Explainer

Explainer

Inside the Dark World of Rabbit Farming

Rabbit is often celebrated as the "most sustainable" meat, but it emits more carbon per kilogram than both chicken and pork and causes millions of animals to suffer.

Food•6 min read

Explainer

How Animal Agriculture Is Accelerating the Climate Crisis

Move over, fossil fuels. The meat and dairy industries have a much bigger part to play in the climate crisis than most people are willing to admit.

Big Meat•2 min read

Explainer

Plant-Based Foods: Better for You and the Environment

The numerous environmental benefits of eating plant-based foods have been well-documented. Animal agriculture is a primary driver behind climate change.

Climate•9 min read

Explainer

Can Permaculture Help Us Build More Resilient Communities?

Permaculture is a way of farming that seeks to work with nature instead of against it. But the use of the term is widely contested as a form of cultural…

Climate•13 min read

Explainer

U.S. Department of Agriculture: Who Does the USDA Really Serve?

Since its inception in 1861, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's primary function was to serve the interests of farmers, often at the expense of public health and the environment.

Food•9 min read

Explainer

What Animals Can Teach Us About the World We Share

So much of our lives are oriented towards other humans instead of animals. But learning these facts about animals may help you better understand the world we share.

Research•12 min read

Explainer

32 Vegan Meat Substitutes That We’re Excited About

The popularity of vegan meat substitutes in supermarkets in the United States and around the world is growing. Check out a few of our favorites.

Diet•14 min read

Explainer

Are Cage-Free Eggs Really Better for Chickens?

More and more consumers are choosing cage-free eggs, but producers are still unsure of what the term even means. That could be bad news for layer hens.

Food•7 min read

Explainer

The Number One Threat to Marine Animals

Human activity is threatening marine animals' way of life. Instead of asking ourselves how we can fish more sustainably, we should ask what we need to do to ensure their…

Climate•12 min read

Explainer

How the Hunt for Shark Fins Is Endangering the Oceans

The shark fin trade claims the lives of 73 million sharks per year. What exactly is shark finning, and why does is it pose such a danger to the oceans?

Climate•9 min read

Explainer

30 Common Misconceptions About Veganism Debunked

There's a lot of misinformation and poorly researched content available online claiming to debunk the common misconceptions about veganism. But what’s the real story?

Diet•10 min read

Explainer

Can Chicken Farming Really Be Sustainable?

Despite the industry's best efforts to hide behind labels that make chicken farming appear more eco-friendly, it still has devastating consequences for animals and the environment.

Big Meat•17 min read

Explainer

Biochar: A Valuable Tool in the Fight Against Climate Change

As transformative and applicable as biochar may be, it will have little effect on the overall sustainability of our food system if agricultural practices otherwise remain the same.

Big Meat•8 min read

Explainer

Why Protein Isn’t a Problem for Vegans

How do vegans get protein, you ask? Surprisingly, a balanced vegan diet contains more than enough protein to meet one’s nutritional needs.

Health•15 min read

Explainer

Can Animals Catch Coronavirus? What You Can Do to Protect Them

If you share your home with a companion animal, you might be asking, can animals catch coronavirus? Here's what you need to know to keep your pets COVID-free.

Health•8 min read

Explainer

Coronavirus & Animals: Can Humans Give Animals COVID-19?

Can humans become hosts and infect animals with COVID-19? To answer that question, you need to understand where the novel coronavirus came from.

Health•6 min read

Explainer

Milk Pollution in Rivers: The World’s Clean Water Is at Risk

Milk pollution in rivers is a serious problem. About 2.1 billion people still do not have access to safe drinking water, and many of them have the dairy industry to…

Climate•7 min read

Explainer

How Does Dairy Farming Cause Water Pollution?

Environmentalists have been at odds with corporate agriculture for years, and while dairy farmers often slip under the radar, they're not off the hook. So we asked, how does dairy…

Climate•10 min read

Explainer

The Complicated Ethics of Eating Fish

The ethics of eating fish are lost on most consumers because they rarely stop to think about what—or who—they are eating.

Diet•9 min read

Explainer

McDonald’s Animal Cruelty: Secrets of the Fast Food Industry

McDonald's animal cruelty record is far from perfect. The company has been under fire after multiple investigations exposed cruelty at its chicken suppliers.

Food•6 min read

Explainer

Live Animal Export: How Many Animals Die During Transport?

Live animal export is one of the single greatest threats to animal welfare. Every year, billions of animals are crammed into cargo holds, and many don't make it out alive.

Food•8 min read

Explainer

Fish Farming Is Not as Sustainable as We Thought

Fish farming was supposed to be a more sustainable way to meet the global demand for seafood. But as aquaculture gains in popularity, so does its environmental impact.

Fisheries & Aquaculture•8 min read

Explainer

Coronavirus: Did Animal Agriculture Cause COVID-19?

Factory farming poses a serious pandemic risk, which begs the question: Did animal agriculture cause COVID-19?

Health•9 min read

Explainer

Factory Farms Are the Perfect Breeding Grounds for Zoonotic Diseases

Factory farms are filthy and unnatural, housing tens of thousands of animals at a time. These conditions increase the spread of zoonotic diseases from animals to human beings.

Health•8 min read

Explainer

Outgrowing the Chicken House: A Brief History of the Modern Broiler Industry

Today, corporate agriculture raises broiler chickens by the billions, producing birds that have not only outgrown their own bodies but are capable of outgrowing the industry itself.

Food•9 min read

Explainer

Plant-Based Meat: A Brighter Future for Food?

Plant-based meat is growing in popularity around the world. Could it reshape the future of food, helping both the climate and animals alike?

Diet•7 min read

Explainer

Animal Agriculture and Its Negative Impact on Climate Change

One of the most overlooked factors of accelerated climate change is animal agriculture. Could changes to the human diet help us slow down the climate crisis?

Big Meat•8 min read

Explainer

Wet Markets and the Risk of Transmitting Zoonotic Diseases

Wet markets can be places of profound animal suffering, out of which arise life-threatening diseases like the novel coronavirus. And they exist all over the world.

Health•13 min read

Explainer

Farmed Animals: The Exploitation of Animals on Factory Farms

Farmed animals represent an ever-growing number of animals that are raised, exploited, and slaughtered for fashion and food. These are animals who have few rights and zero freedom.

Food•23 min read

Explainer

Sentience: What It Means and Why It’s Important

Human sentience is widely understood and accepted, while the sentience of other species, including farmed animals, is increasingly recognized.

Science•4 min read

Explainer

Coronavirus (COVID-19): What Is It and How Does It Spread?

The latest pandemic COVID-19, is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. How does it spread, how did it start, and what do you need to know?

Health•21 min read

Explainer

What Each Major Religion Says About Animal Rights

Animal rights and religion overlap in more ways than are currently spoken about or reported on. Here are what the most practiced religions say regarding animals rights.

Culture•10 min read

Explainer

There’s Nothing “Humane” About Killing Pigs in Gas Chambers

CO2 gassing is standard practice among the world’s largest pork producers, but not because it’s more humane, as the industry promises.

Factory Farms•5 min read

Explainer

Agriculture and Climate Change: Environmental Impact of Factory Farming

News anchors broadcast about it, scientists are scrambling for ways to reverse it, and consumers unknowingly contribute to it. What is it? Climate change.

Big Meat•17 min read

Explainer

These Foods Are Threatened by Climate Change

Climate scientist Ryan Towell from the Climate Reality Project explains which foods will be harder to produce as a result of climate change - and which foods are making it…

Climate•2 min read

Explainer

How Your Diet Contributes to Climate Change—in Three Graphs

Eating less meat and dairy is the single best way to reduce your climate impact. How does your diet stack up?

Climate•6 min read

Explainer

Your Guide to Slashing Single-Use Plastic

Plastic consumption is on the rise, but so are the innovative ways to ditch it. This guide will help you to reduce single-use plastic and set you up for plastic-free…

Climate•8 min read

Explainer

JBS USA: Behind America’s Leading Meat Processor

JBS USA is a leading American meat processor responsible for some of the worst recalls, environmental scandals, and animal cruelty cases ever seen before.

Food•14 min read

Explainer

Tyson Foods: How Many Chickens Does Tyson Kill Per Day?

Tyson Foods produces 20 percent of the United States’ chicken, pork, and beef products. Their market dominance is won at the cost of cruelty to animals, harm to the environment,…

Food•12 min read

Explainer

Smithfield Foods: How Many Pigs Does Smithfield Slaughter Per Day?

An estimated 121 million pigs are slaughtered every year in the United States, and one pork producer is responsible for over 15 million of those deaths.

Food•12 min read

Explainer

Go Vegan: A Practical Vegan Guide for Beginners

Going vegan has never been easier. As grocery stores and restaurants add new vegan options and more information becomes available online, going vegan is the logical answer to anyone looking…

Diet•16 min read

Explainer

How Many Vegans Are There Really in the U.S.?

It's a controversial question. So we put together a comprehensive timeline tracking 24 surveys of vegans over the past 25 years.

Diet•8 min read

Explainer

Fast Food’s Not-So-Secret Vegan (and Vegetarian) Menus

Making the most out of a not-so-good thing can feel, well, kinda good, like ordering off of the secret vegan and vegetarian menu at your local fast food joint. It’s…

Diet•5 min read

Explainer

The Western Diet: Processed Foods and Meats Are Killing Us

Over the years, the Western Diet has created numerous dangers for people who follow it. Unfortunately, many of those people don’t realize they’re harming their body or are unwilling to…

Diet•13 min read

Explainer

Vegan Weight Loss: Why Veganism Goes Beyond Just Your Diet

Healthy weight loss involves a well-balanced diet, plenty of exercise, and a true understanding of how your actions impact your health. That goes for vegans, too.

Diet•11 min read

Explainer

Vegan Health: What You Need to Know About the Vegan Diet

Vegan health is an important topic for everyone, even if you’re not quite vegan yet. The more you learn about your food choices as well as other things that impact…

Diet•13 min read

Explainer

The Meat Industry and Their Deceitful Marketing Messages

The idea that we need to consume meat to remain healthy is a myth rooted in a culture with customs of eating meat and in an industry that wants to…

Food•13 min read

Explainer

The Flexitarian Phenomenon

Animals are suffering. The climate is on the brink. People are dying from preventable diseases, and it all starts with what we eat.

Diet•6 min read

Explainer

What Are Free-Range Chickens?

Chickens and laying hens that have continuous access outside are considered “free-range” as labeled by the USDA. For egg-producing hens, this access must be available throughout their laying cycle. The…

Food•1 min read

Explainer

What Is the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act?

In 1971, President Richard Nixon signed the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the first federal legislation of its kind designated to protect the nation’s wild horse population on both…

Factory Farms•1 min read