Veggie Society is not just a cleverly disguised alliance within the school for vegans and vegetarians. The club describes itself as an organization “for anyone interested in plant based diets and/or lifestyles, vegetables and generally being awesome.”
Sydney Ridge ’26 is the current president of Veggie Society, known better within the club as the Carrot Top.
“Officially, we are an organization that values mental, physical and environmental health and wellness,” Ridge said.
However, many of the members of Veggie Society emphasized that, at its core, the club is a social organization based on shared interests, rather than an exclusive clique of students focused on vegetables. Harriet Ramasamy ’27 has been in the club since her freshman fall and joined based on the connection she felt to the people despite not having a plant-based diet.
“A lot of people think that you have to be a vegetarian or vegan, but that is not the case at all,” Ramasamy said.
Olivia Barrows ’28 joined this past fall and cited the relaxed club environment as her reason for joining.
“It’s a very welcoming, kind group of people that are passionate about sustainability and the environment more than anything else,” Barrows said. “Only about half of our members are vegetarian, so it’s not even a vegetarian society, really.”
Part of Ridge’s commitment to Veggie Society as president is running weekly executive board meetings where members pitch events for the following weeks. Ridge emphasized that the club is self-directed, with most of their club meetings and events based on suggestions.
“We do lots of events, essentially whatever members want to do. We’re a very member-focused organization,” Ridge said.
The organization’s most well-known event is a lettuce eating contest dubbed “Lettuce Feast,” with the most recent one having taken place Friday, April 11. Whoever eats a head of lettuce the quickest is crowned the “lettuce head.” The friendly competition is also for a good cause. Veggie Society donated the $5 competition entry fees to a local food bank and the House of Mercy. The 2025 event raised $70 to give back to the Williamsburg community.
Other events that Veggie Society has organized in the past year are the annual 5k Veggie Run, movie nights and a highly competitive game of assassins that began April 10. The club also brings in guest speakers such as alumni Grace Pho ’23, who recently spoke at a meeting about her experience working on a farm.
Veggie has also partnered with the Parks & Ecotherapy Research Lab for a recent meeting. Barrows is a member of both PERL and Veggie Society, and organized the collaboration between the two groups given the shared interest in sustainability.
“I just hosted a Veggie meeting, and we made seed packets to plant wildflowers. That was probably my favorite meeting,” Barrows said.
The low-stress environment within Veggie Society is a large element of what keeps the members coming back. Ramasamy mentioned that the weekly club meetings are a break from the reality of classes.
“I think most often when I feel this is what I wanted, it’s at our weekly meetings,” Ramasmy said. “It’s a very stressful college day-to-day life, and then I pop into Veggie and we’re just doing the most random thing that I’m like, this is what I needed. This is why I come every week.”
Lindsey Fauerbach ’28, a new member as of this fall, also described Veggie Society as an opportunity to connect with new people in an environment where people have a shared passion for sustainability.
“It’s just focused on something really simple, but that’s kind of what makes it fun,” Fauerbach said.
Fauerbach mentioned that within club meetings, people have specialized roles on the executive board. For instance, the Lorax shares fun facts or hacks about the environment at meetings.
Individual level of involvement within Veggie Society varies from member to member, with students like Barrows attending most meetings and some, like Fauerbach, popping in whenever they have the time.
One such activity members can opt into is a big-little program similar to that of Greek life. Affectionately named veggies and sprouts, the program begins in the fall for new members to get closer with current members.
“It’s primarily just for people to feel like they have a good group of people that they can welcome to meetings, be themselves,” Ridge said. “Maybe they don’t want to pursue Greek life, and this is their Greek life, or maybe they’re doing both. However that may be, we really try to make sure that we’re a safe space for people.”
Vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike who are interested in sustainability and enjoying each other’s company are encouraged to check out Veggie Society’s weekly meetings, where you may just find some of your future best friends.
“Essentially, we’re just a group of like minded people, and if the idea of a club surrounding vegetables sounds fun at all, come join, check us out,” Ridge said. “We would love to have you.”
Veggie Society meets every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Chancellors Hall 133, with additional special events on weekends.
