Our Hen House: A Blog, a Podcast, and a New Vegan Planet

by Annie Hartnett · 2010-10-10 14:00:00 UTC
Topics:

My apologies to the Kuciniches and the DeGenereses, but I've found a new favorite vegan power couple. Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan are the adorable duo behind Our Hen House, a website that serves as "a central clearinghouse for all kinds of ideas on how individuals can make change for animals." Our Hen House is a nonprofit organization, and features both a daily blog and a weekly podcast.

The blog posts are great, but now that I've listened to the Our Hen House podcast, I won't miss an episode again. Jasmin and Mariann are charming as the hosts, and they've already snagged some impressive people for interviews.

Peter Singer appeared on the podcast last month. Jasmin introduced him as "the grandfather of animal rights," and he didn't object to the title. Indeed, Singer is one of the world's best-known advocates for animals. In the interview, he advises those who care about animals to focus their fighting efforts on ending factory farming, as that is the most direct way to reduce animal pain and suffering. He talks about in-vitro meat, and explains why we shouldn't eat octopus. Mariann, an animal rights lawyer, thanked him for his 1975 book Animal Liberation, which has shaped the animal rights movement as we know it today.

Peter Singer might be Our Hen House's most famous guest, but my favorite episode featured VegNews publishers, Joe Connelly and Colleen Holland, another vegan power couple. I'm a big fan of the magazine, and I loved that they offered tips for writers who want to incorporate animal activism in their work. Plus, their interview was just so inspiring, explaining how they grew from handing out paper issues for free from their car to churning out a monthly glossy magazine from an office in San Francisco. The success of VegNews is proof that the vegan movement is growing momentum, and that many more people are learning what a fabulous lifestyle veganism is. Colleen commented that another positive sign is that there are now more vegan options in school lunch programs.

Jasmin said she'd like to see Michelle Obama, already an advocate for healthier school lunches, support vegetarian and vegan diets. Sign our petition to ask Michelle Obama to support vegetarian and veganism in her Let's Move! campaign.

The podcasts are edgy and entertaining. Jasmin and Mariann have also considered Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress, expressed their opinions on vegan cupcakes, and pondered Bill Clinton's new mostly-vegan diet. "What planet are we on?" Mariann asks Jasmin in disbelief. "Planet Vegan-a?"

Our Hen House regularly conducts surveys on their Facebook page, recently asking: What do you think is the most effective tool to inspire people to go vegan? Jasmin states that she believes veganism benefits the most from positive media coverage. I think that sums up what Our Hen House stands for: a positive media force for veganism and the future of animal rights.

Our Hen House had a launch party last week, and 250 people crowded into the MooShoes store in NYC to celebrate. The launch event's enthusiastic attendance proves that the vegan party over at Our Hen House has just begun.

Photo Credit: Lauren Krohn

Annie Hartnett is a writer and animal advocate who has worked for several wildlife rehabilitation centers and environmental programs.

RELATED PETITION

Ask Michelle Obama: Support Vegetarian and Vegan Meals with the Let's Move! Campaign
SIGN PETITION
317 People
PREVIOUS STORY:
Court Allows Breed Discrimination Lawsuit Against Denver to Proceed
NEXT STORY:
Petitions Delivered Around the World for Release of Indonesian Circus Dolphins

COMMENTS (2)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.