John Davis

JD was a pioneer of vegetarianism on the internet from the early days of the world wide web in 1994. He maintained the first websites for VSUK, VIVA and EVU as well being involved with many others in the mid-90s. He built the first IVU website in November 1995. In 1997, at the Council meeting in Bussolengo, Italy, he was co-opted onto the IVU International Council, then in January 1999 at the World Congress in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he was elected as a council member. However, from January 1, 2000, he has been employed part-time by IVU, and therefore resigned from the elected position - but has been co-opted onto all Council sessions in an advisory, non-voting, capacity.

In 2006 he was designated as IVU Manager, to include responsibility for members and supporters via the IVU Virtual Office, and the general planning and development of IVU. The last few years have seen some major reorganisations to enable IVU to maintain its leading role in world vegetarianism into the 21st century, including improvements in financial and business links. He is particularly proud to have had the opportunity to support the first vegetarian congresses ever to be held in Africa, thanks to funds raised by IVU, and to have been the first speaker at the first international veg event held in China.

Throughout this time John has also been researching the history of IVU and general vegetarian history, all supported by members of the ivu-history email group. The results of this now run to about 10,000 historical files on the IVU website, made more accessible via blogs and an e-book.

In September 2010 he was coopted as a Trustee (member of the board of directors) of the Vegetarian Society UK, with a particular brief on history and international affairs.

Over the years with IVU John has attended congresses and other events in many countries, including Australia, Brazil, California, Dubai UAE, China, Germany, India, Italy, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Netherlands, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand. He lives in rural England.  

• Where Change Happens (PDF 250k) - review of the IVU World Vegfest in California 2012 by the American Vegan Society (nice pic of Hazel and me)
• World Veganism - past, present and future - collection of over 100 blogs, and a link to the free e-book based on them.
• Video interviews on SMTV, recorded Dubai 2010, broadcast in three parts, spring 2011
• Prototype Vegans (feature article, The Vegan, UK, Winter 2010 issue)
• Views from JD's office window 2009-10, in rural England
• 24 Carrot award from VegParadise.com, with text interview, March 2010
• Video interview on VegSource (22 mins) - mostly on veg history, Feb 2010 in Los Angeles
• Speaking at the Vegetarian Forum in Xiamen, China - November 2009
• At the 4th Asian Veg Congress, Batam, Indonesia - November 2009
  
  - from the 2008 IVU World Vegetarian Congress, Dresden, Germany:
  
• IVU - interviews etc. from SupremeMaster TV, broadcast by satellite worldwide on November 9 and 16, 2008 : Part 1 - Part 2 - duration about 12-13 mins each program. (courtesy of suprememastertv.com)
• Why Dresden? - The Origins of IVU - open this first, but do not run: - Powerpoint (1mb mostly English):
  2. click on this to start sound, starts slow due to tech probs: audio: Why Dresden? ... 23.03mins, English
  3. now select 'slide show' then 'from beginning' on ppt, lots of clicks per page needed
• 100 Years of the International Vegetarian Union - Powerpoint (7mb download this first!!): English/Deutsch but mostly pictures - audio: 100 Years ... 49.07mins English
  
  
• JD's photos from the 2006 IVU Congress in Goa, India
• IVU Virtual Office - from the Annual Report 2006
• The IVU Congress in Brazil, 2004 - almost all photos by JD
• The IVU Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, 2002 - JD was uploading reports and photos during the week
• The EVU Cybercafe at Euro Congress, Switzerland, 1999 (EVU News, 2000)
• The IVU Congress in Chiang Mai, Thailand, 1999 - JD elected to the International Council, and took most of the photos on this site
• Cooking up a Storm in Cyberspace (IVU News 1998)
  • Español - Levantando un revuelo en el Ciberespacio
• The European Congress in Italy, 1997 - JD co-opted to the council
• The IVU Cyberspace Domain (IVU News 1997)
  • Italiano - Il Dominio della IVU nel Ciberspazio
• The EVU and the Internet (EVU News 1996)

• International Vegetarian Union - created the original site in November '95
• Vegetarian Society UK webmaster 1995-97 and 1999-2002
• Vegetarian Union of North America - webmaster 1997-99
• European Vegetarian Union - webmaster 1995-98
• Viva! webmaster July '95 - Jan '97

Shropshire, England - (English)

Abstracts
John Davis currently offers two talks based on powerpoint presentations. There is no written text as they are improvised to suit the particular audience, and will therefore be different each time. The powerpoint presentation will also vary according to local needs, including on-screen translations as appropriate.

1 - The Vegetarian Movement from a World Perspective

Since November 2009 variations of this talk have been given in: Batam, Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia; Xiamen, Hangzhou and Beijing, China; San Francisco and Los Angeles, USA; Canberra, Australia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bangalore, India; Nairobi, Kenya; Dubai, UAE; Manchester and Oswestry, UK; Malaga, Spain:

Beginning with a brief overview of historical plant-eaters, the talk moves on to the beginnings of organised vegetarianism in the 19th century. It goes into the work that IVU has done in recent years around the world, with a particular emphasis on the developing countries, and the region where the talk is being given. Recent progress has included Africa, China, the Middle East, Latin America and South-East Asia. Plans for future activities are also outlined.

2 - Veganism from 1806

Since the summer of 2010, this talk has been given in Leeds and Wolverhampton, England; Jakarta, Indonesia, Sydney, Australia; Malaga, Spain; Los Angeles, USA:

This talk begins in the 19th century, and looks at how people in England, soon expanding to the USA, began to co-operate in promoting the ‘vegetable diet’. It considers two very different concepts of the diet, and how they eventually merged to form Vegetarian Societies, but with the differences resulting in much confusion.  It gives the origins, and original meaning, of the word ‘vegetarian’ - and how it was originally what we now call vegan, in both diet and ethics.

photos below from the 38th IVU World Vegetarian Congress in Dresden, Germany, 2008:
(click for bigger versions)

photos below from the 37th IVU World Vegetarian Congress, Goa, India, 2006
(John's wife, Hazel, in the middle of the 3rd photo)