Species Unite

"The planet is sustaining way more than just 8 billion human beings because we are consuming second-hand protein. We could have just directly, you know, eat plant-based protein. And again, if there's still any argument that, oh, we're not going to get enough strength, get enough nutrition, I mean, come on. Where do animals get their protein to start with? Right. I mean, come on. I mean, they eat plants." David Yeung David is the co-founder and CEO of Green Monday, a movement to educate and encourage the public to give up meat one day a week. They just celebrated their ten-year anniversary, and what they've accomplished in one decade is unbelievable. 40 percent of Hong Kong participates in Green Monday, for real. David is also the CEO of OmniFoods, a food innovation company that makes plant-based pork and plant-based seafood. They launched in 2018 and have already taken Asia and many other parts of the world by storm. There is a reason for that – Omni products are probably the best tasting plant-based pork and seafood on the planet. They've just entered the US market. You can find OmniFoods in the US here. LINKS: Green Monday: https://greenmonday.org/en/ OmniFoods: https://omnifoods.co/us

"If you saw a celiac bowl on a menu, you would never order that unless you have celiac disease and you're gluten free. But if you see a Thai peanut rice noodle bowl, that sounds delicious. You're not even thinking about the fact that it's gluten free. It's the same thing with vegan for a lot of people. They think, "oh, that is only for vegans, if I'm not a vegan, that's not for me.'" - Katie Cantrell Katie Cantrell is the Director of Corporate Outreach for the Better Food Foundation and Co-Director of Greener by Default. Greener by Default makes plant-based food the default option in businesses, universities, conferences, and many other places where people eat, while it still gives people the choice to opt into meat or dairy. It's seriously one of the smartest projects that I've ever heard of. Katie also founded the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition where she spent a decade leading food policy workshops at universities, government agencies, and Fortune 500 corporations. If you want Greener by Default to come to your business, contact Katie: katie@betterfoodfoundation.org Greener by Default: www.greenerbydefault.com Better Food Foundation: https://www.betterfoodfoundation.org/ Factory Farming Awareness Coalition https://ffacoalition.org/

"We need to move away from animal derived materials, but we also need to move away from petroleum based traditional materials. So what is out there, what can we do? That demand is strong and supply is where the issue is." - Sydney Gladman On June 12th the New York Times put out an article titled, How Fashion Giants Recast Plastic as Good for the Planet. The article, written by Hiroko Takeuchi, caused quite a stir within the Species Unite and I'm sure many other vegan communities. It criticizes something called the Higg Index, a suite of tools that assesses social and environmental impacts of products, including animal based and synthetic materials. The article left many people confused and I received a lot of emails asking me, "should we even be wearing vegan leather?" (The answer is yes.) In order to be better able to explain what the article was really about, I needed some help. So, I reached out to my friend Nicole Rawling, the executive director at the Material Innovation Initiative (MII), the non-profit that's advancing next gen materials. Next gen materials are high performance, animal free and more sustainable for fashion, automotive and home goods. MII provides expertise while bringing all the key players together to get these materials from concept to commercialization. Nicole introduced me to Sydney Gladman, the chief scientific officer at MII and Ranjani Theregowda, MII's environmental data scientist, so that they could answer my many questions about the article, about the future of materials as well as our current situation. I have been excited about next gen materials for a long time, but I'm even more so after speaking with them. It's happening - we're on the way and to a future that no longer uses animals for fashion, autos, and home goods. And, MII is doing everything that they can to speed that future up. LINKS: https://www.materialinnovation.org/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/materialinnovation/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaterialInnovation/

"The fear factor is probably one of the worst. I mean, if you've ever been deeply afraid, or had a near accident or had somebody pursuing you, if you've ever been really afraid, that's their life 24 hours a day, except when they are able to sleep. And, how they are able to sleep on metal slats with nothing that's comforting, no ability to control the temperature ever, whether it's very hot to very cold, no freedom. And studies show that when the knob on the door turns in the room they're in or the door starts to open, their blood pressure goes through the roof, their hearts start pounding in their chests, their adrenaline soars. So, here's your research subject who is in a state of absolute catatonic fear." -Ingrid Newkirk "The fear factor is probably one of the worst. I mean, if you've ever been deeply afraid, or had a near accident or had somebody pursuing you, if you've ever been really afraid, that's their life 24 hours a day, except when they are able to sleep. And, how they are able to sleep on metal slats with nothing that's comforting, no ability to control the temperature ever, whether it's very hot to very cold, no freedom. And studies show that when the knob on the door turns in the room they're in or the door starts to open, their blood pressure goes through the roof, their hearts start pounding in their chests, their adrenaline soars. So, here's your research subject who is in a state of absolute catatonic fear." -Ingrid Newkirk Ingrid Newkirk cofounded PETA in1980. I don't there has been a single day in the past 40 years that she has not fought against injustice toward animals. She is a hero for animals, for people, and for showing all of us how to make change happen. Ingrid came on the show to talk about her book, Free the Animals. She wrote it in 1992 and it was just rereleased for its 30-year anniversary. It's about the beginnings of the Animal Liberation Front in America and it's about animal testing. There is a chapter in the book that starts with a quote by Nicholas Chamfort, "Do you think that revolutions are made with rosewater?" That quote makes me think about everything that Ingrid and PETA and the ALF have accomplished in the past 40 years. It also makes me think about what's happening in this country right now. The fight against injustice toward animals only becomes more difficult as people in this country lose more rights. It's all connected. We're all connected. How we treat animals is very much connected to how we treat humans and at the moment, we're not treating anyone very well. So, please listen, share and then go start a revolution. LINKS: Free the Animals: https://www.amazon.com/Free-Animals-Amazing-Liberation-Anniversary/dp/159056670X PETA: https://www.peta.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peta/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/peta/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/official.peta/

Drew Pendergrass, a Harvard PhD student in environmental engineering and co-author of Half-Earth Socialism, dives into radical solutions to combat climate change and extinction. He highlights the surprising resistance to abolishing animal agriculture, which consumes vast land yet contributes little to nutrition. The conversation shifts to the transformative potential of rewilding and global veganism. Plus, learn about an engaging video game that educates players on these critical issues, blending fun with eco-consciousness.

"We are fed things like Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs and, you know, we grow up on this stuff, that the wolf is the big, bad character. And what the real wolf is like is so totally different." - Suzanne Asha Stone A couple of months ago, we did a series on wolves. The episodes focused on the massacre of entire wolf populations in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. At the time, I said that we did enough wolf episodes. But the truth is we didn't do enough because wolves are still not on the endangered species list in those states. Until they are, I don't think I can shut up about what we're doing to wolves, its egregious and its devastating. Suzanne Stone has been on the front lines of wolf restoration in the Western USA for her entire career, since 1988. In 2008 she founded the Wood River Wolf Project to demonstrate that wolves can coexist with sheep operations on national forests when adequate nonlethal deterrents are consistently applied. She is a member of the IUCN Canid Specialist Task Force, the world's chief body of scientific and practical expertise on the status and conservation of all canid species and is also the Executive Director of the International Wildlife Coexistence Network where she is now helping to protect wolves and other imperiled wildlife with communities around the world. Suzanne has proven many times over many years that proactive non-lethal coexistence methods work. Yet for some inane reason, the slaughter continues. "If we keep going, if this is allowed to keep going, eventually we will have zero wolves. There's no way that this can be sustained. It's just brutal." – Suzanne Asha Stone LINKS: Wood River Wolf Project https://www.woodriverwolfproject.org/ International Wildlife Coexistence Network https://wildlifecoexistence.org/

"The idea is that we take and take and take from the planet. And we've been taking and there's all this talk about how can we get to neutral? And our company wanted to do something a little bit differently. We wanted to give back more than we were taking." – Tina Bhojwani Tina Bhojwani is the co-founder and CEO of AERA, a luxury vegan footwear brand. In a past life, she held key leadership roles at global brands including Donna Karan, Theory and was President of Dolce & Gabbana North America. Having spent over two decades in the fashion world, Tina's had front row seats to fashion's impact on the planet as well as on people and animals. AERA is her answer to how the fashion world (and those of us who frequent it) can do better. All of AERA's components are made from non-animal ingredients, they use as many eco-friendly materials as possible, ensuring that the end result is of the highest quality, and are committed to evolving their materials, with the ultimate goal to one day be able to create a shoe with zero environmental impact. "Our shoes are certified Vegan. We went to great lengths to ensure that all components are made from non-animal ingredients, yet still maintain the quality and style expected from a luxury shoe." - Tina Bhojwani They're also stunning, insanely comfortable and, as Tina likes to point out, "they don't look vegan." Please listen and share and check out AERA's shoes. AERA https://aeranewyork.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aeranewyork/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aeranewyork

Brown Bear, Germany, 2008 I'm aware of what you are and I'm also aware of what you're thinking. You're a human being I'm aware of what you are and I'm also aware of what you're thinking. You're a human being and you are thinking I am something else I'm aware of what you are and I'm also aware of what you're thinking. You're a human being and you are thinking I am something else put here for your entertainment. I'm aware of what you are and I'm also aware of what you're thinking. You're a human being and you are thinking I am something else put here for your entertainment, that makes it easier for you to ignore me. I'm aware of what you are and I'm also aware of what you're thinking. You're a human being and you are thinking I am something else put here for your entertainment, that makes it easier for you to ignore me and the wire mesh that surrounds me. I'm aware of what you are and I'm also aware of what you're thinking. You're a human being and you are thinking I am something else put here for your entertainment, that makes it easier for you to ignore me and the wire mesh that surrounds me; the wire mesh that separates us. I'm aware of what you are and I'm also aware of what you're thinking. You're a human being and you are thinking I am something else put here for your entertainment, that makes it easier for you to ignore me and the wire mesh that surrounds me; the wire mesh that separates us, and your way of thinking from mine. Gordon Meade Gordon Meade is a Scottish poet and animal advocate. His 10th book of poetry is called Zoo Speak. It's about the inhumane and appalling conditions for animal who live in zoos and other terrible places. He wrote it to accompany the photographs in Jo-Anne McArthur's, Captive a haunting book of photographs featuring animals in captivity. If you are unfamiliar with Jo-Anne's work, go to We Animals Media and take a look. It will change you. I read/looked at Captive years ago and I truly did not think it could get more powerful or feel more devastating then it felt right then, and then I came across Gordon's poetry. It offers an entirely new dimension to the photos, one that makes you look at the animals and really see and feel their perspective on the situation. It floored me. Please listen and share and then, read Gordon's poems. LINKS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnrR1DWog7Y&t=6s https://www.etsy.com/listing/778801047/zoospeak-gordon-meade-with-jo-anne Captive: https://joannemcarthur.com/captive/

"You see, most of the people in the cultured meat world are usually either biologists that are excited about the biology or physicians that work with stem cells and regenerative medicine. They're asking, "can we make a steak? Can we make a muscle?" They are not asking what is the cheapest way of making this? They're assuming somebody else is going to come and solve it. The difference between them and us is that I am an engineer. So that, yeah, I can make a muscle. I made a muscle back then. I'm pretty certain that the biology is simple. The big question is, should I? And then how much does it cost?" – Koby Nahmias Yaakov Koby Nahmias is the founder of Future Meat Technologies. Future Meat is a cultured meat company, meaning they make meat from animal cells without having to raise, harm or slaughter any animals. They are based in Israel but are coming to the US next year. Future Meat's technology is different than many other cultivated meat companies, which allows their products to be cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable. They are the first cultivated meat company to break the $5 cost barrier. They are making cultured meat for a $1.70 per pound. Their meat is made entirely from animal fibroblasts that grow in stainless steel fermenters and provides the same texture and taste as farm-raised meat. Future Meat will play a big role in the agricultural revolution that is going to allow future generations to live in a world with fewer greenhouse emissions, less land and water use, and far less cruelty to non-human animals. LINKS: https://future-meat.com/ twitter https://twitter.com/FutureMeat1

"I mean this is the crazy thing about it, in 35 years of doing animal protection investigations I didn't know this existed. It wasn't even a thing, because it sounds it sounds too crazy to actually believe - that you'd get blood from pregnant horses and then it helps productivity in pigs." – Gemunu de Silva Gemunu de Silva is the co-founder of Tracks Investigations. He is a filmmaker and an activist who's been investigating and documenting animal rights abuses since the 1980s. Tracks has completed over 260 investigations. 35 animal rights and protection organizations have benefited from their work in 57 countries. Gem has been on the podcast before - - in fact, he's becoming a regular. This time is is here to talk about one of Tracks most recent investigations, horse blood farms in Iceland. Yes, it's as horrific as it sounds: Semi-wild pregnant horses are corralled into restraint boxes to have their blood taken, for the hormone, Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG). The PMSG is then converted into powder and shipped to factory farms in the US, UK, and EU. It's used in pigs (mostly), to increase reproduction. We do an astonishing number of terrible things to non-human animals all over the planet, but this one really shocked me. Not only is this industry incredibly cruel but it's also really creepy. Not many people know that this industry even exists. After Track's investigation was released in Iceland, much of the country went into an uproar. It was an absolute honor to have Gem back on the show to kick of Season 8! Learn More About Tracks Investigations Follow Tracks on Instagram