Earth | Food | Life
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Modern sustainability evolved from forest management of the 18th century, and its ancient roots go back even further. Could it help with today’s climate crisis and lumber shortage?
Direct sales and the organic label are not enough to keep family-scale farms viable.
Fossil fuel stakeholders have been seeking new revenue in the petrochemical industry in general, and plastics in particular.
A genetically engineered chestnut tree may be the first to spread into forests, setting dangerous global precedents.
The Bureau of Land Management is misleading the American people about the nation’s wild horses and burros.
We can no longer rely on simple solutions like recycling to solve our plastic waste problem.
Electromagnetic radiation from Wi-Fi and cell towers may pose a “credible risk” to birds, mammals, insects, and even plants.
No version of “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS), part of the Clean Water Act, adequately protects the nation’s natural areas.
Wet markets are perfect breeding grounds for pathogens that can jump from animals to humans.
Seventy-five percent of new or emerging diseases that harm humans start in non-human animals.
Less than 10 percent of the plastic used in the United States is recycled.
Here are five surprising ways to reconsider your backyard so it can promote native plants while also protecting wildlife.
No food should be worth the amount of suffering experienced by sentient animals trapped in our food system.
The industrialized food system is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, but it is not a major topic at climate talks.
By focusing the climate fight on what we emit, not what we consume, we are destined to fail.
Bioenergy is often seen as a more environmentally-friendly alternative to other forms of energy generation. But the truth is that it can actually be quite harmful to the environment.
Experts warn that continued world population growth will make things worse.
America’s highest court has limited the EPA’s authority to regulate power plant emissions.
Livestock waste can contain dangerous pathogens, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.
Lack of governmental oversight of factory farms has created a public health crisis of antibiotic-resistance diseases in people.
Under the cover of greenwashing, global insurers are fueling climate change.
Several EU nations have embraced biomass electricity, which speeds up carbon emissions, pollution and forest destruction.
Eating locally reduces your ecological footprint, but studies show what you eat may be even more important.
Higher carbon dioxide levels and warmer temperatures are causing plants to increase their pollen production.
When global leaders won’t save our food system, cities take the lead.
Despite centuries of domestication, the call of the wild has always been in the chicken’s heart.
To prevent the worst climate scenarios, carbon emissions must be slashed to net-zero by 2050.
When it comes to maintaining energy flows, there is a closing window to avert both climate catastrophe and economic peril.
A changing climate and population growth are fueling water-based conflicts across the African continent.
A key to fighting climate change could be right under our feet.
It’s time to rethink our broken and unfair family planning systems.
Not only does hydroelectric power fail to prevent catastrophic climate change, but it also renders countries more vulnerable to climate change while emitting significant amounts of methane, one of the worst greenhouse gases.
Milk made from plants is entering the public consciousness (and stomachs) in coffee shops across the globe.
A product of entrenched, historic racism, “sacrifice zones”—designed to site pollution hot spots within communities of color—are a frontline in a largely silent, often deadly, and steadily growing health crisis across the United States.
Animal whisperer Sy Montgomery argues that we share greater similarities than differences with our fellow animals, and that fact should make us reexamine our relationships with them.
By Leslie Crawford, Sy Montgomery in Animal Rights | Earth | Food | Life, Stone Pier Press | English
A city in the middle of the desert with less rainfall than any other in the nation was bound to have a water problem.
Society’s addiction to palm oil—the world’s most widely consumed vegetable oil—is killing critically endangered Sumatran elephants.
Managing solar radiation through technology is possible, but there are ethical and political concerns.
We can empower children to be a part of the solution.
Renewable energy isn’t replacing fossil fuel energy—it’s adding to it.
In its illogical support of Big Dairy, the U.S. government is misleading the public and padding the pockets of one industry over another.
By Jennifer Barckley in Animal Rights | Earth | Food | Life, The Humane League | English | March 2022
Many nonprofits have accepted family planning policies that are harmful to women, children, and the environment.
People are growing less tolerant to violence against animals, and lawmakers are responding. But more needs to be done.
We wouldn’t say “it” or “that” when referring to humans, so why would we for other sentient individuals?
By Alicia Graef, Carrie P. Freeman, Debra Merskin in Animal Rights | Earth | Food | Life, In Defense of Animals | English
Chemicals commonly found in consumer products have been proven to harm human health, yet they still remain legal stateside.
Americans eat more meat per capita than any other country, even though meat consumption is linked to heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Progress is being undone by growth, especially as the climate crisis deepens.
Biodiversity is plummeting, but restoring rivers could quickly reverse this disastrous trend.
The climate crisis is a form of oppression by a wealthy few.
Most plastic is tossed after minutes of use, but its impact on wildlife and the environment can last for centuries.
Workers were documented killing piglets by smashing their heads against the ground.
Despite industry rhetoric, hydropower is high-cost and high-risk. There are better options for a renewable energy future.
By Darryl Knudsen, Deborah Moore, Michael Simon in Environment | Earth | Food | Life, International Rivers | English
Smaller, more sustainable families would create massive long-term savings and catalyze sustainable development.
Americans discard 100 billion plastic bags annually, the equivalent of 12 million barrels of oil.
A thought experiment tells us a lot about man’s best friend—and ourselves.
Cataclysmic wildfires have been increasing in intensity and frequency due to human-caused climate change.
COVID-19, SARS, and Ebola were transmitted to humans from wild animals living in tropical forests. Destroying their habitats is killing us.
Major U.S. brands are ignoring the enormous environmental destruction caused by their meat suppliers.
Countless dairy cows experience a shocking level of cruelty every day at factory farms.
The destruction of nature might one day become a criminal offense adjudicated by the International Criminal Court.
Palm oil is found in 50 percent of all consumer goods. And it’s killing the environment.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to the world’s new pollution problem.
As the European Union phases out animal research, the United States just wants more.
The average American believes the false narrative that natural gas is a “clean fuel.”
As the world burns—and as kids sound the alarm—the original environmental scientist is worth revisiting.
Middle school student activists write to their elected representatives to urge climate action.
Time-proven acequia irrigation systems already in use in New Mexico make it possible for people to thrive in arid regions.
It is possible to ‘grow’ leather without raising and killing animals.
Women are more supportive of pro-environmental policies, but they’re generally not in a position to make such decisions.
Using the same land for the production of both agriculture and solar energy is a win-win for the climate and farmers.
It’s a harsh reality for the climate: What’s already been emitted must be sucked out of the air, too.
If it wasn’t shade-grown, your coffee most likely destroyed forest cover and wildlife habitat.
As a rapidly warming world strains at the shortcomings in industrial farming, key lessons can be taken from Indigenous practices.
Are our dietary choices are linked to brain function? Brain scans and social media may offer clues.
It is clear that plastic is choking the planetary environment. What is less clear is the impact of plastic on human bodies.
The eco-footprint of the wine industry is significant, and some wineries are taking steps to reduce their impact. For conscious consumers, it’s about knowing what to look for.
We have a new major environmental problem on our hands.
Endangered animals may get more attention from the public, but without plants, humans won’t survive.
Factory farms are harmful to animals, the environment, local communities, and public health. We need a more logical and just food system.
Edited by Reynard Loki, Earth | Food | Life explores the critical and often interconnected issues facing the climate/environment, food/agriculture, and nature/animal rights, and champions action—specifically, how responsible citizens, voters, and consumers can help put society on an ethical path of sustainability that respects the rights of all species who call this planet home.
Earth | Food | Life emphasizes the idea that everything is connected, so every decision matters.
Associated Authors
Matthew Ponsford is a London-based journalist and producer who has written for Thomson Reuters, CNN International, Financial Times, the Guardian, the Independent and Vice. Follow him on Twitter @mjponsford.
For more than two decades, Darryl Knudsen has channeled the power of civil society movements to create enduring, positive change toward social and environmental justice for the underrepresented. Darryl holds a master’s degree from Columbia University and a BA from Dartmouth College. He served as the executive director of International Rivers.
Frederick Clayton is an investigative journalist with the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism focusing on environmental themes, specifically water and sanitation issues worldwide.
Danna Smith is the founder of Dogwood Alliance.
Laurel Sutherlin is the senior communications strategist for Rainforest Action Network. He is a lifelong environmental and human rights campaigner as well as a naturalist and outdoor educator with a passion for birds and wild places. Follow him on Twitter @laurelsutherlin.
Jennifer Barckley is the vice president of communications at The Humane League.
Lucy Goodchild van Hilten is a writing fellow at Earth | Food | Life, a project of the Independent Media Institute. She has served as assistant editor of Microbiology Today and senior marketing communications manager for Life Sciences at Elsevier. She holds an MSc degree in the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology from Imperial College London.
Nina Jackel is the founder of Lady Freethinker, a nonprofit media organization dedicated to exposing and stopping the suffering of animals, humans, and the planet. Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
David Hastings is a marine scientist.
Alessandra Korap Munduruku is a Munduruku Indigenous woman leader from Indigenous Reserve Praia do Índio in the Brazilian Amazon. She is a member of Pariri, a local Munduruku association, as well as the Munduruku Wakoborûn Women’s Association. In 2020, Alessandra won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for her work defending the culture, livelihoods and rights of Indigenous peoples in Brazil.
Carrie P. Freeman, PhD, is a professor of communication at Georgia State University and is a co-founder of Animals and Media.
Steve Taylor is the press secretary for Global Justice Ecology Project and the host of the podcast Breaking Green. He is the recipient of the Leo and Kay Drey Award for Leadership from the Coalition for the Environment for his work as co-founder of the Times Beach Action Group.
Anita Krajnc is executive director of the Animal Save Movement and global coordinator of the Plant Based Treaty initiative.
Jim Cubie, J.D., is a consultant to the Muhlenberg College Center for Ornithology where he advises on bird safety and native plants.
Daniel Klem Jr. is the Sarkis Acopian Professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology and director of the Acopian Center for Ornithology at Muhlenberg College.
Katherine Dolan is a writer, editor, and researcher at the Independent Media Institute from Dunedin, New Zealand. Katherine has held previous posts as a senior writer for Fairfax Media Custom Publishing in New Zealand and Lifestyle Magazine in Moscow, and as a copy editor for the U.S. news site NSFWCORP.
Sam Davis is a conservation scientist with Dogwood Alliance who works at the intersection of forests, climate and justice. A life-long treehugger, Sam earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Science in 2015 at Wright State University and completed a postdoc at University of California Merced. Their work has been published by Pressenza, Countercurrents, CounterPunch, NationofChange LA Progressive, and the Good Men Project.
Karen Davis, PhD, is the president and founder of United Poultry Concerns, an award-winning animal rights activist and the author of numerous books.
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner is a writing fellow at Earth | Food | Life, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, AlterNet, Architectural Digest, Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and other publications.
Anne Petermann is the executive director of Global Justice Ecology Project.
Mary Mazzoni is the senior editor of TriplePundit and director of TriplePundit’s Brand Studio.
Erika Schelby is the author of Liberating the Future from the Past? Liberating the Past from the Future? (2013) and Looking for Humboldt and Searching for German Footprints in New Mexico and Beyond (2017). Schelby lives in New Mexico.
Tia Schwab is a former news fellow for Stone Pier Press, a San Francisco-based environmental publishing company with a food focus. She is a graduate of Stanford University, where she studied human biology with a concentration in food systems and public health. Tia was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and she is passionate about using storytelling to create a healthy, just, and sustainable food system.
Ginger Fedak is the wild horse and burro campaign director at In Defense of Animals. A lifelong animal welfare advocate and horse professional, Fedak has spent decades teaching about and advocating for domestic and wild horses.
Alicia Graef is a guardian and dog meat campaigner at In Defense of Animals. A lifelong animal lover and freelance writer with a Bachelor’s degree in animal and veterinary science, Alicia has covered issues relating to animals for more than a decade.
Carter Dillard is the policy adviser for the Fair Start Movement. He served as an Honors Program attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice and also served with a national security law agency before developing a comprehensive account of reforming family planning for the Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal.
Reynard Loki is a co-founder of the Observatory, where he is the environment and animal rights editor. He is also a writing fellow at the Independent Media Institute, where he serves as the editor and chief correspondent for Earth | Food | Life.
Lorraine Chow is a freelance environmental journalist based in South Carolina, United States. Her work has appeared in Truthout, EcoWatch, Nation of Change, Salon, AlterNet and Common Dreams.
Leslie Crawford is the author of Sprig the Rescue Pig and Gwen the Rescue Hen, both published by Stone Pier Press. She lives in San Francisco with her two children, six hens, and four foster pigeons. No partridges. Follow her on Twitter @lesliemcrawford.
Irikefe V. Dafe has advocated for river protections in Nigeria and throughout Africa for three decades. Much of his work has focused on protecting the River Ethiope and the rights of communities who rely upon the river for food, water and their livelihoods. He is a lead organizer of the First National Dialogue on Rights of Nature in Nigeria. He is also the founder and CEO of River Ethiope Trust Foundation and an expert member of the UN Harmony with Nature Initiative.
Lydia Chodosh is a writer, designer, and fine artist based in Providence, Rhode Island.
Sy Montgomery is a naturalist, documentary scriptwriter, and author of 31 books of nonfiction for adults and children. She is the recipient of lifetime achievement awards from the Humane Society and the New England Booksellers Association.
Laura Lee Cascada is the campaigns director for the Better Food Foundation and the founder of the Every Animal Project, a collection of true tales reshaping our relationship with animals.
Debra Merskin, PhD, is a professor of media studies in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon and is a co-founder of Animals and Media.
Katy Neusteter is the marketing director at American Rivers, a national non-profit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring healthy natural rivers and the variety of life they sustain for people, fish, and wildlife, founded in 1973.
Elizabeth Henderson is co-chair of the Interstate Council policy committee of the Northeast Organic Farming Association and represents the Interstate Council on the Board of the Agricultural Justice Project.
Mikhala Kaseweter, MSc, advances right relationships with nonhuman animals through her work at the Better Food Foundation.
Josh Klemm is the interim co-executive director of International Rivers.
Brittany Michelson is an animal rights activist, writer and former teacher.
Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware and co-founder of Homegrown National Park.
Richard Heinberg is a senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and the author of Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival.
Nital Jethalal is a policy analyst and economist. He currently serves as strategist and policy advisor for the Plant Based Treaty and also oversees economics and policy research for Plant Based Data. Nital is also the president of VegTO and a director at the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank.
Eugene Simonov is the international coordinator of the Rivers without Boundaries Coalition.
