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

Philadelphia is known as a great destination for vegan food, but it wasn’t always so. This week we talk with Carmella Lanni, one of the activists who helps to cultivate the plant-based abundance Philly is known for via pop-up events and Philly Vegan Restaurant Week. ABOUT OUR GUEST Carmella Lanni is co-owner of V Marks the Shop, which operated  Philadelphia’s first all-vegan grocer/convenience store, proudly a Black & Queer-owned business. She is also the creator of Philly Vegan Pop Flea/Philly Vegan Events, hosting vegan-centric community pop-up markets and events since 2016. She is also one of the co-organizers of Philly Vegan Restaurant Week, Philadelphia’s premiere vegan restaurant week launched in 2018 (founded by Nicole Koedyker). Her background includes over 20 years in digital commerce, working as an analyst and consultant to small businesses & Fortune 500 companies. She believes that business can be compassionate and community-connecting all year round. A native of Bronx, New York, Carmella enjoys baking, watching anime and crime dramas, pulling Tarot cards, making playlists, and hanging with cats. RESOURCES V Marks The Shop Website V Marks The Shop on Instagram V Marks The Shop on Facebook Interview transcript available on our website. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Join us in the Our Hen House Community, or follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. __________________________ 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.

Can factory farms become real farms growing real food? Of course they can! But they might need a little help. Tyler Whitley is here to tell us all about Transfarmation, a program of Mercy for Animals working with contract growers of chickens and other animals to help them get out from under corporate agribusiness and shift to plant-based production. ABOUT OUR GUEST Tyler Whitley brings more than a decade of experience in agricultural and financial systems to his role as the Director of Transfarmation. As part of earning a master’s of public health from Tulane University he interned for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on a project in Cambodia administering cash transfers and community reinvestments for more than 7,500 smallholder farmers. He then managed a food and farming intervention program in two rural Haitian provinces. After moving to North Carolina and working for a small farmer-advocacy organization, he joined Mercy For Animals as the director of the Transfarmation project. RESOURCES The Transfarmation Project Website The Transfarmation Project on Instagram The Transfarmation Project on Facebook The Transfarmation Project on X Interview transcript available on our website. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Join us in the Our Hen House Community, or follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. __________________________ 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.

Ever thought about eating a banana peel? Ok, that’s an extreme example (sort of) but if you want to know more, you will love this week’s interview with Max La Manna, a self-taught plant-based chef who is looking to end food waste with easy-to-recreate recipes that use every part of the ingredients. ABOUT OUR GUEST Born and raised in North America, Max La Manna is a self-taught chef and the award-winning author of More Plants, Less Waste and You Can Cook This! He has been featured in Vogue, Food Network, The Times, BBC News, and Vice and, boasting over one million followers, has electrified social media with simple, delicious, low-waste recipes that put vegetables at the heart of his cooking. His down-to-earth, few-ingredient approach means that he advocates for low-waste living in a truly accessible way. Max lives in the English countryside with his wife and their thirty-three houseplants. RESOURCES Symposium in honor of Professor Sherry Colb Max La Manna’s Website You Can Cook This! Max La Manna on Instagram Max La Manna on Facebook Max La Manna on TikTok Max La Manna on YouTube Interview transcript available on our website. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Join us in the Our Hen House Community, or follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. __________________________ 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.

Aidan Kankyoku, a researcher at Pax Fauna and seasoned organizer, dives deep into the complexities of animal advocacy. They discuss what hinders people from embracing pro-animal behavior and share innovative strategies for effective activism. Aidan emphasizes the importance of grassroots movements and civic engagement over traditional methods. The conversation also critiques societal norms surrounding veganism and explores the implications of plant-based policies, urging a collective approach to foster broader societal change.

We love hearing from people around the world who care about animals, and this week’s guest definitely fills the bill. Tune in to hear about all of the work Musisi Mike, founder of Luv4All Uganda, is doing to grow compassion for both animals and humans, including running Uganda’s first all-vegan school. ABOUT OUR GUEST Musisi Mike is the Founder of Luv4All Uganda, a group dedicated to caring for all lives, human and non-human, through vegan advocacy and other local programs, including The Atlas Vegan School. He received his diploma in agribusiness management and now uses his education to spread veganic farming to fight hunger in his region. Luv4All: Uganda Website Musisi Mike on Facebook Luv4All: Uganda Instagram Luv4All: Uganda on X Luv4All: Uganda on Vimeo RESOURCES Farmed animals living out their lives with dignity: an audio postcard Our Hen House Episode 502: Angela Lovell on Animals, Psychic Energy, and Empaths Interview transcript available on our website. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Join us in the Our Hen House Community, or follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. __________________________ 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.

We love hearing what’s going on in the world of veganism and animal rights around the world, and this week we catch up with Gina Song Lopez, who is conducting research on the vegan and animal rights movement in Taiwan and China. ABOUT OUR GUEST Gina Song Lopez is a PhD candidate at the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies and a member of the Lund University Critical Animal Studies Network at Lund University in Sweden. Her research focuses on the Veg*n/plant-based movement in Taiwan and China. Meatless diets in East Asia have been traditionally associated with religious practice. However, in recent years there has been a noticeable expansion of motivations to adopt veganism and vegetarianism. The new generation of vegans and vegetarians are concerned about issues of animal protection, climate change, health, and self-cultivation. This shift brings attention to changing narratives around veg*n food and identity. As such, her project is also concerned with how ‘new’ veganism is translated into the regional cultural (and political) contexts and the actors involved in this translation. RESOURCES Farm Sanctuary Gina Song Lopez on Instagram Lund University Critical Animal Studies Network Interview transcript available on our website. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Join us in the Our Hen House Community, or follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. __________________________ 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.

Strategy is a big topic of debate amongst animal activists. What is the best way forward to create the most change? Esther Salomon of Animal Think Tank joins us to discuss the strategies and many lessons the animal rights community can learn from other justice movements throughout history. ABOUT OUR GUEST Esther Salomon helped kick-start Animal Rising as a full-time member in 2019 and supported it through its first wave of resistance to later become a founder and director of Animal Think Tank. She is currently working towards establishing VARC (the vegan and animal rights conference), a grassroots gathering for animal advocates in the UK. She is a certified Kingian Nonviolence Level One Trainer and has a background in nonviolent strategy and civil resistance for Animal Freedom. Animal Think Tank website Animal Think Tank on X Animal Think Tank on Facebook Animal Think Tank on YouTube RESOURCES Direct Action Everywhere activists face felony and misdemeanor charges Animal Law Podcast #99: The Case of the Prohibited Protest Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century Doing Democracy: The Map Model for Organizing Social Movements In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma Interview transcript available on our website. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Join us in the Our Hen House Community, or follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. __________________________ 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.

Every activist knows that journalists who are willing to cover serious animal stories are all too rare, but this week we will be talking to someone who has carved out a career doing exactly that. Freelance journalist and animal advocate Jessica Scott-Reid shares her experience in the world of animal-related journalism. ABOUT OUR GUEST Jessica Scott-Reid is a freelance journalist and animal advocate. She has been writing about animal rights and welfare, climate change, vegan culture, and plant-based foods for nearly a decade. Her work is regularly featured in mainstream media across Canada and beyond, such as The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star, as well as in advocacy publications like Sentient Media and Planet Friendly News. She was the co-host of the Paw and Order Podcast and the mother to one daughter, two dogs, and a rescued fish and snail. Jessica Scott-Reid on Facebook Jessica Scott-Reid on Twitter Jessica Scott-Reid on Instagram RESOURCES Recycling and other myths about climate change The Vegan on Bookshop.org Jessica Scott-Reid on Sentient Media Jessica Scott-Reid on MuckRack Jessica Scott-Reid on Canada’s National Observer Interview transcript available on our website. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Join us in the Our Hen House Community, or follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. __________________________ 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.

There’s nothing we love more than talking to people who are saving animals in places we’ve never been to, and today we’ll be talking to Sneha Shrestha in Nepal about her extraordinary work saving dogs, helping farmed animals, and spreading veganism through her organization, Sneha’s Care. ABOUT OUR GUEST Sneha Shrestha is a prominent animal advocate and vegan activist based in Nepal. She is the founder of Sneha’s Care, a nonprofit committed to protecting farmed animals and community dogs from cruelty through rescues, welfare initiatives, and education. To date, Sneha’s Care has rescued over 15,000 animals as part of its mission to create a society that treats animals humanely. Sneha’s Care Website Sneha’s Care on Facebook Sneha’s Care on Instagram Sneha’s Care on X RESOURCES The mystery of the social media disinformation war on plant-based meat The Backlash to Plant-Based Meat Is No Coincidence The New Science the Plant-Based Industry Needs To Know Grazed and Confused: In ‘The Vegan,’ a Guilty Hedge Funder Eats His Feelings Interview transcript available on our website. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Join us in the Our Hen House Community, or follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. __________________________ 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.

Do you try to keep up with animal-related legislation but sometimes find yourself wondering what it all means? This week we get some answers regarding the hugely important EATS Act and the effort to eradicate state animal welfare laws from Chris Green, Executive Director of the Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law. ABOUT OUR GUEST Chris Green is the Executive Director of the Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School,  former Chair of the American Bar Association’s TIPS Animal Law Committee, and, previously, the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. A graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Illinois, Chris regularly testifies at legislative hearings on animal protection matters and has been quoted on animal legal issues in dozens of major media outlets.  In 2022, Chris received the American Bar Association’s Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Animal Law. RESOURCES Brooks McCormick Jr Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School Harvard Animal Law & Policy Program on Facebook Harvard Animal Law & Policy Program on X Harvard Animal Law & Policy Program on LinkedIn Interview transcript available on our website. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Join us in the Our Hen House Community, or follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. __________________________ 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.