Undercover Investigator TJ Tumasse: “It is the responsibility of the consumer to know that they are directly supporting this suffering”

By on September 17, 2014

TJ Tumasse spent more than six years working as an undercover investigator inside many of the nation’s largest factory farms, local shelters, and roadside zoos for Mercy For Animals and other organizations. His cases exposed the ugly truth about what continues to happen behind closed doors, and led to groundbreaking criminal convictions for felony abuse to factory farm animals as well as corporate, local, and federal policy changes.

Colombian Activist Juliana Castañeda Fights and Wins for Animals

By on September 5, 2014

When it comes to animal rights and the vegan ethic, Colombia is a country of conflict. In 2013, it became one of the first worldwide to ban circuses with wild/exotic or native animals, yet does virtually nothing to protect its

Stop Blaming Veganism for You Not Being Vegan

By on July 29, 2014

Lately (again) some ex-“vegans” are in the media proclaiming their love of eating animals. The usual reason for them going back to exploiting animals, though they still maintain their love for them, is they listened to their bodies and their

GRANT WINNER: The Microsanctuary Movement

By on July 24, 2014

We are delighted to announce the next recipient of The Thinking Vegan’s grants for animal activism: The Microsanctuary Movement, and co-organizers Justin and Rosemary Van Kleeck. The Microsanctuary Movement is a new model for rescuing farmed animals. As Justin wrote

‘Bleating Hearts:’ 1001 Ways You Didn’t Know Animals Are Exploited

By on July 3, 2014

Author Mark Hawthorne nailed it the first time with Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism, which aimed to empower people to get active for animals around the world. Now, he’s nailed it again with Bleating Hearts: The Hidden World of Animal Suffering. It's the most comprehensive book about animal exploitation ever written. It is an encyclopedia of nearly every horror we do to animals, and how to make a difference on their behalf.

GRANT WINNER: ‘We Animals’ Humane Education Project

By on June 19, 2014

We are delighted to announce the next recipient of The Thinking Vegan’s grants for animal activism: ‘We Animals’ Humane Education Program, founded by Jo-Anne McArthur and supported by We Animals board members Anna Pippus, Karol Orzechowski, and Sandy Yuen. ‘We

GRANT WINNER: National Animal Rights Day

By on May 16, 2014

We are delighted to announce the next recipient of The Thinking Vegan’s grants for animal activism: The National Animal Rights Day, and lead organizer Aylam Orian. Scene: New York City. Time: June, 2011. A group of animal rights activists join

Will Tuttle on Circles of Compassion: Connecting Issues of Justice

By on May 6, 2014

Few living vegans are as influential and as compelling as Dr. Will Tuttle. His book The World Peace Diet has been called one of the most important books of the 21st century, and many vegans and activists credit Will with sparking their initial (or eventual) shift to veganism. Will and his wife, artist Madeleine Tuttle, travel the world giving lectures, workshops, and trainings based on The World Peace Diet, including veganism, spirituality, effective activism, and personal development. Will is a former Zen monk with a master's in humanities and a PhD in philosophy of education, and his work is embedded with these twin threads of spiritual consciousness and intellectual examination. Now, he is assembling the works of 28 other authors for Circles of Compassion: Connecting Issues of Justice, due out this July from the innovative new company Vegan Publishers. The writers explore the connections between injustice to animals and other social and ecological injustices.

GRANT WINNER: The Save Movement

By on April 29, 2014

The Save Movement is a mass-based, grassroots movement to collectively bear witness at transportation routes and outside slaughterhouses around the world.

YOUR EARTH DAY BUZZKILL

By on April 21, 2014

I appreciate Earth Day just as much as the next person, but the commercialism and the lack of discussion and awareness around the biggest culprit in both global climate change and the destruction of the planet frustrates me to no end. While changing out your lightbulbs, driving less, taking shorter showers and not allowing the water to run while you brush your teeth may all add up in some complex earth-saving logarithm, continuing to ignore the number one polluter of the air, water and land, the biggest consumer of a limited resource, i.e. water, and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases is at best absurd and at worst, hastening the end of the human species (not that I have a problem with that).

Vegan athlete Rob Bigwood: ‘Uneducated, arrogant, selfish people hide behind their keyboards’

By on April 18, 2014

I was surprised to find myself enthralled by Game of Arms. Not only was it well shot, but the storylines were engaging and showed the humanity of the athletes. When the show featured Rob Bigwood as part of his New York arm wrestling team Arms Control, they didn’t shy away from Rob’s veganism, in fact they portrayed it very fairly. It also became clear to me that Rob was the real deal, an ethical vegan. Throughout the series, both Rob and the show continued to speak openly about veganism.