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Elephant’s Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis presents:

Waylon Lewis is (again) with Elephant pal Gene Baur as they talk about veganism, loveable farm animals, and the inspiring, saving-the-world work Farm Sanctuary is doing. A fun, easy conversation about tough, passionate matters between two mindful, passionate gents.⁠

Scroll down to learn about how you can support Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt a Turkey Project which has encouraged people to symbolically adopt a rescued turkey at Thanksgiving instead of eating one since 1986.

“I was born in 1962 so the Vietnam War was happening. The Cold War was raging. And I was thinking, you know, what are we doing as a species? We’re causing harm to animals, to the earth, to ourselves. It doesn’t make sense. I didn’t want to be a cog in the wheel causing so much harm. That was the initial instinct. That was my gut. It was just me seeing what was happening, and feeling hurt. It just hurt.” ~ Gene Baur

A clip of our conversation: 

Or listen to the podcast:

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Gene: I’d been uncomfortable with factory farming. I didn’t like the whole system, but didn’t really understand that it was possible to live as a vegan. I went vegan in 1985: I thought, if I can live well without causing unnecessary harm, why wouldn’t I?”

Waylon: Was there any kind of social support for that?

Gene: Not much, not much. I mean, there were individuals and organizations that were thinking this way and challenging our food system. But it wasn’t nearly the movement it is today. And, you know, vegans are still very much a minority point of view.

Want the rest of this convo? Find it here.

“Being vegan is an aspiration to live as kindly as possible. It’s an aspiration to live as kindly as possible and it’s not an ingredient list, although certainly we don’t want to support certain cruel industries by buying products from those industries. But it’s really an aspiration. And it also recognizes that as human beings, we’re all imperfect.

Even the most vegan vegan is not perfect, and that’s okay. But we can always try to do better.” ~ Gene Baur

Comment from a reader: “I am 82 years young and have been a work in progress to being vegan for the last couple of years. A late bloomer. Gene Bauer is a great inspiration for me. Thank you.” 

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This November, we can all aspire to live a little more kindly with the help of Farm Sanctuary: 

Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt a Turkey Project has encouraged people to symbolically adopt a rescued turkey at Thanksgiving instead of eating one.

With a donation of $35, you can symbolically adopt a rescued turkey living at Farm Sanctuary.

Your sponsorship gift helps provide for your turkey’s day-to-day needs—including food, straw bedding, and medical care. It also supports Farm Sanctuary’s rescue, education, and advocacy work on behalf of turkeys still entrapped within America’s farming system.

“Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt a Turkey Project provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about these animals and to show them kindness and respect. By adopting a turkey, you enable Farm Sanctuary to care for turkeys rescued from slaughter, in addition to educating people about the abuses of factory farming and advocating for a more just and compassionate food system. I encourage everyone to consider adopting a turkey this Thanksgiving season.” ~ Gene Baur

Follow Farm Sanctuary on Instagram for more inspiring posts or check out their website.

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Want more? Check out last week’s
Walk the Talk Show episode:

https://www.elephantjournal.com/2023/10/collective-narcissism-with-jeanine-canty-walk-the-talk-show-video-podcast/