Today, Sunday January 28, I bring bad news for which we are thankful for good coverage. The Washington Post Business section cover story is a depressing piece on the greenwashing of hamburgers. And the Los Angeles Times has a welcome editorial on the need to protect mountain lions who are being killed at a quick rate.
Before I get to those let me thank all of you who sent letters in response to the Korean dog meat ban to the New York Times and elsewhere. Even if you were not personally published, your efforts helped get our message out by helping somebody else get published, which, in the case of the New York Times was Farm Sanctuary's Gene Baur (and I am gratified that the folks at Farm Sanctuary have so warmly let me know how much they value DawnWatch.) Gene's wonderful letter reminded readers, " Humans have drawn arbitrary lines between the animals we eat and those we see as companions without considering that they all have feelings. I hope this milestone moment can help us to realize that we can live well without killing and eating any animals, whether dogs, cats, pigs or cows."
Meanwhile, New Zealand DawnWatch subscriber Bianka Atlas made my week by submitting an op-ed to The Post, which told readers: "...The ban, the way it is reported, and conversations about eating animals more broadly, present an opportunity to reflect on our perceptions of some animals as 'companions' and others as 'food,' and to ask ourselves why and how we arrive at these distinctions." That piece, titled, "One country has banned dog meat, but what about all the other animals?" is well worth sharing!
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The headline on the front page of the Washington Post Business Section, page G1, reads, "The fight against 'greenwashing' food." The article is by Evan Halper and Laura Reiley.
It opens:
"At Hopdoddy Burger Bar near the University of Florida campus in Gainesville recently, Van Morrison crooned 'na na, Natalia' and the Sauce Bar was fully stocked. The menu advertised the usual gluten-free and vegan options, as well as something more unusual: beef purporting to 'save the planet, one bite at a time.'
"The Austin-based chain buys the meat from ranchers who use eco-friendly agricultural techniques. The burgers — about $4 more expensive than the traditional ones — are designed to appeal to a fast-growing, desirable demographic of climate-conscious omnivores. But the extent to which such premium-priced beef patties are helping cool the earth is hotly disputed.
“'We want to change the narrative that eating meat is bad for the planet, or that eating plant-based is better,' said Chad Edwards, the on-duty manager, explaining the company’s 'just eat a Hopdoddy burger' solution to climate change.
"The stakes, or perhaps steaks, of this effort to rewrite the science-backed narrative that cows are a climate menace are bigger than this 46-restaurant chain. The company is at the vanguard of a contentious push by meat and dairy industries trying to rebrand as climate solutions. The companies claim they can neutralize the climate impact of cows by changing their diets, overhauling how their manure is handled, and transitioning to farming and grazing practices that equip soil to capture carbon.
"While innovations on the farm do lessen the emissions generated in the process of making some burgers and milk, audacious claims by some companies about carbon neutrality and climate friendliness often rely on disputed carbon accounting tactics and data that can’t be verified.
"Conglomerates like McDonald’s, Tyson Foods and Nestlé have vowed to wipe out their carbon footprints, while giving little indication they intend to substantially shrink their sales of burgers, steaks and dairy. And major industry players are also deeply embedded in writing the rules that governments will use to gauge climate claims.
“'Eating a hamburger is always the worst choice for the climate — even a Hopdoddy burger — full stop,' said Scott Faber, who heads government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, which tracks the climate impact of food production. 'What is shocking is that regulators are just standing by while companies are making these misleading claims. There is no such thing as a climate-friendly hamburger.'”
As I noted above, the article is depressing, but it is also fascinating. And it's important. It's particularly so as it appears in the Washington Post, the paper read by the world's most powerful legislators. Those legislators look to the letters pages as barometers of public opinion, so if this situation does not delight you, the Washington Post letters page is a good place to let that be known. You may wish to address climate alone, or you may wish to extend the conversation, briefly, to topics of human health and, of course, animal suffering.
"We prefer letters that are fewer than 250 words and take as their starting point an article or other item appearing in The Post. They may not have been submitted to, posted to or published by any other media. They must include the writer's full name; anonymous letters and letters written under pseudonyms will not be considered. For verification purposes, they must also include the writer's home address, email address and telephone numbers, including a daytime telephone number. Writers should disclose any personal or financial interest in the subject matter of their letters. If sending an email, please put the text of the letter in the body and do not send attachments; attachments will not be read.
The Post receives more than a thousand letters each week. Letters editor Jamie Riley looks for concise letters that offer a new perspective or add depth to the discussion of an issue."
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The Los Angeles Times editorial (the position of the paper) is titled, "State has fewer pumas than we thought. They need our help." It is on page A13 and opens with awful news:
"Southern California is treacherous for mountain lions to navigate. Just in the last two weeks, three lions have died on roads...."
It discusses the need protections, telling us that without intervention, the long-term viability of populations in the Santa Monica and Santa Ana mountain ranges is miniscule. It argues:
"This is why we need to curb the use of rodenticides, which can end up killing lions when they eat prey that have ingested rat poison. And it’s also why we need more wildlife crossings to help mountain lions and other animals get to the other side of busy roads and freeways."
The paper deserves praise for the piece, (which I thank Elaine Livesey-Fassel for making sure we didn't miss) and if you are concerned with the suffering that rodenticides cause countless animals, including rodents, you may also wish to make that point on the animal-friendly letters page. The paper takes letters here .
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I have recently posted the following mainstream media animal news stories to the DawnWatch Facebook page:
NBC Miami brought us strong coverage about the facility that jailed Lolita/Tokitae for five decades with a segment titled, "Miami-Dade seeks to end lease with Miami Seaquarium over alarming violations." The subheading explains, "The Nov. 28 USDA report found 'multiple and repeated' instances of animal welfare violations." That one is worth sharing, and the story is also covered in today's Miami Herald, page 38, under the heading, "Miami Seaquarium problems didn’t end with Lolita’s death." The Herald takes letters here.
ABC News in Australia covers today, "Australian animals under record threat from climate, cars, illegal pet-keeping," with the article done from the vantage point of a wildlife rescuer.
Meanwhile Philadelphia's NBC station aired a distressing story about a woman torturing animals to death for social media "likes."
The Los Angeles Times ran an article about "the world of the ultra-wealthy Mexicans who own exotic animals."
Hakai Magazine ran a depressing article about California fisherman throwing explosives as sea lions who threaten their catches. That is surely a good one to share with anybody who still eats fish.
The Washington Post ran an article (about which DC folks received an alert) which notes that Russia is in danger of backtracking and recommencing the killing of homeless dogs, seeming to make clear that the country has been light years ahead of the United States in this field for the past few years. Here's a gift link from DawnWatch to that one.
The UK's Daily Mail story on a proposed ban on the import of hunting trophies had an unfortunate slant, emphasizing those who suggests it "smacks of colonialism," but it shares the work of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting and lets us know that about celebs who have stepped up, including Ed Sheeran, and Joanna Lumley.
KOLO-8 in Nevada has covered a trooper whose "K9 partner was taken without the option to adopt her."
Moving to better news, we got a feel-good story from KHON-2 news about a dog whose barking saved his human's life after a mountain fall.
And another feel-good story from KOTV-6 in Oklahoma: "Animal Rescue Volunteers Seek Shelter From Ice At Gas Station With Dog, Newborn Puppies."
I posted a CNN Heroes segment I had somehow, sadly, missed in December but don't want anybody to entirely miss. It is about Dr Kwane Stewart, a veterinarian who has devoted himself to caring for the animal companions of humans who are without homes. It's a must watch!
And Psychology Today, which often runs animal friendly columns by Marc Bekoff, is currently running his piece tiled, "A Plant-Based Lifestyle Isn't Radical, It's Urgent and Simple: A vegan mindset has wide-ranging positive effects."
Finally, Netflix has a new hit documentary series, "You are what you eat!" Here's the trailer, and here's our fun chat about it during last week's "A Word about Animals," the weekly segment I am doing on Mondays on The Mark Thompson Show!
Yours and all animals',
Karen Dawn of DawnWatch
