Be Kind to Animals, Don’t Be Cruel, Eat Your Veggies. All these phrases come together on this week’s program, as we celebrate vegetarian cuisine and cruelty free living at the New York City Vegetarian Food Festival. We spoke with Zoe Weil, Co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education, Nora Kramer, Founder and Executive Director of YEA (Youth Empowerment Action) Camp, Annie Hauck Lawson, Founder of Brooklyn Mompost, Susan Hargreaves, Founder of Animal Hero Kids, and Isis Phillips, Executive Director of Indy Kids. It was a pleasure speaking with all this dynamic and amazing women, who do so much to make the world a better place. For more information on these organizations go to humaneeducation.org, solutionaryschoolnyc.org, yeacamp.org, brooklynmompost.org, animalherokids.org, indykids.org and nycvegfoodfest.com
#1517: 2015 NYC Vegetarian Food Festival by The Many Shades Of Green on Mixcloud
Overdevelopment, Overpopulation, Overshoot – Tom Butler’s new large format coffee table book, tells the story of how population increase, and the rise of the industrial complex, has led to social, economic and environmental problems world wide. The phrase ” a picture’s worth a thousand words” is most evident in the photos taken during this three year journey to expose man’s quest to dominate the planet, and leave sprawl, over growth, disease and destruction in its path. We over indulge, over-plug, and over saturate this beautiful planet, with blatant di
What comes first, the Earth or Earthlings? There are a lot of us humans on the planet, and we have to start thinking about keeping our numbers down. Join me and my guest Dave Foreman, activist, author, and founder of Earth First!, the Wildlands Project, and the Rewilding Institute, as we discuss his latest work, a new revised of edition of his popular title, MAN SWARM: How Overpopulation is Killing the Wild World, which is co-authored with Laura Carroll, author of The Baby Matrix. Population is one factor in the environmental degradation of the planet. Should there be a one child policy in the US or should we stop having babies altogether? What can be done to solve this problem? Tune in to find out. For more information go to 
Many species are in decline because of climate change. In Part 2 of our talk with Bonnie Wyper, President and Executive Director of Thinking Animals, we discuss what actions can be taken to help stop the destruction of animal habitats due to urban sprawl, air and water pollution, as well as poaching (especially in the ivory trade). Big Ag farms treat animals with little regard to their emotional feelings. Cattle, chickens and pigs are penned up and/or caged with no room to move around, and are led to slaughter in cruel and inhumane conditions. There are ways to change our behavior to stop the destruction of animal habitats, and to work to make life better for the non-human creatures who inhabit the Earth. As humans, we must do better, and we must create a world fit for all the inhabitants of the planet. Conservation is key to making that happen. Go to 
If we could talk to the animals, just imagine it, chatting to a chimp in chimpanzee, imagine talking to a tiger, chatting to a cheetah, what a neat achievement that would be. In Part 1 of my talk with Bonnie Wyper, President and Director of Thinking Animals, we delve into the topic of animal behavior and cognition. Charles Darwin once said that “Evolution is not just the physical body, but our emotional sides as well.” Bonnie and I discuss how animals experience joy, stress, thought and nuance, and are more complex than humans know. Most humans think of themselves as superior beings, and species are being decimated because of that thought process. We need to step up and treat all creatures humanely. For more information go to 
When your mom yelled “eat your veggies” she was definitely on to something. My guest this week is Ashley Spivak, Director of Restaurant Guides at Clean Plates. We discuss the importance of a well balanced, plant based eating regimen, that will lead to a healthier you. An 80/20 diet of 80% good stuff (vegetables, fruits, whole grains and protein), and 20% of the foods that make you smile (pie, cookies, mac and cheese) is a good formula to follow. Bio-individuality indicates that there is no right way to eat, not every person is the same, and diets and food choices affect different body types in different ways. The Clean Plates Food Guide lists restaurants that are more conscious about where they source their produce, meats, grains, as well as the taste of the food, the prep and the atmosphere. Making informed choices whether eating out or in is essential to being a healthier, smarter and cleaner eater. For more info about Clean Plates online publications, guides, phone apps and recipes, go to 
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Long story short, America’s reckless agricultural techniques and lack of quality governmental oversight has created a situation in which Americans are falsely assured by their own government about the safety of their food. It is a situation that still has its solutions though. What we need is mass education which will contribute to a snowballing in consumer awareness about the importance of the local and sustainable food movement. It has started to take hold around the world but with EVERONE’S help, we will begin to change. Their have been sparks of change so far, but we need to keep the passion strong to get the fire roaring. As we eat locally and buy from small farms, food becomes much healthier, less mysterious, and more tasty. While food transportation costs and emissions are reduced, air becomes cleaner in cities and communities become stronger through community farms and other 
What connection does Star Trek have to humane education? What needs to be done to our education system to foster creativity, compassion, ethics, empathy and critical thinking? Students need to be better prepared to be problem solvers and thinkers. Our guest this week is Zoe Weil, co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE). Zoe and I discuss the importance of transforming education, via concepts that teach children to be more caring, nurturing, and curious. While teaching the three R’s is important, humane education will lead to a more peaceful an
Hunger is a quiet crisis that demands our attention. My guest this week is Andra Tomsa, Founder of Spare, an organization working to help fight hunger via an app and website that rounds up your restaurant or bar tab, and tracks your donation in real time. Spare has partnered with the Food Bank of NYC and City Harvest to get meals to those who rely on food kitchens and shelters for assistance. For more information please go to 
My guest this week is Annie Hauck-Lawson, author, nutritionist, master composter and the current Greening Director at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn. Annie co-edited the book Gastropolis: Food and New York City, and founded Brooklyn Mompost. She created the term “Food Voice,” and her recollections of her upbringing in Brooklyn, foraging for edibles in Prospect Park, fishing off the Brooklyn Coast, and starting one of the first Natural Food pushcarts in Brooklyn gives us great insight into her upbringing, which shaped her vision of the importance and connection we all have to food and nature. To get more information go to