Activism is pretty sweet but cupcakes can only help according to baketivists. Baketivism is the simple idea that baking can be a valuable form of activism. Not only can a bake sale advocate tasty vegan food but it can also raise money to help political causes, from keeping animal shelters open to supporting campaigns.

Often vegans use images of slaughterhouses, tortured animals that have been killed for fashion or food. Although these pictures are important and people are rightfully disgusted, they are more likely to turn away then take action. The first person to coin the term was Isa Chandra Moskowitz, of Post Punk Kitchen. According to her, just seeing vegan options does a lot more to push folks towards veganism because they can see delicious food is out there.

The most common baketivist action is just holding a bake sale and offering yummy vegan treats. But there are many other ways to use food for good. Here are a few ideas:

Get your grocery stores to carry vegan products. Make a list of specific names of products that they should carry or bring in empty containers of your favourites. Don’t forget to mention that folks with allergies also would like dairy free or egg free alternatives.

Demand vegan options from your local café. Soymilk is easy enough to get and vegan muffins make a great addition. If the café does their baking on the spot, start with a request for vegan treats. Come back next time with a tested, simple recipe. Bringing a sample doesn’t hurt either. Show the café that it would make a difference if they offered it. If they don’t do the baking on site, find a vegan bakery that would sell to them. Get your friends to start requesting vegan options too.

Try to make your veganism more public. Offer to write a column in the local paper about vegan restaurants or recipes or start a blog. Bring vegan baked goods to the office and get folks to see vegan baking is just as tasty. Folks will start to see veganism as a more practical diet, rather than some fringe practice where nothing tastes good.