1
00:00:14,751 --> 00:00:16,502
"Where's Papa going with that axe?"

2
00:00:16,503 --> 00:00:19,960
said Fearne to her mother as
they were setting the table for breakfast.

3
00:00:19,961 --> 00:00:22,626
Fearne's mother explains
that a piglet was born a runt

4
00:00:22,627 --> 00:00:24,253
and is unlikely to survive.

5
00:00:24,254 --> 00:00:26,221
Fearne's father intends to kill him.

6
00:00:26,222 --> 00:00:27,549
Fearne runs outside.

7
00:00:28,784 --> 00:00:30,990
"Please don't kill him. It's unfair!

8
00:00:30,991 --> 00:00:33,098
He couldn't help
being born small, could he?

9
00:00:33,099 --> 00:00:36,015
If I had been very small at birth,
would you have killed me?"

10
00:00:37,432 --> 00:00:41,405
"Certainly not. A little girl is
one thing, a runty little pig is another."

11
00:00:42,873 --> 00:00:43,896
"I see no difference.

12
00:00:43,897 --> 00:00:47,030
This is the most terrible case
of injustice I've ever heard of."

13
00:00:49,599 --> 00:00:52,298
Maybe it was those lines
from "Charlotte's Web"

14
00:00:52,299 --> 00:00:54,782
that made an impact on me as child.

15
00:00:54,783 --> 00:00:58,010
Just as Charlotte's web
was woven to save Wilbur's life,

16
00:00:58,011 --> 00:01:00,667
my mind started to think about
how we're all connected.

17
00:01:01,507 --> 00:01:05,474
Or maybe it was Disney's fault
for helping me see and hear

18
00:01:05,476 --> 00:01:08,305
Bambi's fear after losing
his mother to a hunter.

19
00:01:09,185 --> 00:01:11,376
Or the tears
streaming down Dumbo's face

20
00:01:11,377 --> 00:01:15,434
as his mother caressed him with her trunk
when she was chained in a circus car.

21
00:01:16,228 --> 00:01:19,673
It could have been growing up in Texas
and seeing the cows in the fields

22
00:01:19,674 --> 00:01:22,956
and imagining, "What would it be like
if one of them didn't come home

23
00:01:22,957 --> 00:01:24,989
because of my hamburger?"

24
00:01:24,989 --> 00:01:27,908
The worry, the fear
the others would experience.

25
00:01:28,988 --> 00:01:31,409
Or perhaps it was my parents' divorce.

26
00:01:31,411 --> 00:01:34,410
I can't say that it was just one thing
that started me thinking

27
00:01:34,411 --> 00:01:37,940
about the families of all sentient beings,
but it is a part of who I am

28
00:01:37,941 --> 00:01:40,586
and helps form the choices
that I make in my life.

29
00:01:43,025 --> 00:01:45,938
The thought of losing my mum
or one of my sisters

30
00:01:45,939 --> 00:01:48,080
was a real fear for me growing up.

31
00:01:48,081 --> 00:01:50,680
I was even hurt when my sisters
went away to college.

32
00:01:50,681 --> 00:01:52,280
This was my family.

33
00:01:52,281 --> 00:01:54,355
I didn't want us to be separated.

34
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Whatever the cause,
I decided at a young age

35
00:01:57,376 --> 00:01:59,750
that I would help make choices
that would minimize

36
00:01:59,764 --> 00:02:01,341
the suffering of sentient beings.

37
00:02:01,342 --> 00:02:04,070
Such as wearing non leather boots.

38
00:02:04,071 --> 00:02:07,299
If you remember one thing
from my talk today let it be this:

39
00:02:07,300 --> 00:02:11,835
uninformed food choices can contribute
to the suffering of sentient beings.

40
00:02:11,836 --> 00:02:14,902
Therefore, your food choices
can change the world.

41
00:02:16,504 --> 00:02:19,384
I went vegetarian for the first time
when I was young.

42
00:02:19,385 --> 00:02:24,847
My mother told me that the chicken
I was eating was, well, a chicken.

43
00:02:26,087 --> 00:02:29,100
I remember being in line
in elementary school in the cafeteria

44
00:02:29,101 --> 00:02:32,964
and asking the server not to put meat
on my cheese enchiladas.

45
00:02:32,965 --> 00:02:34,915
She asked if I was a vegetarian.

46
00:02:34,916 --> 00:02:36,405
In my young mind, I wondered

47
00:02:36,406 --> 00:02:39,685
why she thought I was old enough
to take care of sick dogs and cats.

48
00:02:39,686 --> 00:02:40,904
(Laughter)

49
00:02:40,905 --> 00:02:41,940
I told her no.

50
00:02:43,544 --> 00:02:46,886
When I was a teenager, I was able
to stick with my commitment better.

51
00:02:46,887 --> 00:02:51,072
My mum would make me a separate meal
such as enchiladas with corn inside.

52
00:02:51,073 --> 00:02:54,147
When I was in high school,
she just learned to make quiche.

53
00:02:54,148 --> 00:02:56,547
And then, I went vegan.

54
00:02:57,485 --> 00:02:58,919
She said, "I give up."

55
00:02:59,361 --> 00:03:02,504
I told her, I'll eat peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches every day

56
00:03:02,505 --> 00:03:05,161
if I have to to stick
with my commitment to go vegan.

57
00:03:05,911 --> 00:03:08,954
Over time, I've learned more
about the tragedy of the separation

58
00:03:08,955 --> 00:03:12,601
of these animals and the bonds 
that exist when they're together.

59
00:03:12,602 --> 00:03:15,309
I've adjusted my choices
not to contribute to this.

60
00:03:16,466 --> 00:03:18,977
Mother cows, used in the dairy industry,

61
00:03:18,978 --> 00:03:21,824
have their babies
taken away from them after birth.

62
00:03:21,825 --> 00:03:25,559
Because these large, magnificent mothers
will fight to be with their babies.

63
00:03:26,346 --> 00:03:29,301
In Southern Georgia,
I had the heartbreaking opportunity

64
00:03:29,302 --> 00:03:34,105
to videotape a mother cow crying
after she'd been separated from her baby.

65
00:03:34,106 --> 00:03:36,906
Her calf would bellow,
and she would respond.

66
00:03:36,907 --> 00:03:39,907
(Cow laments)

67
00:03:40,847 --> 00:03:43,178
I sat in the meeting
with a small dairy farmer

68
00:03:43,179 --> 00:03:44,848
from Washington who told a story

69
00:03:44,849 --> 00:03:48,007
about a cow who had enough of him
taking her babies away.

70
00:03:48,732 --> 00:03:51,455
According to him,
the cow had given birth to twins

71
00:03:51,456 --> 00:03:54,116
and when he couldn't find
one of them, he went looking.

72
00:03:54,958 --> 00:03:58,029
He eventually found
that she had hidden one of them.

73
00:03:58,030 --> 00:04:01,488
According to him,
she was trying to protect her baby.

74
00:04:02,328 --> 00:04:04,363
I've since learned this happens often.

75
00:04:04,843 --> 00:04:06,236
But it's not just cows.

76
00:04:06,237 --> 00:04:08,366
Pregnant pigs
in a more natural environment

77
00:04:08,367 --> 00:04:12,308
build nests before they give birth,
collecting branches in their mouths.

78
00:04:12,918 --> 00:04:15,460
Mother hens will use
different vocalizations

79
00:04:15,461 --> 00:04:17,797
to protect their chicks from predators.

80
00:04:17,798 --> 00:04:21,845
Just like any mother, they want
to protect their babies from harm.

81
00:04:21,846 --> 00:04:25,326
Just like human animals,
these animals feel pain.

82
00:04:27,310 --> 00:04:30,201
We are so detached
from animals in our society,

83
00:04:30,202 --> 00:04:33,970
and we are also so detached from the means
in which our food is produced.

84
00:04:35,057 --> 00:04:36,559
I eventually made a decision

85
00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,059
that I wanted to focus
my energy on our food choices

86
00:04:39,060 --> 00:04:40,924
and how they can make a difference.

87
00:04:40,925 --> 00:04:42,366
We eat several times a day,

88
00:04:42,367 --> 00:04:45,647
and each food choice
says something about ourselves.

89
00:04:45,648 --> 00:04:50,071
I believe, our individual food choices
and collective voices can have an impact.

90
00:04:51,486 --> 00:04:53,647
By going vegan,
I knew I was doing my part

91
00:04:53,648 --> 00:04:56,815
not to contribute to the suffering
of non human animals.

92
00:04:56,816 --> 00:04:58,674
But what about my food?

93
00:04:58,675 --> 00:05:00,842
What about the farm workers?

94
00:05:00,843 --> 00:05:04,107
I can simply stop eating animals
as a means of not contributing

95
00:05:04,108 --> 00:05:05,707
to their suffering.

96
00:05:05,708 --> 00:05:07,871
But it's not as easy with farm workers.

97
00:05:07,872 --> 00:05:10,181
Everyone needs
their fruits and vegetables.

98
00:05:10,991 --> 00:05:14,108
In the US, millions
of farm workers pick our food.

99
00:05:14,109 --> 00:05:17,169
Not just the food of vegans,
but all of our food.

100
00:05:17,759 --> 00:05:22,923
It is estimated that approximately 400,000
of these farm workers are children.

101
00:05:24,751 --> 00:05:29,126
In California, many farm workers
live in substandard labor camps,

102
00:05:29,136 --> 00:05:32,391
are homeless along our creeks
and our rivers.

103
00:05:32,392 --> 00:05:34,963
They don't make enough
to put a roof over their head,

104
00:05:34,964 --> 00:05:37,607
and yet they put food on our plates.

105
00:05:38,133 --> 00:05:42,050
They work in extreme temperatures,
exposed to agricultural chemicals,

106
00:05:42,051 --> 00:05:44,499
many can't even afford or have access

107
00:05:44,500 --> 00:05:47,715
to the types of fruits
and vegetables they're picking.

108
00:05:48,645 --> 00:05:50,573
It is estimated in California

109
00:05:50,574 --> 00:05:55,365
that the average life span
of a strawberry picker is 49 years.

110
00:05:57,209 --> 00:05:59,418
Groups like the Coalition
of Immokalee Workers

111
00:05:59,419 --> 00:06:01,301
are making great strides in this area

112
00:06:01,302 --> 00:06:05,108
by using consumer pressure
to get corporations to make changes,

113
00:06:05,109 --> 00:06:08,572
such as getting tomato buyers
to pay just a penny more per pound

114
00:06:08,573 --> 00:06:10,833
for the tomatoes that they pick.

115
00:06:10,834 --> 00:06:15,460
My organization, Food Empowerment Project,
organize a school supply drive

116
00:06:15,470 --> 00:06:18,822
to help with the education
of the children of farm workers.

117
00:06:19,482 --> 00:06:21,960
So that they can choose an easier life.

118
00:06:22,905 --> 00:06:24,948
I still struggle with what more I can do.

119
00:06:30,438 --> 00:06:33,169
When people eat chocolate,
they're eating my flesh.

120
00:06:34,151 --> 00:06:38,248
That is what one farmer slave
told a reporter when he was asked

121
00:06:38,250 --> 00:06:40,500
what he would say to Westerners

122
00:06:41,267 --> 00:06:42,567
who eat chocolate.

123
00:06:43,487 --> 00:06:48,499
In West Africa, 1.8 million children
in Ghana, in the Ivory Coast,

124
00:06:48,501 --> 00:06:51,127
are victims of the worst forms
of child labor.

125
00:06:51,834 --> 00:06:54,668
[Hawa] picking cocoa
for the chocolate industry.

126
00:06:55,542 --> 00:06:58,620
Here, they are forced
to work with dangerous equipment

127
00:06:58,621 --> 00:07:03,099
such as machetes, some children
as young as seven years old.

128
00:07:03,985 --> 00:07:08,619
Many children have been documented
with scars on their arms and their legs.

129
00:07:09,345 --> 00:07:13,129
If they don't move fast enough
while carrying these heavy cocoa pods,

130
00:07:13,130 --> 00:07:14,371
they're beaten.

131
00:07:15,672 --> 00:07:19,910
Many children are locked in over night,
and if they try to escape,

132
00:07:19,911 --> 00:07:21,952
they're beaten or killed.

133
00:07:24,708 --> 00:07:27,723
We all have families, biological or not.

134
00:07:27,724 --> 00:07:29,793
So let's make choices
that respect families

135
00:07:29,794 --> 00:07:31,466
and the bonds that they share.

136
00:07:31,467 --> 00:07:32,882
How can we do this?

137
00:07:32,883 --> 00:07:34,766
If you have access to fresh produce,

138
00:07:34,767 --> 00:07:36,061
go vegan.

139
00:07:37,188 --> 00:07:38,958
Support the rights of farm workers

140
00:07:38,959 --> 00:07:41,919
through legislation
and corporate campaigns

141
00:07:42,919 --> 00:07:44,841
and stop eating chocolate.

142
00:07:45,466 --> 00:07:46,537
OK, OK, OK.

143
00:07:47,641 --> 00:07:49,570
You don't have to stop eating chocolate.

144
00:07:49,571 --> 00:07:52,049
But please, only buy chocolate
that's not sourced

145
00:07:52,050 --> 00:07:55,209
from the worst forms
of child labor in West Africa.

146
00:07:55,210 --> 00:07:58,251
You can use our list at foodispower.org.

147
00:07:59,084 --> 00:08:02,021
I make the most informed
food choices that I can make

148
00:08:02,022 --> 00:08:05,309
because I want to lessen
the suffering of sentient beings.

149
00:08:06,415 --> 00:08:09,622
I wanted to turn this pain
I felt into power.

150
00:08:10,420 --> 00:08:12,497
So much of this has been about loss,

151
00:08:12,498 --> 00:08:15,703
and what I gained was the feeling
that I could make a difference.

152
00:08:16,311 --> 00:08:19,692
I hope you will join me
and put your ethics where your mouth is.

153
00:08:19,693 --> 00:08:23,091
To me, these issues
are as connected as Charlotte's Web.

154
00:08:23,092 --> 00:08:26,270
You and your food choices
can change the world

155
00:08:26,271 --> 00:08:28,784
and mitigate suffering the world over.

156
00:08:28,785 --> 00:08:29,946
Thank you.

157
00:08:29,947 --> 00:08:31,536
(Applause)