July 21, 2012

Episode 132: “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

by Jasmin and Mariann July 21, 2012

Welcome to the 132^nd episode of Our Hen House, featuring Bonnie Goodman from Mordamart, Sue Eakins from New Dawn MT Farm Sanctuary, Kit and Pete Jagoda of Rivers Wish Animal Sanctuary, and Tracy Martin of Rabbitron.
In today’s episode, we are – yep! – still on the road as part of our Great American Road Trip from NYC to Portland. Today, we’ll pick up where we left off last week, bringing you our vegan tales from Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. We’ll give you the skinny on everything from the Sunshine Burgers we enjoyed in Riverton, Wyoming, to the animals we encountered in Yellowstone, and our feelings about the gawking tourists (which admittedly included us), to the stunning Deer Haven Ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana, to the kale salad we made for the Bozeman vegan potluck, to the hotspots for thrifting we happily encountered – and the low-down on Jasmin’s new skort! – to the cherries and berries we have been devouring thanks to roadside fruit stands, to the real-life amber waves of grain that have just recently been accompanying us on our Northwest travels.

As you’ll hear in the interview, during our chat with Sue Eakins (pictured left) of New Dawn MT Farm Sanctuary, many of the resident animals decided they, too, wanted to be part of the interview! Here’s Jasmin on the right, trying desperately to hold herself together to ask the questions. What a special visit!

Throughout our trip, we have had the pleasure of meeting so many incredible animal advocates, and today we’ll talk to a small handful of them. Bonnie Goodman will tell us about the activism she does in her community of Livingston, Montana, and how her jewelry store and gallery has been transformed to a hub of changemaking; Sue Eakins of New Dawn Montana Farm Sanctuary just outside of Missoula will tell us about her haven for farmed animals (and some of those animals will join us for the interview, too); Kit and Pete Jagoda of Rivers Wish Animal Sanctuary in Spokane, Washington will discuss how taking in a few foster dogs ultimately paved the way for their veganism and their own sanctuary, where they have roughly 150 rescued individuals; and Tracy Martin of the rabbit sanctuary, Rabbitron, also in Spokane, will give us the low-down on these precious animals, as well as debunk a few myths about pigeons. Don’t miss these quick glimpses of some of the most inspiring folks we’ve encountered on our trip.
For our review, we’ll share some of the best treats from our current favorite vegan company, Wayfare Foods, which is based in Bozeman, Montana.
All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.
This week’s news items include:

“South Korea scraps research whaling plans after outcry” from Fox News
“Undercover Investigation by Mercy for Animals Reveals Extreme Animal Cruelty At Walmart Pork Supplier” from Bloomberg
“Puma Chairman Zeitz Sees End of Leather Use In Shoes, FT Reports” from Bloomberg
“Midnight egg amendment in 2012 farm bill escalates animal rights fight” from The Hill
“Elephants on a plane! Bob Barker flies 3 to sanctuary” from NBC News

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” -Lau Tsu
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