In the Limelight // Interviews & Reviews

IN THE LIMELIGHT // INTERVIEWS & REVIEWS FOR THE PROMISE of cheap meat, American consumers have traded away the U.S. farming system to a handful of corpo- Q&A rate giants that control every aspect of in- LAURA MARANO dustrial meat production. In his recently published exposé, The Meat Racket, journal- YOUNG PEOPLE know her ist Christopher Leonard reveals what a bad as shy songwriter Ally Daw- bargain it’s been. son on the Disney Chan- Leonard traces the nel’s Austin & Ally, but Laura evolution of indus- Marano is anything but shy trial animal agri- when speaking about the business and the causes close to her heart. contract model Attending The HSUS’s that traps farm- Genesis Awards Benefit ers—“who are only Gala last year was an called ‘farmers’ for “eye-opening experience” lack of a better for the 18-year-old actress, word” —in the role singer, and songwriter, who of “modern-day sharecroppers.” While The was inspired to become the Meat Racket doesn’t delve into factory farm- first spokesperson for The ing’s negative impact on animals and the HSUS’s Meatless Monday environment, it does reveal a ruthless and school outreach campaign targeting K -12 students. In February, hundreds of schools corrupt system that drives hardworking across the country received a poster featuring Marano, a Meatless Monday information families to bankruptcy, guts rural econo- packet, sample recipes, and a tool kit. mies, and imposes significant costs on con- In this edited interview with Catherine Vincenti, editor of The HSUS’s youth magazine, sumers and taxpayers. Kind News, Marano explains her commitment to this cause. NEARLY BALD from compulsive feather What do you hope to achieve through your involvement with the campaign? plucking, Peepers looks more like a vulture I hope to show people how eliminating meat for just one day a week has an amazing than a citron-crested cockatoo. Fagan, an amount of benefits. It helps the planet, animals, and a person’s health. African grey, arrived at a sanctuary with tar-covered feathers and an addiction to nic- Do you think that there is a crisis with the eating habits of today’s youth? otine. Umbrella cockatoo Lou was left behind Oh, completely! Everywhere you look people are eating foods that are not good for their in a foreclosed home bodies and actually take their energy down. with a bowl of dog food in his cage. How do you think bringing the Meatless Monday campaign to schools will help? Through the sto- Children will be introduced to healthy alternatives to eating meat. The amount of tasty ries of these and and healthy alternatives is limitless! I think once kids are introduced to these foods, they other birds, PBS’s will start asking for them more. Hopefully, parents will join them in this endeavor. Parrot Confidential explores the crisis of I understand that you recently visited an elementary school in New York City as abandonment and part of a program that encourages kids to read. neglect fueled by an Yes, I read children The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It’s funny because it’s about eating industry that mar- healthy in a way. This poor caterpillar is really hungry and is eating all this horrible food kets parrots as suitable household com- and doesn’t feel good. Then he finally eats a leaf and turns into a butterfly. It was the panions. Well-meaning owners discover perfect book for me to read to them! too late that their feathered friends— whether wild-caught or captive-bred—are What are your plans for the future? tragically unsuited for life in a cage. I want to continue my entertainment career, but I also want to continue giving back to my community as much as possible. This summer I’m totally looking forward to volun- a WATCH the film at humanesociety.org/ teering at an animal shelter. parrots and buy the DVD at shop.pbs.org. 38 allanimals // MAR / APR 2014.

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