Hope for the Animals

In this presentation, Hope will explore the recent trajectory of the animal advocacy movement toward encouraging industries to transition to cage-free systems and other animal welfare campaigns. Cage-free eggs are now 40% of the US egg market and both the industry and animal advocates are promoting this as a major victory…but is this something to celebrate? Hope talks about social justice strategy, Effective Altruism, incremental change, and propose that our movement’s focus is out of balance. She cautions that we are relying too heavily on impractical strategies and fragile legislation that may not lead us to farmed animal freedom. Resources: (Book) The Good it Promises, the Harm It Does: Critical Essays on Effective Altruism (Podcast) Episode 76– Measuring Our Movement with Krista Hiddema, podcast focused on Effective Altruism (Podcast) Reason for Vegan Series #3- Cage-Free and Free-Range Explained with Hope Bohanec (Article) Which Eggs Are Ethical to Eat? By Hope Bohanec Bite Size Vegan, Emily Moran-Barwick (Video) How We Will Win Animal Freedom, Lalia Kassam, Animal Think Tank Please support this podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Happy Earth Day! This is an important time of year where we focus our attention on the perils facing the planet and get inspired to help her. So today our guest is Dr. Richard Twine, author of, The Climate Crisis and Other Animals (Sydney University Press, 2024). He is a professor in Sociology and Co-Director of the Centre for Human- Animal Studies (CfHAS) at Edge Hill University, UK. He also co-editor of The Rise of Critical Animal Studies – From the Margins to the Centre (Routledge, 2014) and author of Animals as Biotechnology – Ethics, Sustainability and Critical Animal Studies (Routledge, 2010). Richard has also published articles on ecofeminism, vegan transition, the food system, and the animal-industrial complex. Richard tells us about Critical Animal Studies and how it is inspiring many areas of academic study to consider human-animal relations. We then discuss Richard’s new book and how climate disruption is affecting wild animals, marine animals, birds and even insects and microorganisms. He talks about the impact on farmed animals who now face events like frequent flooding, fires, and heatwaves due to a changing climate. We also get into the weeds of the confusing, controversial, and politicized animal agriculture emissions numbers and why there is a wide range of percentages from different sources and how to decipher what is most accurate. We also cover climate justice, food justice, the importance of a social science viewpoint of the climate crisis and much more. Resources: Richard’s website: http://www.richardtwine.com Humane Hoax Chicken Webinar details and free registration Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

National Animal Rights Day is a unique event coming up on June 2, 2024 and today we have the creator of this day of action, Aylam Orian. Aylam is a Hollywood actor, filmmaker and animal rights activist. With his non-profit "Our Planet. Theirs Too." he has established The National Animal Rights Day (N.A.R.D.) – a day of moving events dedicated to animals and their rights, which are held simultaneously in major cities every June. NARD events are now held in 50 countries around the world. He is also the creator of The Declaration of Animal Rights – a vegan, animal liberation document that details the rights all animals have as living beings on planet Earth – which has been translated to 23 languages. As an actor, he has appeared in numerous known films and TV shows (30 Rock, Code Black, NCIS: LA, The Informer, Strargate Origins), and he wll be seen next in the new TV show about The Holocaust, “We Were the Lucky Ones.” Aylam tells the story of how he started The National Animal Rights Day in 2011 and how the day of action has grown every year and spread across the globe. He also tells us about the inspiration behind the creation of The Declaration of Animal Rights, how it reflects the UN declaration of human rights, and how it’s a roadmap for a future of compassionate human-animal relations. Hope and Aylam also get into a discussion on best strategies for animal advocates and how the trajectory of the movement, in our opinion, is out of balance. Aylam also gives us some insight into just how vegan-friendly Hollywood really is and some hopeful signs of veganism on a soap! Join us for this inspiring discussion. Resources: National Animal Rights Day (NARD) June 2, 2024 Humane Hoax Chicken Webinar Hope speaking in Portland, OR. on April 21 Support us: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Today on the podcast we are joined by Faik Bourik, founder of Vegius, a provider of vegan services to support farmed animal sanctuaries worldwide. Faik is a mathematics, physics, and astronomy college instructor who combines his academic background with his roles as a professional writer and entrepreneur. Passionate about animal rights and gender equality, he founded Vegius to provide much needed financial support to farmed animal sanctuaries. Faik talks about how he fell for the humane hoax and bought humanely labeled products when he was first thinking about farmed animal issues. He shares how little meat he ate growing up in Algeria and how the traditional diets of so many cultures around the world are predominately plant-based. He talks about the importance of farmed animal sanctuaries to open people’s hearts and to make emotional connections to animals. We also discuss karma theory and how this is an important concept to bring to western culture, which brought us to some interesting history lessons from Faik. Resources: Vegius Support this podcast: Hope for the Animals Podcast Compassionate Living

Connecting veganism to other justice causes is critical to our success and our guest today recognized this at a very young age. Zane McNeill is a scholar-activist, chair of the National Lawyers Guild’s Animal Liberation Committee, and was the co-manager of the collective Right for Animal Rights Activists. They have worked closely with the Institute of Critical Animal Studies (ICAS) and have published chapters in ICAS collections, including Vegans on Speciesism and Ableism: Ecoability Voices for Disability and Animal Justice and Expanding the Critical Animal Studies Imagination: Essays on Solidarity and Total Liberation. They have also edited Queer and Trans Voices: Achieving Liberation Through Consistent Anti-Oppression, Vegan Entanglements: Dismantling Racial and Carceral Capitalism, and Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontlines of Labor and Animal Rights (forthcoming, Peter Lang Publishing). Zane will help us to unpack new terms like “consistent anti-oppression” and “total liberation” as well as “carceral veganism” where animal activists align with agencies to criminalize and deport people in marginalized communities of color when we should be targeting the system of oppression itself. They discuss the parallels of body autonomy issues for humans and non-humans. Zane addresses everything from micro aggressions experienced by animal activists within the movement to larger, structural issues of oppression. Join us for this important discussion. Resources: Zane’s Book Vegan Entanglements Hope for the Animals Podcast Compassionate Living Compassionate Living’s YouTube Page

Do you want to know the truth about grass-fed beef? Regenerative grazing? Free-range eggs? This episode is jam packed with the jaw-dropping reality of greenwashing. Vasile Stanescu is an Associate Professor and Chair of Communication at Mercer University. He received his Ph.D. in the program of Modern Thought and Literature (MTL) at Stanford University. Vasile’s research focuses on greenwashing in animal agribusiness, critiques of humane meat, in vitro meat, and consumerist options for social change. He is the author of numerous publications on the study of animals and the environment including in the Journal of American Culture, Rhetoric of Health & Medicine, the American Behavioral Scientist, and Animal Studies Journal. Vasile is also the co-founder of the North American Association for Critical Animal Studies (NAACAS). Vas talks about what is really behind regenerative grazing and the false messaging around supposedly “new” methods of animal farming. We also talk about the detriment of chicken farming, how beef is so often cited as the worst culprit for the environment, and the myth that if you just switch to chicken, it’s so much better. Vas dives deep into how interconnected all animal farming industries are and how the supposed “green” meat movement is just another marketing tool for industrial agribusiness. He also shares how he feels that it is critical to reverse the stigma on veganism and have Vegan Pride. Resources: Humane Hoax Online Conference details and free registration Learn more and support this podcast: Hope for the Animals Podcast Compassionate Living Studies cited in this episode: Joseph Poore, University of Oxford Tara Garnett, Food Climate Research Network at Oxford University

News media that is sympathetic to animals is critical in creating a compassionate world. A 2023 von Liebig Award Winner, Nina Jackel is a journalist and activist known for effecting change for animals around the world through her non-profit media organization that she founded called Lady Freethinker. Nina leads numerous divisions at the organization that expose cruel and illegal activities through undercover operations and galvanizing ordinary citizens to make a difference. Hope and Nina discuss the importance of news media for animals and Nina offers advice about what makes good media that has the potential to reach wider audiences. She also talks about Lady Freethinker’s important campaign targeting social media posts that abuse animals, such as fake “rescue” videos where abusers put animals in distressful situations just for clicks. They also discuss how to reach people who care about animals, but haven’t made the connection to compassion for farmed animals and veganism. Resources: Lady Freethinker: Website FaceBook Instagram Twitter William von Leibig Foundation Award Winner Humane Hoax Online Conference details and free registration Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Renee King-Sonnen is the Founder and Executive Director of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary that transformed from a cattle ranch to a sanctuary for more than 120 animals—the first documented beef cattle ranch converted to a 100% vegan sanctuary in history. Rowdy Girl sanctuary is changing the world for farmed animals with programs like the Rancher Advocacy Program (RAP), an educational program that inspires cattle ranchers and animal farms to consider alternatives to animal farming, and Families Choosing Compassion that offers a compassionate alternative to Future Farmers of America and 4-H programs. Most recently, Renee has been the subject of a documentary, Rowdy Girl, that had its World Premiere in Toronto at Hot Docs, and the U.S. Premiere at the Hampton Film Festival. She has just completed a memoir with the working title of Secret Diary of a Cattle Rancher’s Wife, slated to be published in 2024. Renee tells her fascinating story of transformation from cattle rancher’s wife to vegan animal activist. We would like to thank A Well-Fed World (AWFW) for their generous support of this podcast! A Well-Fed World is an international hunger relief and food security organization advancing plant-based foods and farming to create a sustainable, nourished, and climate-friendly future. Learn more at awfw.org. Resources: Hope’s Book: The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing Happy Meat, Humane Dairy and Ethical Eggs Donate to Compassionate Living Rowdy Girl Sanctuary and Film: https://www.rowdygirlfilm.com https://rowdygirlsanctuary.org https://www.facebook.com/rowdygirlsanctuary https://www.instagram.com/rowdygirlsanctuary/ https://twitter.com/RowdyGirlRanch https://www.youtube.com/rowdygirlsanctuary https://www.tiktok.com/@rowdygirlsanctuary https://rancheradvocacy.org https://www.facebook.com/rancheradvocacyprogram/ https://www.instagram.com/rancheradvocacyprogram/ https://twitter.com/RancherAdvocacy Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

This is a special short episode just for dedicated listeners. In this time of giving, I hope you will consider supporting grassroots vegan education. Please donate to Compassionate Living to support the continuation of this podcast. Thank you!

This episode is dedicated to the legendary Karen Davis, PhD, founder and president of United Poultry Concerns (UPC). Karen died on Nov. 4th 2023 of cancer. Vegan since 1983, Karen was an activist, author, outspoken animal advocate, and had a sanctuary for rescued birds on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. United Poultry Concerns was the first sponsor of this podcast and our host, Hope Bohanec, worked with Karen at UPC for close to a decade from 2012 - 2021. Karen started United Poultry Concerns, the first ever organization focused on chickens, in 1990. She wrote numerous books on chickens and turkeys and advocated for an end to not only the farming of these birds, but also cock fighting, down, foie gras, Kapporos, birds used in experimentation, and many other exploitive practices involving chickens and other birds. This episode is a compilation of highlights from the four times Karen was on the podcast. Karen tells the story of how she was inspired by the animal rights movement in the 1980s and how she started United Poultry Concerns. Karen shares some of her philosophies and unique thoughts about chickens and animal advocacy. She also talks about the plight and delight of turkeys. She discusses the importance of language and reveals how she believed chickens, and all animals, have Earth Rights. Rest in Power Karen, we will carry on in your honor. Resources: United Poultry Concerns Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Many compassionate people and vegans are drawn to the concept of ahimsa, the Sanskrit word for non-harming or non-violence. Today we explore this concept with Dr. Jonathan Dickstein, Assistant Professor of Jain Studies at Arihanta Institute. Johnathan received a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his areas of research include Jain Studies, religion and ecology, comparative ethics, and South Asian religions. Jonathan and Hope discuss the spiritual reasons for living vegan through the Jain lens. He offers some history and context for the Jain religion and how their highest concept, ahimsa, or non-harming, is core to their belief. He also discusses karma theory and how that relates to ahimsa and defines Transnational Veganism. Resources: Ahimsa Vegan Conference Videos Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Did you know that your veggies, fruit, beans, nuts, and seeds were probably grown with the blood, ground up bones and/or manure of farmed animals? Or the ground up bodies of fish? This episode we are talking about Veganic farming, growing food without animal products and inputs, with Meg Kelly. In 2008 Meg co-founded the Veganic Agriculture Network to promote fully plant-based food systems that are not fertilized with the byproducts of farmed animals. She now teaches the Learn Veganic online gardening course to empower people around the world to grow their own fruits and veggies at home using sustainable vegan techniques. On this episode, she shares how to get started gardening veganically, how to create compost, how to consciously and compassionately co-exist with wildlife while gardening, and more. Meg has been gardening veganically for 15 years and explains the myriad of good reasons for the world to go vegan AND veganic! Resources: Veganic Summit (November 10 – 12th 2023): https://veganicsummit.com/ Veganic Agriculture Network: https://goveganic.net/ Learn Veganic Gardening Course: https://learnveganic.com/ Free Guide to Veganic Gardening: https://learnveganic.com/materials/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearnVeganic/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learnveganic/ Food Empowerment Project’s Chocolate List Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Steven Rouk is the founder of Connect For Animals, a platform for people who want to help end animal farming. He has been in the animal advocacy movement for the last decade working on data analysis, strategy, community building, and grassroots activism. Steven and Hope discuss the importance of building vegan community to help people feel supported and connected in veganism and animal advocacy. They explore the psychological and social reasons for recidivism and the fascinating concepts of social network theory and how we spread information through our social networks. Resources: http://connectforanimals.com/https://www.instagram.com/connectforanimalshttps://www.facebook.com/connectforanimalshttps://www.linkedin.com/company/connectforanimals/Book Recommendation: Change: How to Make Big Things Happen by Damon Centola Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Are you curious how to feed your companion animals vegan? Have you been considering switching your dog or cat to a vegan diet? Maybe you already do feed your companion plant based but want to be sure it’s the most nutritious vegan diet? Our guest today, Jan Allegretti, has answers. Jan Allegretti, D.Vet.Hom, has been a consultant and educator in holistic health care for nonhuman animals since 1988, specializing in nutrition, homeopathy, and lifestyle assessment. She is the author of The Holistic Animal Health Series, which includes the bestselling The Complete Holistic Dog Book: Home Health Care for Our Canine Companions, and The Fresh & Flexible Meal Plan: The Easiest, Most Nutritious Way to Feed Your Dog and Cat. She works with home caregivers, shelter and rescue organizations, and veterinary professionals on nutrition for our companions. Jan talks about the detrimental impact commercial dog and cat foods have on our planet and on farmed animals, and how feeding our companion animals a vegan diet can benefit not only our global ecological crisis, but support our dog’s and cat’s health so they can thrive. Resources: Sonoma County VegFest, September 23, 2023 Jan’s Website The Holistic Animal Health Series Books By Jan Allegretti: The Complete Holistic Dog Book: Home Health Care for Our Canine Companions The Fresh & Flexible Meal Plan: The Easiest, Most Nutritious Way to Feed Your Dog and Cat Listen to the Silence: Lessons from Trees and Other Masters Vegan Supplements for Dogs and Cats: Compassion Circle Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

We open today’s episode with Hope sharing some thoughts on the destructive EATS Act making its way through US legislation and then we have JH Burnett joining us from South Africa. JH spent years farming in both the sheep industry on his family’s sheep farm in South Africa as well as in the dairy industry. The experience sent JH into a deep depression and he left farming to dedicate himself to animal liberation and recently released a vegan memoir and offering services as a life coach. Join us for this incredible story of transformation. Resources: Veganism Has Won Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Ruchika Chitrabhanu was born and raised in a Jain family and pursued her Master’s in Philosophy in Jainism. Inspired by Gurudev Chitrabhanu and Smt. Pramoda Chitrabhanu, Ruchika has been a vegan for over seventeen years, and she raises awareness about animal compassion and the benefits of following a vegan lifestyle through events and festivals in India. She is a co-founder of Ahimsafest, India's largest vegan festival, she also co-founded The Earthen One, an events platform to help people transition to a vegan lifestyle, and she is a board member of Jain Vegan Initiative. Ruchika will be a keynote presenter at our upcoming Ahimsa Vegan Conference. Resources: Ahimsa Vegan Conference Gurudev Chitrabhanu and Smt. Pramoda Chitrabhanu AhimsaFest in India Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Dr. Tushar Mehta practices Emergency Medicine in the Toronto area and is the co-founder of Towards Ahimsa and Plant Based Data, a free database which organizes academic and institutional literature regarding plant-based diet health, environment, food security, and zoonotic pandemic risk. Tushar will be speaking at Compassionate Living’s upcoming Ahimsa Vegan Conference. Tushar joins us to discuss the environmental impact of animal agriculture and thoroughly debunks “regenerative” grazing. He also addresses common arguments for eating local and other “sustainable” meat, dairy, and eggs. He warns of animal farming’s resource intensive use of land and water and offers solutions that we so desperately need as we swelter in the new normal of extreme summer heat, floods, and fires. This is a rebroadcast of an interview with Tushar in 2021. Resources: Ahimsa Vegan Conference Another Industry Attempt to Greenwash Beef Plant-Based Data Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Today on the podcast we are talking about an issue that affects so many, but is rarely talked about—discrimination because of the size of our bodies. Britty Mann joins us to break it down. Britty is the Founder and Executive Director of Planted Society, a U.S. nonprofit that makes plant-based eating more accessible to ensure a better future for the planet and all living beings. With over 15 years of experience in supply chain and community advocacy, Britty believes that we all have the capacity to help change the global food system, starting by fostering relationships with our own bodies and enacting change in our local communities. Bitty shares with Hope her thoughts on fat bias in the animal and vegan advocacy movement and how certain campaigns and protocol can be exclusionary and hurtful. She talks about the concept of “healthism” and how it affects the experience and contribution of larger bodied people in the vegan movement. Resources: Planted Society Ending Anti-Fat Bias Resources and References Episode 24: Fat Justice and Veganism with Andy Tabar Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Today on the podcast we have Brialle Ringer joining us. Brialle is a breathwork, yoga, and meditation guide, vegan fairy goddess, and embodied leadership coach on a mission to support changemakers lead with greater ease, joy, and passion. Drawing from her degree in Social Work, certifications in Yoga, Integrative Energy Healing, and Plant Based Nutrition, Brialle takes a trauma-informed, healing centered, and holistic approach to her work. Brialle share with Hope how her wholistic healing journey expanded into a service for the vegan community. She talks about the importance of feeling the grief and anger around the state of the world and channeling those feelings in a supportive system and healing environment. Brialle offers suggestions on ways to ground yourself emotionally and physically so we can break free of “grind culture” and embody a more sustainable work/life balance. She also talks about the work she does with the Global Majority Caucus focused on supporting black, brown, and indigenous people of color who are working in animal and vegan advocacy. Resources: Brialle’s Website Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is known as the joyful vegan. She is a recognized expert and thought leader on the culinary, social, ethical, and practical aspects of living compassionately and healthfully. A long-time animal advocate and vegan, Colleen is a bestselling author of seven books, an acclaimed speaker, producer of one of the longest running vegan podcasts, a regular contributor to National Public Radio, and the host of luxury vegan trips around the world. Colleen shares her thoughts on living joyfully as a vegan, how to cultivate joy and say “yes” as a vegan, how traveling to other countries with her vegan travel tours brings her joy, and the challenges and triumphs of her zero waste journey. Recourses: JoyfulVegan.com Food for Thought Podcast Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast