We founded roots of compassion as a way to promote veganism and animal liberation. In 2001 we designed and printed the first badges and t-shirts. Together with yummy homemade chocolate cake and lots of leaflets we held stalls on concerts, protests and other events.
2003 we started our website www.rootsofcompassion.org. In the beginning we had articles about veganism and animal rights / liberation, book reviews, interviews with bands, artists and activists as well as news on different topics.
One year later we launched our onlineshop. New t-shirts, badges, stickers, patches, magazines, wholefood products and much more got added to the range of products.
In 2007, the capacity of the flat, where we operated from a small office room, was exhausted. This resulted in a move to our current office, Heisstraße 51.
With the founding of compassion media in 2008 we established a platform for the future production and release of movies, books and other forms of media items.
As a collective we make decisions on a consensus-driven and egalitarian basis. We don’t have a boss like a regular company. All members of the collective are equal and have the same voice. We try to prevent informal hierarchies where possible or to come to terms with those unavoidable. At the moment we are in the process of changing our legal form to a cooperative, so that our ideals will be reflected better in the future.
Today some of us get paid, because ROC has grown to an extent that is not manageable on a voluntary basis anymore. The profit we make is being reinvested in our collective to finance new projects or buy new stock. We also support other groups and initiatives indirectly through selling benefit merchandise and donations.
We believe that speciesism* is one element of repression in a system that has to be criticized as a whole. Therefore, it is important to us to look beyond the rims of our teacups. Thus, we also object to all forms of facism, racism, sexism and other forms of oppression. On the way to a more just economy, we try to use fair trade relations where possible.
In general, we aim to promote a critical, responsible, rebellious, mindful, self-determined way of life. If you want to read more, check out our manifesto.
The ROC collective:
* Speciesism is a mindset through which humans justify the (often bad) unequal treatment of animals by emphasizing their differentness and affiliation to another species. Opponents of this mentality call themselves anti-speciesists.