Episode 230: “People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant.”

Welcome to the 230th episode of Our Hen House, featuring Dr. Richard Oppenlander [transcript], with special appearances by Keri Cronin, Laurie Morrison, John Schlimm, Lucas Solowey, and Ali Bisram — as well as a very special review by Danielle Legg.
In today’s episode, we come to you from St. Catharine’s, Ontario, where we spoke at this past week’s Niagara VegFest. We’ll tell you all about the bustling vegan and animal rights scene in the Niagara region, the truly unbelievable ways the Fest has grown since we spoke there two years ago — and what that kind of growth indicates for our movement — and we’ll also give you an inside look at the changemaking Critical Animal Studies scene at Brock University. We’ll chat with the organizers of the event, Keri Cronin and Laurie Morrison — who are also affiliated with the Critical Animal Studies program at Brock. We’ll talk to some of the speakers and vendors from the Fest, including author and vegan cheese and beer aficionado John Schlimm; MFA Canada’s Lucas Solowey; and the woman behind VeganHotMess — a baking company whose profits go 100% to Cedar Row Animal Sanctuary — Ali Bisram. We’ll also ruminate on the benefits of having annoying conversations with people who just don’t get it… or do they? And we’ll squawk all about our talk, “To V or Not to V?” Don’t worry — we’ll sneak in some “Rising Anxieties,” too. (We’d have it no other way.)
Joining us for our feature interview today is sustainability consultant, researcher, and author, Dr. Richard Oppenlander, who will be talking to us all about his new book: Comfortably Unaware. Among other things that will blow your mind during this interview, Dr. Oppenlander will discuss with us global depletion and the impact of food choices; the condition our oceans are in, what is being done about it (how that relates to food choices), and the effect of food choice on climate change and loss of biodiversity. Get your notebooks out — you won’t want to miss this.
Then, joining us for our review is Our Hen House’s Outreach Manager, Danielle Legg, who will be giving us her take on the Vegan Cuts Snack Box.
All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

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“People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant.” -Helen Keller