In the abillionveg Spotlight Series, we’re getting the inside scoop on the people who believe in abillionveg’s mission and who are doing incredible things for sustainability. Meet Dave Osborn (second right, "Kale'd It"), a Point Reyes activist who is living and fighting to bring awareness to mindful eating and animal rights.
Dave Osborn (second from the right in Kale'd It, rocking plant-based shirts with family in Hollywood.)
Point Reyes in Northern California is an easy pick for a holiday retreat, located just a stone’s throw away from San Francisco, complete with an idyllic lighthouse for visitors to tour.
Lesser known about Point Reyes is the dominance of the dairy and beef industries in this small community. Animal agriculture is the main industry here, going back some 3-4 generations. Dave Osborn (@daveoz) is a local master chicken barbecuer turned vegan activist. His work brought him to the 2018 Sonoma VegFest where he met abillionveg intern Will Harding (@wharding) in 2018.
Dave’s vegan journey begins long before the Sonoma VegFest however. A decade ago, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and chose a plant-based lifestyle change over medical intervention. What began with food percolated into a transformed world view.
Dave before and after his plant-based transition; 80 pounds lighter! Image: Dave Osborn
“I was worried about being in this prison of a healthy diet and not being able to eat what I wanted to eat. What it turned out to be was enjoying being plant-based instead of eating a Standard American Diet.”
By reading books on protein and nutrition, global depletion, and other works by the likes of John Robbins and Howard Lyman, the connections between our drug and food systems and the environment began to spark. Being raised as a hunter meant that the lives of animals were never very high on Dave’s priority list, so it was only when he watched Called to Rescue, a documentary about how farm sanctuaries are working to help people see farm animals as their own beings, that the final piece of animal rights fell into place.