Episode 109: “The love of all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.”

Welcome to the 109^th episode of Our Hen House, featuring Lauren Ornelas from Food Empowerment Project. 

In today’s episode, we discuss clothing swaps, new juice joints, our deep love for pigeons, and how stupid we think Valentine’s Day is. (Well, mostly.)

Joining us today is Lauren Ornelas, the founder and director of Food Empowerment Project. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Lauren is going to talk to us about chocolate, including the ethical issues that frequently arise regarding its production. You will definitely not want to miss this eye-opening glimpse into the oftentimes hideously cruel world of cocoa production. You’ll also learn about how to spot the truly ethically-sourced varieties (don’t miss F.E.P.’s Chocolate List), and why there is a correlation between boycotting animal products, and boycotting other unfairly-produced food products.

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, we’ll also be sharing some of your own stories of love – love of animals, that is. Many of you sent us your stories of animals who worked their way into your hearts, and, today, we’re going to highlight 5 of your touching tales.

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

This week’s news items include:

• “Judge Tosses Case Seeking Rights for Orcas” from ABC News
• “Return of Diving Horses Sparks Controversy” from NBC10 Philadelphia 
• “Horse axes 25-year-old ‘pit bull’ law” from Toledo Blade 
• “Wonder Dog” from The New York Times Magazine
• “18 Tigers, 17 Lions, 8 Bears, 3 Cougars, 2 Wolves, 1 Baboon, 1 Macaque, and 1 Man Dead in Ohio” from GQ Magazine
• “Fukushima’s animals abandoned and left to die” from CNN
• “Mindful Eating as Food for Thought” from The New York Times