Vegans on the one side. Non-vegans on the other side. How does anything ever get resolved? What exactly do we want resolved? To us at Sanctuary Hostel, we want everyone to feel welcome and included regardless of their beliefs. And so the non-vegan, vegan friendly hostel was born.

As an animal welfare nonprofit, we aim to be kind and fair to all animals. That doesn’t just mean the cute ones that people consider pets. It also means treating all animals with the dignity and respect all species deserve. 

As PETA explains in their article on animals are not ours, speciesism is when people believe that animals are inferior. As a result, they believe it is acceptable to experiment on, wear or eat them. 

At Sanctuary Hostel, we are also supporting equality of all species. We believe we can do this with our vegan friendly hostel. 

The Non-Vegan Vegan-Friendly Hostel Philosophy 

First and foremost, Sanctuary Hostel will be a vegan hostel. 

This means that we won’t purchase, sell, or use animal products as far as is reasonably possible. Of course, that includes not using fish, honey, leather, wool, silk and any other animal-derived product. 

Within that approach, our hostel guests will not be expected to follow the vegan philosophy while staying with us. 

Before our vegan readers skip a heartbeat, read on to discover why. 

By allowing our non-vegan fellow humans to purchase and cook anything they wish, we hope that they will feel included into the vegan world. Perhaps then we can all have friendlier and more collaborative debates on how we want to leave the world for the next generation. 

As this article on speciesism and racism explains, the two are interlinked. We’ve already started seeing the impact of beliefs of superiority is doing to this planet but rather than fight about it, let’s talk about it. Just like white people need to go and listen to black people and spend time with them, so we are inviting our non-vegan fellow humans to share time with vegans. 

Of course, we do expect a level of mutual respect. So, we will not let non-vegans butcher and cook animal carcasses on our premises. Nevertheless, it does mean that we will all share utensils and crockery regardless of what we eat. 

As a vegan friendly hostel, we will be only too happy to recommend other local options to purchase plant-based meals. In short, we will do our best to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome. 

Inclusion Above All Else 

As we’ve mentioned in a previous blog on how we are creating a shelter for both animals and people, we want to create an environment of inclusion that involves working with the community. So, guests will have access to the community garden and plant-based ingredients grown at the hostel. 

We will also offer plant-based meals while promoting language exchanges and volunteers to come and support the animals. The more people we have coming through, the more debates and discussions we can have around supporting each other in creating the best world. 

With that in mind, we hope that non-vegans will stay with us and learn about veganism if they wish. Furthermore, we’ll promote vegan artwork and offer events discussing animal welfare. In addition, we’ll invite vegan and plant-based chefs to offer cooking classes to those interested in learning about these types of meals. Overall, we believe in passive activism rather than aggression. 

The Vegan Friendly Hostel will be a Safe Haven for all

Our vision is that people who visit Sanctuary Hostel will bring with them seeds of kindness towards all creatures that they can plant during their visit. Our mission is to bring people together through sustainable activities and the animal hostel to help heal the planet and all those creatures who occupy it. 

We made the choice to be an inclusive vegan friendly place rather than a vegan-exclusive hostel because we believe that the only way to create change is to work together. Vegans also need to integrate and if we stay in our secluded vegan hideaways, nothing will ever change. 

So, let’s listen to each other with kindness and curiosity as we support animals around us and try to bring more harmony among all of us.