Vegans are visionaries. We hold a vision of a nonviolent future where all animals are free from human imposed commodification, suffering, and killing. What if this vision was on the ballot and we could vote on it? That could be happing soon with the Oregon Initiative Petition 28 — officially titled the PEACE Act, People for Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions. This ballot initiative would eliminate the legal exemptions that currently protect hunting, fishing, trapping, and farming from Oregon's animal abuse statutes. David Michelson is the visionary heading up this historic effort and on this episode he shares insights into the campaign including why he decided to start it, why in Oregon, and what its passing would mean for animals. He also clears up some misconceptions about the campaign and talks about our vision as a movement and how we need to hold onto the hope for total animal liberation.

David Michelson is the lead organizer behind a ballot initiative campaign in Oregon that seeks to ban the killing and breeding of all animals statewide—including those on farms, in research labs, and in the wild. David started this campaign in 2020, and is currently working on qualifying it for the 2026 upcoming election.

Resources:

Campaign website: YES on IP28

BOOK: Spirit Matters by Michael Lerner

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Joanne Kong joins us on the Hope for the Animals Podcast to talk about her new book Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living. This episode explores the how-to of living vegan. Joanne talks about why she felt it was important to start the book with the vegan connection to social justice. She and Hope also talk about the difference between vegan and plantbased, sticky situations that vegans encounter and how to deal with them, how to avoid animal products beyond food, and some responses to frequently asked carnist questions.

Dr. Joanne Kong’s new book Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living provides practical tips and know-how for those on their plant-based journey. It covers a wide range of topics including ways to make the transition, stocking your vegan kitchen, meal-planning, shopping, understanding food labels, plus advice on navigating social challenges, travel, and eating out. Beyond diet, other lifestyle aspects of vegan living are explored as well.

Vegan advocate Dr. Joanne Kong has spoken throughout the United States, including talks at numerous vegfests, conferences, high schools, and universities. Her highly-praised TEDx talk, The Power of Plant-Based Eating, at over 1 million views on YouTube, is placed on numerous websites internationally. Dr. Kong is the editor of Vegan Voices: Essays by Inspiring Changemakers, released in 2021 by Lantern Publishing & Media. She also appears in the major documentary, Eating Our Way to Extinction. As a critically-acclaimed concert pianist, Joanne incorporates the arts into her animal advocacy with benefit concerts for animal sanctuaries, as well as unique Strands of Compassion events presented by VEGAN VIRTUOSI, a duo with cellist Dr. Christoph Wagner. Her new book, Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living, is out now.

Resources:

Joanne’s website: www.vegansmakeadifference.com

Joanne’s Book: Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living

Eugene VeganFest, May 3, 2026

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On this episode we are tackling the cultural and political shift back to meat, saturated fat, high-protein diets and the connection to hyper-masculinity. The US is seeing a resurgence of meat-eating as a symbol of masculinity, masculinism, meat connected to identity politics and the “culture wars”. Our guest, Jan Liband, will explore the social factors driving this backlash and explore how social media, economic uncertainly, and fear are motivating this trend.

Jan and Hope talk about how toxic masculinity, a toxic subsidized meat economy, and a response to progressive advancements are components propelling the meat-heavy movement. They also talk about the pervasive myths around meat, protein, and muscle building, and how these affect men in particular. There are strong phycological factors at play that are embedded in our culture and are resurfacing in our current political climate.

Jan Liband is a fact-based environmentalist, public speaker, and former Silicon Valley veteran who has been vegan since the 1980s. He has an academic background in psychology plus decades in marketing and has studied our shifting attitudes towards food and the growing environmental and health impacts of our global food system for decades. Jan volunteers for several vegan and environmental organizations and serves as Chief Researcher and Speaker for Plant-Based Advocates, a Bay Area based non-profit and is a board member of Compassionate Living. In addition to advocacy, Jan is an accomplished athlete, martial artist, and professional musician who holds a degree in Psychology from U.C. Santa Cruz.

Resources:

FILM: The Game Changers

BOOK: The Sexual Politics of Meat

Atlantic Article: America is Done Pretending About Meat: Plant Based Eating Has Lost Its Appeal

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

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