Animals United Movement Films is releasing a film entitled Cowspiracy, a poignant take on how nature organizations and environmental supporters often ignore the animal welfare issues that impact the environment the most. I really believe that this film is going to push through the hypocrisy of the people who say they care about the planet and then eat meat from factory farming. Cowspiracy reveals the truth that raising animals for food is the leading cause of environmental catastrophes.

FiXiT FiXiT has a special place in my heart, and inspires me by how they use social media and the digital space to teach a new generation about the dangers of pet overpopulation. Just like Match.com, FiXiT allows animal lovers to search and connect in an experiential way and creates friendly connections, and a worthwhile “fix” through small donations. FiXiT has generated a system to help lowincome pet owners who cannot afford spay or neuter surgery for their rescued, stray, or abused animals. The Get Your Fix program enables families to create a profile, tell their story, and connect with donors who can help.

HEART (Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers)

The Nonhuman Rights Project

HEART is an influential organization that targets its mission to kids through compassionate education. HEART’s teachers empower youth to make informed and compassionate choices in order to create a better world for people, animals, and the environment. Once kids learn about issues like puppy mills, factory farming, companion animal overpopulation, and endangered species, they feel inspired and driven to take positive steps toward ending cruelty. 95% of HEART’s programs are offered at no cost.

The Nonhuman Rights Project engages the legal system to prove that animals should have rights. Working with our laws—which currently provide almost zero protection for animals—is one of the best things we can do. Right now even the most cognitively advanced animals—chimpanzees, elephants, and dolphins—are viewed by the law as nothing more than pieces of property. The Nonhuman Rights Project is filing the first-ever suit in state court on behalf of a nonhuman animal, seeking her release to the Save the Chimps sanctuary.

teachhumane.org/heart/donate/

nonhumanrights.org Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur

Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary

Jungle Friends was one of the first organizations to explain the plight of primates to me when I first started looking at the animal rights movement. The Sanctuary creates a home for rescued primates that were once discarded pets or used in research and the entertainment industry. All beings should be included in our moral universe. JungleFriends.org Photo: Allen Torres

Tiny Tim Rescue Fund Tiny Tim incorporates fashion with animal welfare issues. It is the perfect illustration of conscious capitalism— they will design and sell, and donate proceeds back to shelters. Cute clothes and helping animals—is there anything better? Tiny Time Rescue Fund’s John Bartlett: I founded the Tiny Tim Rescue Fund to help finance these incredible people who are doing the heavy lifting of rescue every day. johnbartlettny.com

GetYourFix.org

The Ghosts in Our Machine I firmly believe animals are not property and that they are feeling beings just like we are. The issue of animal rights is a growing movement right now, and it’s gaining momentum. The release of The Ghosts in Our Machine, an award-winning documentary, is going to shine a light on this issue even further. The film provides a window into global animal industries—food, fashion, entertainment, and research—with heartbreaking and empathic vividness. Make a taxdeductible donation through U.S. fiscal sponsor Women Make Movies. theghostsinourmachine.com/donations Photo: ©2013 The Ghosts In Our Machine/ We Animals

Leaping Bunny Most people on the planet don’t realize that almost all beauty and household products are tested on animals. Alternative methods and new technology make animal testing completely irrelevant. The Leaping Bunny Program is led by the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS). Their mission is to end the use of animals in science, specifically in the testing of cosmetics, and to expose this “dirty business” by pressing legislation against it. Cruelty-free is the only way to go! leapingbunny.org

White Coat Waste Project The White Coat Waste Project is a group of whistleblowers (think Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich). They aim to show how tax dollars are being misused to test on animals. Taxpayers have a right to know who’s paying the bill for animal abuse and who’s cashing the checks. The White Coat Waste Project needs your contribution to fund hard-hitting ads that expose the waste and hold the animal abusers accountable. White Coast Waste Project’s Anthony Belotti: “In the mid-1990s, I worked for seven weeks as an intern in an animal laboratory, witnessing painful and wasteful animal experiments that changed my life forever. I later discovered a dirty secret: government wastes over $12 billion tax dollars annually for such cruelty. As government wrestles with spending priorities, ask yourself: Is this how I want my money spent?” WhiteCoatWaste.com ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 93

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Cowspiracy