From environmental protection to animal advocacy, on this episode we explore the connection of protecting wild animals and places to a vegan ethic of nonviolence. Jack Gescheidt created his TreeSpirit Project to use art, advocacy and activism to raise awareness of our interdependence with trees, forests, wild animals and the natural world. A lifelong nature and animal lover, Jack turned professional photographer four decades ago, environmental activist two decades ago, and in the last decade, he is now a vegan educator.

Jack and Hope talk about the program of killing half a million Barred Owls to supposedly “save” the Spotted Owl in the Pacific Northwest and what “invasive species” really means. They also discuss the Pt. Ryes National Seashore Tule Elk issue where environmentalist and animal rights advocates came together to get the dairy cow operations out of this sensitive area, and won! They also talk about the problems with grass-fed animal products, rotational grazing, and how these forms of animal agriculture use extensive land and fencing that disrupt migratory animals. They share the importance of having reverence and love for nature and an ethos of protection and not destruction. But don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom, we end the episode with a love fest.

Jack will be speaking at Compassionate Living’s Sonoma County VegFest on Saturday, September 26. He will speak about how the human tradition of treating non-human animals as inferiors, and using them for our own purposes, is not only exterminating wild animals, but all life on Earth — and ourselves.

Resources:

TreeSpirit Project

In Defense of Animals- Owl Petition

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube