Episode 100: Reconnecting with the work of Marti Kheel, author of Nature Ethics: An Ecofeminist Perspective and co-founder of Feminists for Animal Rights

Over the past several months, I've been exploring the old newsletters of Feminists for Animal Rights, a group that was active in the United States from the early 1980's to the 2000's. As they stated in their literature, Feminists for Animal Rights sought to "raise the consciousness of the feminist community, the animal rights community, and the general public regarding the connections between the objectification, exploitation, and abuse of both women and animals in patriarchal society." In addition to producing a newsletter, members of Feminists for Animal Rights tabled at events and conferences; gave presentations and workshops; created opportunities for like-minded women to connect, study, and learn from one another; and participated in a variety of other activist initiatives. The group was quite influential within the animal rights movement at the time.

One of the co-founders of Feminists for Animal Rights was the vegan ecofeminist scholar and activist Marti Kheel, who developed the FAR slide show and wrote a number of important essays about ecofeminism. She was the author of the 2008 book, Nature Ethics: An Ecofeminist Perspective. Sadly, Marti passed away in 2011.

On the show this week, we'll be listening to an abridged version of an interview with Marti that was originally broadcast in 2009 on the show Hear Me Raw, based at Joy Radio in Australia. In this episode, the interviewer, Sue, asked Marti to describe the key principles of ecofeminist philosophy. They also discuss the limitations of mainstream environmentalist theory, why feminists should embrace veganism, how vegaphobia is related to homophobia, and what’s wrong with using sexist tactics in animal advocacy.

Marti's insights are very much worth listening to and considering. I hope you'll listen in!

At the end of the show is the song, "Vegan World", by the vegan musician Katie Veg.

You can listen to the episode above or on CKCU 93.1 FM's website. You can also download the MP3 file from Archive.org.

You can find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to advocate for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 64: Interview with Dr. Carlo Alvaro about raw veganism and raising children as ethical vegans

This week, I am pleased to present my second interview with the vegan philosopher and virtue ethicist, Dr. Carlo Alvaro. Carlo is an Associate Professor of philosophy at CUNY New York City College of Technology. He is the author of Ethical Veganism, Virtue Ethics, and the Great Soul, published in 2019, as well as Raw Veganism: The Philosophy of The Human Diet, which was published in 2020. His new book about raw veganism, The Book of Raw, will be published by Lantern Publishing & Media next year. He has also written a book titled, Deism: A Rational Journey from Disbelief to the Existence of God, which will be available in March 2022.

In this interview, Carlo tells me about the philosophy and science behind raw veganism, and he responds to the cliché that it’s okay to eat “everything in moderation”. We also discuss where raw vegans get calcium, why eating animal products constitutes a form of self-deception, and what we can expect to find in his upcoming book. Then Carlo speaks about why parents should raise their children as ethical vegans without compromising on this issue.

Some of Dr. Alvaro's academic work can be found online. I recommend that you check it out!

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/53895.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-october-21-2021.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 61: Interview with Sarina Farb about growing up vegan, industry influence over scientific research, and why vegans should not promote lab-grown "meat"

This week, I am pleased to present my interview with the vegan advocate Sarina Farb. Sarina lives in the Midwestern United States and has been a vegan for her entire life. She is the host of the YouTube channel Born Vegan and the host of the Science is Gray podcast. She previously served as the international liaison for the film-making organization Tribe of Heart, and she was a co-founder and co-host of the 2020 Climate Diet Summit. Sarina holds degrees in biochemistry and policy studies and formerly was a high school science teacher.

In this interview, Sarina speaks about her experiences growing up in a vegan family. She explains how these experiences have influenced the way she views the world, why she never wanted to stop being vegan, and why it isn’t fair to accuse vegan parents of "forcing" their children to be vegan. We also discuss why Sarina started her science podcast, how corporations influence scientific research, and why lab-grown meat is not the solution to the problem of animal exploitation.

It was a very interesting discussion. I hope you'll tune in!

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/53491.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-september-15-2021.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 54: Interview with vegan rights advocate Dr. Jeanette Rowley

This week, I am very happy to present my second interview with Dr. Jeanette Rowley, a leading expert in the field of vegan rights law. Jeanette is the author of a book titled, “Towards a Vegan Jurisprudence: The Need for a Reorientation of Human Rights”, which shares its title with her PhD on the same topic. In 2012, she founded the International Vegan Rights Alliance, which has since become the International Rights Network of the Vegan Society.

In this interview, Jeanette speaks about the importance of advocating for vegan rights, and she outlines some instances in which vegans have needed to advocate for our rights. She also tells me about the significance of veganism being deemed a protected belief under the UK Equality Act, whether veganism could be considered a “creed” under Ontario human rights law, and how the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas can inform our approach to vegan rights. Finally, we discuss whether vegans may be exempt from mandatory vaccines, the marginalization of vegans in society, and vegan rights within the education system. 

These are fascinating and important topics, so I hope you'll tune in!

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/52108.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-may-26-2021.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 44: Advocating Veganism and Normalizing Vegan Families, with Adam and Daniella of UK Vegan Family

Welcome to Episode 44 of Always for Animal Rights!

This week, I am very happy to present my second interview with Daniella and Adam, who live in the UK and are raising their young son, Jack, as a vegan. On YouTube and Instagram, they are known as UK Vegan Family. Using the tagline, "Normalising Vegan Families", they aim to change society’s views about vegan families and vegan children, as well as raise awareness about anti-vegan discrimination and cyberbullying.

In this interview, Adam and Daniella tell me about how they aim to normalize veganism and educate others about veganism, vegan nutrition, and animal rights. They also share their story of being targeted by anti-vegan cyberbullying, which has led them to focus on advocating against anti-vegan discrimination in society. Then we discuss what their favourite vegan children’s books are, how their son feels when he sees people exploiting animals on TV, how we can cook without using refined oils, and what is currently bringing their family the most joy.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/50039.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-december-9-2020.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

 

Episode 39: Tim Thorpe of the Vegan Society speaks about the environment, farming, and food policy in the UK and Europe

Welcome to Episode 39 of Always for Animal Rights!

This week's episode features my interview with Tim Thorpe, Campaigns and Policy Officer of the Vegan Society in the UK. With a background in environmental science, Tim takes the lead on the Vegan Society's Grow Green campaign.

In this interview, Tim tells me about the Vegan Society’s advocacy work to change government policies related to food and agriculture in the UK and Europe. He also explains how a global shift to a vegan diet is essential if we are to address the serious environmental problems that the world faces today, including species extinction and land degradation.

In addition to the Grow Green initiative, Tim also spoke about the following of the Vegan Society's campaigns: Catering for Everyone, Future Normal, and Plate Up for the Planet. And, I mentioned the results of the survey that I conducted with Vegan Option Canada.

This is a thought-provoking interview for those of us who are curious about whether policy changes could help animals by promoting a shift to plant-based food and farming.

I hope you'll listen in!

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/49479.html.
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-october-21-2020.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site. 

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 30: Daniella and Adam speak about raising a vegan child in the UK

We have reached Episode 30 of Always for Animal Rights!

Yummy food by @uk_veganfamily

Today on the show is my recent interview with Daniella and Adam, who live in the UK and are raising their young son Jack in accordance with vegan principles. In this interview, Daniella and Adam speak about why they went vegan, what their family's favourite vegan meals are, and the status of veganism in the UK today. Find them on Instagram at @uk_veganfamily, and on YouTube.

Thanks to Daniella and Adam for agreeing to be interviewed.

By the way, July 3rd, 2020 will be the 1-year anniversary of this show! I am also excited to say that Always for Animal Rights is now a member of iROAR: The Animals' Podcasting Network. 

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/48250.html.
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-july-1-2020.

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site. 

Go vegan; stay vegan; educate others! Thank you for listening to the show!

Episode 29: Roger Yates speaks about the history of the vegan social movement

(Update: Since this episode was released, sociologists Matthew Cole and Kate Stewart, lead researchers of the Donald Watson Archive Research Project, found that the word vegan was coined by Dorothy Morgan and Donald Watson in 1944, according to an unpublished letter written by Donald Watson in 1994.)

Welcome to Episode 29 of Always for Animal Rights! For this episode, the vegan sociologist Dr. Roger Yates returns to the show to speak about the founding and history of the vegan social movement.

A long-term vegan, Roger is a co-founder and organizer of the Vegan Information Project in Ireland. His 2005 PhD dissertation focuses on the social construction of speciesism, and in the 1980's, he was a Press Officer for the Animal Liberation Front. His blog is called On Human Relations with Other Sentient Beings.

In this interview, Roger tells me about how the vegan social movement began in 1944, what values the first vegans stood for, and why it's important for us to educate ourselves about our movement's history. He also discusses the Movement for Compassionate Living, the 1976 BBC "Open Door" television program about the Vegan Society, and one of the world's first vegan plantmilk companies. This blog series, written by Roger about the history of the vegan movement, is what inspired this discussion.

This is a fascinating interview, and I hope you'll listen in!

Excerpt from Issue 1 of "The Vegan News", 1944
(the entire issue can be read for free at https://issuu.com/vegan_society/docs/the_vegan_news_1944)

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/48185.html.
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-june-24-2020.

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site. 

Until next week :)

Episode 20: Interview with Sandra Higgins of Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary (Part Two)

Sophie the lamb with Sandra

This week's show features Part Two of my interview with Sandra Higgins, founder and director of Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary in Ireland and Go Vegan World. (If you haven't heard Part One yet, you can find it here.)

This interview focuses on Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary in Ireland. Eden is a vegan sanctuary that provides a home for nonhuman animals who were previously exploited by humans. Eden's residents can live out the rest of their lives in peace, free from exploitation.

In Part Two, we discuss the following topics:

• how Eden, as a vegan sanctuary, differs from non-vegan sanctuaries
• what Sandra has learned from the individuals who live at Eden
• the importance of  sanctuaries in the animal rights movement
• how Eden's residents inspired the Go Vegan World campaign
• ... and more!

After the interview is the song "The Core" by the vegan singer-songwriter Queen V.

Here are some more photos of Eden's residents, courtesy of Agatha Kisiel Photography...

Angel in a Go Vegan World advertisement

Fairy

Fairy in one of Go Vegan World's advertisements

Jenny

Maria with Genevieve behind her

Yoshoda

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can hear this episode.

1. Listen to the podcast on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/47484.html. Currently, the radio show hosts at CKCU 93.1 FM are not physically going to the station because of the coronavirus, so I was not able to broadcast this episode on the radio this week, but I did upload it to the website as a podcast.
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afarmarch252020.

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram.

Until next time!

Episode 9: Dominika Piasecka speaks about the Vegan Society, and Shaun Hofer discusses animal rights activism in Alberta

Episode 9 of Always for Animal Rights features interviews with two excellent guests!

First up on the show is my interview with Dominika Piasecka. Dominika is the Media and PR Officer for the Vegan Society. Dominika spoke to me about what the Vegan Society does and why vegans don't eat honey. Also, as it is nearly November, Dominika explained what World Vegan Month is all about.

You can find out more about the free app that Dominika mentioned in the interview, called VeGuide, on the Vegan Society's website.

Please remember that bees are sentient beings and they suffer when they are exploited by humans. Honey is completely unnecessary for humans to consume.

To learn more about bees, please visit Be Fair Be Vegan's page titled "Who They Are", and scroll down to the section titled, "Individuals| The Rich Lives of Bees". In addition to the Vegan Society's page about why honey isn't vegan, Go Vegan World's website also offers a brief explanation of what's wrong with eating honey and provides links to other websites with more information.

After speaking with Dominika, I signed up to become a member of the Vegan Society!

After my interview with Dominika, AFAR's new Alberta Correspondent, Shaun Hofer, told me about how the Alberta government is trying to repress animal rights activists. He also described what animal rights activists are doing to expose what's happening to non-human animals in the animal exploitation industries. Additionally, we discussed how Albertan society views veganism. It was a very informative interview.

Shaun mentioned that there was going to be a rally outside Alberta's legislature at the time that this episode was originally broadcast. The rally, which was in protest of Alberta's proposed ag-gag laws, did indeed take place, and you can find the video on DxE Edmonton's Facebook Page.

In our interview, Shaun recommended that listeners watch the documentary Outlook, which is about a hog farm in Alberta. You can watch the documentary for free online here.

I found this image on Facebook:

Thanks to both my guests for being on the show! This week's podcast episode (and all the others I've released so far) is definitely worth a listen.

How to listen to this episode

1. Although this episode was broadcast on air, there are some issues with the version on the radio station's website, so please listen to this week's episode on Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afaroctober232019.
2. On CKCU's website, the introduction was cut off for this episode, but you can still listen to the rest of the episode on CKCU's website anyway if you'd prefer! I'll investigate this issue and try to make sure it is corrected in time for next week's show :)

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook!

The next episode of Always for Animal Rights will be broadcast on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa on Wednesday, November 6th, 2019-- and, of course, it will be available to listen to afterwards, as well.

CKCU's Funding Drive is now underway! If you would like to make a donation to support this stellar community radio station, please click here and type "Always for Animal Rights" in the appropriate box. Alternatively, you can call CKCU to donate at (613) 520-3920. If you would like your donation to be acknowledged on the show, I will announce your donation on air (if I hear about your donation in time, that is).

Episode 8: Shaun Hofer advocates for the Animal Bill of Rights, and Jeanette Rowley advocates for the right of vegans to live without exploiting other animals

This week on Always for Animal Rights we had two great interviews!

Calgary-based animal rights activist Shaun Hofer recently underwent a 60-hour hunger strike to advocate for an animal bill of rights called Rose's Law. Actions for Rose's Law took place around the world last week. I interviewed Shaun on October 1st, while he and four fellow activists were part-way through the hunger strike. In our interview, Shaun explained the 5 demands of Rose's Law and told me how the hunger strike was going.


Also on this week's show is my interview with Jeanette Rowley. Jeanette has a PhD in Law and is the founder of the International Vegan Rights Alliance, which is now a part of the Vegan Society in the UK and is known as the International Rights Network. In our interview, she spoke to me about why vegans' rights need to be protected, what vegans can do when they feel their rights aren't being respected, and how she entered the field of vegan rights law.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways to listen to the episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/45142.html.
2. Download the mP3 file from Archive.org (in the "Download Options" sidebar, do a right-mouse click on "VBR MP3" and click "Save Link As..." or "Save Target As...") at https://archive.org/details/afaroctober92019.

You can find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook, as well!

The next episode of Always for Animal Rights will be broadcast on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa on Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019-- and, of course, it will be available to listen to afterwards, as well.

Episode 5: Interview with Sandra Higgins of the Go Vegan World campaign; announcement about the Liberation Pledge; and Queen V's song "Just Like Us"

This week's show features an interview with Sandra Higgins, the founder and director of Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary and the Go Vegan World campaign.

Go Vegan World is an animal rights advocacy organization that educates the public about animal rights and promotes veganism. The advertisements have appeared on billboards and other places in Ireland, the UK, and Toronto. As stated on Go Vegan World's website, the campaign "is animal focused in nature and seeks complete cessation of animal use by humans." It is a truly excellent campaign.

Sandra spoke to me about the experience that led her to decide to go vegan, the animals who inspired the Go Vegan World campaign, the impact the campaign has had so far, and importance of remembering that veganism is about animal rights. Please visit GoVeganWorld.com to learn more about veganism, and EdenFarmedAnimalSanctuary.com to read the stories of the animals who live at the sanctuary.

Here are some photographs of Go Vegan World's advertisements:

As usual, the animal rights news is at the beginning of the show.

After the interview, I also announced my decision to take the Liberation Pledge. To learn more about the Liberation Pledge, you can visit https://www.liberationpledge.com/.

At the end of the show is Queen V's song "Just Like Us", which was inspired by the chants that are sung in animal rights marches.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways to listen to the episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/44526.html. In this version, the song "Just Like Us" was faded out about half-way through the song.

2. Download the mP3 file from Archive.org (in the "Download Options" sidebar, do a right-mouse click on "VBR MP3" and click "Save Link As..." or "Save Target As...") at https://archive.org/details/afaraugust282019. This podcast version contains the song "Just Like Us" in its entirety.

The next episode of Always for Animal Rights will air on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa on Wednesday, September 11, 2019-- and, of course, it will be available to listen to afterwards, as well.

Episode 1: Interview with Sorin Ionescu and Alyssa Berris of Vegan Option Canada

Welcome to the first episode of Always for Animal Rights! In Episode 1, I interviewed Alyssa Berris and Sorin Ionescu, two of the co-founders of Vegan Option Canada. I volunteer with Vegan Option Canada, so I already knew Sorin and Alyssa before interviewing them.

As mentioned on Vegan Option Canada’s website, “Vegan Option Canada (VOC) is a nationwide grassroots political activism organization that aims to ensure vegan options are available in a variety of areas, particularly vegan food options. Its founding principles are horizontality, decentralization of power, and a pragmatic approach based on the values of compassion and non-violence.” 

One of Vegan Option Canada's main projects is a petition calling on the Canadian government to require all canteens at government-run institutions (including schools, hospitals, prisons, etc.) to include a vegan option on the menu.


You can learn more about Vegan Option Canada and get involved by visiting VOC’s website. This episode also includes an animal rights news segment.

AFAR’s theme song comes from the song “I am Vegan Hear Me Roar” by Vegan Smythe. You can listen to the whole song on YouTube. Thanks so much to Vegan Smythe for letting me use your music on my show!

HOW TO LISTEN TO THE EPISODE:

There are two ways to listen to the episode.

1. Listen to the episode on the radio station’s website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/43648.html

2. Download the mP3 file from Archive.org (in the “Download Options” sidebar, do a right-mouse click on “VBR MP3” and click “Save Link As…” or “Save Target As…”) at https://archive.org/details/afarjuly3rd2019

Please note that there will be a new episode of Always for Animal Rights once every two weeks. I look forward to hosting the next episode on July 17th, 2019!