Action Alerts

To locate your elected officials--state and federal--go to Project Vote Smart. You will find all the info you need to stay connected. To learn even more about how the government works, and for more contact info, check out the Congressional Resources page. You can find some major media contacts here.

One website that can really be of help to you in your correspondence is Kinship Circle. It was founded and is operated by START member, Brenda Shoss. She has worked very hard to compile a wealth of information and sample letters to assist you in keeping legislators, manufacturers, and others on their toes.

One way to help the millions of dogs and cats who are euthanized every year in this country is to talk to your family and friends about it. A friend who wants to "buy" a pet might be convinced that adoption is a better way to go, while a family member who thinks taking a pet back to the shelter is a simple solution to training problems could be informed of the consequences of such a decision. SPOT (Stopping Pet Overpopulation Together) has a page dedicated to explaining what happens to unwanted and unclaimed animals. At the bottom of the page are two links: One takes you to the fate of a dog, the other a cat. These are non-graphic, yet chillingly effective in their portrayal of euthanasia. Something to keep in mind while viewing the slides is that most animals in the US do not receive such a humane end to their lives. Gassing and other inhumane methods are still widely used in this country's shelters and pounds.

Ask Soulard Market to Act Responsibly

Over the years, animal lovers have been struck by the callous nature of Soulard Market, with its live chickens and rabbits stuffed into cages and the pet shop selling animals. We recently learned that people are actually being told by sellers at Soulard that after three months of age, it's okay to release ducklings in a park. People buy these baby birds for their children then simply drop them off at area parks. For what should be obvious reasons these babies cannot survive on their own, particularly after imprinting on humans. Bird rescuers in the St. Louis area deal with such ignorance on a regular basis. Contact Soulard officials and tell them what you think of such irresponsible behavior on the part of their business people.

Soulard Market
730 Carroll Street
St. Louis, MO, 63104

Phone: 314 622 4180
Fax: 314 622 4184

Email: Market@stlouis.missouri.org, soulardmarket@aol.com

David A. Visintainer, Director
Sandra T. Zak, Market Master

Ask Morningstar to Go Vegan

There are lots of Morningstar Farms vegetarian products out there; but, unfortunately, most contain eggs (usually egg whites). Let Morningstar know you would purchase their products if they would just eliminate the unnecessary eggs. Get the details on this MorningstarEggFacts.com site.

A.D. David Mackay
President & CEO of Kellogg
1 Kellogg Square
Battle Creek, MI 49016-3599

Phone: 1-800-962-1413 (Say “Representative,” Press 2 for product information, Press 1 for general inquiries)

You can also use this online form to send the company your comments.

Contact Medical Schools that Still Use Live Animals

The vast majority of US medical schools no longer use live animal labs in their training. Contact the remaining schools and ask them to update their teaching methods. For a list of the schools and alternatives, see the PCRM website.