that we can neither wait on governments nor the food industry to make the large, urgent changes required to deal with the environmental issues we face. We must more quickly reduce consumption and production of animal foods, and that starts with each one of us as consumers.
“As a vegan there are thousands of things and dishes you can eat, and only a handful of things you should avoid. It starts with each of us, and we have that power. That’s what gives me hope.”
Liband adds: “This is a collective effort and each of us needs to do our part. I encourage people who have already reduced or eliminated animal-product consumption to inform others, with a reminder that your approach is most effective when you are relatable and focus on shared goals such as a livable world, improved human health and compassion for animals.”
Did you know?
SFVS members get FREE entry to our annual San Francisco VegFest! Take five minutes to join our community today. Annual membership starts as low as $25 ($20 for seniors and students).
