Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation

This week Jasmin interviews Robin Singh, co-founder of India’s Peepal Farms, about the mission and rescue work of the organization, how Peepal Farms is assisting with the growing dog rescue movement in India, why this work has made him so much happier, and his inspirational philosophy of “good vs. bad.” Robin Singh is an Entrepreneur, working for doing good. After starting his career as a hacker in 1998, he then founded Ejunkie in 2003, a service to remove technology barrier for artists and authors wanting to sell  their digital content directly to buyers. Later that year, he moved to Tucson, Arizona and continued to build Ejunkie. After successfully exiting in 2011, Robin started working to help animals in February, 2013  starting in Auroville, India and then Delhi. Realizing that the nature of welfare projects in India being such that they can’t be scaled by scaling the infrastructure, He changed the strategy from just “doing” to involving and inspiring. In December 2014 along with two other co-founders he started Peepal Farm – a place for animals to heal, and be heard. He’s been building it, running it, and living there since. This International Spotlight segment is brought to you by Lush Cosmetics. In the intro to the show, Mariann and Jasmin talk about how they are adjusting to life during the COVID-19 quarantines, the challenges of trying to focus on work and everyday tasks during a pandemic, and Jasmin’s new rescued animal companion! Later in the episode, Mariann brings us Rising Anxieties! As always, the award-winning weekly Our Hen House podcast is hosted by Mariann Sullivan and Jasmin Singer.   This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org. Our Hen House is now part of the iROAR podcast network. You can listen to our podcast directly on our website, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it and leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation, or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week! Don’t forget to tune into Our Hen House’s other two podcasts: The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and The Animal Law Podcast. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by the incredible Michael Harren.

This week Mariann speaks with Pei Sui of ACTAsia. In this very timely conversation, Pei discusses the devastating impact of China’s wildlife trade and wildlife markets on the Coronavirus and ACTAsia’s efforts in the wake of the Coronavirus to permanently close these markets and ban the captive breeding of all wildlife for consumption and commercial purposes. ACTAsia is also very involved in childhood education through its Caring for Life children’s program, and Pei tells Mariann about why this international curriculum for educating children about the importance of wildlife awareness is so important, particularly in Asia, and how ACTAsia has been using this terrible Coronavirus situation to educate people about the urgency of protecting wildlife from being bred and used for food and to create more opportunities for activism and education. Pei Sui is the Founder and Chief Executive of ACTAsia. She worked for 20 years in non profit organizations before she set up ACTAsia in 2006. As a sociologist, she focused on the attitudes and behavior of humans towards animals and the impact on civic society. She has conductive investigative studies on numerous issues in Asian countries such as bear farming, illegal wildlife trade and left-behind children in rural China. This International Spotlight segment is brought to you by Lush Cosmetics. In the intro to the show, Mariann and Jasmin discuss the continued importance of community, connection, and communication during the Coronavirus pandemic and Jasmin’s recent powerful experience in a conference conducted by the DEI Institute, which is part of Encompass. Later in the episode, Mariann brings us Rising Anxieties! As always, the award-winning weekly Our Hen House podcast is hosted by Mariann Sullivan and Jasmin Singer.   This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org. Our Hen House is now part of the iROAR podcast network. You can listen to our podcast directly on our website, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it and leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation, or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week! Don’t forget to tune into Our Hen House’s other two podcasts: The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and The Animal Law Podcast. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by the incredible Michael Harren.

This week Mariann talks to Ingrid Newkirk (@IngridNewkirk) about her new book, AnimalKind: Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion, co-written with Gene Stone. Ingrid talks about her lifetime of work advocating for animals, why testing on animals is so ineffective and what animal activists can do to help bring the practice to an end, and the deep and intricate levels of emotions that animals experience and communicate. She also talks about her work with PETA on issues such as fur bans and how all of us can continue to work on creating change. Ingrid E. Newkirk is the president and founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the author of newly released book titled AnimalKind: Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion. Newkirk, a former Washingtonian of the Year, has been featured for her work for animals in The New Yorker, Time magazine, People magazine, Forbes, the Financial Times, and numerous other publications. She has appeared on television shows all over the world, including Australia’s 60 Minutes. She is the subject of a BBC special and the HBO documentary I Am an Animal. Visit PETA’s website PETA.org. In the intro to the show, Mariann and Jasmin talk about their concerns about coronavirus, what they are doing to prep for it, and how to keep ourselves safe. They also talk about the wonderful Food For Thought Campaign. Later in the episode, Mariann brings us Rising Anxieties! As always, the award-winning weekly Our Hen House podcast is hosted by Mariann Sullivan and Jasmin Singer.   This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org. Our Hen House is now part of the iROAR podcast network. You can listen to our podcast directly on our website, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it and leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation, or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week! Don’t forget to tune into Our Hen House’s other two podcasts: The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and The Animal Law Podcast. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by the incredible Michael Harren.

This week Jasmin talks to Brittany Michelson (@brittanyforanimals) about her new book, Voices For Animal Liberation, which features a chapter by Jasmin herself! Brittany is a fantastic and vital activist who has compiled an important book from some of the greatest voices in the animal rights movement. In this interview she tells us about the creation and publication processes for the book and how she hopes it will reach people. She also gives us an amazing reading from her chapter! Brittany Michelson is a teacher, writer, and animal rights activist. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Antioch University Los Angeles and teaches writing and activism-related classes in a private K–8 program. Brittany’s writings appear in multiple journals and literary sites. She lives in the Los Angeles area. In the intro to the show, Mariann and Jasmin talk about their concerns about coronavirus, their concerns about climate change, and the hazards of picking up a coffee habit. Also, Jasmin reads from her chapter of our guest Brittany Michelson’s book! Try not to touch your face while listening! Later in the episode, Mariann brings us Rising Anxieties! As always, the award-winning weekly Our Hen House podcast is hosted by Mariann Sullivan and Jasmin Singer.   This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org. Our Hen House is now part of the iROAR podcast network. You can listen to our podcast directly on our website, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it and leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation, or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week! Don’t forget to tune into Our Hen House’s other two podcasts: The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and The Animal Law Podcast. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by the incredible Michael Harren.

This week Mariann talks to Allie Feldman Taylor, founder of Voters For Animal Rights. Allie works tirelessly to create campaigns that protect the welfare of animals in NYC, and in this fascinating and comprehensive interview she tells Mariann about her work on the foie gras ban, her efforts to ban horse drawn carriages, and how she has worked to protect NYC pigeons. She also tells us about her hopes for a NYC fur ban, the nuances of working with politicians on animal rights issues, and how she approaches political action when up against the opposition of big lobbying groups. Allie founded Voters For Animal Rights in 2016. Over the past year, she co-led the campaign to ban foie gras in NYC which became law in December 2019. She also co-lead the successful campaign to ban wild animals in the circus in NYC in 2017. Previously, she lead Nyclass’ campaign to ban horse carriages from city streets for over five years. She ran the successful “Anybody But Quinn” campaign to defeat an anti-animal candidate for NYC mayor, getting animal rights into mainstream city politics for the first time. She has worked at the NY State Senate, Obama campaign and the NJ Dept of the Public Advocate. She was named to New York Observer’s “Political Power 80” in 2014 and named to City & State Magazine’s “40 Under 40” political people to watch in 2016. She’s an alumni of Florida State University, vegan, and mom of five cats. She lives in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn where she is a volunteer trap-neuter-release cat rescuer. In the intro to the show, Mariann and Jasmin talk about Jasmin’s cold, more ridiculous comments from non-vegans about Joaquin Phonenix, the pros and cons of insect protein, Mariann gets a Seeds award from the International Conference on Animal Rights, and Jasmin sees Hannah Gadsby’s new show and hopes she’ll go vegan. Later in the episode, Mariann brings us Rising Anxieties! As always, the award-winning weekly Our Hen House podcast is hosted by Mariann Sullivan and Jasmin Singer.   This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org. Our Hen House is now part of the iROAR podcast network. You can listen to our podcast directly on our website, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it and leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation, or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week! Don’t forget to tune into Our Hen House’s other two podcasts: The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and The Animal Law Podcast. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by the incredible Michael Harren.