Vegetarian Star

Gristle

Moby and co-editor of the newly released book on factory farming and its impact on the planet, Miyun Park, spoke to Planet Green recently.

Although Moby is a staunch vegan, some might be surprised to learn that some of the contributors to Gristle are in the meat industry.

Park insists that everyone educate themselves on factory farming, one of the biggest disturbances to human, animal and environment health.

This means including insight from Paul Willis, manager of Niman Ranch Pork Co, who discusses how large farms put a strain on rural communities.

“The differences between industrial agribusiness and more sustainable, more humane, more ethical production practices are stark, and all of animal ag can’t be painted with the same brush,” Park explains. “The book focuses on intensive factory farming, which, unfortunately has a much larger share of animal ag. And this isn’t to say that there can’t be steps taken even within industrial agribusiness, but that won’t happen until we all—omnivores, flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans alike—speak out collectively.”

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Gristle, a book about factory farmed animals and the impact on people and the environment, has finally been released.

Moby and co-editor of the essay compilation, Miyun Park, have a few cities on their agenda to tour for discussion and book signing.

The first stop is Los Angeles tonight at 7:30 PM, at the Skirball Cultural Center.

Other cities on the list so far are Seattle, Portland, D.C. and Brooklyn.

Visit Moby’s blog for more information.

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Moby has accumulated a lot of titles in his forty something years, and he now has the pleasure of adding one more-book editor.

The vegan musician, singer, DJ and activist spoke to Oregon Live about his new book, Gristle, filled with essays by those with a passion for food, animals and the environment.

People know you primarily for your music. Why was it important for you to do a project like “Gristle”?

I was raised by activists. My parents and the people in my family brought me up with the idea that the only way to lead a good and productive life was to be a voice for causes and issues that you find important. I’ve been involved with animal rights movement for about 25 years, and I found that when I talked to people, most of my friends weren’t aware of the ramifications and consequences of animal production. The idea behind the book was to make it as factual and revealing as possible.

In reading the book, the environmental issues struck me hard. As a consumer, it makes me feel overwhelmed. Can the individual decisions we make every day really have any impact?

Clearly, one individual’s choices aren’t going to have that much impact, but it’s the cumulative weight of all of our choices. If you and I become vegans, the global consequences aren’t going to be that much. But if we can get a few hundred million people to become a little more aware and cut back on their animal consumption, the consequences will be great.

Read the entire interview with Moby at Oregon Live.

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Jonathan Safran Foer spoke with Ellen DeGenres on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he created the scenario of whether or not people agree it’s okay to eat meat.

Foer said that while most people say yes, the answer may change when you consider the consequences of modern day factory farming like reduced antibiotic efficiency, environmental damage and pregnant animals living unnatural lives confined in cages.

“Nobody wants that,” Foer said. “I don’t care how much or how little you care about animals.”

Watch the clip for more.

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Help End Factory-Farming at AnimalsAustralia.org

Radio host and vegetarian Jackie O is starring in this PSA educating people about pig factory farms for Animals Australia.

Animals Australia has launched its first ever TV commercial which is currently airing down under.

The commercial intends to show readers the connection between the plastic wrapped pork they pick up in the supermarket and the animals that are confined in cages during their lifetime before slaughter.

“Australia is often called the lucky country,” Jackie says. “We have a quality of life that is always the envy of people around the world. But this should be the lucky country for animals as well. I was horrified to learn that despite improvements overseas, here in Australia, there are still over 200,000 mother pigs and 11 million battery hens who endure lives of sheer misery in factory farms.”

Watch the commercial that is airing below and the behinds the scenes with Jackie O above.

Help End Factory-Farming at AnimalsAustralia.org

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A future episode of Bones is set to highlight factory farming.

The Tough Man In The Tender Chicken, which airs Thursday November 5, has Emily Deschanel‘s character Dr. Temperance Brennan and her crime fighting partner Booth discovering the remains of a local farmer set to inherit a chicken factory farm that’s been aggressively protested for inhumane conditions and animal cruelty.

In addition, facial reconstruction lab worker Angela, played by Michaela Conlin, is bothered by the farm’s practices and decides to launch an animal rights campaign of her own.

Has Angela also given up chicken and other meat?

via livejournal.com

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Barnes & Noble

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of several books dealing with animal issues, including The Face on Your Plate, sat down with the bloggers at Supervegan.com for a chat about factory farming, animals, and his latest book.

A few excerpts:

SV: Since most people will never have the opportunity to see a slaughterhouse or an animal agriculture facility, how can we open their eyes to the horrors of the industry and that it’s within their power to change it by going vegan? Is that the goal of the book?

JMM: Yes, that is the goal of the book. I am hoping that the people who read it will become convinced that I am telling the truth and will save themselves the horror of seeing the animals suffer and simply go vegan. It really is the only logical conclusion to the information now freely available to everyone.

SV: The next chapter, “The Fishy Business of Aquaculture,” is a more comprehensive look at the world of fish farming than I’ve seen, and many of the facts were new to me, such as that we share 85% of our genes with zebra fish and that salmon are starved for seven to 10 days before slaughter.

JMM: I knew nothing of this before I began to investigate. It was frustrating; I was never able to visit a salmon farm, for example. The people who raise fish on farms do not want us, the public, to see how these fish live. That is because we would be appalled and sickened if we could. Your summary is excellent. I devoted an entire chapter because it is such a little-known phenomenon. And because I feel that too many people think fish have no feelings, and so can be eaten without thought. They are wrong, and I was delighted to read the science that demonstrates how complex fish really are. They deserve better press.

Read the entire interview with Masson at supervegan.com.

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If you haven’t heard already, Oprah Winfrey has both shocked and angered animal rights activists across the nation by teaming up with Kentucky Fried Chicken to offer free chicken dinners to every home in America.

KFC is on the “naughty” and not “nice” list with organizations like PETA, due to the way the chickens it uses are treated.

Now, we can add one more sin Oprah is contributing to now that she’s signed a pact with the Colonel devil: swine flu.

Jane Velez-Mitchell and Dr. Gregor of the HSUS said it best: the conditions in factory farms like the ones KFC chickens are kept in are the hub for breeding diseases.

Brian Merchant at Treehugger.com has this to say on the matter:

“I was dismayed to hear that Oprah was helping to push KFC’s free chicken promotion. Wasn’t quite sure why, initially—after all, ‘free food for everyone’ is generally a pretty positive notion. But then I recalled that KFC buys its chicken from Tyson—one of the US’s biggest factory farmers and perpetrator of shady health practices. And then I remembered that Oprah herself did an expose on the cruelty of factory farms , essentially condemning them. And then I realized that the ploy couldn’t have come at a worse time: US factory farms have been confirmed to have played a role in the origin of swine flu.”

“The point isn’t that Oprah screwed up–it’s that we should all be more aware of the practices that lead to the food on our table (or in the takeout window).”

Read what else Brian has to say on Oprah at treehugger.com.

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