I have been advocating for animals for more than 25 years, and I’ve seen some of the worst of the worst on factory farms, but what my colleague and I found at the celebrated “Certified Humane,” “Organic,” and “regenerative” Alexandre Family Farm shocked even us.

In addition to serving as Executive Director of UUAM, I also serve as Director of Education for Farm Forward. In that completely separate organization and role, I just co-authored an extensive investigative report on Organic, Certified Humane, “regenerative” dairy in general, and one of its category leaders Alexandre Family Farm, that might interest many of you. The report was covered by a long-form article in The Atlantic that explicitly corroborated many of our findings. Click here for a one-page summary of our 53-page report. Thanks!

Interested in an activity to do with young people (and even not-so-young people) exploring the concept of animal sentience—a key concept for developing kindness toward all living beings? Then read on!

The article explores artificial intelligence (AI) in factory farms, a.k.a. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). While AI proponents promise AI will improve animal welfare through better monitoring and resource allocation, opponents and skeptics counter that it will likely lead to a worse world for farmed animals by prioritizing production and profits over animal welfare and perpetuating CAFOs and meat consumption.

Here’s the flyer for the UUAM sponsored event on April 28th…

Artificial intelligence (AI) biases against humans based on race, gender, and ethnicity are frequently discussed. In contrast, AI biases against animals remain mostly unnoticed, undiscussed, and unaddressed — a "blind spot," says animal ethics philosopher Peter Singer. This article, the first in a five-part series about the impacts of AI on animals, explores AI's systemic bias against animals or "speciesist bias.” Rooted in biased AI data and algorithms, it permeates language models and image recognition, recommender, and image creation systems. While AI bias threatens animal rights and welfare, corrective measures can mitigate them.

Caroline Earl White and 29 other women created the first animal shelter for dogs and cats in the United States…

A look back to Shakespeare's time and the late Elizabethan era. What evidence is there that Shakespeare was a vegetarian? What was the overall view of vegetarianism during his time? And what would a typical vegetarian dish be like? With a "warm and hearty" recipe to follow… 

Animals suffer greatly in wars, yet lack direct protection under the international laws governing wars. However, growing awareness of animal sentience and evolving interpretations of those laws offer hope for greater future protection for animals during wars.

While certainly not the center of attention in the animal kingdom, find out why the horseshoe crab is one of the most impressive of all animals…

Not only one of the smartest of animals but also one of the most playful— able even to charm the likes of Charles Dickens and Truman Capote.

Learn why snowshoe hares face special challenges from climate change because of their two-season camouflage coats.

Although the number of farmed pigs far exceeds the number of wild boars, there are still a surprising number roaming free in the U.S.—more than 6 million. Wild boars have the same high degree of intelligence as their farmed cousins, but we don’t hear as much about them…

One of the most fascinating times for birds is their annual migration, now underway. North America has more than 1000 bird species. Not all birds migrate, but about 75% of North American birds do…

Able to leap effortlessly and gracefully across high jagged peaks— in the words of locals they are able to “fly like angels.”

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) and her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) were prominent vegetarians who reflected the Romantic Age ideals of a deep appreciation for nature and the corresponding view that consuming meat was unnatural and unhealthy…

Considered “masters of an alternative lifestyle,” they are remarkably well adapted to survive.

Once almost hunted to extinction for their fur, they are enjoying quite a comeback as helpers in the fight against climate change.

Louisa May Alcott grew up in an unusual family, one that didn’t exactly fit with the general mid-19th century profile—a family that valued and encouraged girls’ creativity, emphasized progressive education, and was involved in all the major social causes of the day, including abolition, women’s rights, and vegetarianism…

In honor of Jane Goodall’s April birthday (April 3) here’s a recipe and a few quotes from her plant-based cookbook “EAT MEATLESS: Good for Animals, the Earth & All.”

What you don’t know about fish will surprise you…