Durham, NC — a.k.a. “Bull City” — is said to be known for its diverse culinary selection, but vegan selections are sparse to nil. Yet, the Triangle Vegan Thanksgiving brings in between 600-800 people each year, and recurring Durham vegan brunches typically serve 100 people within the first hour. For those reasons — as well as a keen yearning for more vegan food (a yearning we can all certainly understand) — Eleni and Shirlé founded the Bull City Vegan Challenge. During the month of October, they are recruiting top Durham chefs to create a vegan entree in one or more of five categories: appetizer, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. To avoid your run-of-the-mill hummus and pita dish (delicious, yes, but boooring!), they have certain rules that the chefs must abide by (like, no hummus or veggie burgers).

The winning dishes will be voted upon by the public, and the restaurants with winning dishes will win a Bull City Vegan Challenge certificate for display, as well as a copy of the cookbook, Great Chefs Cook Vegan.

Um, can someone say GENIUS? We are ga-ga for the Bull City Vegan Challenge, partly because it’s a totally positive, win-win endeavor, which makes veganism look cool (which we all know it is, but some folks still need persuading) — but also because it is effectively bringing veganism to the mainstream and winning people’s hearts and minds by way of their stomachs!

We recently spoke with BC/VC co-founder, Eleni Vlachos, all about what prompted this brilliant project, the hopes for what will come of it, and how Anyone Anyname from Anywhere, USA can embark on their own Vegan Challenge.

***

Our Hen House: What was the impetus for this project?

Bull City Vegan Challenge: Durham is such a progressive town in so many ways. When I moved from Seattle, home of the 15+ vegan restaurants, to Durham, home of 0 [vegan restaurants], I was surprised since there were so many other forward-thinking movements in the town. At one point between tours last year, I contacted a chef about adding a vegan breakfast/brunch item to their menu, and was surprised to learn she was ‘fooling around’ with tofu. It gave me hope that change within the existing structure was possible.

My friend, Chef Shirle, took it to a whole new (and more fun) level when she invented the idea of making it a chef challenge rather than simply asking them for vegan options. It creates awareness and incorporates fun all in one fell (hopefully delicious!) swoop. She also began monthly vegan brunches and recently transfered it to other chefs. Last month, there was a line of 163 people within the first 30 minutes.

OHH: Durham isn’t necessarily known for being veg-friendly, but it’s quite the “foodie” town. What kind of reactions do you anticipate from the community?

BC/VC:  Durham is up for most anything.  As long as it is quirky and accommodating, it’s Durham. I anticipate some people will not participate, but based on turnout for the vegan brunches, I’d say a large number of flexitarians will be playing along in addition to the huge veg population.

OHH: Can you describe what you hope the community of Durham — both restauranteurs, press, and the general pubic — will come away with after the Challenge?

BC/VC: Chefs have a varying familiarity with good vegan cuisine. I brought around marinated homemade seitan to expose them to a non-tofu protein. Many had not heard of it. I am hoping that Chefs will further discover the delicious adventures of vegan cooking and add more options to their menus. In turn, we hope the public will request and support these options and eventually have access to a wider variety of creative vegan dishes. In the end, I want it to be easier for people to make vegan choices. Convenience and tasty vegan options equals less suffering. Ultimately, no matter what happens with the menus of Durham restaurants, we have created awareness about the need for good vegan options.

OHH: Have you encountered any hostility while approaching restaurants and asking them to take part in the Vegan Challenge? How have you handled that?

BC/VC: Only two restaurants so far have not wanted to participate. One was a well-established old restaurant with a chef who said vegan cooking was not “in my flavor profile.” Another said my seitan ‘tastes like chicken’ but then showed us his chicken and said, “what’s the point?” This is from a chef who reported that the veggie burger was the NUMBER 2 seller on his menu! In this case, it might be a matter of fear of not doing well in the contest. Rather than get upset, we thanked this chef for considering the contest. It only hurts animals, in the end, if we get angry or negative with the chefs who are not interested. Better to leave a good impression for future dealings.

OHH: How can people start this kind of Vegan Challenge in their own communities?

BC/VC: That is a wonderful idea and one I hoped would happen. They are of course welcome to contact us for ideas, at bullcityveganchallenge@gmail.com, but on my to-do is to create a DIY ‘kit’ for activists. I think, in this case, it was very important that my BC/VC partner, Chef Shirle, is a patron of most of these restaurants and knows many of the chefs. Working with a non-veg advocate who is an enthusiastic supporter of veg cuisine is a great way to ensure the chefs are more likely to participate. Short of that, make sure you do eat at the establishments you are approaching, or at least have some familiarity. Even if the vegan food they currently offer is not great, you will at least create a relationship or base for your future request.

Today, we’re back home in NYC. Mariann’s animal law classes have started, and Jasmin has given up coffee. We also have some exciting announcements from here in Our Hen House!

Joining us today is long-time animal law guru, Steve Wise, who will talk to us all about the Non-Human Rights Project.

Henrietta by David Mamet, Illustrated by Elizabeth Dahlie

In our review section, we’ll be reviewing the book Henrietta, by David Mamet – which follows the story of a pig who wants to go to law school.

All that, some vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Where’s the Beet?” from Time Magazine
• “Weekday Vegetarians” from Time Magazine
• “Food Fight” from Utne Reader
• “Vegan Anyone?” from NPR

“The question is not, “Can they reason?” nor, “Can they talk?” but rather, “Can they suffer?” -Jeremy Bentham

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Thanks!

Picture from Henrietta by David Mamet, Illustrated by Elizabeth Dahlie

With our new status as a 501(c)(3), we’d like to announce our absolutely amazing advisory board. Join us as we welcome to our flock Carol Leifer, Dan Piraro, and Ari Solomon. Carol, Dan, and Ari are the soy crème de la soy crème of animal activism. Each of them bring experience and expertise to our vegan coop! The rest of our flock gleefully welcome our new advisory board to Our Hen House. We think it’s clucking awesome that you’ve joined our family.

Read more about Carol, Dan, and Ari:

Carol Leifer, Advisory Board

Carol Leifer is an accomplished stand-up comedian and an Emmy-winning writer and producer for her work on such television shows as Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live and The Academy Awards.  She has starred in several of her own comedy specials, which have aired on HBO, Showtime, and Comedy Central. Carol’s book, entitled When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win is a bestseller. In promoting her book, Carol recently appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, The View, The Today Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR, and The Howard Stern Show on Sirius/XM. Carol recently guest starred on Curb Your Enthusiasm as the “Lemonade Mom.” She was one of the writers for this year’s Oscars with hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin and for her work on that, she was just nominated for an Emmy.

Dan Piraro, Advisory Board

Dan Piraro, creator of the BIZARRO cartoons, was raised in Oklahoma in the late 1900s and escaped as soon as possible. In addition to 13 collections of BIZARRO cartoons, Piraro has published two books of prose, including “Bizarro Among the Savages” (Andrews McMeel, 1998), and a political satire disguised as a children’s book recounting the Bush administration’s foray into Iraq called, “The Three Little Pigs Buy the White House” (St. Martins, 2004). BIZARRO has won an unprecedented three consecutive “Best Cartoon Panel of the Year” awards from the National Cartoonists Society, and in 2010 was given their highest award, “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.” Piraro regularly speaks and performs comedy across the country, and works as an animal rights and environmental activist. For his animal rights-themed cartoons, he has won numerous awards from the Humane Society of the United States. He also writes a monthly humor column for VegNews Magazine. Since 2002, Piraro has sporadically toured the U.S. with his one-man stand-up comedy show called “The Bizarro Boloney Show.” Piraro has appeared on CNN and “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross on NPR. In 2007, Dan Piraro reached the self-proclaimed pinnacle of his career thus far when he and BIZARRO appeared as a clue on the popular game show, “Jeopardy!” and was included as a clue in a New York Times crossword puzzle.

Ari Solomon, Advisory Board

Ari Solomon is the President and co-creator of the celebrated vegan candle line A Scent of Scandal®. After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Ari first worked as an actor in New York and Los Angeles, and later hosted the wildly popular ARI’S HOLLYWOOD UPDATE on Miami’s Y-100FM. Now a prolific activist and writer for animal and human rights, Ari’s letters have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, and The Advocate. He regularly blogs for The Huffington Post.

On today’s episode, we come to you from Sag Harbor, where we’re grateful that we have family right by the beach. Joining us today is animal rights lawyer Carter Dillard, who will talk to us about everything from the organization he co-founded – Four Feet Forward — to litigating on behalf of animals, to human overpopulation.

In our review section, we’ll be discussing a new animal rights themed novel called The Tourist Trail, by John Yunker. If you’re like us, you’ll want to eat this book up, which is fine, since it’s vegan.

All that, some vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Eat an Apple (Doctor’s Orders)”
• “The Ugliest Catch”
• “Eggs Recalled After Outbreaks”
• “Vegans ‘Significantly Less Polluted’”

“The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest.” -Henry David Thoreau

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Thanks!

Photo: The Tourist Trail

And now, Four Feet Forward is seeking a president:

Four Feet Forward helps small animal advocacy organizations with their legal and media campaigns by offering professional services at no cost. The organization is made up of a group of people dedicated to advocating for animals in the courtroom and the broader public sphere. Our network of professional consultants volunteer their time to help non-profits achieve their goals in support of animal welfare. Four Feet Forward is seeking a qualified, highly motivated president to help run and grow our organization.  The president will work in close collaboration with our project manager, and will be responsible for communicating regularly with the board. This is a volunteer position and requires a commitment of 5-10 hours a week. A background in fundraising and managerial experience is preferred. Above all, the president must have the passion and time to help grow this animal advocacy organization into a significant force.

Intrigued by this incredible organization? Be sure to tune in to our podcast this weekend where we will be interviewing animal rights lawyer and Four Feet Forward co-founder, Carter Dillard.

On today’s episode, we come to you from Big Sur, California where we are searching for good food, breathless from the scenery, and trying to weed out an offensive word from Jasmin’s vocabulary.

Joining us today is animal and environmental lawyer, David Cassuto, who will talk to us about some of the intersections between those overlapping areas.

In our review section, Kyle Knies – a California boy himself – will give us the skinny on faux gras (and we really mean faux gras).

All that, some vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Inside the Minds of Animals” – Time Magazine
• “Farmers Lean to Truce on Animals’ Close Quarters” – The New York Times

“California, California… such a wonder that I think I’ll stay in bed.” –Rufus Wainwright

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Thanks!

What I like best about this series is that Joanne Rose is taking a fresh approach to advocating for animals. This is the first vegan web series I know of, and it’s “LOL factor” combined with Joanne’s popularity (the show was prominently featured on Will Ferrell’s website, Funny or Die) is a creative activism A+.

In today’s episode, we come to you from the City by the Bay, San Francisco. We’ll start by telling you about our vegan adventures and misadventures, including some a tale of delicious cruelty-free Japanese food, and a rather disturbing  stuffed animal story.

We will be joined today by Zoe Weil from the Institute for Humane Education. Zoe, who was just inducted into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame, will talk all about humane education, as well as what it really means to do the most good and least harm.

In our news section, we will tell you about a group of cattlemen who are having some issues with a recent audit of their spending.  We’ll also discuss why conflicted meat-eaters deny that animals have the capacity to suffer. And we’ll discuss the vegan fare at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding.

In our review section, we will give you our impressions of the new film, Chow Down, which follows three people with severe heart disease who have decided to make some serious and necessary lifestyle changes. And trust me, you’ll be batting for them.

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Thanks!

Photo: Used with permission (http2007) through a Creative Commons License.

Chow Down is exactly the kind of thing that has mainstream appeal. Since heart disease is so prevalent right now, it’s pretty easy to picture film screenings in Anywhere, U.S.A. being sold out. So pick up a copy of the DVD and contact your local community center/YMCA/library/health food store/college so that you can host your own screening of this vegan-minded film.

And stay tuned for this weekend’s podcast for a full review of Chow Down.

In today’s episode, we will tell you about our upcoming vegan filled trip to the West Coast, some new one-of-a-kind arty tote bags that will benefit Our Hen House, and lots more about what’s new and good here in Veganland.

Joining us today will be best-selling vegan cookbook author, Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Isa will talk about everything from her upcoming book, to the changing scene of veganism, to palm oil.

In our news section, we’re talking about a lot of bull – bullfighting in Catalonia, and bull-riding and other rodeo horrors in Santa Cruz. Plus, we’ll tell you about a cool new movie that’s full of heart.

In our review section, we will give you our thoughts on a blast-from-the-past animated film with a message – Chicken Run.

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Thanks!

Photo: Chicken Run

This is quite possibly the easiest activist “ask” one could muster: Add Fowl Play to your Netflix queue. If you don’t have Netflix, get it (hello, free trial period!) and add the film. Why? Because when enough people do, over 10 million subscribers will have the chance to learn about the cruelties inherent in egg production and question their own role in perpetuating that cruelty.

In today’s episode, we give you the low-down on a very special vegan bakery that delivers all over the country. Trust me, you’ll want to try their cupcakes. I’ll also tell you all about a very melodic animal rights fund-raiser that I attended in NYC.

Joining us today is Michael Croland, from Heeb’n'vegan. Michael is joining us as part of our religion series, where we talk with people about how their religion or spirituality relates to their philosophy on animal rights. Michael will enlighten us about how Judaism and veganism relate. He’ll discuss everything from Kosher slaughter, to philosophy, to an ingredient you simply have to include in your next tofu scramble.

In our news section, we will discuss a new bill for animals that just passed the US House of Representatives. We’ll also talk about a debarking law in Massachusetts, and Mariann will share her thoughts on an article in Time Magazine that asks: Can animal rights go too far?

For our review section, Mariann and I will share with you an amazing restaurant experience we had, right in the Heartland.

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Thanks!

As online activism continues to soar, we animal advocates should do our part in staying abreast of new tools and resources that can further our message. This Ultimate Glossary can be a great go-to for that purpose.

You’ll surely want to bookmark this one, so that the next time you are asked if you have a Kyte, you won’t show up with a triangular flying device and a string. (Incidentally, a Kyte is “an online and mobile video application that provides video hosting and stream for both recorded and live video feeds.” Now I sound smart, don’t I?)

h/t to Glenn Gaetz from Liberation B.C.

Photo: The Ultimate Glossary

A month later, Jane Velez-Mitchell adopted little Kennedy, and their family (which is also comprised of two other rescued dogs, and a very vibrant 94-year-old lifelong vegetarian mom) was complete. Jane, of course, is a longtime vegan and animal rights activist. I documented the adoption for the Mayor’s Alliance:

And according to Continental News, “several films awarded at Artivist have gone on to great acclaim, including Academy Award winner Born Into Brothels, and Academy Award Nominees Super-Size Me and God Sleeps in Rwanda. The festival has also presented the Los Angeles premieres of Fast Food Nation, Emmanuelle’s Gift, Stolen Childhoods, Zeitgeist, Zeitgest Addendum and Trudell.”

There are five categories in which filmmakers can submit their pieces. Animal advocacy is one of them, and according to Artivist, “a film submitted in the Animal Advocacy category must address the destruction, abuse, protection or rehabilitation of wild or domestic animals.”

The festival and Artivist awards will take place in Hollywood this October, where a highlight of the weekend’s festivities will include a star-studded gala — complete with a vegan menu! Following that, certain films will be chosen to tour to key cities, including NYC, London, Lisbon, Tokyo, Mexico City, and D.C.

The Artivist Film Festival makes me all tingly inside, particularly since animal and environmental rights are major focuses of the event (and in social justice — duh!), and the organizers have enough common sense and ethical prowess to serve planet- and animal-friendly food during their main event.

On today’s episode, we are coming to you live from Kansas – where we will talk to my 86-year-old grandmother who just went vegetarian.

Then, joining us will be Dr. Melanie Joy, author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism. Melanie will talk to us about her fascinating insights  into the psychological mechanisms people use to allow themselves to coninue eating animals.

In our news section, we will discuss an exciting New York Times editorial that is very pro-farm animal. We’ll also talk about some good news for the AETA 4, and we’ll share with you James McWilliams’ take on lab-grown meat.

In our review section, Our Hen House reviewer, Kyle Knies, will give you the results of his unscientific survey on vegan milks.

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Thanks!

The film: Fowl Play, a Mercy for Animals documentary about the egg industry. The festival: New York International Film Festival. The implication: A big one. If the screening is successful, there is a chance that a film distributor will pick it up for international sales and rentals.

Here is where the power of grassroots comes in: This more of us that show up for this screening, the more likely it will be a success at the festival. If you’re in NYC, make your way toward City Cinemas Village East on Sunday, July 25 at 6 p.m. (Get your tickets here or get them directly through Mercy for Animals by emailing Matt at mattr@mercyforanimals.org.) If your’e not in NYC, please help spread the word about the screening and the film. If you need more impetus for why you need to see Fowl Play, watch the trailer below.

We’ve already witnessed the power that an animal-centric film that finds its way into the mainstream can have, with both the 2010 Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary, The Cove, and the 2010 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary, Food Inc. Howzabout we make another animal blockbuster?

Getting Attention: Helping Non-Profits Succeed Through Effective Marketing is having a tagline contest. According to their website:

“A strong tagline does double-duty—working to extend your organization’s name and mission, while delivering a focused, memorable and repeatable message to your base. It’s one of your most basic, and effective, marketing tools, but a GettingAttention.org survey showed that 72% of nonprofit organizations don’t have a tagline or rate theirs as performing poorly. The awards program is designed to help close this gap by providing both motivation and models.”

Motivation and models. I like that. And, of course, those of us who run or are involved with animal advocacy organizations owe it to the animals to have a catchy tagline. Our is this: Our Hen House: a place to find our way to change the world for animals. We feel that encapsulates the mission of our organization, hopefully bringing animal-lovers and vegans to the next level of their personal activism.

I found it interesting to read the winning taglines from last year, including that of Earthjustice: “Because the earth needs a good lawyer.”

Even if you’re not with an organization, a catchy and cool tagline for your vegan or advocacy blog can bring in readers and ultimately breed more vegans. Our friends over at Kiss Me, I’m Vegan use this as their tagline: “A blog for the happy vegan in all of us.” Love that.

It’s unclear what the winners of the “Taggies” receive, but all entrants receive a free copy of the fully-updated 2010 Nonprofit Tagline Report, which I’m eagerly anticipating.

Photo: © Copyright John Went and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons License.

On today’s show, we begin with a very exciting announcement about the influence that Mariann’s New York Times letter to the editor had on Jasmin’s grandma.

Joining us today is Meena Alagappan — director of HEART (Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers). Meena will talk to us all about the importance of humane education as a means of creating social change, and she’ll share some of her personal journey from animal law to running HEART.

In our news section, we will be joined by Stewart David, co-founder of Carolina Action for Animals. Stewart will share his thoughts on Jane Velez-Mitchell’s “Jane’s Fight for Animal Rights” which aired this past week on her CNN HLN show, Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell. We’ll also discuss the outcome of a puppy mill bill in North Carolina, and an egg bill in California.

For our review section, we will be joined by special guest Matt Rice — of Mercy for Animals. Matt will review the new animal rights Facebook game called Farm Rescue, which was conceived by activist and artist, Mark Middleton (of Animal Visuals).

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Thanks!

In today’s episode, we will share with you a new and exciting activist idea that was gleaned from a workshop at last week’s Let Live Conference – and we’ll explain why that resulted in a Lady Gaga song getting interminably stuck in our heads.

Joining us today will be Glenn Gaetz and Joanne Chang from Liberation B.C. Glenn and Joanne will talk to us all about the exciting projects that their animal rights organization is currently working on, as well as why Vancouver seems to be where it’s at as far as vegan cuisine.

In our news section, we will discuss our mixed feelings regarding surprising turn of events with the Ohio farm animal ballot initiative. We will also discuss the passing of Senator Robert Byrd. And we’ll tell you why a very famous travel guide founder has made nice with animal advocates and with whales alike.

In our review section, we’ll discuss the sweet – or sometimes not-so-sweet – smell of cruelty-free deodorants and their wearers.

Photo: Courtesy of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Thanks!

According to DawnWatch:

Issues with Jane Velez Mitchell airs on the HLN network at 7pm Eastern, 4pm Pacific. Jane, a passionate animal advocate, particularly wants great ratings on this one, so please tune in, tell all your friends to watch, and spread the word far and wide. If you TiVo or DVR and watch it within three days the ratings still count. And Jane says those comments matter! So please go to http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?106 either right now to tell her how excited you are about the upcoming animal coverage (which is plugged on the CNN website) or immediately after you watch the show. Your enthusiastic reaction in the past has helped make it possible for Jane to keep doing this kind of coverage, which no other major media person is doing on a regular basis.

So please do spread the word, tune in to Issues on Monday evening, and remember to provide feedback to CNN. By showing our support, we’ll be doing our part to give back to Jane Velez-Mitchell, a true hero to animals and animal activists.

The premise is that the two turkeys find a time machine and travel back in time to the very first Thanksgiving, where they campaign to take themselves off the menu. Since this will be a kid-flick, we can look forward to lots of youngsters being exposed to the ugly fact that their Thanksgiving dinner used to be — gasp! — a real live animal. Let’s hope that Harrelson, a long-time vegan himself, can insert his activist-self into his animation and create some little vegans.

Personally, I can’t wait for Turkeys. Especially because not only do I get to look forward to watching 1)an animated film (my favorite kind), 2)an animal rights themed one at that (double vegan brownie points), but I also get to look forward to hearing 3)the uncomfortable jokes that people will make when this movie comes out… you know, the ones that will attempt to get an eye-roll from us vegans, even though I’m sure that somewhere beneath their hackneyed humor, they get it.

Photo: Used with permission.

Please feel free to add any of your own suggestions of animal rights or vegan themed films in the comment section below. And a big thank you to Susan Goldberg Rooker for compiling this extremely helpful list!

Animal Rights or Vegan Themed Films:

Peaceable Kingdom

Supersize Me

The Future of Food

Meet Your Meat

Earthlings

The Witness

Meat

Meat: The Truth

Skin Trade: The Movie

The Corporation

HBO’s Death on a Factory Farm

FRESH

The Age of Stupid

Fowl Play

Adding a few others of my own, we’ve also got:

Mine

Forks Over Knives

Bold Native

Year of the Dog

Photo: Used with permission from the Creative Commons License

In today’s episode, I am coming to you from the City of Roses – Portland, Oregon – where I’m knee-deep in Voodoo Donuts and food carts. On today’s show, Mariann – who is still in NYC where she is busy trying to manage the heat wave that has come over the Big Apple – will share some very exciting news about a letter to the editor she wrote.

Joining us today is Michelle Schwegmann and Josh Hooten, the owners of Herbivore Clothing, here in Portland, and two of the co-founders of the Let Live Foundation. Michelle and Josh will talk all about the importance of creative activism – which happens to also be the theme for this weekend’s conference (the reason I’m on the left coast) – and they will talk about the perks of raising a vegan child.

In our news section, we will discuss the endangered species status that is being sought for a special kind of sea life. We’ll also talk about a cupcake competition on the Food Network’s show, Cupcake Wars, and why vegans have reason to celebrate.

In our review section, I will be reviewing the movie, Bold Native, a fiction feature film about an animal liberator wanted by the United States government for domestic terrorism.

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Thanks!

Photo: Patches from Herbivore Clothing.

Dutton recently told Newswise, “I’m a Christian, and I’m an artist, and my faith influences what I do.” She went on to tell Newswise, “Our responsibility to this planet is taking care of it, but we’ve fallen out of that.” The article continues:

“The people who are doing this are not moral,” she said. “They want every penny they can get. They kill the elephant and take its face off. Some hunters who use snare wire don’t check for a month, and an animal will either bleed or starve. Elephants mourn; they bury their dead with tree branches.”

Dutton’s piece, entitled “The Harvest,” shows a fallen elephant who has been decapitated, with life-like severed tusks on each side of the painting. Pictured on the lower part of the painting are three ivory elephants — just one example of many of the stupid things for which people exploit and abuse animals.

"The Harvest" by Clara Dutton

Plus, right down the street, we store our stuff. What you think of as a basement or attic (I think I saw those on TV once), I think of as “the storage unit.” And not just any storage unit…

Manhattan Mini Storage. The many videos of me tap-dancing at age ten and singing at age seven are housed there. And here’s why:

In addition to needing a place for our hot pink polka dot scarf that we just can’t seem to donate, Manhattan Mini Storage happens to be an amazing company that very verbally and visibly supports animal rights and other important social justice causes, too, like gay rights and reproductive rights. Their motto, “Save more than your stuff,” cleverly refers to the lives you save when you join Manhattan Mini Storage, since, when you rent a space, $25 of yours goes toward the charity of your choice (of their options). Ours went to The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.

The location that we patronize is on Spring Street in Soho. There, a very tall and gigantic billboard often touts their witty ads. It’s pretty much impossible to be sitting in the interminable Holland Tunnel traffic and not notice their billboard. This made me particularly happy last year, when the billboard was for an anti-KFC campaign.

Yet another reason to live in New York City.

“Animal Freedom Day is an event which aims to creatively tackle the ongoing topic of animal rights. It is a day in which people from all walks of life cease to consume animals or animal by-products. Our goal is to create awareness and put an end to the slaughtering of animals, animal abuse and create an alternative food source. Animal Freedom Day is a multi-venue music festival that will be streamed live online for the world to see. It will feature many performances from independent music artists to legendary music icons. Many high profile celebrities, environmentalists, politicians and several others from around the world will take part and have their voice heard to free the animals.”

Nadia initiated Animal Freedom Day during the production of her documentary film, Don’t Eat Me, which explores the morality of why people consume animals.

Headquarters for Animal Freedom Day will be in Ontario at the vegetarian music fest, Burlington Jazz and Blues Festival. The event will be live-streamed on the Animal Freedom Day website, so you can either tune in or host your own event that day.