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End Homelessness
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Top 10 Ways to Make a Difference for Animals
Published October 06, 2008 @ 06:05PM PST
Watching and reading about all the horrors inflicted on innocent animals day after day can become overwhelming. You can't save every animal, but you can make a difference, one decision and action at a time.
1. Go vegan. Simple as that—the number one thing you can do to help animals (and the planet!) is adopt a vegan diet and way of living. Not only will you, each year, personally save the lives of more than 100 farmed animals, but you'll save other animals as well—the animals whose habitats are destroyed or co-opted for grazing land or for the growing of crops to feed livestock.
2. Adopt your companion animals from shelters and rescue organizations. Never buy an animal from a breeder or pet store. Purchasing from a so-called reputable breeder rather than a puppy mill is not good enough. The nation's shelters and rescues are full of dogs, cats, and other animals in desperate need of homes. Millions of them are killed each year. Adopt one (or more).
3. Don't just stop eating animals. Stop wearing them too. You don't need leather, wool, or fur trim any more than you need a full fur coat. Faux leather is abundant, and it is cheaper than animal skin too. Polyester fleece and other fibers are less itchy and less difficult to wash than wool, and for them, no sheep must suffer having chunks of skin hacked off or endure grueling transport and harrowing slaughter. Animals die for fur trim as much as they die for fur coats—there is no such experience as being just a little bit slaughtered. And faux fur trim is often not faux at all; it may be dog or cat fur from China.
4. Make your purchases and donations cruelty-free. Look for "not tested on animals" or "cruelty free" on the labels of household products and cosmetics. When you donate to health-related charities, seek out those that do not fund or support animal research. And when you stop purchasing from a company or donating to an organization because of their animal cruelty, write to them and explain why they've lost your business and charitable giving. Consult cruelty-free guides to help you choose your products and charities. And donate to the organizations and sanctuaries that are working to save and care for animals.
5. Boycott so-called entertainment that involves abuse of animals—for example, circuses, horse racing, greyhound racing, and rodeos. And then go two steps further: encourage everyone you know to join you in swearing them off, and then encourage and educate those you don't know too. Write a letter to the editor when the circus is coming to town. Stand outside the racetracks and distribute information. Protest the rodeo.
6. Protect the habitats of wildlife. Environmental matters and animal issues are intimately connected even beyond the environmental impact of animal agriculture. Examples: Plastic bags are an environmental nightmare—and discarded plastic is a nightmare for ocean life as well; invest in reusable canvas and cotton bags. That super-soft mainstream toilet paper, that super-absorbent mainstream paper towel, and those super-smooth mainstream facial tissues you use are super-destructive too. Do you support the needless destruction of forests? Probably not. But that's how mainstream paper companies, who shun recycled content, get their fiber. Buy reusable substitutes when you can, and when you can't, buy only recycled. Be aware of the sources of the foods and products you purchase.
7. Embrace direct action. Attend the protests, distribute the information, videotape and publicize cruelties, and if need be, and you are able, rescue abused animals yourself.
8. Talk to your legislators, fight for animal protection laws, and vote. Is a ban on rodeos or animal circuses up for a vote in your community or state? Publicize the cruelties; educate friends, family, and strangers; lobby your legislators; and get the legislation passed. Sign up for updates from the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Vote for animal-friendly candidates. The animals need more legislators like Dennis Kucinich.
Learn about the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), an outrageous attack on First Amendment rights that the majority of senators and representatives did not even read, so that you can educate your legislators about it and get them working toward a repeal.
9. Educate yourself. Read the books. Watch the videos. Keep up with the blogs. Attend the conferences. Volunteer with animals. The more you know, the more you can help.
10. Educate everyone else. Once you've educated yourself—or better yet, while you're educating yourself—spread the word, through informational handouts, through videos, through Web sites and blogs, and even through food (yummy, healthy vegan food, that is).
*Photo of Dylan, a rescued veal calf, courtesy of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary Web site
Comments
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Author
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Stephanie Ernst
- St. Louis, MO
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Stephanie is a vegan, a tree hugger, a freelance editor and writer, and an animal rights advocate. She lives in St. Louis with a motley pack of three dogs and two cats as well as the world's most adorable foster pit bull.
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Speaking as someone who has tried to live a compassionate lifestyle, this list may look daunting to someone just starting out, but once you make one change, you find yourself committing to another then another and another and before you know it, you're hooked!!!
Posted by Lisa Smolen-Jenk... on 10/10/2008 @ 09:48PM PST
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I've been an on-again, off-again vegan for years, but you'v finally won me over. For years, I have borne a deep-seated guilt for my contribution to the cruelty of farm animals. While I have always detested hunting and trapping, I have sheepishly overlooked the even crueler treatment of the animals we eat.
Nancy T.
Posted by Nancy T on 11/11/2008 @ 05:31AM PST
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Nancy, you just absolutely made my day--maybe even my month. :) Congrats and kudos on your renewed commitment!
Posted by Stephanie Ernst on 11/11/2008 @ 06:41AM PST
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Does it bother anyone else that this cause has more members than both End Homelessness and Humanitarian Relief? Frankly, when we've succeeded in ending human hunger and war, maybe I'll give a damn about the animals.
Posted by Ed Crowder on 11/13/2008 @ 01:55PM PST
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Animals doen't cause homelessness, hunger and war, people do. Animals suffer the consequences of human cruelty and greed. Just because I, for one, support animal rights, does not mean I ignore the plight of humanity. My husband and I donate several hundred dollars worth of food and clothing to our local family services each year, and we also give a damn about animals.
Nancy T.
Posted by Nancy T on 11/15/2008 @ 12:19PM PST
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I often point out to people that causes regarding the helpless members of our world (human or animal) are not competing for a "place" in our priorities. It's not as if you have to ignore one cause just because you care about another - or lose one to make room for another. It's not "all or nothing" - we give more money to human causes than animal causes annually, and for us that's because there are so many different human charities covering such a wide range of issues, whereas for animals where you put your money goes to roughly the same end.
It makes me sad when people say I don't care about people just because I happen to care about animals.
Posted by Lisa Smolen-Jenk... on 11/15/2008 @ 06:15PM PST
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I am very saddened by Ed's response. It is this very attitude that keeps the respect and concern for animals and all of the abuse that they suffer on the back burner. For those that have had the experience of having animals as their companions and friends comes the ability to know how important animals are and what their gifts are to this world. Only an open heart can understand why it is so important to work against the abuse of these species. Open your heart Ed! you will see and experience so many wonderful things...
Posted by amber lopez on 12/01/2008 @ 09:05PM PST
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Ed, I respect your comment about putting humans first in these issues, however, we must look at how society as a whole operates. Over centuries bright minds have stated you must set a good foundation before you build. Animals, children, elderly, the sick, the needy... is how you move from the bottom up. Those who can't speak for themselves. We must do better as a society overall. Give voice to the voiceless. Animals are important in this process.
Posted by Jan Kobi on 12/26/2008 @ 05:19AM PST
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Ed's response is very disappointing to me. I've been doing outreach for animals about 4 years now (1-2 times a week). I've heard comments of all kinds. Comments like Ed's usually come from the most wealthy looking people who really don't give a damn about anything and have never done anything about helping anyone. I truely hope this is not the case with Ed. And surprisingly enough (or maybe not surprising at all) the homeless people usually come by and lend a word of support. In more than one occasion, we've had homeless people drop change into our donation can because they are so angered by the way animals are treated in our society. Many of those people have at one point worked in a slaughterhouse and can tell you the horrors from experience.
Posted by Joanne Chang on 12/26/2008 @ 07:59PM PST
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My response to this is to pick your passions, and support them with everything you can give. I've learned that you need to be passionate to put in the heart, time and money. Our passions aren't going to be the same; however, if we all pick one/some, and support them passionately, the entire world benefits. I also weep about the multiple abuses/crises in the world, it can all get a bit overwhelming at times. I feel Ed's frustration, and at the same time I realize that I can't take them all on at once. So I pick the ones that I personally feel the most passionate about, and support those with all my resources. If every person did just that ... pick something, anything, and support it with all your heart ... if we all do just that we'll make a difference. I'll never debate anyone that my "cause" is more worthy than their "cause." They're all worthy, and they all need our support. Animal advocacy and the earth are my passions, what's yours? And, more importantly, how can we work together?
Posted by Jan Delavina on 12/29/2008 @ 12:56PM PST
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Number 11 for this list.
Ban BSL. These laws have caused the death of innocent animals, not based on temperament or behavior, but by the dog appearance.
Posted by Hank Greenwood on 01/05/2009 @ 02:34PM PST
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