ZmantheVegan — or Zach Cook, under his civilian name — is a superhero with many powers: He is not only a singer, a songwriter, a performer and a cook, but also an avid advocate for veganism and the environment.

“I’m trying to combine my music with projects that help save the planet,” Zman said, sitting on a bench at the intersection of Broadway and Ninth Street. His open guitar case sat on the ground a few feet away. Zman (pronounced ZEE-man) performs full-time on the streets of downtown Columbia. Unlike many performers, however, the songs he sings, which are all original, are deeply rooted in his activism.

“I started writing my own songs senior year [of high school],” Zman said. “I’m 27 now, so it’s been almost 10 years.” 

His songs, many of which are posted on his YouTube channel, combine his passion for veganism and environmentalism with a guitar-strumming, folk-rock style. “Let it Bloom,” “The Amazon is On Fire” and “Bambi’s Got a Gun,” are among his repertoire of originals. “I Want Tofu Tonight” — his most popular song, with over 1,000 views on YouTube — shows off his clever lyricism with lyrics such as, “I want you to love me from my head tomatoes.”

Although he cites music greats such as Freddie Mercury and Kurt Cobain as influences, he said  he finds the most inspiration from friends. 

“All my best friends right now, I’ve met right here,” he said, referring to the corner of Ninth and Broadway. “They all do music. I’ve learned a lot from them.” 

Kelsey Parker works at Tellers Gallery and Bar, which is located at the same intersection. She regularly witnesses Zman’s performances.

“He’s here almost every single day,” Parker said. “He’s good. People seem to enjoy him.” 

She has worked at Tellers for the last seven years and witnessed him perform outside for about three.

“With COVID, we skipped a year in there, but I remember seeing him even before that happened, so he’s been around for a while,” Parker said.

Zman stands not only at the intersection of Broadway and Ninth, but at the intersection between activism and art.

Zman sells “Trash to Art” projects on his website and occasionally at community events; a long-term goal of his is to transform an entire junkyard into a carbon-negative community garden.

“The goal is to take the trash and turn it into something beautiful,” Zman said.

Of course, every superhero must have their origin story — Zman wasn’t always a vegan, much less a cape-wearing public activist. 

“About four years ago, I went through another phase where I quit my day job … I had an hour a day where I wanted to learn something new, and in that hour I learned what veganism was,” he said. “I had no idea what it was before then. I was very skeptical at first… but I just became really passionate about it.” 

Now, he’s deeply passionate not just about broader issues, but also about more “niche topics” under the umbrella of environmentalism.

“I feel as though animal agriculture isn’t talked about enough … Usually when people talk about the environment, they’re talking about flying a plane or driving a car — which does make an impact, most definitely,” Zman said. “But people should know … going vegan would do much more than if you just rode a bike every single day.”

According to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health nutrition expert Walter Willett, veganism can have a positive impact on the environment. Among other reasons, it disengages with the industry of cattle grazing, which creates massive amounts of greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change.

Despite Zman’s passion about such issues, reception to the superhero’s public activism varies. 

“What they appreciate more is … the energy and the music,” he said. “Whenever I talk about veganism, they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s cool,’ and then they just kind of blow it off … Sometimes there’d be these groups of guys who would walk [by] and be like, ‘Hey, I just had a burger’ … I never took it personally.” 

However, by creating the character of Zman, he aimed to create a place for open, friendly debate about contentious topics like veganism. 

“There’s that stereotype of the self-righteous vegan,” Zman said. “I wanted to break that … [to] actually dive into respectful conversation.” 

A small percentage of people do engage in respectful debate, listening to Zman’s perspective and sharing theirs — those are the most rewarding times for him. Though the world of activism can be frustrating, Zman embraces the process.

“Even if I’ve had a bad day where I’m out here for hours and I haven’t made enough money to pay my bills for the day and everybody’s being horrible,” he said, “I feel as though if I just embrace that and dive into it, it’ll only make me stronger for next time.”

Edited by Shannon Worley | sworley@themaneater.com