EFFA'S 10 Principal Guidelines
A collection of 10 guidelines for supporters of EFFA composed by its four founding members.

1. Respect all animals, and act to help them. Not everyone comes to the realization that other animals, just like humans, are living beings that should be treated with love and respect, not as toys, commodities, food, or entertainment. The fact that you have come to this realization makes you special. But being special, being "enlightened" about the way things are is not enough. You have to act on your principles in order to give them power. The current way we interact with other animals is just plain wrong. It's up to us as individuals to do all we can to try to change the state of things as much as we can. EFFA has an online resource called "What you can do to help an animal today", available on http://www.effanow.com, which you should print and keep for reference.

2. Don't think it's naive to believe in change. How many of us have heard the argument: "Hey, what you're doing is just a drop in the ocean" or "Things will never change"? In fact, things do change. Take a look at the past 100 years. Sure, we don't live in a perfect world, but there have been positive changes in the way we interact with one another, in the way we work, even in the way we treat other animals. 100 years ago "animal rights", as a movement, was virtually non-existent. Now there are more and more laws protecting other animals from abuse and mistreatment. It's up to us to make sure that this trend continues. Apart from that, there's another important truth to remember: helping just one animal makes it all worth while. If you manage to save just one animal from suffering and/or death, you have done a very good thing.

3. Do not eat meat. The biggest "smoke and mirrors" act of all is the successful convincing of the masses that there's nothing wrong with eating meat, that it is, in fact, "natural". This goes hand with the myth that "not eating meat is unhealthy". All of this is simply not true. Since eating meat involves the acceptance of the killing of innocent beings, eating meat is one of the worst things you can do both for yourself and for the world. Though you are not killing the animal yourself, as long as you eat meat, the animal is being killed in your name. EFFA believes that killing animals for food is morally and ethically wrong. We believe that there are direct negative consequences both for the meat eater and the world s/he lives in. There are many positive social, ethical, and economic reasons to become meat-free, and doing so is the most concrete way to show that one does not support the status quo. If you still eat meat, but are disgusted by the thought of killing animals, don't be afraid to connect the dots and kill your meat addiction! Also, since animals generally suffer greatly in other food industries, such as the dairy industry, we recommend you not eat any product that comes from an animal, ie. milk, cheese, etc. Please check out our website http://www.effanow.com for more information about this.

4. Do not wear fur, leather, or any other part of a dead animal.

5. Do not support any sports/activities in which animals are made to suffer, or are killed. Examples of such sports/activities include bullfighting, dog fighting, cock fighting, hunting, fishing, etc. EFFA does not believe in the "overpopulation" myth. We believe that nature has always had a natural way to control overpopulation of species, and that it is, in fact, humans that have created unnatural scenarios for certain species (such as deer) to grow beyond their natural state, in order to hunt them afterwards. EFFA also does not support any religious ritual that involves killing or hurting an animal.

6. Stay positive. This is not an empty slogan, but a very important part of the EFFA philosophy. Most people who have gotten in touch with their "Animal Compassion Mindframe" (See Belief#2 in our "Statement of Beliefs") have felt overwhelmed by the massive amounts of suffering that animals have to endure. Any compassionate person will feel disgusted and appalled by the type of cruelty that exists in the world today. Often, such disgust leads to negativity, and the person either becomes violent or (in the majority of cases) depressed. Instead of focusing on "how awful the world is", let's focus on how great it is that we have awoken to the injustices that other animals must face, and can actually do something about it. This is very important. The fact that you have been given a gift, the ability to feel compassion for animals, and to see beyond the status quo, should not be wasted on sulking and complaining. It should manifest itself in direct, positive action to help improve the situation of as many animals as possible. If you're in a dark room, it's not enough to just say "the room is dark". Shine a light.

7. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. This is another important guideline that all supporters of EFFA are encouraged to live by. Laziness is a powerful force. It makes you think that it's OK to wait until tomorrow, or the next day, etc. The truth is, if you have to do something to help an animal, do it today. If you know what has to be done, do it. Don't put it off. People who kill animals, who make life miserable for them, who treat them cruelly don't wait until the next day. You shouldn't either. EFFA is about acting, not procrastinating.

8. Put aside around 15% of your disposable income every month to help animals. If this sounds like a lot of money, it isn't. How much money do most of us spend every month on going out, on new clothes, on new gadgets, and other forms of entertainment? Would setting aside a little bit of this money to help (no-kill) animal shelters, animal rescue organizations, or any of a number of other such organizations really be that hard? There are many organizations out that need your help. All it takes is a little sacrifice. Yes, it's important to pressure government (on all levels) to provide more funding to organizations and programs that help animals Setting aside 15% of one's disposable income is a good way to stay mindful of animals in need. If these animals can't depend on conscious people like us, who can they depend on?

9. Do not be afraid to speak your mind. Do not be afraid to show people that you care about animals, that you are willing to fight for what you believe in. The world has conditioned us to think that the status quo is fine. It isn't. We at EFFA believe that a lot of the negative things that go on in the world are a result of the mass suffering inflicted on other animals by humans. The fact that other animals deserve the right to live and not suffer is a simple yet powerful realization. Anyone who has come to this realization should be proud, and not afraid. One thing to remember, however, is to make sure you know what you're talking about. That's why we encourage all supporters of EFFA to inform and educate themselves as thoroughly as possible before entering into any debate about animal rights, vegetarianism, etc.

10. Stay focused. You are the voice of the animals. By coming to the realization of the suffering that millions of animals have to endure on the streets, shelters, and slaughterhouses of the world, you have assumed a very important responsibility. To let people know that the way things are is not good enough. To help other animals, and to do everything you can to get others to help as well. When you lose your focus, the animals lose their voice, since they can't speak for themselves. We're not saying "devote all your time to helping other animals", but that it's important not to lose sight of the goal, and to try to keep mindful of it as much as you can. Helping animals is an extremely satisfying experience, and if you help out of compassion and love, the actual satisfaction that you feel is, in itself, a beautiful reward. Remember, knowing the truth is not good enough. One should also act to help create a better world in which humans and other animals coexist peacefully.