FREE Living passionate Com CThe Mag of MFA. LSUMMER 2017 Tony Kanal Rebel with a Cause CANADA’S CHANGEMAKERS FIVE YEARS OF PIONEERING PROGRESS IN CANADA MILESTONE IN MEXICO FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND LEGISLATION INTRODUCED AFTER MFA INVESTIGATIONS Chloe Coscarelli TAKES THE CAKE! legislation in Mexico that directly resulted DEAR FRIENDS, from MFA investigations in the country. Nine members of Mexico’s congress stood with MFA’s vice president in Mexico to Possibilities are limitless when caring people introduce landmark federal animal protection like you band together to end animal abuse. legislation. If passed, it will criminalize slaughtering cows, pigs, sheep, and goats Look no further than the monumental changes without first rendering them unconscious and forged in Canada over the past five years. insensible to pain. In 2012, an MFA whistleblower used a This legislation is the first of its kind in hidden camera to expose horrors at a pig Mexico. We are truly on the verge of a major factory farm in Manitoba and kicked off a transformation for farmed animals in this national movement powered by hundreds of country. thousands of compassionate Canadians. And you are leading the charge—in Mexico, Fearless MFA supporters in Canada pressured in Canada, and around the world. Your the country’s largest grocery stores, top unwavering support is driving incredible food retailers, and other industry leaders to progress. ban many of the worst forms of factory farm cruelty. Mother pigs, egg-laying hens, and There is still so much to do. But it’s clear that baby calves will soon no longer suffer in tiny together we have the power to persuade the cages or crates. mightiest corporations, strike fear in the most unrelenting animal abusers, and influence Change swept Canada’s government too. major governments. Thank you for being a Constituent phone calls and letters poured in part of this movement. urging members of Parliament to strengthen animal welfare laws and regulations. Onward! Canadians also took to the streets—screening powerful videos, distributing pro-veg booklets, and marching in Toronto’s pride parade. Nathan Runkle In this issue, you’ll dive into our work in President Canada and also learn about new proposed @nathanrunkle COVER SHOOT Between gigs for his new band DREAMCAR, planted, and soon thereafter I started my What advice would you give to someone Grammy Award-winning musician Tony journey into vegetarianism and eventually thinking about going vegan? Kanal can be found giving water to veganism. pigs on trucks entering a Los Angeles Just do it. Empower yourself with slaughterhouse. Tony is courageous like Has going vegan changed how you feel? knowledge. It may feel like going vegan is that. He’s also a staunch MFA supporter and hard to do, until you do it. I felt the co-founder of the annual Circle V vegan The biggest change is that I feel great same way. I was the guy who music festival. about my choices. Every day I have the was eating a cheeseburger ability to live from a place of compassion every day—until I wasn’t What inspired you to live a vegan and empathy. I get to live my ethics. There that guy anymore. The lifestyle? is no separation from the way I want to live only regret you will have my life and the way I am actually living my is that you didn’t do it There were many seeds planted along the life. sooner. way. One in particular was a moment on a No Doubt tour back in 2002. We were What do you love about MFA? traveling across the English countryside in our bus. We stopped to stretch our legs What we as humans do to other species, next to a green pasture with an old-school most of the time away from the public wooden fence. Some beautiful cows eye, is truly incomprehensible. The brave who were grazing came over to say hello to undercover investigators do the crucial work us. As we were admiring them, one of our to show us what is really going on behind crew guys made a joke about eating one closed doors. I have such an appreciation of them later. Something happened inside for people who commit their lives to being of me. I went back on the bus and had a a beacon for animals—to shining a light in reflective moment. A really strong seed was these dark places. 2 COMPASSIONATE LIVING SUMMER 2017 NEWS WATCH 02 All the Veg 01 Things Blink-182 drummer Dropping Dairy Travis Barker gushed to Men’s Journal about the benefits After 92 years, Elmhurst Dairy in Queens, New York, will shut its doors as of being vegan. a dairy producer and reopen them as “Honestly, ever since a plant-based milk company. As owner I found this way of Henry Schwartz told The New York eating I have endless Times, there just isn’t a strong demand amounts of energy.” Vegan for nearly a for dairy milk anymore. “Milk has sort decade, Barker uses of gone out of style.” the HappyCow app to find vegan restaurants 03 while on tour. Hot Job Download the app on Google Play or the App Store! Time Money recently highlighted seven jobs that “reflect what’s important in 2017.” Which animal-friendly profession 04 made the cut? Vegan butcher! By developing new plant-based products No Animals in a market that’s sure to soar, innovative Harmed food scientists and creative thinkers are shaping the future. According to The Wall Street Journal, there’s a new chicken in town. Bay Area startup Memphis Meats has debuted the first chicken and duck meat made from animal cells without slaughter. A taster raved about the “tender and juicy” duck a l’orange and exclaimed of the chicken: “Tastes like chicken!” SUMMER 2017 COMPASSIONATE LIVING 3 MEET MFA Kelcey Meadows-Lucas Donors are the force behind everything donors see the big picture and how Mercy For Animals does, and their factory farming is also the root of so many generosity touches millions of animals environmental and public health threats. each year. Kelcey Meadows-Lucas knows this, and as one of our philanthropy Q: What have donors taught you? officers, she delivers to donors all the love and appreciation MFA staff feel for them. Families can use their considerable means to make a difference and shape their Q: When and why did you go vegan? legacies for generations. Donors who include their children, grandchildren, I grew up in the Midwest in a large meat- nieces, and nephews in their philanthropy eating family. When I was president of set a great example of giving back and my university’s environmental club, I tried strengthen family bonds through common going vegetarian but couldn’t make it values. stick because of family pressure and lack of support. It wasn’t until the summer Q: What do you find most rewarding after graduating that I adopted a little about your work at MFA? terrier mutt named Patches, who will be 16 this June. He blew me away with his I am not brave enough to be an zest for life, personality, intelligence, and investigator, nor do I have the legal opinions! If he was so smart, how could background to prosecute farmed animal I ever eat a pig who was even smarter? abusers—or the technical skills to create Patches continues to be my inspiration videos that inspire millions. But it takes to make this world a better place for funding to support all this, and I can animals. move our cause forward by guiding donors’ philanthropic dollars. I also love Q: How do MFA’s donors inspire you? meeting our donors. I am so touched by their strong desire to change our world Our donors are incredibly inspiring. Not for the better. everyone thinks about farmed animals, but our donors have an immense Q: When you are not protecting compassion for them. Animals are often Philanthropy Officer animals, what do you love doing? MFA POSITION: their top charitable priority. The majority of charitable dollars in the U.S. goes Yoga, spending time outdoors with my HOMETOWN: St. Louis, MO to religious institutions, hospitals, and family, hiking, and seeing wild animals in EMAIL: [email protected] education. Just .08 percent goes to their natural habitats. support farmed animal protection. Our MEMBERS ON A MISSION Graeme Coleman Marco Verrelli and Marko Zonta Ali Pester Graeme Coleman, a longtime MFA supporter, Marco Verrelli and Marko Zonta are a dynamic Ali Pester overflows with enthusiasm when has lent his research savvy to MFA in Canada, duo of compassion. The two led MFA at Toronto she reps MFA at outreach and fundraising identifying key ag industry events to be Pride and created animal silhouettes for the events. Online she’s just as energetic—sharing influenced by MFA. event. With MFA's vegetarian support team, they MFA videos, reposting articles, and signing provide tips and tricks to folks looking to go veg. petitions. 4 COMPASSIONATE LIVING SUMMER 2017 ACTION REPORT CHANGE 11 MILLION BOLD FOR CHICKENS AND COUNTING IN BRAZIL Fast-food giant Burger King By land and by air, MFA is tackling Caged confinement of hens is one pledged to significantly reduce dairy industry lies. Footage taken of the worst egg industry abuses. suffering for chickens in its supply by drones hundreds of feet above But hens have heroes in Brazil. chain after working closely with factory farms reveals thousands of MFA. Einstein Brothers, Red Robin, cows standing in their own feces in Since mobilizing in the country, Chipotle, Qdoba, Jack in the Box, dirt feedlots.