Environmental and animal rights journalism that integrates the path for sustainable lifestyles and an ethical diet.
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Statements about impact and responsibility rely on underlying assumptions that shape how outcomes are defined and interpreted.
The agave-powered agroforestry and livestock management system is an example of how native desert plants, cultivated as part of an agroforestry system, can regenerate drylands and provide inexpensive animal feed, taking pressure off overgrazed rangelands.
Bats pollinate wild agave plants, sustaining desert ecosystems and preserving the genetic diversity that supports tequila and mezcal production.
For 6,000 years, humans have controlled water to serve their needs, but a warming planet is revealing the limits of that approach.
Captive wildlife environments can create conditions that increase stress, weaken immune systems, and heighten the risk of disease transmission between animals and humans.
Many outdoor cats labeled “feral” are traumatized domesticated animals living without safety, care, or protection. A trauma-informed approach could improve the lives of millions of homeless cats and reshape animal welfare policy.
Viewing food as a system of biological signals helps explain why diets affect people differently and how nutrition can better support metabolism, mental health, and long-term well-being.
Sand tiger sharks, often feared for their appearance, are surprisingly nonaggressive and face grave threats from humans; new research helps track their populations, behavior, and reproduction along the U.S. East Coast.
A wave of innovators is reinventing fur, delivering animal-free alternatives with all the luxury, warmth, and style—without the cruelty or carbon emissions.
Environmental laws are evolving from prioritizing human benefits to recognizing nature’s intrinsic rights; this is reflected in the small but growing number of countries that grant legal personhood to natural entities.
A growing public interest in animal rights and welfare is persuading cities to protect working horses from inhumane treatment.
Communities can balance safety, cultural life, and ecological health by designing nighttime lighting that protects both people and the natural world.
The “polluter pays” principle transformed the energy industry half a century ago. Now, as industrial agriculture drives climate breakdown, deforestation, and water scarcity, experts say it’s time to apply the same rule to our food systems—and make corporations, not consumers, bear the cost of the damage.
An unprecedented avian flu outbreak in Argentine Patagonia devastated a stable elephant seal colony, highlighting the rising threat of infectious disease to wildlife in a warming world.
By Claudio Campagna, Julieta Campagna and Valeria Falabella in Environment | Earth Food Life Project | English
The emerging field of queer ecology shows how animal behaviors and LGBTQ+ experiences illuminate the ways humans interact with the environment and confront environmental injustice.
Systems that claim to protect the environment often benefit the powerful while leaving the most vulnerable behind, revealing how inequitable standards, birth positionality, and philanthropy shape climate, social, and human rights outcomes.
Often overlooked in traditional emergency management, women play a critical role in preparedness, risk reduction, and building resilient communities.
Indigenous leaders, farmers, and environmental activists worldwide face harassment, violence, and legal threats while defending land, water, and ecosystems, highlighting the urgent need for stronger protections and international accountability.
Lands managed by Afro-descendant peoples in the Amazon experience dramatically lower deforestation and house some of the planet’s richest ecosystems—showing how centuries-old stewardship can guide global conservation.
Humanity’s evolution into a super predator has reshaped ecosystems and instilled a primal fear in much of the animal kingdom.
Simple daily practices can help us slow down, notice, and build empathy with the more-than-human world—fostering both personal well-being and planetary care.
Wilde the oscar fish spent 12 agonizing years in a tiny, toxic tank at a car dealership—a cruel fate shared by countless tropical fish sold as “decorations.”
The 42 known species of the genus Rafflesia are under threat due to deforestation and habitat destruction.
Photographs documenting social, ecological, and economic struggles expose hidden truths, counter societal amnesia, and inspire action toward a more just future.
By Orin Langelle in Peoples Movements | Global Justice Ecology Project and Earth Food Life Project | English
True justice begins at birth, not in systems that mask inequality with the language of freedom and hide civil erasure behind institutional power.
Severe weather, shifting trade policies, and a lack of support for small farmers are driving coffee prices sky high. Without urgent investment, your daily brew could become a luxury.
Once a thriving inland sea, the Aral has become a cautionary tale of ecological collapse, political neglect, and uneven recovery, as efforts in Kazakhstan are bringing about a slow revival in the north, while Uzbekistan’s extractivist priorities leave the south gasping for life.
As luxury eco-retreats and voluntourism surge, experts warn that without systemic reform, the industry may be doing more harm than good.
As profit-driven exploitation imperils Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem, some unique conservation strategies are working to save it.
By Laurel Sutherlin in Environment | Rainforest Action Network and Earth Food Life Project | English
A new framework for planetary health reveals that our Industrial Age mindset—not human needs—is the real driver of environmental collapse.
Zoonotic diseases linked to factory farming raise pandemic risks, but food tech innovations offer a safer alternative.
From the sacred peaks of Aotearoa to the rivers of Colombia and the contested waters of Lake Erie, a global movement is emerging to grant the natural world legal personhood, driven by Indigenous worldviews and a growing call for environmental justice.
By Dana Zartner, Fabian Cardenas and Mohammad Golam Sarwar in Environment | Island Press and Earth Food Life Project | English
Photographs, storytelling, poetry, and well-documented research unveil the immense suffering, ecological devastation, worker exploitation, and economic injustice caused by the animal agricultural industry.
By Isabella La Rocca González in Animals | Earth Food Life Project | English | Guide to Factory-Farmed Animals
The majestic elephant, while beloved by the public, faces danger and adversity in both captivity and the wild.
By Courtney Scott in Animals | In Defense of Animals and Earth Food Life Project | English | Guide to Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection
Purpose-driven travel offers unforgettable experiences that foster environmental stewardship, cultural connection, and lasting impact.
Human-related causes leave birds susceptible to injury and death.
Has Map
For those willing to brave extended treks in nature, the world’s best long hikes offer challenges and amazing rewards.
Climate change, debt, and development have a caustic relationship, hindering economic justice and national advancement, but solutions exist.
Lab-grown meat is a sustainable and ethical alternative to traditional meat. It offers the same taste and texture while reducing animal suffering, environmental impact, and health risks.
Since you know your community best, you are in the best position to become a local environmental leader.
Reintroducing European bison to Britain, despite their absence from its history, could help restore ecological balance by fostering biodiversity and reversing some of the damage caused by industrial farming practices.
As marijuana use grows, accidental intoxication in animals is becoming more common, raising questions about safety, regulation, and the need for better research.
Reducing global inequality and saving the planet from climate catastrophe are intertwined. Let’s address both at once.
States have powerful legal tools to counter federal environmental rollbacks, from enacting stronger local regulations to forming interstate coalitions that protect natural resources and public health.
Many U.S. veterans are suffering from asbestos-related illnesses due to past military exposure, highlighting the urgent need for a national asbestos-exposure registry to improve early detection, diagnosis, and access to VA benefits.
Unsustainable tourism threatens Africa’s wildlife and ecosystems, particularly in the Maasai Mara. The travel industry can help tourists contribute to the solution.
Experimenting on monkeys is cruel—and keeping them is a threat to public health.
By Lisa Jones-Engel in Animals | Earth Food Life Project | English | Guide to Animals in Science and Research
Bees are remarkable creatures, even for the mundane tasks we see them engaged in daily.
Eating animal products is analogous to the oppressive and unjust actions by powerful humans upon other humans.
Bats and vultures may not be widely loved, but their decline has profound negative implications for humans.
Nineteenth-century activists revolutionized attitudes toward nonhuman animals amid cultural, economic, and moral shifts in a rapidly changing nation.
By Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy in Animals | Earth Food Life Project and Human Bridges Project | English | February 3, 2025
Marine heat waves are causing record-breaking ocean temperatures that kill animals and impact ocean-based industries.
Lack of law enforcement leads to needless suffering of sentient beings.
By Reynard Loki in Agriculture | Earth Food Life Project | English | January 20, 2025 | Guide to Factory-Farmed Animals
Preserving biodiversity is among the most urgent issues of our time, and it needs to be addressed regionally to succeed.
Untreated windows can be deadly for wild birds—hummingbirds are particularly at risk.
Unfair family planning regimes have stalled progress in the climate fight and prevent children from having a fair start in life.
By Ashley Berke, Carter Dillard, Beatrix Homler and Rei Stone-Grover in Environment | Earth Food Life Project | English
Local and rural cooperative utilities can use community solar to meet unique place-based clean energy needs.
Fish are sentient beings subjected to cruelty to maximize profits for the multibillion-dollar industry.
Factory farming has devastating environmental impacts, but there are ways we can protect our vital resources.
Switching to organic products is an easy way to eat healthier and support the environment.
Hydropower dams, initially celebrated as feats of engineering, are now scrutinized for their negative environmental and societal impacts.
We must ensure ecocentric standards to reverse environmental and social injustices.
By Esther Afolaranmi, Carter Dillard, Beatrix Homler and Mwesigye Robert in Environment | Earth Food Life Project | English
Our food system is linked to an economic system fundamentally biased against what’s good for people and the planet.
Our existing water supplies could go further by turning wastewater into drinking water.
Profit-driven urban development has disconnected us—particularly children—from the wilderness. The effects are unhealthy.
Protecting the Earth’s oceans is problematic when profit is the leading concern.
We are the cause of the bumblebee decline—and the solution.
The seven steps that could help build a social movement and ensure a sustainable future.
The U.S. government provides significant subsidies and regulatory support to the dairy industry, influencing consumer behavior, public health, and environmental outcomes, while plant-based alternatives grow in popularity.
By Jennifer Barckley in Animals | Earth Food Life Project and The Humane League | English | October 1, 2024
Americans eat more meat per capita than any other country, even though meat consumption is linked to heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
The fate of intact forests is closely linked to that of Indigenous peoples.
Birth equity is essential for ecological security.
By Esther Afolaranmi and Carter Dillard in Environment | Earth Food Life Project and Fair Start Movement | English
More than a million Namibians lack adequate access to toilets, resulting in one of the world’s highest rates of open defecation.
The nascent industry of next-gen materials is set to dethrone unsustainable animal-based materials.
Here’s a frightening peek into our climate-addled future.
Rich countries have exported climate breakdown through extractive industries, creating a “carbon colonialism.”
Millions of tons of palm oil are ‘missing’ from Big Food’s deforestation-free claims.
Malawi’s farmers—mostly women—lost their land, livestock, and livelihoods after a storm. They are struggling to recover in a nation considered one of the world’s most affected by extreme weather events.
Broken child welfare policies have undermined political systems and destroyed the planetary ecosystem.
Massive industrial livestock financing sabotages major U.S. banks’ climate goals.
We must find a better way to prevent land use from changing.
Foods with unnaturally high levels of sugar and salt keep Americans snacking their way to obesity.
Renewable energy doesn’t matter if we can’t distribute it.
Leaving river protections to states doesn’t make sense when rivers cross state lines.
The carrot has followed armies, colonial explorers, and politicians to become one of the world’s most prized vegetables.
Genetically engineered eucalyptus will worsen a bad situation in Brazil.
By Orin Langelle and Steve Taylor in Environment | Global Justice Ecology Project and Earth Food Life Project | English
Researchers are developing new ways to measure biological age through epigenetics, biomarkers, and lifestyle factors—but whether aging can truly be slowed or reversed remains an open scientific question.
Despite corporate commitments, deforestation rates remain high, and community land conflicts continue.
Regulatory loopholes allow more than 30 million pounds of a cancer-causing pesticide to be sprayed on U.S. crops.
Plastic particles and chemicals pollute all of our bodies. But people living on the fencelines of the fossil fuel, plastic, and waste industries face even more life-threatening pollution.
The absence of clear and broad constitutional authority to protect the environment limits the scope of federal environmental law.
Biodiversity is plummeting, but restoring rivers could quickly reverse this disastrous trend.
By Alessandra Korap Munduruku, Darryl Knudsen and Irikefe V. Dafe in Environment | International Rivers and Earth Food Life Project | English
Commercial financial flows to the forest-risk commodity sectors are driving the majority of tropical deforestation.
By Laurel Sutherlin in Environment | Rainforest Action Network and Earth Food Life Project | English | April 24, 2024
Federal management practices favor private ranching interests over legally protected wild horses and burros, often at a high cost to the animals and taxpayers.
By Ginger Fedak in Agriculture | In Defense of Animals and Earth Food Life Project | English | April 18, 2024
Many nonprofits have accepted family planning policies that are harmful to women, children, and the environment.
It’s a harsh reality for the climate: What’s already been emitted must be sucked out of the air, too.
Bioenergy companies are clear-cutting American forests to heat and electrify Europe. This broken system harms public health, the environment, and the climate.
Radical societal transformation is inevitable; a plan could make a difference between catastrophe and progress.
We all have a moral obligation to do the least possible harm to our planet, and that ethos has a name: veganics.
Chemicals commonly found in consumer products have been proven to harm human health, yet they still remain legal stateside.
Workers were documented killing piglets by smashing their heads against the ground.
Naturalist Sy Montgomery highlights evolutionary and behavioral similarities across species, emphasizing the scientific basis for reconsidering human–animal relationships.
By Leslie Crawford and Sy Montgomery in Animals | Stone Pier Press and Earth Food Life Project | English | January 23, 2024 | Guide to Changing How We Relate to Animals
We are closer to nuclear disaster than ever before.
Major U.S. brands involved in the meat industry are causing enormous environmental destruction.
Investing in grid infrastructure would enable utilities to incorporate modern technology, making the grid more resilient and flexible.
A city in the middle of the desert with less rainfall than any other in the nation was bound to have a water problem.
Nuclear power has promise and peril, posing many challenging questions for environmentalists.
Palm oil is found in 50 percent of all consumer goods. And it’s killing the environment.
Desert conditions could spread rapidly from groundwater depletion and plant destruction.
Cataclysmic wildfires have been increasing in intensity and frequency due to human-caused climate change.
The United Arab Emirates is destroying the biodiversity of a Yemeni archipelago.
A nationally protected wildlife reserve in Indonesia is under attack by popular, big-name brands.
By Laurel Sutherlin in Environment | Rainforest Action Network and Earth Food Life Project | English
The destruction of nature might one day become a criminal offense adjudicated by the International Criminal Court.
As the European Union phases out animal research, the United States just wants more.
By Reynard Loki in Agriculture | Earth Food Life Project | English | November 2, 2023 | Guide to Animals in Science and Research
The average American believes the false narrative that natural gas is a “clean fuel.”
Middle school student activists write to their elected representatives to urge climate action.
The “lungs of North America,” the Tongass National Forest is the Earth’s largest intact temperate rainforest. Protecting it means protecting the entire planet.
Time-proven acequia irrigation systems already in use in New Mexico make it possible for people to thrive in arid regions.
The U.S. beef industry is destroying the American Wild West and worsening the climate crisis.
A genetically engineered chestnut tree may be the first to spread into forests, setting dangerous global precedents.
By Anne Petermann in Environment | Earth Food Life Project and Global Justice Ecology Project | English
Water pressures like droughts are intensifying due to global warming and population growth. Treating wastewater is a powerful solution, finally gaining more public support.
If the internet were a country, it would be the sixth biggest user of electricity.
Are our dietary choices are linked to brain function? Brain scans and social media may offer clues.
Smaller, more sustainable families would create massive long-term savings and catalyze sustainable development.
As the world burns—and as kids sound the alarm—the original environmental scientist is worth revisiting.
Endangered animals may get more attention from the public, but without plants, humans won’t survive.
Managing solar radiation through technology is possible, but there are ethical and political concerns.
Progress is being undone by growth, especially as the climate crisis deepens.
Direct sales and the organic label are not enough to keep family-scale farms viable.
Eating locally reduces your ecological footprint, but studies show what you eat may be even more important.
Under the cover of greenwashing, global insurers are fueling climate change.
Livestock waste can contain dangerous pathogens, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.
By focusing the climate fight on what we emit, not what we consume, we are destined to fail.
The industrialized food system is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, but it is not a major topic at climate talks.
Electromagnetic radiation from Wi-Fi and cell towers may pose a “credible risk” to birds, mammals, insects, and even plants.
Seventy-five percent of new or emerging diseases that harm humans start in non-human animals.
No version of “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS), part of the Clean Water Act, adequately protects the nation’s natural areas.
It’s time to rethink our broken and unfair family planning systems.
We can empower children to be a part of the solution.
Women are more supportive of pro-environmental policies, but they’re generally not in a position to make such decisions.
Experts warn that continued world population growth will make things worse.
State lawmakers introduced nearly 2,900 bills based on ALEC templates from 2010 through 2018. More than 600 of them became law.
We have a new major environmental problem on our hands.
Decades of toxic contamination at Camp Lejeune have left veterans, military families, and civilians with devastating health issues.
It is possible to ‘grow’ leather without raising and killing animals.
People are growing less tolerant to violence against animals, and lawmakers are responding. But more needs to be done.
By Nina Jackel in Agriculture | Lady Freethinker and Earth Food Life Project | English | November 12, 2022
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.
America’s highest court has limited the EPA’s authority to regulate power plant emissions.
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?
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
Josh Klemm is co-director of International Rivers.
John Feffer is the director of Foreign Policy In Focus and Global Just Transition at the Institute for Policy Studies.
Lorraine Chow is the stewardship and outreach coordinator at the Santa Fe Watershed Association.
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.
André Leu is the international director of Regeneration International and a leading advocate for regenerative agriculture worldwide.
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.
Valeria Falabella is a director at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Steve Taylor is a freelance journalist and the host of the podcast Breaking Green produced by Global Justice Ecology Project.
Anita Krajnc is executive director of the Animal Save Movement and global coordinator of the Plant Based Treaty initiative.
Eva J. Charalambides is a photographer and vegan advocate.
Gary Belan is the senior director of clean water supply at American Rivers.
Robin Scher is a freelance writer and journalist based in South Africa.
Mwesigye Robert is the founder of the Rejoice Africa Foundation.
Karen Davis, PhD, (1944–2023) was the president and founder of United Poultry Concerns. She was an award-winning animal rights activist and the author of numerous books.
Danna Smith is the founder and executive director of Dogwood Alliance.
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.
Jeremy Rifkin is and economic and social theorist, author, and political advisor.
Mikhala Kaseweter, MSc, advances right relationships with nonhuman animals through her work at the Better Food Foundation.
Jennifer Barckley is the vice president of communications at The Humane League.
Lydia Chodosh is a writer, designer, and fine artist based in Providence, Rhode Island.
Mary Mazzoni is the senior editor of TriplePundit and director of TriplePundit’s Brand Studio.
David Blanton is a writer, photographer, conservationist, and environmental activist. He is the founder of Friends of Serengeti.
Freddie Clayton is an investigative journalist with the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, focusing on environmental themes, specifically water and sanitation issues worldwide.
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.
Suren Moodliar is the editor of the journal Socialism and Democracy and coordinator of encuentro5, a movement-building space in downtown Boston. He is the coauthor of Dying for Capitalism: How Big Money Fuels Extinction and What We Can Do About It (Routledge, 2023).
Richard Heinberg is senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and the author of Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival.
L. Michelle Moore is the CEO of Groundswell, a nonprofit that builds community power by connecting solar and energy efficiency.
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.
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, Condé Nast Traveler, and other publications.
Jessica Pierce is a bioethicist and author of numerous books.
Emma Rae Lierley is a senior communications manager at Rainforest Action Network. A lifelong writer and environmentalist, she works to harness the power of storytelling for social change.
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.
Laura Lee Cascada is the founder of the Aquaculture Accountability Project.
Gunnar Rundgren is a farmer, author, and organic agriculture pioneer who has worked across farming, certification, and global food policy since the 1970s.
Elizabeth Henderson is an organic farmer. She is the 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.
Cameron Edwards runs Still Water Microsanctuary, a small-scale rescue for birds and tropical fishes.
Orin Langelle is the director of Langelle Photography and co-founder of the Global Justice Ecology Project.
Anne Petermann is the executive director of Global Justice Ecology Project.
Monique Mikhail is the campaigns director of the agriculture and climate finance program at Friends of the Earth.
Bill Wasik is the editorial director of the New York Times Magazine.
Jim Cubie, JD, is a consultant to the Muhlenberg College Center for Ornithology where he advises on bird safety and native plants.
Jonathan Sharp is the chief financial officer at Environmental Litigation Group, PC.
Jimmy Videle is a farmer, naturalist, and researcher. He is the author of The Veganic Grower’s Handbook: Cultivating Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs from Urban Backyard to Rural Farmyard and the co-founder of NAVCS-Certified Veganic. His writing has appeared in CounterPunch, Countercurrents, and LA Progressive, among others.
Eugene Simonov is the international coordinator of the Rivers without Boundaries Coalition.
Delcianna Winders is an associate professor of law and the director of the Animal Law and Policy Institute at Vermont Law and Graduate School.
Carter Dillard is the policy adviser for the Fair Start Movement.
Daniel Klem Jr. is the Sarkis Acopian Professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology and director of the Acopian Center for Ornithology at Muhlenberg College.
Reynard Loki is a co-founder of the Observatory, where he is the environment and animal rights editor.
Beatrix Homler is an animal and human rights activist.
Katie Schmidt is the associate director of the national dam removal program at American Rivers.
Caroline Cox is a pesticide scientist whose work has focused on the health and environmental impacts of pesticides.
Adam Frank is the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester and a winner of the Carl Sagan Medal.
Rachel Rose Jackson is the director of research and international policy at Corporate Accountability.
Gigi Kellett is a managing director for Corporate Accountability.
Kevin Fitzgerald is a veterinarian, author, educator, comedian, and television personality.
Sophie A. H. Osborn is an award-winning environmental author and wildlife biologist whose work has focused on bird conservation across the Americas.
Ronnie Cummins was the cofounder and director of the Organic Consumers Association and a longtime advocate for organic agriculture and food-system reform.
Lisa Jones-Engel is a primatologist.
Fabiana Maizza is an assistant professor in anthropology at the Federal University of São Paulo.
Marilyn Kroplick is the president and executive director of In Defense of Animals.
Chris Smaje has co-worked on a small farm in Somerset, southwest England, since 2007. Smaje is the author of A Small Farm Future, writes a blog at about farming, ecology, and politics, and is a featured author at resilience.org.
John J. Berger is an environmental science and policy specialist, prize-winning author, and journalist.
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.
Helena Norberg-Hodge is the founder and director of Local Futures. She is the author of Ancient Futures (Chelsea Green, 2016) and the producer and director of the award-winning 2011 documentary “The Economics of Happiness.” Norberg-Hodge is the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, the Goi Peace Prize, and the Arthur Morgan Award.
Sam Davis is a staff scientist at the Partnership for Policy Integrity (PFPI), a nonprofit that uses science, litigation, policy analysis, and strategic communications to promote policies that protect climate, ecosystems, and people.
Charles Derber is a professor of sociology at Boston College and has written 25 books. Most recently, he coauthored Dying for Capitalism: How Big Money Fuels Extinction and What We Can Do About It (Routledge, 2023).
Jenipher Changwanda is a Malawian journalist specializing in gender reporting for the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism.
Tina Casey has been writing about sustainability, the global energy transition, and related matters since 2009. She is a regular contributor to CleanTechnica and TriplePundit, where she also focuses on corporate social responsibility and social issues.
Ann Leslie Davis is an award-winning freelance journalist.
Julieta Campagna monitors coastal protected areas for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Alex Crisp is the host of the Future of Foods Interviews podcast.
Carrie P. Freeman, PhD, is a professor of communication at Georgia State University and is a co-founder of Animals and Media.
Claudio Campagna is a senior marine conservation consultant for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Vicky Bond is a veterinary surgeon, animal welfare scientist, and the former president of The Humane League.
Ginger Fedak is a lifelong animal welfare advocate and horse professional, having spent decades teaching about and advocating for domestic and wild horses.
Dr. Stephen Buchmann is a pollination ecologist specializing in bees and an adjunct professor with the departments of entomology and of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona.
Isabella La Rocca González is an artist, writer, and activist.
Ashley Berke is co-executive director at Fair Start Movement.
Katherine Dolan is a writer, editor, and researcher at the Independent Media Institute from Dunedin, New Zealand. She 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 NSFW Corp.
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.
Brittany Michelson is an animal rights activist, writer and former teacher.
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.
Emilia A. Leese is an author, re-wilder, podcast host, public speaker, and magazine editor.
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.
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.
Derek Gow is a farmer, nature conservationist, and author.
Peter Christie is a science journalist and author who writes frequently about conservation.
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.
Isias Hernandez aims to improve environmental literacy through content creation, storytelling, and public engagement.
Kate Petty is an educator, writer, yoga teacher, and activist.
Jairus James is an environmental and animal rights advocate.
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.
Esther Afolaranmi is an attorney, humanitarian, researcher, and writer. She is co-executive director of the Fair Start Movement.
Teresa Coady is an award-winning architect, sustainability expert, and Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
Dr. David Hastings is a distinguished oceanographer and educator with extensive expertise in marine geochemistry, climate change indicators, and microplastics research.
Sonja Smith is an award-winning journalist based in Namibia. She is a member of the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism and a correspondent for the Associated Press. Smith has worked for various Namibian media outlets, including Confidente, the Windhoek Observer, and the Namibian.
LeesaMaree Bleicher advocates using trauma-informed therapeutic approaches.
Leslie Crawford is the author of Sprig the Rescue Pig and Gwen the Rescue Hen, both published by Stone Pier Press.
Erica Cirino is a writer, artist, and author who explores the intersection of the human and more-than-human worlds.
Marc Bekoff is an ethologist, behavioral ecologist, compassionate conservationist, and author. He is professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder.
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