Michael Pellman Rowland: The Next Big Plant Based IPO

"The stonefish is the most toxic, venomous fish on the planet. The stonefish is one of the only fish stings that has been known to kill people. Now, I knew this going in, right? I did my homework. So that was one where I went on a limb, perhaps? Maybe too far." - Mark Vins Mark Vins is an Emmy Award winning wildlife and adventure filmmaker, and the co-founder of the Brave Wilderness YouTube channel. Mark and his co-founder, Coyote Peterson, created the Brave Wilderness Channel to bring people closer to animals and nature and crazy encounters all over the world. Some of them include things like watching Mark and Coyote get stung and bitten by some of the most painful stings and bites out there. Brave Wilderness has 21 million subscribers and their videos have had more than 4 billion views. Mark is also one of the leading ambassadors for Leonardo DiCaprio's organization Re:wild. Mark made a documentary with Re:wild called Brave Mission. It's about Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the mountain gorillas who live there and the women and men who protect them. This single video has raised over $700,000 to help the rangers in Virunga. Please listen, share and watch Brave Wilderness but don't attempt any of those bites or stings at home. Brave Wilderness: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6E2mP01ZLH_kbAyeazCNdg Brave Mission https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gynj76XsUQ&list=PLbfmhGxamZ80F53Ezr5CPifRPmiSzm_a7&index=1 Mark Vins: https://www.youtube.com/@BraveMarkVins

17 Jan 202449min

"You're seeing young men going to prison or getting buried in the ground because they're out there poaching rhinos. And, it just drove a bigger wedge between conservation efforts and the communities. There's only so many times you can look into the eyes of a woman who's lost a brother or a husband or a father or an uncle and expect that we're going to have some sort of relationship with that community. It was the same as Iraq, you've got an occupying force there, which is what we were as a conservation body, and there were no hearts and minds. So, we started doing a lot of research into, what was the most effective tool in community development in Africa. And what we found was an overwhelming body of evidence that said empowering women was the single greatest force for positive change, not only in Africa but across the world." - Damien Mander Damien Mander is the founder and CEO of Akashinga, an organization that is changing everything we ever thought we knew about how conservation works. Formerly known as the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF), Akashinga is a nature conservation organization that creates resilient ecosystems where nature, wildlife and communities will thrive together for years to come. Akashinga Rangers are Africa's first plant-based all women anti-poaching unit, and they are revolutionizing the ways that animals are protected, the communities are supported and that wilderness landscapes are restored and safeguarded. Damien is an Iraq war veteran who served as a Naval clearance diver and special operations sniper for the Australian Defense Force. In 2009 he founded the IAPF which later became Akashinga. Damien is the winner of the 2019 Winsome Constance Kindness Gold Medal. He was featured in the James Cameron documentaries "The Game Changers" and National Geographic's "Akashinga – The Brave One's'" about his work with the women of Akashinga. LINKS: AKASHINGA.org https://www.instagram.com/weareakashinga/ https://twitter.com/weareakashinga https://www.facebook.com/weareakashinga

11 Jan 202453min

"In Montana they allow using dogs to chase down wolves, which essentially becomes like state sanctioned dog fighting. You have this horrible scenario where the packs of dogs are surrounding the wolf pack, and it just comes to a bloody end. These are blood sports. This is something that we should be way beyond as a society." - Collette Adkins Collette Adkins is the carnivore conservation director at the Center for Biological Diversity. She focuses on combating the exploitation and cruel treatment of wolves and other rare wildlife. I wanted to talk to Collette because it's been a while since we've talked about wolves on here, and unfortunately their situation is as dire as ever. Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are killing them as fast as they can and in more horrific ways. One of those ways is that in Idaho, they're shooting wolves from helicopters. And Collette is the primary author of a petition to get this banned. Please listen and share. In gratitude, Elizabeth Novogratz

23 Dec 202331min

"In the US alone, there are 100 million people with prediabetes or diabetes, 33 million people with some kind of chronic or various stages of kidney disease, 122 million people with cardiovascular disease, 10 million with GI issues, and 50 million people have food allergies. And, as you know, the food insecurity and malnourishment in the country is growing, unfortunately, particularly with our kiddos." – Brett Matthews Brett Matthews is the CEO of Kate Farms, organic plant-based nutrition shakes and formulas that have helped hundreds of thousands of children and adults along their journeys towards health. Brett's son had severe health issues in high school, and proper nutrition was critical in his healing. Brett learned about the power of food to heal and invested in Kate Farms in 2014, became Chairman and later CEO. There are thousands of stories of children and adults whose lives have been dramatically improved because of Kate Farms. They are a game-changer for bringing healthy nutrition into our hospitals and our homes. katefarms.com

4 Dec 202326min

"I was at a restaurant and the veil dropped in an instant. The curse broke and I could see for the first time. 'Oh, wow, I'm eating body parts.' And I turned around and I saw my bag and it was an expensive Fendi bag. And I looked at it and I'm like, 'this is not leather. This is the skin of an individual. This is a scam.'" – Rebecca Cappelli Rebecca Cappelli is an award-winning filmmaker and an animal rights activist. Her most recent film, SLAY is a hugely powerful documentary that follows Rebecca through seven countries as she uncovers the dark side of the fashion industry. What she finds will leave you thunder-struck. At least, it did me. With her, we learn what the industry is doing to our planet, to its workers and to the animals that are killed for fur, leather and wool. I think that most people have seen or heard stories in the media about the harms that fashion causes to both the planet and the people in the industry, but it's rare to hear about the animals, even though 2.5 billion of them are killed every year for our shoes, bags and clothing. Somehow and not by accident, they've remained invisible. Until now. SLAY will change you, I promise. Please listen, share and go watch SLAY. LINKS: SLAY.film Letusbehereos.com SLAY is available on: Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/SLAY-Bandana-Tewari/dp/B0B8MG6B1T/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DL14WZ5RK9EZ&keywords=slay+documentary&qid=1700070198&sprefix=slay+documentary%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-1 Apple TV and iTunes: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/slay/umc.cmc.14tluhp4jkjzjxaj5w7juyn79 See SLAY for free on WaterBear @waterbearnetwork https://join.waterbear.com/slay

15 Nov 202354min

"I call the act a poison pill, because really, what it is, is if it ever gets inserted into the farm bill or if it gets passed on its own, it prevents all of the animal centered organizations, all the environmental organizations, all the family farm and rural community organizations that push back against factory farming. It wipes out all of the progress that they've made." Aaron Cohen is the senior director of advocacy at Farm Sanctuary. I asked Aaron to come on the show because I wanted to talk about some important things happening in our government right now. Starting with the delayed passage of the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill covers laws that govern food and farming and has a tremendous impact on farming livlihoods, how food is grown, and what kinds of food are grown. A group of Congressional lawmakers are pushing to include the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act as part of the 2023 Farm Bill. If passed, the EATS Act would have serious implications for animal welfare and every ounce of progress that the animal protection movement has made against factory farming. It could also have a huge effect on farmer well-being, worker safety, the spread of zoonotic diseases and pollution. It'd be disastrous.

1 Nov 202334min

"I really felt like I turned into a bird. The way I was playing was changed. Like I played the way nobody would play a clarinet unless they had spent weeks listening to nightingales." – David Rothenberg David Rothenberg is, amongst many other things, an interspecies musician. That means he makes music with whales and birds and insects and even with many plants and animals that reside in ponds. He's also a writer, he's written many books, including Why Birds Sing, Whale Music and Nightingales in Berlin, which was also made into a film. And he is a professor of philosophy and music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Please listen, share and then go outside and listen to the music being made by the many non-human animals around you.

25 Okt 202344min

"Fashion is a really easy way to get in because it doesn't really involve any sacrifice, does it? I think for a lot of people, the thought of going vegan food-wise just seems like a really big deal. Whereas buying a vegan handbag, you get to buy a beautiful handbag and it's vegan." Annick Ireland Even though it's 2023 and it feels like much of the world is at least dipping their toes into all things plant-based, it can still be a challenge to navigate the world of vegan fashion. Shoes, boots, bags, coats and anything else that was once made with animal products, are now being made with sustainable, cruelty-free and stunningly beautiful materials, but because this industry is still in its infancy, finding the brands can be tricky. Enter Annick Ireland, the co-Founder & CEO of Immaculate Vegan, an online vegan marketplace that is changing the world for animal loving shoppers. Immaculate Vegan was launched in 2019 by Annick and her co-founder, Simon Bell because they wanted to help people to make better choices that positively impact animals, people and the planet when they shop. They offer a 100% vegan, highly curated collection of premium fashion using the most innovative and sustainable materials — all made ethically, and amplified by original content and an engaged community of changemakers. LINKS: ImmaculateVegan.com SpeciesUnite.com

18 Okt 202330min