Sept 19

09:00am –
09:50am

Chautari Hall
HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT ISSUES FACING THE HIMALAYA
Wildlife have lived in the wilderness for millennia but as the human population increases drastically and they start encroaching on forest lands, tension begins to mount between humans and wildlife. Hu-mans often resort to cruelty in order to get rid of wildlife from what they believe is their land without realising that wildlife have lived there all along before humans encroached. Experts discuss ways in which the human wildlife conflict can be minimised or eliminated completely while giving animals their true right to their land but also allowing humans to have a right to basic housing.

Speakers

• Ajit Thapa (Award-winning professional national park conservationist)
• Rama Misra (Founder of Wildlife Conservation Association Nepal)
• Kumar Poudel (Conservationist, co-founder and director of Greenhood Nepal)

Moderator

• Shristi Singh Shrestha (Animal rights advocate, vegan activist and vice-president of Animal Nepal)

Bodhi Hall
THE UNTOLD TRUTH ABOUT THE NON-PLANT-BASED FOOD
There is a belief that in order to get sufficient calcium, proteins or the necessary nutrition you must consume dairy milk or meat. The truth is, you can get all of your nutrients from a plant-based diet. Learn more about this with our experts in this workshop.

Speakers

• Kuntal Joisher (Vegan mountaineer and two-time Everest summiter)
• Dr. Vythilingam Pillay (Physician doctor, plant-based lifestyle advocate)
• Dr. Nandita Shah (Award-winning author and disease prevention advocate)

Rhino Hall
GET READY-THE FUTURE OF VEGAN TOURISM
It is no secret that plant-based eating and clean eating as a whole is a trend that is growing rapidly around the world. Study the current vegan trends that are taking over the tourism industry and discuss projections for what the future of vegan tourism might hold while
understanding how businesses must implement changes to their ventures to meet these trends.

Speakers

• Zachary Lovas (Co-founder of VegVoyages Vegan Adventure Tours and The VegVoyages Foundation)
• Dr. Anne H. J. Lee (Author, researcher & director of plant-based Temple Food Academy’)
• Dhananjaya Regmi (CEO of Nepal Tourism Board)

Moderator

• Aakash Ranison (Climate change activist, author, sustainability influencer)

Sept 19

10:00am –
10:50am

Chautari Hall
DEFORESTATION & ITS DEADLY OUTCOMES
Deforestation is a global issue that is on the rise and getting worse every day as the human population increases to the point that we may not have any forests left on the planet in a very short time and this threatens the existence of not only humans but all life on the planet. The meat and dairy industries drive deforestation to a great extent. In this programme, experts will help you understand the effects of deforestation and how each and everyone of us can change our own consumption patterns to help reduce the demand for deforestation.

Speakers

• Dr. Ian Singleton (Wildlife conservationist & zoologist, world’s foremost expert on the Sumatran orangutan and founder of Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme)
• Dev Narayan Mandal (Forest and Wildlife Conservationist, Environmental Researcher)

Moderator

• Shristi Singh Shrestha (Animal rights advocate, vegan activist and vice-president of Animal Nepal)

Bodhi Hall
VEGAN ATHLETES DO EXIST – AND THEY THRIVE
Bust false myths about vegan living being expensive and out of reach to the average person as you learn to consume the best that the plant world has to offer within your budget. Get tips from vegan experts from all over the world on how to consume inexpensive, easily available whole food that offers the maximum amount of nutrition while limiting expensive processed food.

Speakers

• Fiona Oakes (Global vegan marathon runner and animal sanctuary founder)
• Kuntal Joisher (Vegan mountaineer and two-time Everest summiter)

Moderator

• Dr. Zeeshan Ali (Program specialist at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)
  

Rhino Hall
WANNA STILL EAT MEAT AND BE VEGAN? LEARN HOW TO MAKE VEGAN MEAT
Living vegan does not mean you have to give up on the tastes and flavours that you used to love.Learn about the incredible meat replacements available to vegans with an equal if not higher nutritional profile but without the toxins and hormones that come with traditional meat. These alternatives can be used to replace meat in all your favourite recipes without sacrificing texture, flavour or nutrients.

Speakers

• Karma Dendup (Founder of Jangsem Monday—Meatless Monday Bhutan, animal advocate, film director & producer

Sept 19

11:00am –
11:50am

Chautari Hall
WHAT THE PANDEMIC!
As we are on the tail end of one of the greatest disasters of our time, a journey of food habits and their connection to pandemics and epidemics that have caused destruction on the world throughout history. All we need to begin with are the baby steps with the implementation of a basic plant-based journey for a week or a month before committing entirely. By doing that you can understand how to prevent a future global catastrophe like the one that each one of
us were no doubt affected by just a year ago.

Speakers

• Dr. Sailesh Rao (Founder and executive director of Climate Healers and author)
• Keegan Kuhn (Award-winning documentary filmmaker, director and producer of Cowspiracy and What the Health)

Moderator

•  Aakash Ranison (Climate change activist, author, sustainability influencer)

Bodhi Hall
FOOD OF THE FUTURE ! HEALTHIER, TASTIER & CRUELTY FREE
Food is the basic necessity for your body, so it is basically our future. We even say we become what we eat! So how about we have food that is healthier for our body without the absence of taste as well. That is what we are bringing for you guys, food that is healthy, tasty along with no cruelty. What if we say that you don’t have to go far in search of this food, it might be right next door. Join the workshop and try the food sample of such healthy and tasty food which is very mind-boggling.

Speakers

• Ken Spector (Head of marketing and key principal at HappyCow)

Moderator

• Palak Mehta (Founder and CEO of Vegan First, India)

Rhino Hall
VEGAN IN NEPAL: GOING LOCAL – MAKING NEPALESE
FOOD VEGAN IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK
When you are in Nepal, live like the Nepalese do. Find out all about local cuisine, culture, tradition and learn how to veganise local traditional favourites like Nepalese Newari, Thakali khana set, khaja set, and Mo:mo from the locals themselves. Along with how to make tempeh in Nepali cuisine.

Speakers

• Samu Yonjan (Restaurateur and vegan chef )
  
• Niru Gurung (Vegan entrepreneur and restaurateur)
  
• Babita Shrestha (Plant-based chef, photographer, graphic designer, and filmmaker)

Sept 19

12:00pm –
12:50pm

Chautari Hall
SENSELESS SACRIFICES & CRUELTY TO COWS
To think that animal sacrifice still happens in the 21st century is shocking but to think that this cruelty in the name of God happens right here in Nepal is even more shocking! Not only that, the sacred cow has long been regarded as Nepal’s national animal, and the revered cow is even protected by law from being slaughtered. How ever, below the surface, the story is very different as the government subsidizes the dairy industries and promotes consumption, even though this industry leads to cruelty to cows and promotes climate change. If this continues we will have a crisis bigger than the one we are facing now. Find out how to end animal sacrifice and how to
genuinely treat animals respectively.

Speakers

• Bikesh Shrestha (Vegan Activist & Chair SPCA Nepal)
• Beena Pant (SPCA Nepal general secretary, animal rights activist & vegan advocate)
• Dr. Govinda Tandon (Cultural anthropologist)
• Pramada Shah (Founder Animal Nepal)
• Sneha Shrestha (Founder of Sneha’s care)
• Dr. Hari Prasad Pokharel (Head of department Yoga & Naturopathy in Nepal Sanskrit University

Moderator

• Shristi Singh Shrestha (Animal rights advocate, vegan activist and vice-president of Animal Nepal)

Bodhi Hall
NUTRITION 101 FOR VEGANS
Vegans are often under scrutiny for their plant-based diet. Although plant-based diet is sustainable, healthy and complete but nutritional questions like calcium, protein, B-12, iron, etc are discussed frequently to necessitate the inclusion of animal derived products in our diet. This session will serve as a general guideline for planning, preparing and meeting nutritional requirements of people who are on a plant based diet or are planning for a plant-based diet.

Speakers

• Kuntal Joisher (Vegan Mountaineer and two-time Everest summitter)
• Dr. Zeeshan Ali (Program specialist at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)

Rhino Hall
WANT TO MAKE YOUR RESTAURANT MORE VEGAN
Learn how adding vegan options and secret vegan elements to your restaurant’s menu can enhance your business by bringing in new customers and helping you make more profit without losing your existing customers. Discovering tips and tricks to adding “accidentally vegan” in ways where they will be virtually recognizable to non-vegan customers will draw the attention of the growing vegan market.

Speakers

• Ken Spector (Head of marketing and key principal at HappyCow)

Sept 19

01:00pm –
01:50pm

Chautari Hall
HOW TO DO CRUELTY-FREE WORSHIP & RITUALS
It goes without saying that worship should be in its very essence, cruelty-free and not harm any living being. There isn’t only one religion where animal cruelty isn’t done. If we talk about Buddhism, it’s a religion that deeply preaches kindness and nonviolence to all life. “Sabbe Satta Bhavantu Sukhitatta “is a script that is often chanted in Buddhism which loosely translates to “May all beings be well” which is somehow connected to the principle of Veganism. Discuss the
connection between veganism and cruelty-free worship to the path of their own spirituality.

Speakers

• Angphuri Sherpa (Author, plant-based health advocate & vegan monk)

Moderator

• Suresh Prasad Sharma (Nepal chair of the World Vegan Organisation and vegan activist)

Bodhi Hall
BEING VEGAN ???
To be vegan is to follow a plant-based diet among other lifestyle choices. Does being vegan seem difficult and out of reach to you? Discuss why there is an urgency for as many people as possible to go vegan and what the individual and collective benefits of veganism are.

Speakers

• Emilia Ananda Leese (Lawyer, Animal Rights activist, Author: Think Like Vegan)
  
• Dr. Zeeshan Ali (Program specialist at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)
  
• Kuntal Joisher (Vegan mountaineer and two-time Everest summiter)
  
• Dr. Vidya Chakravarthy (Award-winning plant-based ayurvedic doctor)

Moderator

• Priyanka Naithini (Climate change, food insecurity, and racial injustice activist, Communications Manager at The Virsa Foundation and JIVINITI Research Program)

Chulho Hall
CREATING A VEGAN-FRIENDLY & MORE PROFITABLE BUSINESS…?
The success of any business depends on their marketing strategies, in case with the vegan business paying attention to your market strategies can help the most as per the growing vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian markets their impact mainly lies to the hospitality industry
as a whole whether the impact is small or big. A vegan business can be done in two ways either being entirely open with people about them being vegan or simply keeping a secret from people. Discuss about the vegan impact on the hospitality industry and business profit from this firm.

Speakers

• Palak Mehta (Founder and CEO of Vegan First, India)
• Ken Spector (Head of marketing and key principal at HappyCow)
• Paul Eyers (Plant-based food & beverage consultant)

Sept 19

02:00pm –
02:50pm

Chautari Hall
SOLUTIONS FOR STRAY ANIMALS
Stray animals are a great concern in many developing countries and Bhutan is no exception. There are many ways in which the stray animal problem can be solved. The main key to reducing the stray animal population in your community is to set up regular spay and neuter programs in your community. The issues that may arise however are that people within the community are often not educated on the subject and may resist the procedure for their pet based on
empathy for the pet while not giving much thought to dumping any offspring that may come along back on the streets. Not only that but we can even make some plant-based food for animals for instant dogs who can not only survive on it but can thrive on it. This workshop will include all the brainstorming and idea-sharing for all these things to come up with a solution.

Speakers

Shristi Singh Shrestha (Animal rights advocate, vegan activist and vice-president of Animal Nepal)
Karma Dendup (Founder of Jangsem Monday (Meatless Monday Bhutan) Animal Advocate, Film Director & Producer

Bodhi Hall
BULLETPROOFING YOUR BODY WITH A PLANT-BASED LIFESTYLE
Learn more about how the plant-based diet can help you to heal your body and protect your heart and body from the diseases from your everyday diet and potentially prevent it. And how these things were kept as a mystery in the medical field and the nutrition you can get from these foods and improve your immunity system from these. Learn more about it in brief from the doctors around the world how these things can help your body heal without any harm.

Speakers

• Dr. Nandita Shah (Award-winning author and disease prevention advocate)

Chulho Hall
MAKE YOUR HOTEL, GUESTHOUSE OR HOME STAY MORE VEGAN FRIENDLY AND MORE PROFITABLE
With the growing number of vegan and health-conscious travelers, creating a more vegan-friendly hotel, guesthouse, or homestay is likely to create traction to your space. As with restaurants and cafes, there are many small but significant changes that you can make to your space to make it look more attractive to not only vegan travelers doing research online but also non-vegans who are trying to live a more health-conscious life. In fact, you might even gently persuade non-vegans to be plant-based for the duration of their stay with you as part of their holiday experience with the right marketing.

Speakers

• Paul Eyers (Plant-based food & beverage consultant)

Sept 19

03:00pm –
03:50pm

Chautari Hall
DIET CHANGE NOT CLIMATE CHANGE
On the surface, many people may not even realize that diet and climate change are related but a deep look into the intricacies of climate change will show you that your diet and lifestyle do in fact
play a role in the ever-worsening climate change issue that the earth is facing. Discuss ways in which you can not only change your own diet and lifestyle but also educate and create awareness about these changes so you can make greater changes within your own community to reduce the effects of climate change.

Speakers

• Dr. Sailesh Rao (Founder and executive director of Climate Healers and author)
• Prerana Shah (Yoga, sound healing and ayurvedic healing practitioner)

Moderator

• Jessika Ava (Grants program director of ProVeg International)

Bodhi Hall
PREVENTING, REVERSING & HEALING THE DISEASES THROUGH FOOD
It has been proven time and time again that a clean plant based diet of whole food, fruits and vegetables can lower your risk of heart diseases and other severe illnesses and can improve your immunity. In fact a whole foods plant based diet cannot only prevent but it can also reverse heart disease and many underlying conditions. Nutrition and medical experts from around the world show how you can eatto heal your body and keep it free of disease and help you to make a
cleaner and healthier choice.

Speakers

• Dr. Zeeshan Ali (Program specialist at the Physicians Comittee for Responsible Medicine)
• Dr. Vidya Chakravarthy (Award-winning plant-based ayurvedic doctor)
• Dr. Vythilingam Pillay (Physician doctor, plant-based lifestyle advocate)
• Dr. Muhammad Umair Arshad (Vegan advocate and nutrition expert)

Chulho Hall
LOVE DAIRY PRODUCTS? LEARN HOW TO MAKE THEM IN A PLANT-BASED WAY
Learn how to make all the incredible dairy products alternatives available to vegans. You do not have to give up on your favourite comfort food when you make the transition to veganism. While
veganism is definitely about healthy living, it can also be wholesome and enjoyable. Learn to veganise milk, cheese, curd and butter in this programme so you can add them to your favourite recipes of all time without having to sacrifice the key components that make them
delicious and comforting.

Speakers

• Coming Soon….

Sept 19

04:00pm –
04:50pm

Chautari Hall
THE TRUTH BEHIND ANIMALS IN TOURISM
Tourists often pay big money to be able to ride an elephant and visit zoos and consider it to be an exotic vacation activity without realizing the shocking atrocities that happen behind the scenes in order to break the spirit of young wild animals in order to tame them. The outdated concept of zoos should not exist, so let us replace zoos with sanctuaries! Animal sanctuaries are an alternative to zoos where animals are not locked in cages but given the freedom to roam in
areas that resemble their own natural habitat. Sanctuaries offer a home for rescued animals that are taken care of by professionals. Income that comes into sanctuaries can be used to treat and take care of rescued animals, unlike zoos that capture animals for the sole purpose of human entertainment and profit.

Speakers

• Dr. Ian Singleton (Wildlife conservationist & zoologist, world’s foremost expert on the Sumatran orangutan and founder of Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme)
• Surajan Shrestha (Co-founder of Animal Rights Club (ARC) and a founding member of World Vegan Organisation Nepal (WVON)
• Shivaraj Bhatta ( )
• Narendra Babu Pradhan (Resource Person at IUCN)

Bodhi Hall
EFFECTIVE ANIMAL ADVOCACY
Animal justice advocacy needs to be culturally, politically, and socioeconomically specific-currently it is often not the case. For a more diverse, inclusive and culturally-appropriate movement in Asia,
Animal Alliance Asia has Animal Advocacy Academy which guides for effective activism. Join this session, to equip yourself with knowl-edge, network and skillset to become a better and more effective advocate for non-human animals.

Speakers

• Elly Nakajima (Director of Animal Alliance Asia)
• Ailya Khan (Straegy Lead, Pakistan Rep at AAA)

Rhino Hall
SPECIAL B2B / B2C SESSIONS FOR PLANT-BASED
ENTREPRENEURS & BUSINESSES BROUGHT TO YOU BY
VEGAN FIRST
Do you dream of having your own vegan business? Do you have a great plant-based product you think people are going to love? Do you want to market your products to health & eco-friendly communities throughout the Himalaya? Do you have a market, shop, restaurant or hotel and want to find vegan-friendly products? Do you have a vegan-friendly product and want to find markets, shops, restaurants or hotels to market to? The incredible team at Vegan First, established vegan entrepreneurs and branding experts from around the world will guide you at these special B2B / B2C sessions to take your vegan-friendly products or business to the next level!
From branding, sales and marketing to product manufacturing and distribution – we’ll cover it all! Stay tuned to find out more information about these exciting, free workshops!

Speakers

• Ken Spector (Head of marketing and key principal at HappyCow)
  
• Seth Tibbott (Master tempeh maker, founder of Tofurky
  
• Abhishek Sinha (CEO of GoodDot, India’s leading homegrown

Moderator

• Palak Mehta (Founder and CEO of Vegan First, India)