Animals Matter
By Heather Moore
As we learn to treat one another with kindness and respect, we should remember to extend the same compassion to animals. Like us, animals feel pain, fear, sadness, love, joy, and an array of other complex emotions. Mohandas Gandhi, a man of true compassion, wanted people "to realize brotherhood or identity not merely with the beings called human, but with all life, even with such things as crawl upon earth." He believed that "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
In future columns, I will discuss in more detail some of the simple ways in which we can all make the world a better a place for animals as well as inspirational stories about our animal friends. In the meantime, here are three easy things you can do to help stop animal suffering:
1) Choose cruelty free cosmetics and cleaning supplies. Hundreds of companies, including Revlon, Almay, Estée Lauder, The Body Shop, Kiss My Face, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Method, Seventh Generation, and Citra-Solv, have pledged not to test their products on animals. See www.CaringConsumer.com for a complete list.
2) Help your local animal shelter; shelters are always in need of volunteers to walk dogs, play with animals, or donate blankets, kitty litter, food, and other supplies. If you have room in your heart and home, adopt an animal from a shelter. But remember, animals need a lifetime commitment; make sure you will have the time and patience to exercise and play with your animal companion, as well as the financial resources to pay for food, toys, and veterinary care. For other ways to help dogs and cats, visit www.HelpingAnimals.com.
3) Go vegetarian! Each vegetarian saves approximately 83 chickens, pigs, cows, and other farmed animals every year. Free vegetarian starter kits, including recipes, cooking and shopping tips, nutritional information, and more, are available at www.GoVeg.com.
I hope you will keep reading this column for more ideas, or check out Ingrid E. Newkirk's inspirational book, Making Kind Choices: Everyday Ways to Enhance Your Life Through Earth- and Animal-Friendly Living, available in most libraries and bookstores or at www.PETACatalog.com.
About the Author:
Heather Moore, 33, lives in Norfolk, Va. with her rescued dog, Carly. Heather is a senior writer for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a nonprofit international animal protection organization. She has worked at PETA for more than ten years. Heather has been a vegan-one who chooses not to wear, use, or eat any animal products-for more than 14 years. She frequently writes on animal rights issues as a freelance writer and for PETA, and has been published in IMPACT Press, Enlightened Practice Magazine, New Mobility, Satya, Wadi, Vivid, the Writer's Post Journal, and more. Heather can be reached via e-mail at HeatherM@PETA.org.
By Heather Moore
As we learn to treat one another with kindness and respect, we should remember to extend the same compassion to animals. Like us, animals feel pain, fear, sadness, love, joy, and an array of other complex emotions. Mohandas Gandhi, a man of true compassion, wanted people "to realize brotherhood or identity not merely with the beings called human, but with all life, even with such things as crawl upon earth." He believed that "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
In future columns, I will discuss in more detail some of the simple ways in which we can all make the world a better a place for animals as well as inspirational stories about our animal friends. In the meantime, here are three easy things you can do to help stop animal suffering:
1) Choose cruelty free cosmetics and cleaning supplies. Hundreds of companies, including Revlon, Almay, Estée Lauder, The Body Shop, Kiss My Face, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Method, Seventh Generation, and Citra-Solv, have pledged not to test their products on animals. See www.CaringConsumer.com for a complete list.
2) Help your local animal shelter; shelters are always in need of volunteers to walk dogs, play with animals, or donate blankets, kitty litter, food, and other supplies. If you have room in your heart and home, adopt an animal from a shelter. But remember, animals need a lifetime commitment; make sure you will have the time and patience to exercise and play with your animal companion, as well as the financial resources to pay for food, toys, and veterinary care. For other ways to help dogs and cats, visit www.HelpingAnimals.com.
3) Go vegetarian! Each vegetarian saves approximately 83 chickens, pigs, cows, and other farmed animals every year. Free vegetarian starter kits, including recipes, cooking and shopping tips, nutritional information, and more, are available at www.GoVeg.com.
I hope you will keep reading this column for more ideas, or check out Ingrid E. Newkirk's inspirational book, Making Kind Choices: Everyday Ways to Enhance Your Life Through Earth- and Animal-Friendly Living, available in most libraries and bookstores or at www.PETACatalog.com.
About the Author:
Heather Moore, 33, lives in Norfolk, Va. with her rescued dog, Carly. Heather is a senior writer for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a nonprofit international animal protection organization. She has worked at PETA for more than ten years. Heather has been a vegan-one who chooses not to wear, use, or eat any animal products-for more than 14 years. She frequently writes on animal rights issues as a freelance writer and for PETA, and has been published in IMPACT Press, Enlightened Practice Magazine, New Mobility, Satya, Wadi, Vivid, the Writer's Post Journal, and more. Heather can be reached via e-mail at HeatherM@PETA.org.
