Freedom of Species

We celebrate the life and incredible contributions of Chris Rust and share tributes from Chris's loved ones, friends and comrades. For decades, through Food not Bombs, Chris embodied a quiet, unwavering commitment to solidarity, anarchist DIY ethics, and animal rights.Through FNB, Chris brought people together, created spaces of care and solidarity, and lived out his belief in mutual aid, community, and respect for all beings. A comrade in the truest sense, and a person of quiet integrity and selflessness in a difficult world.We share some reflections from those who knew and loved him, and who shared in the spaces and community he helped build.The tributes are captured here at this link Proton doc - In celebration of Chris Rust    Please contact us if you'd like to add to this doc at FoSradio@proton.me     FNB's principles include veganism, vegetarianism, the distribution of free food, group autonomy, consensus decision-making, and nonviolent direct action. Please consider getting involved - contact information is below.     There is a picnic in celebration of Chris's life on Friday April 3rd (Good Friday) 2026 from 12.00pm at Edinburgh Gardens (near the pavilion), Fitzroy. Please bring a plate of vegan food to share.     Links:    Food Not Bombs Naarm email fnbmelb@riseup.net & website https://fnbmelb.noblogs.org/    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/foodnotbombsmelbourne/    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/foodnotbombs_naarm/    Chris's interview with Pat about Food Not Bombs on 3CR Thursday breakfast. The interview starts at 38.00 mins. https://www.3cr.org.au/thursday-breakfast/episode/super-loss-under-18s-food-not-bombs-melbourne-carf-counter-rally-saturday     Book about FNB: A Mass Conspiracy to Feed People by David Boarder Giles (Duke University Press, 2021) https://www.dukeupress.edu/a-mass-conspiracy-to-feed-people    Songs we played:      Vicious Circle / Police Brutality  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGz7mCk0tXI      Arm the Insane / Heard it all before  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPYu5Jc6BFE      Perdition / New Anarchy  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nuq2-mC0-tU         Please note that unfortunately due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to include the songs in the podcast.

On today's FoS show we're talking total liberation, countering the mainstream vegan narrative and community building with guests Claire and Jesse.  We discuss their personal journeys into activism and the founding of The Raven Corps, Cool Kids Snack Cakes and Vegans Against Fascism.    Bios:    Claire is a long-time vegan activist, humane educators, and animal rights attorney. She's the founder of The Raven Corps and Vegans Against Fascism and co-owner of All Things Cool Kids. Beyond that, she's an old Goth who LOVES 80s nostalogia, wiener dogs, garaga sales and margaritas.    Jesse spent most of his adult life in the food industry and crossed oer into nonproft and vegan advocacy in 2020. He's a co-owner of All Things Cool Kids and maker of Counter Crispies, radical crispy marshamallow treats that benefit Vegans Against Fascism. He's also a damn fine guitar player and still identifies as a band geek.       Links:   The Raven Corps https://www.theravencorps.org/   Vegans Against Fascism https://www.vegansagainstfascism.org/   Cool Kids Snack Cakes https://www.coolkidssnackcakes.com/    Zane McNeill (volume editor): Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontlines of Labor and Animal Rights. Published by Peter Lang, 2024. https://www.peterlang.com/document/1359054      Music we played on the show:    Sailing by Christoper Cross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEO6gYCFbr0&list=RDMEO6gYCFbr0&start_radio=1    When you grow up, your heart dies by Gunship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri9IefTuNzc&list=RDri9IefTuNzc&start_radio=1    Chinga La Migra by Zada  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFha_LjH3DA&list=RDXFha_LjH3DA&start_radio=1 Please note that for copyright reasons we cannot include the songs played on the show in the podcast. Our guests' songs have been added to the Freedom of Species Spotify playlist where possible here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TJQujKYjGFoFP6LhBbaTS?si=bfcb55c3f763...(link is external)

It's 3CR Subscriber Week 2026! Listen in as we cram the most Freedom Of Species hosts physically possible into the 3CR studio to help play animal trivia with the listeners, in an effort to gain more subscribers. If you are not a subscriber yet or haven't re-subscribed recently, please do! https://www.3cr.org.au/subscribe  Music Played:'Sneaky Meat Boys' by Hot Tubs Time Machine - https://hottubstimemachine.bandcamp.com/album/sneaky-meat-boys-gig-etiquette-ft-our-carlson'Me & Me' by The Beaches - https://music.apple.com/au/album/blame-my-ex/1701162686'Long Throes' by Los Campesinos! - https://loscampesinos.bandcamp.com/album/all-hell

On this week’s episode, host Savanna talks with Jennifer and Elise about dating as a vegan, their experiences good and bad, online dating and Valentine’s Day ideas.  If anyone is interested in being interviewed for Jennifer’s PhD research on dating, you can email her at: datingculturesresearch@gmail.com  Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios. Pencil Full of Lead by Paolo Nutini. Hello Kitty by Marina. Birds of a Feather by Billie Elish.

Claire, Ruby, Lottie and Nick discuss the animal rights themes in the Wicked movie series. We also explore representations of racism and ableism in the movies, as well as connections between racism, ableism and animal oppression.  Resources on overlapping human and animal oppression:  Food Empowerment Project on slavery: https://foodispower.org/human-labor-slavery/  Food Empowerment Project on environmental racism: https://foodispower.org/environmental-and-global/environmental-racism/ Disability and animals: https://www.thedigradio.com/podcast/beasts-of-burden-w-sunaura-taylor/  Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ Something Bad and Defying Gravity from the Wicked movies.

On this Summer Special, Claire, Ruby, Hayden and Nick discuss Reddit stories through a social justice lens. The stories cover: appropriate attire for meeting your partner’s parents, surprise birthdays, TikTok trends, sparkling water, leave for work to care for companion animals, movie theatre etiquette when you’re allergic to dogs, sharing food on dates and calling out line cutters.  This is our final Summer Special. We will return to normal Freedom of Species programming on Jan 25. That show will analyse Wicked through an animal rights lens.  Music: Red Flags by Tom Cardy ft Montaigne. I'll Grow Up Tomorrow by The Beaches. Delete by Ninajirachi. 4chan Stan by Lily Allen.

On this Summer Special, Lottie, Hayden and Nick discuss ways to use technologies more ethically.  We will have one more Summer Special next Sunday Jan 18. Normal Freedom of Species programming will resume on Jan 25.  Music: Spotify loves ICE by Dope Knife. Heavy Foot by Mon Rovia. Robot Writes a Love Song by PUP.  Links: Book: 'Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives' by Siddharth Kara (request it from your local bookstore or library).  Listeners in the US can tell Congress to co-sponsor the Living Wage for Musicians Act! https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-co-sponsor-the-living-wage-for-musicians-act/  - Guide to buying refurbished devices: https://www.trade.com.au/blogs/blog/best-refurbished-phones-australia - Guides to recycling your phone: https://www.trade.com.au/blogs/blog/mobile-phone-recycling https://www.trade.com.au/blogs/mobile/how-to-protect-personal-data-before-selling-old-phone - Donate phones to DV Safe Phone: https://dvsafephone.org/donate-phones - Donate laptops to Glee Givers: https://gleegivers.au/donate - Recycle phones at Mobile Muster: https://www.mobilemuster.com.au/  Main brands to avoid: ️- Meta (Facebook (messenger), Instagram (messenger), WhatsApp) - Google (Chrome, Drive, Docs, Photos, YouTube, Maps, Translate) - Microsoft (Office, e.g. Word, Excel, etc., OneDrive, Edge browser) - Apple (Safari browser, Apple Music, Apple podcasts) - Amazon (Audible, Kindle, Goodreads, IMDB) - X/Twitter - Spotify - Honourable mentions: OpenAI (ChatGPT), Uber, Netflix  Alternative apps and programs: *This is a snapshot of alternatives Lottie is using that appear more ethical as of Jan 2026. The sites linked further below offer more comprehensive options for you to research and try out: - Messenging app:  Signal, ️Telegram - Email: Proton (also offer authenticator, VPN, wallet) - Social media:  Bluesky, Mastodon - Photos and storage: Proton, Ente - Documents: Proton (currently beta) - Browser/search engine: DuckDuckGo, ️Ecosia, ️Firefox - Music: Qobuz - Podcasts: Podcast Addict - Audiobooks: libro.fm Your local library (e.g. through Libby, BorrowBox) - Translate: Lingva - Maps: OsmAnd - Calendar:️ Proton - Books: Find your local bookshop (https://www.bookpeople.org.au/find-a-bookshop/), Request books from your local library,️ Kobo ereader and ebooks  - Reading journal: StoryGraph  Resources: - The Opt Out Project: Guides to leaving Google and protecting your privacy (https://www.optoutproject.net/welcome-to-the-opt-out-project/) - Roots of change - Sam Chavez. E.g. A guide to leaving Google (https://knurdology.com/podcast/de-googling-our-lives-movements-a-digital-revolution-with-stone-cairns/) - Liminal Works. E.g. Alternatives to Google and Microsoft suites (https://www.liminal-works.org/blog-announcements/replatforming-the-movement-ethical-providers-rubric-apr2025) - Brian Merchant - Blood in the Machine substack. E.g. A guide to leaving Spotify (https://substack.com/@bloodinthemachine/p-179993332) - Paris Marx - Disconnect. E.g. Alternatives to US tech companies (https://disconnect.blog/getting-off-us-tech-a-guide/) - Privacy Guides. Companies deemed to have the best privacy for different products (https://www.privacyguides.org/en/tools/) - Rise Against Big Tech (https://riseagainstbig.tech/tech/) - May First (https://mayfirst.coop/en/audio/cutting-the-cord-experiences/) - Electronic Frontier Foundation (https://www.eff.org/pages/tools) - Boycat. Companies to boycott to support DRC, Palestine and Sudan, and divest from the USA (https://boycat.io/

In today’s show, Betty and Trev discuss the impact of persistent meat propaganda on the general perception of veganism and plant-based nutrition. Meat propaganda refers to marketing and media efforts that promote consumption of animal products while downplaying their environmental and health impacts. This can include misleading information that aims to protect the interests of meat, livestock and fishing industries, while discrediting veganism and undermining movements for animal liberation. In recent years, meat propaganda has been increasingly associated with far-right and nationalist influencers. Misinformation campaigns backed by the meat industry have primarily spread on the social media platform ‘X’. We  explore why most people ignore animal rights issues and finish on sharing why we’ve stayed vegan long-term.  Articles referenced:  Jessica Scott-Reid  https://sentientmedia.org/big-meat-rebrand-disinformation/  https://corporateknights.com/category-food/beef-lobbying-mba-downplays-climate-change-impact/  Changing Markets Foundation  https://changingmarkets.org/op-ed-what-do-the-meat-industry-far-right-and-major-internet-conspiracy-theories-have-in-common/  Collective Fashion Justice  https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/leather  Music played:  40 year old vegan – Chokeules:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n-SfgK3ITcAll the good girls go to hell – Billie Ellish:  https://soundcloud.com/billieeilish/all-the-good-girls-go-to-hell  Animal Kingdom – Prince:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYgmpW6e9Ek   Happy Holidays to all our listeners. Tune in on Sundays at 1pm for annual summer specials.

Elise and Savanna discuss their dream vegan menus as we make the case for vegan eating as celebration rather than deprivation. Savanna is now a part of the Freedom of Species team, so keep your eye out for her shows in 2026!  Links: This episode is based on the format of the foodie podcast Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster, but with a vegan twist. For those wanting to check out that show, an episode we particularly recommend features the dream menu of vegan comedian Simon Amstell (episode 112): https://shows.acast.com/offmenu/episodes/ep112-simonamstell You can also hear our previous shows in this format – Nick’s menu: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/mock-meat-and-potatoes-nick%E2%80%99s-dream-vegan-menu Hayden and Lottie’s menus: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/what%E2%80%99s-menu-our-dream-vegan-communist-utopia Hayden’s vegan breakfasts from around the world: https://www.reddit.com/r/ShittyVeganFoodPorn/comments/1o09bpa/my_partner_and_i_are_making_a_veganised_breakfast/  Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ Foie Gras by Ceschi and Factor Chandelier: https://fakefour.bandcamp.com/track/foie-gras-produced-by-factor-chandelier Coyotes by Modest Mouse: https://modestmouse.bandcamp.com/track/coyotes The Funeral by Local Resident Failure: https://peerecords.bandcamp.com/track/the-funeral

Test your knowledge of animal liberation film by seeing if you can think of the answers quicker than the listeners who texted in during the live show. There are questions about recent movies, including some related to the upcoming Animal Liberation Film Festival, but also questions on older movies going back as far as 1995!  The Animal Liberation Film Festival is being held from December 5-6 in Melbourne, at Cinema Nova. For more information on the festival, go to: https://alff.org.au/ Also see the Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/25038308422432519  Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ The most expensive chips I’ve ever had by the Decline and Dal Failure: https://disconnectdisconnectrecords.bandcamp.com/track/the-most-expensive-chips-ive-ever-had This won’t last forever by Ceschi and Factor Chandelier: https://ceschi.bandcamp.com/track/this-wont-last-forever Cat guy by Propagandhi: https://propagandhi.bandcamp.com/track/cat-guy