By Gene Baur on August 8, 2011
The cruelty inflicted upon calves in the dairy industry is one of agribusiness’s best kept secrets. Many consumers might assume that because cows are not slaughtered directly for their milk, dairy products are somehow less inhumane. What many consumers aren’t aware of is that when they purchase milk, cheese or other dairy products, they are contributing to a brutal cycle of suffering for countless calves. In order for a cow to produce milk, she has to have a calf, and those calves are taken away from their mothers immediately after birth. Half of those calves are male, and they’re often used in veal production.
More and more Americans are beginning to understand these realities of factory farming and are taking a stand. Earlier this month, we were excited to report that after thousands of citizens in Ohio spoke out against the cruel confinement of veal calves, livestock officials voted to reverse an earlier decision and give calves more room to move.
But following on the heels of this important step forward for calves, comes a shocking new investigative video by Mercy for Animals. Reminding us that there is still much work to be done, the video depicts workers at a dairy calf farm in Texas subjecting young cows to horrific abuse, bludgeoning them with pickaxes and beating and neglecting them. The video is a poignant look at the horrific lives of calves born into the dairy industry.
Over the years, Farm Sanctuary and others have documented the cruel conditions of factory farms, including at a veal farm in Wisconsin. Our “Behind the Mustache” video gives a behind-the-scenes look at the California dairy industry. It’s videos like these that have helped create change in laws and policies for farm animals and inspire citizens to reconsider their diets and take action. We’re confident that Mercy for Animals’ powerful new video will help further the animals’ cause.
Since Farm Sanctuary’s inception, my colleagues and I have conducted numerous visits to farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses to document conditions. Exposing animal abuse through photos and videos is a powerful tool and agribusiness is well aware of that fact. I recently wrote about two state bills, in Florida and Iowa, which would criminalize the documentation of “animal facilities.” Since then, similar legislation has been introduced in Minnesota.
In light of these videos and photographs, the agriculture industry is fighting hard to keep consumers in the dark about where their food really comes from. That’s why it’s important that we use these investigations as tools to educate our communities and show lawmakers the importance of revealing abuse. I hope you’ll use these resources to help create change.
Photo credit: NDSU Ag Communication
Read More By Gene Baur on May 25, 2011
Thousands of years ago, Hippocrates, the founder of western medicine, said, “Let food be thy medicine.” Tragically, the way most Americans eat, food is more like poison, making us sick and killing us prematurely. Heart disease and cancer are the nation’s top killers, and the risks of both can be reduced by eating plants instead of animal products. Removing meat, milk and eggs from the menu also prevents animal suffering and goes a long way toward lightening our environmental footprint. People are finally recognizing the profound impacts of their food choices, and we are now in the midst of a burgeoning food movement.
We read about it daily – more and more people are eating local and organic, going vegetarian and even vegan. I want to see it for myself, so I’m out on a three week, cross-country adventure to explore “vegan America.” It’s called the Just Eats Tour and you can follow along daily here.
The Just Eats Tour is part of Farm Sanctuary’s 25th anniversary. We were founded in 1986 to combat the abuses of factory farming and to promote plant based eating. In the early years, we funded the organization by selling veggie hot dogs out of an old VW van at Grateful Dead concerts. Farm Sanctuary is now America’s leading farm animal protection organization, supported by more than 230,000 citizens across the United States.
We work to educate people about the animal cruelty and other abuses of factory farming, and believe that most people, when provided with information, will make healthier, more humane and environmentally sustainable choices. We also advocate for legal reforms, and although the laws are still grossly inadequate, we have been able to pass groundbreaking legislation to lessen the suffering of animals exploited by the food industry. And, we operate sanctuaries in New York and California where we care for nearly 1,000 chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows and other rescued farm animals. Once they come to Farm Sanctuary, the animals are treated like our friends, not our food. We encourage people to consider adopting vegan lifestyles, and we disseminate information like this fun video we recently released to expose the environmental impacts of animal agriculture.
I’ve been vegan since 1985, and it is great to see a growing interest in this lifestyle, especially in the past couple of years. People are coming to it for diverse reasons – health, spirituality, a desire to live gently on the earth or to prevent animal suffering. Among those who have moved toward eating plants instead of animals are: Bill Clinton, Natalie Portman, Woody Harrelson, Mike Tyson, Lea Michelle, Steve Wynn, Mary Tyler Moore, Alicia Silverstone, Russell Simmons, Ellen DeGeneres, Jesse Eisenberg, Biz Stone, John Mackey and Prince Fielder. Vegans still comprise a small percentage of the U.S. population, but our numbers are growing.
The Just Eats Tour began at a black tie gala in New York City at Cipriani’s on Wall Street on May 14th and three weeks later we’ll arrive at Farm Sanctuary’s shelter in Orland, California for our annual Hoe Down on June 4th. Along the way, we’ll visit big cities and rural communities. We’ll speak with chefs, business owners, entrepreneurs, fitness experts, celebrities and everyday heroes who are exploring vegan living. We’ll be posting recipes, videos, photos and other resources. We also want you to share your recipes on our website, and we encourage you to take the Vegan Challenge.
We hope this tour will help Americans better recognize the impacts of their food choices, learn about positive alternatives, and ultimately, choose healthier, more humane and sustainable options. You can keep up with the Just Eats Tour daily by checking our website at www.justeatstour.org.
Read More By Stacy Malkan on April 19, 2011
Beautiful, shiny, frizz-free hair? Count yourself lucky to have hair at all! I first heard about the Brazilian Blowout from Susanne Harvey, who called to tell me she’d lost huge chunks of her long red hair1 after using the popular hair-smoothing product that is all the rage with celebrities.
Turns out many women have had the same fallout experience, including actress Mary Louise Parker2 and scores of others who have been complaining to FDA for years about hair loss, blisters and rashes they experienced after using certain hair treatments.
The reason why was made clear by several recent studies3: Many salon products that promise straight, frizz-free, “healthy” hair — even those marketed as “formaldehyde-free,” like Brazilian Blowout – actually contain significant levels of formaldehyde, a potent allergen and known carcinogen.4
The revelations prompted Health Canada5 to pull the products off the market six months ago. But here in the United States, where it’s legal for hair products to contain unlimited amounts of carcinogens, FDA has taken no action to protect consumers.
Finally this week, the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration stepped forward to warn salons6 to stop using formaldehyde-containing hair straighteners, and the state of California requested an injunction against the LA-based manufacturer of Brazilian Blowout.
“Workers have the right to know the risks associated with the chemicals with which they work, and how to protect themselves,” said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels in a statement.
Yes indeed! Unfortunately, workers and salons are not getting the straight story from manufacturers, who continue to insist these products are safe. According to an Environmental Working Group (EWG) survey, 95 percent of top manufacturers claim their hair-straightening products contain little to no formaldehyde, when they actually contain substantial amounts.
Obviously, these companies can’t be trusted and the FDA is failing to protect public health. The “Brazilian Blowup” is the perfect example why we need to reform national cosmetic regulations to bring American consumer protections up to standards that are already in place in Canada, Europe and elsewhere.
The federal Safe Cosmetics Act, introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives last year by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (and soon to be re-introduced into the new Congress) will make it illegal to put cancer-causing chemicals into personal care products in the first place, and will require companies to be fully transparent about their products.
Take action here to support the Safe Cosmetics Act.
In the meantime, what’s the best option for hair straightening? EWG’s assessment found possible health risks associated with all the longer-lasting chemical hair straighteners. The safest route is to use a flat iron, or – like this Sesame Street video we love – learn to love your hair just the way it is.
Photo credit: Claudio Mancilla
Sources:
1. Not a Pretty Picture. http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/eij/article/not_a_pretty_picture/ Accessed April 18, 2011.
2. Mary-Louise Parker of ‘Weeds’ claims Brazilian hair straightening caused her hair to fall out. http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/fashion/2011/04/12/2011-04-12_mary_louise_parker_of_weeds_claims_brazilian_hair_straightening_caused_her_hair_.html Accessed April 18, 2011.
3. Still waiting on FDA to do something about Brazilian Blowout. http://notjustaprettyface.org/blog/still-waiting-on-fda-to-do-anything-about-brazilian-blowout Accessed April 18, 2011.
4. National Academy of Sciences: Formaldehyde Still Causes Cancer in Humans. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jsass/national_academy_of_sciences_f.html Accessed April 18, 2011.
5. Brazilian Blowout Contains Formaldehyde. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/_2010/2010_167-eng.php Accessed April 18, 2011.
6. Hair Smoothing Products That Could Release Formaldehyde. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/formaldehyde/hazard_alert.html Accessed April 18, 2011.
Read More By Colin Beavan on March 4, 2011
In 2006, I became increasingly concerned both about climate change and the military action taken by the United States to secure its access to oil supplies in the Middle East. As a journalist and author, I wanted to find a way to make the case for a lower reliance on fossil fuels and other natural resources to the American and European publics. However, I did not believe a typical political discourse would do the trick. There had been many of such books already written that attempted such a discourse. Instead, I wanted to find a way to engage Americans who were not typically interested in politics. For this reason, I wanted to draw people in through the power of story instead of polemic.
The story I chose was one about my family–family is something people care about in the United States. Indeed, “family values” are often discussed by conservative Americans, many of whom oppose action on climate change. As the story goes, for one year, we lived, in the middle of New York City, causing as little environmental impact as possible. This meant, not making any trash, not using any fossil fuel transportation, buying local food, not purchasing anything new. Etc etc. This experiment in environmental lifestyle was discussed in my blog, my book, and a documentary movie, all by the title No Impact Man. My hope was that the story of, if you like, That Crazy Family in New York City would attract attention to our climate crisis.
It was successful beyond my wildest dreams. In 2007, the New York Times wrote a front page story on the No Impact Man project. It has been covered in major newspapers and television channels across the world. There have been over 3 million unique visitors to the blog. The book has been translated into some 15 languages and has sold more than 50,000 copies in the United States alone. The movie has been released in theaters in the United States and other countries around the world. In addition, there have been over 1,000 community screenings around the world to groups ranging in size from 20 to 500 people. I have been invited to discuss No Impact Man with college audiences totaling some 15,000 in number over the last three months.
Also, some 15,000 world citizens have participated in a program run by my non-profit, the No Impact Project. In this, participants try themselves to live with as low a carbon footprint as possible for a whole week. This is not 15,000 people turning out for a two hour protest. It is 15,000 people devote themselves to significant hardship for an entire week. I like to think that this shows that, when they understand the connection of climate to their own lives, people are willing to dedicate substantial effort. This is very heartening. But I have a caution.
A Google search for the phrase No Impact Man yields some 470,000 unique results. Meanwhile, a Google search for the phrase Cop 16 yields 500,000 unique results. In other words, about the same. Of course, I don’t cite these figures to suggest that No Impact Man compares in importance to Cop 16. I say this to show that something as important as Cop 16, which I believe is part of a process of literally saving our species, does not get discussed by the public just because it is important. In fact, it’s importance gets dwarfed by “better stories.”
Just because you and I consider something vastly important doesn’t mean everyone else will. Especially if they don’t really understand it.
So how do we create “better stories”?
One method, I believe, is to find ways of creating real, human narratives that connect the life of the average global citizen to the complex and seemingly abstract problem of climate change. In other words, can we find a way to talk about climate that isn’t about climate? Instead, can we talk climate in a way that is about people? It is my thinking that the reason why my small project has received so much attention is because, through discussing lifestyle, people are able to understand the connection between their own lives and climate. Suddenly, they understand why it is relevant to them.
On the subject of engaging citizens in this discussion about climate change, I’d like to offer some conclusions I’ve drawn through my experience as No Impact Man. I don’t mean to imply that this is the way everyone should approach communicating on climate. Instead, it is a list of guidelines I have developed for myself as travel around and talk and write about climate to, I like to think, some success:
1. How to communicate about climate change is not a case of either/or but of and/also. Selling solutions to climates change is not like selling laundry soap. You can’t figure out one message for the center of the bell curve. The message must be segmented. We have to communicate with the tails of the bell curve. Don’t assume that everyone else will care for the same reasons you do.
2. No matter which community you are talking to, find a way to connect to their health, happiness and security. Mom’s in DC may well want the coal-fired power plant removed, but not because of climate change. Instead, they want to get rid of it because it gives their children asthma.
3. Break away from dry scientific stories and find sympathetic human stories that connect to people’s daily lives. In the United States, this is particularly important because Americans are ambivalent about politics. Our culture is one that concentrates more on individuals.
4. Don’t speak about the planet. Speak about the habitat that we depend upon for our health, happiness and security. The planet is something else. The habitat is the air we breathe and the food we eat. When speaking about species extinction, point out that if the habitat cannot support other species, that is a sign that it may soon not be able to support us, either.
5. For crying out loud, joke around. If we can’t laugh, is the planet even worth saving?
6. Break away from morality and guilt. Most people are moral, even if they don’t care about what we care about. Instead, figure out what your audience is concerned about and find a way to make climate change solutions appeal to their concerns.
7. Forget trying to frighten people. Frightening people about things they feel they can do nothing about just forces them to ignore you.
8. Avoid dissociating conservatives by cloying too closely to progressive language. We cannot “win” on climate change. A progressive government will soon lose to a conservative one. The culture must be transformed so that strengthening the habitat is a people concern, not just a progressive one.
9. Build coalitions around the solutions rather than the problems. There may be disagreement on climate change, but there is very little disagreement that reducing reliance on dwindling and unstable fossil fuel sources would be good. To many people, renewable energy is just plain “cool.” Use the Star Trek factor in your favor.
10. Talk about aspirations and ambitions rather than limitations. Climate may be a crisis but its solution provides many opportunities. Wouldn’t it be better not to have to live in a traffic jam of automobiles and instead have a healthy, enjoyable, and safe transportation system?
11. Listen and engage. Don’t lecture. Don’t talk down. People want to be engaged and have the opportunity to discuss. They don’t want to be trained or talked at. Find ways for people to take ownership of the issue by letting them be part of the solution.
12. At least in the developed economies, don’t talk about how a sustainable society would be just economically efficient but also talk about how it could bring a more meaningful life, one based more on community and social connection rather than consumption.
13. Tell people how to help. Don’t agitate people about something that they can’t act upon. That only turns them off. In the United States during World War II, scrap drives to help the war effort were hugely important to morale because people felt involved.
Photo credit: viking_79
Read More By Elizabeth Castoria on January 5, 2011
Hi there! I don’t know if we’ve met, but I’m the media. (OK, fine, I’m not all of it, but I am definitely one teeny tiny part. Jon Stewart, Anderson Cooper and Jane Velez-Mitchell are in here somewhere, too.) So often people talk about “the media” and its influence on our society and culture as though it was a singular entity and a really mean one. It feels like the media is basically the equivalent of a cultural Balrog, the big nasty monster of shadow and fire from “The Lord of the Rings.” (Oh, excuse me. My nerd slip is showing!) As technology progresses, the media’s swirling firestorm grows exponentially. Every time a new method of delivering information to people is developed, we are more continually blasted with the influence of the media.
Creating more news conduits (aka technologies) makes room for more news providers, and as a result people have become very choosy about the types of news they take in and from which providers. Long gone are the days when every house in any city would have the local paper delivered daily, which gave the community not only a register, but a shape from having its residents sharing the same knowledge of current events. Now, we can choose to get tweets from certain sections or reporters from our favorite paper, stream only the clips of video that we most want to watch, or rely completely on blogs for our doses of daily info. While this specificity does make the news experience much more personal (and thankfully keeps newsletters with non-vegan dishes out of my inbox), it also makes the media seem like an unimaginably big monster, continually spewing out tweets, re-tweets, re-postings, links and newsletters that collate them all.
But here’s the thing: I’m the media. As managing editor of a national magazine (that just so happens to be about veganism, my favorite subject of all time), I have basically the best job on the entire planet, and one that falls decidedly under the media umbrella. I’m not just saying this to flatter myself, but I don’t too closely resemble the Balrog. At 5 feet 3 inches tall, my firestorm is more like a warm breeze. I’m a person, probably much like you. I like kale salad, walking to work and very nearly anything with chocolate on it. The big swirling mass of media is made up of tons of people, and none of the ones I’ve met have big pointy horns.
So, come over and say hi! I swear not to bite or throw molten lava at you. It’s my job to know about the amazing project that you’ve just started and tell the world about it. Media culture is a perfect example of squeaky wheels getting greased. If you have the most magnificent non-profit on the planet, you need to sound an alert! Let me know about the phenomenal book of vegan recipes you’re coming out with; tell me all the details of the vegan food company you’re about to launch, and clue me in when you’re planning an event so wonderful that I’d be embarrassed not to know about it. Call me! (OK, in reality, I prefer email, but other editors might disagree.) The good news is that with so many more reporters, editors and bloggers out in the world these days, you have even more opportunity to let the world know about whatever amazing work you are doing.
Contacting the media is something even we in the media need to know how to do. Here’s a little for instance: Once upon a time (a few months ago) we had just announced the winners of our 2010 Veggie Awards. Since we’re fortunate to have a lovely relationship with the editors at Ecorazzi, they gave their readers a little sneak peek of our lineup, which sent a bunch of traffic to our website and created buzz around our story. Sure, you’re thinking, media love fests are fine and dandy for you insiders, but what about me, the mere mortal? Try this example on for size: When Eleni Vlachos started the Bull City Vegan Challenge – a competition that encouraged restaurants to offer new, vegan items on their menus for the month of October – one of the first things she did was email me the scoop. The result? Her hometown activism was featured on VegNews.com.
As much as it might seem like the media is unreachable, uncaring or unreasonable, it’s made up of people who (for the most part) want to tell good stories. Each of us has the chance to shape the media. With any luck, we’ll someday talk about it like something slightly less scary than a fire-breathing monster and more like a trusted friend.
Photo Credit: Valerie Everett
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