How I Learned to Love Shrimp

There are not many people who have spent time in prison for their commitment to help animals, but Tom Harris is one of them. We spoke with Tom about his time in the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaign (SHAC), one of the most well-known animal rights campaigns of the last 20-30 years.

We speak about why he thinks the campaign was so effective in applying pressure to companies, things he would do differently, common misconceptions about the SHAC campaign and the importance of grassroots advocacy in the animal rights movement. We also spend a bit of time talking about his future plans for rebuilding the grassroots advocacy scene in the UK so stick around to the end for some exciting plans.

Resources: 

• Your Neighbour Kills Puppies: Tom Harris
• SHAC Justice Site - The campaign to have the convictions appealed
• Contact Information
• Email Contact for SHAC Justice

00:00:00:00 | Intro
00:02:14:01 | A recent mistake others can learn from
00:04:46:18 | SHAC (Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty)
00:12:02:22 | Lord Sainsbury
00:16:11:20 | Secondary Targeting
00:19:19:18 | Misconceptions about SHAC
00:24:55:18 | Losing local activist groups
00:35:17:05 | Lessons learned from SHAC campaign
00:38:18:09 | Prison sentence
00:46:32:17 | Benefit of focusing on one target
00:54:04:04 | Future work with local groups
01:09:57:05 | The SHAC Justice Campaign
01:19:28:21 | Closing questions

With thanks to Tom Felbar (Ambedo Media) for amazing video and audio editing!

Note: My (James') views here are my personal opinions and don't represent those of Coefficient Giving.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - it means a lot to us!

Jakub Stencel is the recently appointed interim director of Anima International. A refreshingly candid conversation about organisational culture, transparency and its limits, as well as the constant journey of testing and learning that Anima undertakes. 

Jakub talks us through his thinking on culture in an expanding organisation, split across multiple countries and how his first important task as interim director is to assess whether Anima International should continue to exist, or, if other organisational structures could save time, resource and increase impact for animals.

Resources:

• Fearless Organisation - Amy Edmondson
• Kirsty Henderson Blog Post
• No Rules Rules – Erin Meyer
• Powerful – Patty McCord
• Swarmwise - Rick Falkvinge
• Culture Map - Erin Meyer
• 80,000 hours podcast
• Anima international Blog 
• Keyvan Mostafavi Blog: Fighting animal suffering: beyond the number of animals killed
• Robert Sutton – No Asshole Rule
• The E-myth Revisited
• Anima International

00:00:00:00 | Intro
00:02:00:03 | A recent mistake others can learn from
00:06:30:09 | Early days of Anima International
00:10:39:20 | Work culture and transparency
00:18:10:10 | How has this approach shaped the work at Anima?
00:26:01:09 | Importance of small rituals
00:32:50:23 | Building psychological safety
00:35:45:06 | Hiring process
00:46:23:07 | The transparent leadership transition
00:52:42:18 | Vision for Anima International
01:01:05:08 | Biggest mistake of Anima International
01:13:51:05 | Closing questions

With thanks to Tom Felbar (Ambedo Media) for amazing video and audio editing!

Note: My (James') views here are my personal opinions and don't represent those of Coefficient Giving.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - it means a lot to us!

Rune-Christoffer is an impressive person. In addition to being almost 10ft tall, he led the Vegetarian Society of Denmark’s efforts in getting the Danish government to invest over 110 million Euros in plant-based foods and develop an Action Plan to boost plant-based foods in the country. 

Given this is one of the most significant policy wins the animal advocacy and plant-based movement has seen in recent years, we chat about how they built the political will to achieve this. We speak about the importance of building coalitions, developing relationships with politicians, and even engaging with the animal agriculture industry. We also speak about their plans to scale this work in the EU so stick around to the end if you want some optimistic and ambitious next steps.

Resources: 

• Denmark’s Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods
• Strategy of the Plant-Based Food Grant
• Plant-Based R&D strategy made in collaboration with farmers
• Ishmael – Daniel Quinn
• Meat: A Natural Symbol – Nick Fiddes 
• Meat: A Benign Extravaganza – Simon Fairlie
• In Defense of Food – Michael Pollan

00:00:00:00 | Intro
00:02:26:23 | A recent mistake others can learn from
00:04:30:12 | Action Plan for Plant-based Foods
00:08:20:01 | The Plant-Based Food Grant
00:17:22:12 | Key things that helped on the way to success
00:24:59:13 | Whole-Food and Plant-Based diet
00:28:35:17 | Building relationships
00:37:06:14 | Stance of the Meat industry
00:41:40:18 | Organic Denmark
00:46:57:16 | Collaboration with other organisations
00:51:54:04 | Tactical tips
00:58:31:03 | Plan for expanding through EU
01:10:45:20 | Working with more challenging countries
01:17:49:12 | Closing questions

With thanks to Tom Felbar (Ambedo Media) for amazing video and audio editing!

Note: My (James') views here are my personal opinions and don't represent those of Coefficient Giving.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - it means a lot to us!

Giulia Malerbi is attempting to prevent octopus from being intensively farmed for food. As head of Global policy at The Aquatic Life Institute, Giulia’s important work aims to stop intensive octopus farming before it even begins and has hopefully contributed to the passing of some groundbreaking legislation to support this ban. 

A really refreshing episode about the complexities of advocating for such an unknown species with the ins and outs of why farming this inquisitive species is so problematic from multiple perspectives.

Resources:

• Aquatic Life Institute's Campaign Page
• The Soul of an Octopus - book
• My Octopus Teacher - documentary 
• EA Forum Post - Banning Octopus Farming
• ALI Fish Policy
• Octopus ban campaign

00:00:00:00 | Intro
00:01:42:13 | A recent mistake others can learn from
00:06:39:12 | Octopus farming in the United States
00:16:36:18 | Octopus welfare challenges
00:32:21:20 | Strategy behind choosing focus on octopuses
00:43:14:03 | Global campaign against octopus farming
00:48:38:09 | Industry reasons for farming octopus
00:53:57:00 | Other projects of Aquatic Life Institute
00:57:51:14 | How important is public opinion to politicians and legislators
01:03:17:05 | Closing questions

With thanks to Tom Felbar (Ambedo Media) for amazing video and audio editing!

Note: My (James') views here are my personal opinions and don't represent those of Coefficient Giving.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - it means a lot to us!

Wu Hung trained as a monk before his journey into animal advocacy began and it is these teachings in the  ‘inconsistencies of life’ that led him to believe he could change the future for animals in Taiwan. 

Through liaising with government officials, top business people and the general public, as well as predictable pushback from the industry, navigating the complexities of a relatively new movement in Taiwan has not been easy for EAST. We hear about these challenges and also how members of the global north can support this important work in Taiwan. 

Relevant links to things mentioned throughout the show:

• EAST website

00:00:00:00 | Intro
00:02:32:07 | A recent mistake others can learn from
00:06:44:05 | Wu Hung's beginning in the animal rights movement
00:10:48:11 | The Movement in Taiwan
00:19:00:13 | Welfare challenges specific to Taiwan
00:26:12:11 | Food security and quality
00:32:59:10 | Cage free eggs in supermarkets
00:37:59:18 | Main focus area of EAST
00:40:56:23 | Cage free commitments
00:47:27:01 | Fish welfare campaign
00:54:31:18 | Staying motivated with Buddhism
00:59:18:23 | Closing questions

With thanks to Tom Felbar (Ambedo Media) for amazing video and audio editing!

Note: My (James') views here are my personal opinions and don't represent those of Coefficient Giving.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - it means a lot to us!

Léo Le Ster is a campaigner at L214, a French NGO focused on helping farm animals. Léo talks to us about L214’s creative campaigning tactics and the importance of open and collaborative brainstorming when it comes to generating new ideas.

Léo gives us an update on the state of the movement in France and insight into their organisation with a multi-tactic approach from investigations and campaigning to education programmes and lobbying.

Relevant links to things mentioned throughout the show:

>> Podcast Feedback Form << 

• John Cleese on creativity
• BBC Connections on inventions 
• Peter Singer book on Henry Spira – Ethics into Action
• Burger King campaign
• Le Gaulois campaign with a specially designed truck 
• Transparency on L214 funds
  • 9 million € budget in 2023. 100 employees. Equal salary for everyone. French median salary.
  • 76% of funding comes from donations. 16% from the Open Philanthropy
  • 78% of our funding goes to our missions. 15% operating costs. 6% fundraising.
• Aaron Ross CARE talk on negotiation 
• L214 Politique Animal website – Database of MPs positions on animals 

00:00 // Intro
02:55 // A recent mistake others can learn from
05:51 // Origin of L214
11:44 // Creative campaigning
26:59 // Brainstorming
32:24 // Seriousness and playfulness
40:14 // Meat consumption by 2030
44:45 // L214 Education programme
48:19 // Politics in France
57:44 // Campaigns during Olympic Games and Tour de France
01:05:17 // Closing questions

With thanks to Tom Felbar (Ambedo Media) for amazing video and audio editing!

Note: My (James') views here are my personal opinions and don't represent those of Coefficient Giving.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - it means a lot to us!

In this short 10 minute clip we announce a brief hiatus and use this time to chat through some episodes we want to highlight which we recommend checking out in the short break.

We also have a small ask of our listeners - please could you fill out this feedback form so we can best understand how and if to take the podcast forward? It should take around 5 minutes to complete and will influence how we might progress. 

Episodes will resume as normal from the 27th August.

With thanks to Tom Felbar (Ambedo Media) for amazing video and audio editing!

Note: My (James') views here are my personal opinions and don't represent those of Coefficient Giving.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - it means a lot to us!

Mahi Klosterhalfen from Albert Schweitzer Foundation brings us exciting progress for animals in Germany. Mahi walks us through his work on cage-free, broilers and also now fish and shrimps and why Germany seems to be one of very few countries where meat consumption per capita is declining. 

We also dive into some thought provoking questions around running an organisation and why as a movement leader, sharing of mistakes is so important. Super interesting chat from a really knowledgeable long-term member of this space - well worth a listen. 

Relevant links to things mentioned throughout the show:

• Podcast: Feedback Form
• Fundamental Wellbeing Foundation 
• 45 Days to Awakening
• Freeletics
• Albert Schweitzer Stiftung Site
• Website in English
• Josh Balk episode on shareholder advocacy 
• The Leadership Exchange - Liana Paris LinkedIn
• Lidl lowering the cost of plant-based products 
• Declining meat consumption in Germany 
• Agency vs scarcity article 
• Radical Candour book 
• Animal Welfare League post on FAST Forum
• AVA Summit Talk (not yet live but will be hosted here)

00:00:00:00 | Intro
00:08:09:13 | Progress with retailers and producers
00:17:47:13 | Lower welfare fresh meat by 2030.
00:24:42:09 | Results of legal actions by the Foundation
00:42:26:01 | Meat tax that might finance animal welfare improvements
00:50:05:11 | Public opinion of animal welfare in Germany
00:57:47:11 | Future plans and campaigns
00:59:07:17 | Mistakes that Leaders make
01:11:17:02 | How to be a better Leader?
01:16:26:02 | Closing questions

With thanks to Tom Felbar (Ambedo Media) for amazing video and audio editing!

Note: My (James') views here are my personal opinions and don't represent those of Coefficient Giving.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - it means a lot to us!

Tania Luna brings us a wealth of knowledge this week as she walks us through the best working practices of organisations seeking to support animals that must integrally include the human animals that work to protect others.

Tania’s team apply their wealth of experience in the tech space to the animal advocacy space supporting organisations to prioritise employee health and well being in pursuit of our common goal: increasing the sustainability and efficiency of our work. Tania offers top tips, learnings from supporting organisations so far and explains more about their service at Scarlet Spark and how they can support you.

If you are interested in movement health and especially if you are a leader who could benefit from advice on running an organisation, no matter how big or small or someone who has the desire to run an organisation in the future - this is the perfect episode. 

• Leadership office hours for any leadership challenges and questions (open to the entire animal protection community).
• Workshops every month to brush up on your leadership skills (recordings available if you can’t make it live).
• Animal Advocacy Careers Advice
• Peter Draker? Managed gets done
• James Penny Baker - writing 15 minutes 
• LifeLabs Learning – Catalyst program for small nonprofits 
• Tool library for templates and guides that fortify your teams and organisation. 
• The Scarlet newsLetter for new resources and updates about free events and other learning and development opportunities.
• LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook for ongoing tips.
• Tania’s latest book, Lead Together, on shared power leadership
• Tania’s last book (The Leader Lab) on management and leadership skills.
• 4000 weeks – oliver burkeman 
• 2023 study on leadership challenges in animal protection
  
  00:00:00:00 | Intro
  00:07:22:13 | Scarlet Spark
  00:15:34:08 | Optimal team size
  00:17:33:15 | Importance of investing in employee well-being
  00:26:53:08 | Rola clarity as Founder
  00:37:04:20 | What can Organizations expect from Scarlet Spark
  00:45:40:10 | Personal growth in leadership
  00:52:11:11 | Identifying problems for leaders
  00:56:38:14 | Morning pages
  01:09:24:18 | Leader Lab
  01:16:14:10 | Closing questions

With thanks to Tom Felbar (Ambedo Media) for amazing video and audio editing!

Note: My (James') views here are my personal opinions and don't represent those of Coefficient Giving.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - it means a lot to us!

An absolute treat of an episode this week as we were asked to interview long-time advocates Leah Garcés and Sharon Núñez, live from the Animal and Vegan advocacy summit in Washington DC in May earlier this year.

From anger in Leah’s 20’s to some eye opening potential prison-time in the past for Sharon, our esteemed guests walk us through their experiences over the last 20 years of their tireless work for animals. A nostalgic and powerful look back and projection forward from these two powerhouse leaders. 

Leah Garcés is president of Mercy For Animals and author of Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry. She has nearly 20 years of leadership experience in the animal protection movement and has partnered with some of the world’s largest food companies on her mission to build a better food system.

Sharon Núñez is the co-founder and president of Animal Equality, a leading international animal protection organization ranked as one of the most effective animal rights organizations in the world for three consecutive years by Animal Charity Evaluators.

Show notes to follow..

00:00:00:00 | Intro
00:01:10:10 | How have things changed in the past 20 years?
00:06:10:16 | What sparked a different approach for a long fight?
00:14:42:16 | Key challenges over the past 20 years
00:22:22:15 | Resources
00:28:01:10 | Strategic lessons
00:34:46:01 | Personal lessons
00:41:35:05 | Can we be optimistic with the change of the last 20 years?
00:45:47:14 | Should resources be going to new organizations or the largest ones?
00:49:19:16 | How do you balance work in the Movement and your personal life?
00:53:27:02 | What has to be done to fulfill all the corporate commitment in the next few years

With thanks to Tom Felbar (Ambedo Media) for amazing video and audio editing!

Note: My (James') views here are my personal opinions and don't represent those of Coefficient Giving.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - it means a lot to us!