Gene Baur and Joan Jett
Gene Baur - Founder Farm Sanctuary
Joan Jett - Musician
Host: Basima Farhat
Previously Aired On: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - Listen to the Show!
GENE BAUR grew up in Hollywood, California and worked in television, film and commercials, including some for McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants. Today, he campaigns to raise awareness about the negative consequences of industrialized factory farming and our cheap food system. He lives in rural New York state and is the co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary, America’s leading farm animal protection organization. Gene holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from California State University Northridge and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Cornell University.
After volunteering and working with various environmental and human rights causes, Gene turned his attention to animal agriculture. He has conducted hundreds of visits to farms, stockyards, and slaughterhouses to document conditions, and his pictures and videotape, exposing factory farming cruelty, have been aired nationally and internationally, educating millions. He has testified in court and before local, state and federal legislative bodies, and has initiated groundbreaking legal enforcement and legislative action to raise awareness and prevent factory farming abuses. He played a significant role in passing the first U.S. laws to prohibit cruel farming systems – including the Florida ban on gestation crates, the Arizona ban on veal and gestation crates, and the California and Chicago bans on foie gras. His efforts have been covered by leading news organizations, including the New York Times, The Larry King Show, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, National Public Radio, ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN. His book, entitled Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food, was published by Simon and Schuster in March, 2008 and has become a National best seller.
Please visit:
JOAN JETT is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.
Joan has been a force in pop culture since she was 15 years old. She is an originator, an innovator, a leader and a visionary. Not only is she an accomplished singer/songwriter/guitarist with eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles (including “bad reputation,” “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You”), she also has her own independent label, Blackheart Records. She has acted in movies (including 1987’s Light Of Day with Michael J. Fox and Jenna Rowlands) and a Tony nominated Broadway musical (The Rocky Horror Show). Shea also hosts her own weekly Sirius Satellite radio program on Faction.
A new film ‘The Runaways’ starring Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett, portrays the career of Joan and her all girl band’s journey to stardom.
Joan is a vegan and has been quite active in causes and organizations urging people to give up meat. Joan’s work with Farm Sanctuary include the recent ‘Farm Sanctuary Charity Buzz Auction’ in March with other celebrities such as Rachel Ray, Gloria Steinem, Janeane Garofalo, Joan Jett, Mariel Hemingway, Kelly Clarkson, and Bill Maher
to raise funds to support Farm Sanctuary’s rescue, education and advocacy efforts on behalf of farm animals.
Last Halloween Joan’s ‘Halloween Bash’ benefit also helped raise awareness and funding for Farm Sanctuary.
Please visit:
FROM FARM SANCTUARY:
In an ideal world, there would be no need for Farm Sanctuary. There would be no factory farms or stockyards, and cows, pigs, chickens, and other farm animals would not be abused. They would be free to laze in the breeze, bathe in the sun, scratch at the earth, and enjoy life.
Unfortunately, animals raised on today’s industrialized farms are treated like unfeeling commodities, and their basic needs are completely ignored. They are crowded in factory farm warehouses, and confined so tightly that they cannot walk, turn around or lie down comfortably. Farm animals are de-beaked, de-toed, tail-docked, confined, crowded, neglected and denied the very basics of life: fresh air, wholesome food, room to move and, most importantly, freedom.
Farm Sanctuary was founded in 1986 to combat the abuses of factory farming and to encourage a new awareness and understanding about “farm animals.” At Farm Sanctuary, these animals are our friends, not our food.
We started out by visiting farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses to document conditions, and we found animals literally left for dead. Hilda, a sheep found on a pile of dead animals behind Lancaster Stockyards, was the first animal to be rescued by Farm Sanctuary. She lived with us for more than a decade, and died of old age.
Through the years, we have rescued thousands of animals, and educated millions of people about their plight. People are shocked to learn about the intolerable conditions that are commonplace on today’s industrialized farms.
Our rescue and education work continues, as we advocate for laws and policies to prevent suffering and promote compassion. We are reaching out to legislators and businesses, and working to bring about institutional reforms.
When Farm Sanctuary started in 1986, it was a fledgling, all volunteer organization that was funded by sales of veggie hot dogs from a VW van. Today, Farm Sanctuary has grown to become the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, with hundreds of thousands of supporters. Farm Sanctuary remains solidly committed to our mission to end cruelty to farm animals and promote compassionate living through rescue, education and advocacy efforts. Please join us. After all, a compassionate world begins with you!
Please visit:
