003: Vegan for Animals, Vegan for Humans with Shawn Bannon

<p><strong>Series: Mindful Eating Film and Food Festival </strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Episode Description:</strong></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m not just vegan for the animals. I’m also vegan for humans. Being compassionate for humans is very important— understanding the conditions that people are living in and the oppression that is going on.”</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">-Shawn Bannon</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On a farm, animals are treated like machines. They're kept in cages with no room to move or express themselves, and they live their entire lives on the same land with no chance of escape. They are fed a diet that is unnatural and often unhealthy, and they are exploited to produce resources for humans.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what about the people who live nearby? How do they fit into this equation? The truth is that it's not different at all. When animals are used as a farming tool, they lose their lives—directly through slaughter and indirectly through pollution caused by pesticides and other toxic chemicals used on crops to protect them from disease-carrying insects or weeds. In many cases, these chemicals also seep into groundwater supplies where many human communities live causing health issues. Furthermore, communities also have to face economic challenges and even oppression from these large corporations. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Directed and Produced by award-winning filmmaker Shawn Bannon,</span> <a href= "https://www.smellofmoneydoc.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The Smell of Money</span></a> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">sheds light on this horrific truth. This documentary features the story of Elsie Herring and the rest of her community and their decade-long battle to reclaim their rights to clean water and a healthy environment.</span> <a href= "https://www.ranchocompasion.org"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Rancho Compasión</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">’s</span