It’s All About Food

It’s All About Food – Bob Comis, The Last Pig – 11.03.15

Part I: Bob Comis, The Last PigFor the first few decades of his life, Bob Comis was oblivious to the suffering of non-human (and human) animals. Thanks to the courage and bravery of undercover investigators who secretly capture and share footage of the twin horrors of factory farming and industrial slaughter, Bob was roused from his ignorance. He became a vegan, but quickly failed. Then he became a humane pig farmer, and quickly succeeded. He raised pigs for slaughter for ten years, until one day in January, 2014 a powerful vibration of empathy, compassion, and love overwhelmed him, and with the strength of the universal goodness that is our unfettered state of being behind him, he decided to quit pig farming, start a vegetable farm, and become a vegetarian (vegan, in January 2015). Today, when Bob pulls a beet out of the ground, or unearths a brilliant cluster of potatoes he is able to be fully present, which is very much the opposite of his experience when he farmed pigs, which he did from a distance, divorced from the moment, disconnected from himself. Bob is the subject of the upcoming documentary film “The Last Pig” by filmmakers Allison Argo and Joseph Brunette.

It’s All About Food – Judith Haskins and Élise Desaulniers – 10.27.15

Part I: Judith Haskins, Spiritual Meaning of Disease and ScienceJudith Haskins, younger daughter of Shirley and Morris Hyman, grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. She attended Music and Art High School and earned her degree in comparative literature from City College of New York and masters degree from City University in writing. Judith lived in La Jolla, California as well as on the Riviera Maya, in the Yucatan in Mexico. She has taught at various alternate and regular high schools in Manhattan, teaching English Literature and has been a vegetarian for 40 years and in the last five and a half years, a vegan. She decided, along with her mother and sister, Sally Laura, to publish her late father Dr. Morris Hyman’s manuscript, “Congenital, Alterable, Transmissible, Asymmetry: The Spiritual Meaning of Disease and Science.”Part II: Élise Desaulniers, Cash CowÉlise Desaulniers is an independent scholar and animal rights activist who published her first book on food ethics, Je mange avec ma tête (“I Eat With My Head”), in 2011. She co-authored two articles in the Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics (Springer 2014) and won the Quebec Grand Prize for independent journalism (opinion), for a piece on feminism and anti-speciesism in 2015. A frequent lecturer and presenter at colleges and universities, she lives in Montreal.

It’s All About Food – Jenny Brown, Woodstock Farm Sanctuary – 10.20.15

Part II: Jenny Brown, Woodstock Farm SanctuaryJenny Brown is a longtime animal rights activist and Co-Founder of Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in High Falls, NY–one the country’s most recognized and respected sanctuaries for farmed animals. She previously worked in film and television until when she went undercover in Texas to film farmed animal abuse. That experience led her to dedicate her life to helping farm animals and raise awareness of their plight. Jenny’s story and the work of her sanctuary has been featured in the New York Times,Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone, New York Magazine, NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show and more. She is the author of The Lucky Ones: My Passionate Fight For Farm Animals. You can read more about her and the sanctuarywww.WoodstockSanctuary.org.

It’s All About Food – Liz Ross and Keith Mullin – 10.13.15

Part I: Liz Ross, Coalition of Vegan Activists of ColorLiz Ross is the founder of Coalition of Vegan Activists of Color (COVAC), which collaborates with individuals and community organizations to mobilize vegans of color to initiate vegan outreach and animal rights initiatives. COVAC also promotes veganism while collaborating with other social justice organizations. Liz serves on the advisory board of Food Empowerment Project, a vegan food justice organization that encourages healthy food choices that reflect a more compassionate society. Liz also serves on the board of Black Skeptics Los Angeles, which is committed to building and promoting education and social justice work through a secular humanist perspective. As a former police officer, Elizabeth also raises awareness about the history and problem of mass-incarceration through presentations and group discussions, and volunteering for organizations that are working to counter its negative impact.Part II: Keith Mullin, Zippy’sDeveloping trendsetting products for over 20 years, Keith Mullin has developed unique, crave worthy, consumer packaged goods including the award winning Gamer Grub®, a snack formulated for videogame enthusiasts. As a serial entrepreneur, his innovative items in the marketplace also include children’s toys, electronics, and pet products. Mullin has successfully developed products for the undiscovered ‘white space’ within multiple industries. Mullin’s most recent brand, Zippy’s Veggie Bites offer a hearty amount of vegetables and whole foods in crunchy salad snacks. In January of this year, Riverside Capital acquired Bionic®, one of Mullin’s pet brands. Currently, Mullin holds four patents with twelve additional patents pending.

It’s All About Food – Joel Bourne, The End of Plenty – 10.06.15

Part I: Joel Bourne, The End of PlentyJoel Bourne is an award-winning journalist and former Senior Editor for the Environment at National Geographic. He’s covered major environmental issues for the magazine, including the global food crisis of 2008, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and California’s recurrent water woes. With a degree in agronomy, Bourne frequently reports on the global food system. Most recently he contributed two articles to National Geographic‘s ground-breaking eight-part series, “The Future of Food,” reporting on the agricultural land rush in Africa, as well as new sustainable methods of aquaculture being practiced around the world. His first book, The End of Plenty: the Race to Feed a Crowded World, will be published by W.W. Norton in June 2015.Bourne has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including CNN’s American Morning, CNN International, the National Geographic Channel, and the Diane Rehm Show. He has been a keynote speaker and moderator at major conferences in Washington, D.C., Denver, Chicago, London, Beijing, Moscow, and Bahrain, among other venues. Prior to his tenure atNational Geographic, Bourne’s work appeared in National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic Traveler, Audubon, Science, Outside, and many other publications. He lives with his wife and three children in Wilmington, North Carolina.

It’s All About Food – James Aspey, Voiceless365 – 09.22.15

James Aspey is a 28-year-old vegan, animal rights activist from Sydney, Australia. In 2014, he embarked on an unprecedented and life changing challenge. James took a 365 day VOW OF SILENCE to raise awareness for animals and promote peace over violence. He did this while traveling around Australia, and also whilst cycling 5000 kilometers from Darwin to Sydney, in his popular campaign, Voiceless365. He then ended his vow, live, on Australia’s most popular morning TV show and now he’s sharing what he’s learned with the world! Find out more at www.jamesaspey.com.au.

It’s All About Food – Bruce Friedrich and Alycee Lane – 09.15.15

Part I: Bruce Friedrich, Animal Rights and Effective AdvocacyBruce Friedrich, Farm Sanctuary’s director of policy and engagement, oversees Farm Sanctuary’s work on legislation, litigation, policy, and engagement. Before joining Farm Sanctuary, Bruce worked for two years as a public school teacher in inner-city Baltimore (where he was his school’s “Teacher of the Year”), for six years at a homeless shelter and soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., and for 15 years at PETA, where he was vice president for campaigns. He is a popular speaker on issues of animal rights and effective advocacy, has appeared many times on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, and is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post.  Part II: Alycee J. Lane, Nonviolence Now!: Living the 1963 Birmingham Campaign’s Promise of PeaceAlycee J. Lane is a former professor who taught African American literature and culture at UC Santa Barbara. She is author of Coming in from the Cold, a blog in which she analyzes political and social issues through the prism of Martin Luther King, Jr. s philosophy of nonviolence. A student of Engaged Buddhism, Alycee in 2012 participated in the year-long Commit to Dharma course offered by the East Bay Meditation Center under the tutelage of Larry Yang. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Howard University, Doctorate of Philosophy from UCLA, and Juris Doctor from UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall). Alycee currently lives in Oakland, California.

It’s All About Food – Lani Muelrath, The Plant-Based Journey – 09.08.15

Lani Muelrath, MA, is an award-winning teacher, author, and speaker well known for her expertise in plant-based, active, mindful living and the author of the new book, The Plant-Based Journey: A Step-by-Step Guide To Transition To A Healthy Lifestyle and Achieving Your Ideal Weight. Lani has served as presenter and consultant for the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine and the Complete Health Improvement Project. She is published in prominent periodicals including Prevention magazine, USA Today, andThe Saturday Evening Post, and has been featured on ABC-TV and CBS-TV, on numerous radio shows, and created and starred in her own CBS television show, Lani’s All-Heart Aerobics.Recipient of the California Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Instruction, Lani is also the author of Fit Quickies: 5-Minute Targeted Body-Shaping Workouts; guest lecturer at San Francisco State University; and associate faculty in Kinesiology at Butte College, where her book has been adopted as a required course textbook. She is certified in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University, certified Behavior Change Specialist, Fitness Nutrition Specialist, and maintains multiple teaching credentials in the State of California. Lani presents and lectures extensively and counsels a variety of clients throughout the world from her northern California–based private practice on successful transition to healthy plant-based living. More from Lani, including free book preview and special report at www.lanimuelrath.com.

It’s All About Food – Karin Dina, The Raw Food Nutrition Handbook – 08.25.15

Part II: Karin Dina, The Raw Food Nutrition Handbook: An Essential Guide to Understanding Raw Food DietsKarin Dina is a chiropractic doctor who has been studying and practicing raw food nutrition for over 25 years. Karin studied naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University, graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic West, and has an honors degree in biology.The Karin and Rick Dinas are co-developers and instructors of the series of Science of Raw Food Nutrition classes taught at Living Light Culinary Institute in Ft. Bragg, California. They have an international consulting and lab work analysis practice and are dedicated to teaching a functional and scientifically sound approach to raw, plant-based diets.

It’s All About Food – Jim Hicks & Colleen Holland – 08.18.15

Part I: J. Morris Hicks, 4Leaf Guide to Vibrant HealthJ. Morris Hicks is the author of Healthy Eating, HealthyWorld and the creator of the 4Leaf concept. Shortly after learning all about the many alarming truths regarding our food choices in 2003, Jim realized that there needed to be a better way to explain healthy eating to the world. The “V” words, at best, convey more information about what you’re avoiding than what you ARE eating. He began developing the 4Leaf concept in 2009 and introduced it to the public in his 2001 book, co-authored with his son Jason.Having concluded that our food choices hold the key to the sustainability of our civilization, he has made them his #1 priority- exploring all avenues for influencing humans everywhere to move back to the natural, plant-based diet for our species – in the interest of promoting health, hope and harmony on the planet Earth.Part II: Colleen Holland, VegNewsPassionate about media, Colleen Holland is the publisher and co-founder of VegNews Magazine. Since the company’s founding in 2000, she has grown the vegan lifestyle brand into an award-winning, international media company complete with a flagship magazine, digital properties, events, e-cookbooks, and global vacations. A graduate of UCLA and the Natural Gourmet Institute culinary school, Colleen is one of just six people worldwide to have been inducted into both the Vegetarian Hall of Fame and the Animal Rights Hall of Fame. A 20-year ethical vegan, she is a die-hard foodie and yogi.