The North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) is a charity and activist organization with the stated objectives of supporting vegetarians and informing the public about the benefits of vegetarianism.
It was initially founded in 1974 to organize the International Vegetarian Union's 1975 World Vegetarian Congress in Orono, Maine, which has been called the most significant event of the vegetarian movement in the United States in the 20th century.
In 1977, the organization started an annual event, World Vegetarian Day. The following year the International Vegetarian Union joined in holding the event. The event is celebrated October 1 of each year and kicks off a month-long event, Vegetarian Awareness Month, which ends November 1 with World Vegan Day.
Vegan Hall of Fame NAVS initiated the Vegetarian Hall of Fame (now the Vegan Hall of Fame) in 1990, which has enshrined 33 activists. +Vegan Hall of Fame membersNameKnown forYear of awardAmerican Vegan Society1990American Vegan Society1990Simple living advocate and vegetarian1991Simple living advocate and vegetarian1991Physician and author1992Registered dietitian and author1993Paul ObisFounder and editor of Vegetarian Times1994Indian independence advocate and vegetarian1995Co-founder and president of Farm Animal Rights Movement1998Livestock farmer turned vegan, a vegan and animal rights activist2002Professor of mathematics, president of Jewish Veg2005Professor of nutritional biochemistry and advocate of a plant-based diet2006Registered dietitian and author2007Author of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks2008Cardiologist, Olympic gold medalist, vegan2010Founding president of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine 2011Physician and plant-based nutrition author2015Founder of vegan cheese producer Miyoko's Creamery2016Physician and plant-based nutrition author2019 Sr., MDVegan cardiologist who promotes plant-based eating for better heart health. 2023Founder of Main Street Vegan Academy.Victoria Moran: 2024 Vegan Hall of Fame Award. Compassion Consortium. Retrieved 11/06/2024.2024Milton Mills, MDVegan Physician2025Dr. Carol & Dr. Ted BarnettVegans with Rochester Lifestyle Medicine InstitutePhotograph of 2026 Vegan of the Year Award to Dr. Carol & Dr. Ted Barnett2026
NAVS Vegan Summerfest Since 1974, the NAVS has run an annual vegetarian summer conference - originally for 9–10 days encompassing two full weekends, on a college or university campus (often in Pennsylvania). In 199x the summer conference's name was changed to NAVS Vegetarian Summerfest (with all vegan meals). In 2019, the name was changed to NAVS Vegan Summerfest. During this now 5-day event, the inductee for the Vegan Hall of Fame is announced and celebrated. The most frequent Summerfest site is the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (UPJ) in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In 1996, the World Vegetarian Congress was held simultaneously with the NAVS Vegetarian Summerfest, in Johnstown. Three international vegetarian conferences have been held simultaneously with the NAVS Vegan Summerfests.
See also American Vegan Society List of vegetarian and vegan organizations
References