What do you think?
Rate this book
The Humane Economy: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals – Where Innovation Meets Animal Welfare and Sustainable Business
A major new exploration of the economics of animal exploitation and a practical roadmap for how we can use the marketplace to promote the welfare of all living creatures, from the renowned animal-rights advocate Wayne Pacelle, President/CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and New York Times bestselling author of The Bond.
In the mid-nineteenth century, New Bedford, Massachusetts was the whaling capital of the world. A half-gallon of sperm oil cost approximately $1,400 in today’s dollars, and whale populations were hunted to near extinction for profit. But with the advent of fossil fuels, the whaling industry collapsed, and today, the area around New Bedford is instead known as one of the best places in the world for whale watching.
This transformation is emblematic of a new sort of economic revolution, one that has the power to transform the future of animal welfare. In The Humane Economy, Wayne Pacelle, President/CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, explores how our everyday economic decisions impact the survival and wellbeing of animals, and how we can make choices that better support them. Though most of us have never harpooned a sea creature, clubbed a seal, or killed an animal for profit, we are all part of an interconnected web that has a tremendous impact on animal welfare, and the decisions we make—whether supporting local, not industrial, farming; adopting a rescue dog or a shelter animal instead of one from a “puppy mill”; avoiding products that compromise the habitat of wild species; or even seeing Cirque du Soleil instead of Ringling Brothers—do matter. The Humane Economy shows us how what we do everyday as consumers can benefit animals, the environment, and human society, and why these decisions can make economic sense as well.
In the mid-nineteenth century, New Bedford, Massachusetts was the whaling capital of the world. A half-gallon of sperm oil cost approximately $1,400 in today’s dollars, and whale populations were hunted to near extinction for profit. But with the advent of fossil fuels, the whaling industry collapsed, and today, the area around New Bedford is instead known as one of the best places in the world for whale watching.
This transformation is emblematic of a new sort of economic revolution, one that has the power to transform the future of animal welfare. In The Humane Economy, Wayne Pacelle, President/CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, explores how our everyday economic decisions impact the survival and wellbeing of animals, and how we can make choices that better support them. Though most of us have never harpooned a sea creature, clubbed a seal, or killed an animal for profit, we are all part of an interconnected web that has a tremendous impact on animal welfare, and the decisions we make—whether supporting local, not industrial, farming; adopting a rescue dog or a shelter animal instead of one from a “puppy mill”; avoiding products that compromise the habitat of wild species; or even seeing Cirque du Soleil instead of Ringling Brothers—do matter. The Humane Economy shows us how what we do everyday as consumers can benefit animals, the environment, and human society, and why these decisions can make economic sense as well.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2016
77 people are currently reading
1312 people want to read
About the author
Wayne Pacelle
10 books31 followersDuring his 17 years with the Humane Society of the United States, including seven as president and CEO, Wayne Pacelle has played a leading role in transforming the HSUS, the nations largest animal protection charity, into a dynamic public force and voice for all animals. Taking a special interest in law reform, he has been the leading strategist for more than a score of successful ballot initiatives that outlawed cockfighting, cruel factory farming practices, bear baiting, negligent puppy mill operations and a host of other inhumane practices. Pacelle is the author of the bestselling book The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them. He has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, and has appeared on almost all of the major network television programsfrom 60 Minutes to the News Hour with Jim Lehrer. In 2008, The Los Angeles Times reported, Pacelle has retooled a venerable organization seen as a mild-mannered protector of dogs and cats into an aggressive interest group... Pacelle was named one of NonProfit Times Executives of the Year in 2005 for his leadership in responding to the Hurricane Katrina crisis. Pacelle received his B.A. in History and Studies in the Environment from Yale University in 1987. "
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
April 15, 2016
I did not like reading this book. By that, I don't mean that THE HUMANE ECONOMY is badly written or uninteresting, or anything like that. It's just that the subject matter is so tragical that it's really rough reading. For those of you who are really kind-hearted souls, I bet you will also have trouble reading this book.
Nevertheless, I'm glad that I did read this book. I'm not too proud to admit I was ignorant of many practices revealed in this book. I learned a lot that I needed to know, and I also learned some practical ways to make a difference.
THE HUMANE ECONOMY is not designed to just make you feel guilty, and then set you loose. Rather, the theme presented here is that it's possible to DO lots of constructive things to end animal abuse. Mr Pacelle documents cases that have changed for the better, with lots of hard work (and sometimes pressure applied to the right people.)
One of the first chapters is a case study on PetSmart and Petco. The author shows how these corporations decided to stop supporting the puppy mill business, and instead, use their stores as animal adoption locations. (I have personally visited these adoption days at both these stores.)
When money is involved, the author explains, it will likely be very difficult to convince a corporation to give up products in the name of animal welfare. But it can be done, as Mr. Pacelle documents. In the chapter, "A Capitalist Revolution Frees the Pigs, we see how McDonald's corporation was pressured by none other than Carl Ichan. Ultimately, after much cajoling, they agreed to not buy pork originating from breeding cages called "gestation stalls." I confess I had never heard of this form of animal abuse before, and I'm delighted that McDonald's agreed to stop supporting the practice.
The author explains the key difficulty in getting traction on animal abuse cases. It's simply that most people are distant from the actual animal abuse. Most folks have no idea where the chicken meat came from, or how puppy mills operate. So, people might unwittingly buy a product associated with animal abuse, but they don't actually see the abuse themselves. "Perhaps you may know in the back of your mind that there is more than a strong residue of cruelty in such products, but almost never focus on the painful details. You become an unwitting or passive commercial partner in these enterprises..."
"One challenging problem for us, in modern society, is that we can be so disassociated from the reality of exploitation, removing the urgency and even the moral influence or relevance of an issue." Few people would agree to set a horrible trap for an animal, but behind closed doors, we use "proxies" who do the dirty deed. But we can easily turn away--it's remote from us.
Towards the end of the book the author exhorts us to be creative, find ways to be humane: "Once awakened and informed about animals, there's nothing to stop us from demonstrating our particular creative genius to find more humane ways to do business."
Nicely stated
So all-in-all, I cannot honestly say I enjoyed reading THE HUMANE ECONOMY. Actually, I did not enjoy reading this book. However, I'm glad I did. It opened my eyes to certain practices that I wish to see stopped. The author does a good job of documenting the problem and giving us some specific ways to help solve it.
Advance reading copy courtesy of Edelweiss book distributors
Nevertheless, I'm glad that I did read this book. I'm not too proud to admit I was ignorant of many practices revealed in this book. I learned a lot that I needed to know, and I also learned some practical ways to make a difference.
THE HUMANE ECONOMY is not designed to just make you feel guilty, and then set you loose. Rather, the theme presented here is that it's possible to DO lots of constructive things to end animal abuse. Mr Pacelle documents cases that have changed for the better, with lots of hard work (and sometimes pressure applied to the right people.)
One of the first chapters is a case study on PetSmart and Petco. The author shows how these corporations decided to stop supporting the puppy mill business, and instead, use their stores as animal adoption locations. (I have personally visited these adoption days at both these stores.)
When money is involved, the author explains, it will likely be very difficult to convince a corporation to give up products in the name of animal welfare. But it can be done, as Mr. Pacelle documents. In the chapter, "A Capitalist Revolution Frees the Pigs, we see how McDonald's corporation was pressured by none other than Carl Ichan. Ultimately, after much cajoling, they agreed to not buy pork originating from breeding cages called "gestation stalls." I confess I had never heard of this form of animal abuse before, and I'm delighted that McDonald's agreed to stop supporting the practice.
The author explains the key difficulty in getting traction on animal abuse cases. It's simply that most people are distant from the actual animal abuse. Most folks have no idea where the chicken meat came from, or how puppy mills operate. So, people might unwittingly buy a product associated with animal abuse, but they don't actually see the abuse themselves. "Perhaps you may know in the back of your mind that there is more than a strong residue of cruelty in such products, but almost never focus on the painful details. You become an unwitting or passive commercial partner in these enterprises..."
"One challenging problem for us, in modern society, is that we can be so disassociated from the reality of exploitation, removing the urgency and even the moral influence or relevance of an issue." Few people would agree to set a horrible trap for an animal, but behind closed doors, we use "proxies" who do the dirty deed. But we can easily turn away--it's remote from us.
Towards the end of the book the author exhorts us to be creative, find ways to be humane: "Once awakened and informed about animals, there's nothing to stop us from demonstrating our particular creative genius to find more humane ways to do business."
Nicely stated
So all-in-all, I cannot honestly say I enjoyed reading THE HUMANE ECONOMY. Actually, I did not enjoy reading this book. However, I'm glad I did. It opened my eyes to certain practices that I wish to see stopped. The author does a good job of documenting the problem and giving us some specific ways to help solve it.
Advance reading copy courtesy of Edelweiss book distributors
May 20, 2016
Whatever naivety was remaining, consider them trashed.
Pacelle writes with purpose and passion. He deftly navigates animal cruelty and animal consumption in general, by narrating his own personal journey as a vegan. Though this isn't the focus of the book, it gives a general perspective on people who choose go down the route. Pacelle tackles the ever growing trafficking of exotic animals, insatiable human nature and a common disregard to everything that is living and that isn't human.
Anecdotes come from all over the world. When attacked by traditionalists bringing culture and/or religion to the argument, Pacelle's own argument is simple - let's evolve.
This is a hard book to read. If one is in touch with the topics discussed in this book, almost nothing comes as a surprise.
Pacelle writes with purpose and passion. He deftly navigates animal cruelty and animal consumption in general, by narrating his own personal journey as a vegan. Though this isn't the focus of the book, it gives a general perspective on people who choose go down the route. Pacelle tackles the ever growing trafficking of exotic animals, insatiable human nature and a common disregard to everything that is living and that isn't human.
Anecdotes come from all over the world. When attacked by traditionalists bringing culture and/or religion to the argument, Pacelle's own argument is simple - let's evolve.
This is a hard book to read. If one is in touch with the topics discussed in this book, almost nothing comes as a surprise.
May 11, 2016
This should be required reading in schools! There is something for everyone since this book covers a wide variety of subjects - every reader will learn something, as well as be touched by at least one of the topics or stories that will stay with you long after you finish reading. I anticipated some negativity along the lines of "Diet for a New America" but this book is much more positive and uplifting; while there is still progress to be made, it details how much has been done in the recent past to improve the lives of animals. This is one of those outstanding books that helps you take another look at the way you've been conditioned to think and act. Somehow I had not heard about the documentary "Blackfish" recommended in the book and very much enjoyed that as well.
May 17, 2019
Well written with great ideas and a vision of the future. Pacelle lays out all the areas where animals will be saved by the future economy and technology. His early example of Ford saving thousands of horses sets the tone for the book. If you think about it, one good thing about crude oil is that it's arrival saved whales. The chapter about lab meat was probably the most critical one for me since it is estimated that lab produced meat will reduce land use, water use, & greenhouse gases by 90+% while saving the lives of billions of creatures who will never go through the terrible suffering members of their species currently endure (p. 71). This book provides hope and should motivate everyone to work at these global goals.
November 27, 2021
This is such an important book, and I truly wish everyone would read it. I think we’ve successfully disassociated ourselves from the suffering of animals and if people truly internalized what we are doing to so many of them, it would be close to impossible to just shrug it off.
Decades from now people will look back at the way we treat animals today and be as horrified as we are at the barbarism we learn of in earlier times.
Decades from now people will look back at the way we treat animals today and be as horrified as we are at the barbarism we learn of in earlier times.
September 14, 2017
I really don't like giving a book that advocates a humane existence. However, this book was a slog to get through. The information is written so much for the already converted vegan and pro-animal audience that I would say it's a liability to the humane cannon.
Most of the information, if one is already a follower of animal-rights issues, will already be known and even in far more depth than what is offered in the book. Wayne Pacelle doesn't offer any anecdotes that lure the reader into wanting to learn more and especially do more. Instead, he offers only insights into how he has done some good things for animals in his role at HSUS.
Since capitalism is the rule of our civilization currently, I do think money talks and money can talk humanely. However, this book offers no insight into how consumers and producers can actually change the economy, which I think they can. Beyond Meat, Hampton Creek, and Impossible Foods are all great examples. But there are holes in those examples. Hampton Creek has some blemishes, Beyond Meat isn't there, yet (though they are close), and Impossible Foods is still in its infancy. But what this book glosses over is the Ag-Gag rules that are only getting more prevalent. The new administration (if you can call Donny & Co an administration) is against EVERYTHING humane, kind, and environmental (those are all the same). So many of the things that have moved forward for animals (endangered statuses, hunting restrictions, drilling, etc.) have already been turned backward.
What I would have liked to have read is something akin to "Beyond Words" by Carl Safina. Where there are practical, scientific (economic in this book) examples that a reader that perhaps isn't vegan or vegetarian has an opportunity to connect to with a personal (not necessarily the authors) anecdote. There needs to be more than a laundry list of accomplishments to validate an argument and I'm in complete agreement with Pacelle's argument. Though now that I'm writing this, I'm not sure his thesis was entirely clear. We need a humane economy, yes. It's in everyone's best interests, yes. But how, exactly? How Pacelle, personally, professionally has made a difference. Not interesting nor helpful. Thanks, dude, but there are hundreds of thousands of very diligent animal protectors that have done a lot too. Maybe no policies enacted, but as an outsider looking in, I'm not so sure those policies have helped that much in all cases. Yes, battery cages are bad. But I've seen hens in "free range" barns and it's pretty bad still. Small steps, for sure, but come on, give the reader something better than that!
I could go on, but I won't. I wanted very much to LOVE this book. But it fell very short of my expectations. I want to see small companies like Arm the Animals, Float, and low-cost spay neuter programs highlighted. Then, explain how someone can do MORE. Create a business, an economy that can help animals. How to participate both as a consumer but also maybe as a producer.
I'm looking forward to reading the book I thought this was. Read it, but if you hate it, don't be disappointed in the cause, go read some non-fiction that is a little more creative and can really touch you and empower you. (Carl Safina is a good start).
Most of the information, if one is already a follower of animal-rights issues, will already be known and even in far more depth than what is offered in the book. Wayne Pacelle doesn't offer any anecdotes that lure the reader into wanting to learn more and especially do more. Instead, he offers only insights into how he has done some good things for animals in his role at HSUS.
Since capitalism is the rule of our civilization currently, I do think money talks and money can talk humanely. However, this book offers no insight into how consumers and producers can actually change the economy, which I think they can. Beyond Meat, Hampton Creek, and Impossible Foods are all great examples. But there are holes in those examples. Hampton Creek has some blemishes, Beyond Meat isn't there, yet (though they are close), and Impossible Foods is still in its infancy. But what this book glosses over is the Ag-Gag rules that are only getting more prevalent. The new administration (if you can call Donny & Co an administration) is against EVERYTHING humane, kind, and environmental (those are all the same). So many of the things that have moved forward for animals (endangered statuses, hunting restrictions, drilling, etc.) have already been turned backward.
What I would have liked to have read is something akin to "Beyond Words" by Carl Safina. Where there are practical, scientific (economic in this book) examples that a reader that perhaps isn't vegan or vegetarian has an opportunity to connect to with a personal (not necessarily the authors) anecdote. There needs to be more than a laundry list of accomplishments to validate an argument and I'm in complete agreement with Pacelle's argument. Though now that I'm writing this, I'm not sure his thesis was entirely clear. We need a humane economy, yes. It's in everyone's best interests, yes. But how, exactly? How Pacelle, personally, professionally has made a difference. Not interesting nor helpful. Thanks, dude, but there are hundreds of thousands of very diligent animal protectors that have done a lot too. Maybe no policies enacted, but as an outsider looking in, I'm not so sure those policies have helped that much in all cases. Yes, battery cages are bad. But I've seen hens in "free range" barns and it's pretty bad still. Small steps, for sure, but come on, give the reader something better than that!
I could go on, but I won't. I wanted very much to LOVE this book. But it fell very short of my expectations. I want to see small companies like Arm the Animals, Float, and low-cost spay neuter programs highlighted. Then, explain how someone can do MORE. Create a business, an economy that can help animals. How to participate both as a consumer but also maybe as a producer.
I'm looking forward to reading the book I thought this was. Read it, but if you hate it, don't be disappointed in the cause, go read some non-fiction that is a little more creative and can really touch you and empower you. (Carl Safina is a good start).
May 9, 2016
This book highlights all you already admire about the HSUS: its ability to negotiate to bring about real change, its positive message, and tendency toward innovation.
Each chapter details different aspects of animal exploitation and how it's starting to shift in favor of the animal welfare movement. Most of the book flows pretty nicely with interesting cases and success stories. I guess the only thing that could have enhanced it would have been pictures of animals that were highlighted in the book.
Overall a great read from a great leader!
Each chapter details different aspects of animal exploitation and how it's starting to shift in favor of the animal welfare movement. Most of the book flows pretty nicely with interesting cases and success stories. I guess the only thing that could have enhanced it would have been pictures of animals that were highlighted in the book.
Overall a great read from a great leader!
June 8, 2020
Pros: Beautiful cover, lots of passion in the writer's tone, and some good points made. A great optimistic look at the progress that's been made, and a focus on the work that can be done in the future. A fine read for someone interested in animal welfare.
Cons: Preachy, ham-fisted, definitely written for people who are already on board with the idea. It doesn't really spend any time convincing you of the core philosophies, it just kinda rolls along and assumes you agree with it. Which i guess it's fine, some books are built to preach to the choir and they do so effectively. But I would have liked a more grounded approach. I learned a little bit, but the book isn't super educational and it's not super persuasive, which makes it essentially a book meant to affirm the beliefs you already hold.
Also, this is kind of a dumb criticism but I wish animal welfare advocates weren't so intense about veganism. This book falls into that boat. I'm all for the benefits of eating less animal products, I agree with you guys, but the issue of humane living is more complex than that.
Cons: Preachy, ham-fisted, definitely written for people who are already on board with the idea. It doesn't really spend any time convincing you of the core philosophies, it just kinda rolls along and assumes you agree with it. Which i guess it's fine, some books are built to preach to the choir and they do so effectively. But I would have liked a more grounded approach. I learned a little bit, but the book isn't super educational and it's not super persuasive, which makes it essentially a book meant to affirm the beliefs you already hold.
Also, this is kind of a dumb criticism but I wish animal welfare advocates weren't so intense about veganism. This book falls into that boat. I'm all for the benefits of eating less animal products, I agree with you guys, but the issue of humane living is more complex than that.
July 26, 2016
'The Humane Economy' is an enlightenment. Pacelle tells the story of how animal exploitation is rife in the world today, and explains what big business, governments and organisations such as the Humane Society are doing to lessen the suffering of animals. An emotional, and hugely educational read. The rise of the enlightened consumer can make a huge difference to the lives of animals, and I would challenge anyone not to radically change their lifestyle after reading this book.
June 7, 2017
Very informative
I was made aware of many forms of animal exploitation that we as consumers allow. I recommend this book to all those who want to educate themselves on animal exploitation and how they can actively reduce it. I feel that I have strategies to live in a way that is less violent and more humane.
I was made aware of many forms of animal exploitation that we as consumers allow. I recommend this book to all those who want to educate themselves on animal exploitation and how they can actively reduce it. I feel that I have strategies to live in a way that is less violent and more humane.
July 5, 2016
Intellectual, well laid out and unemotional view, when at all possible, of the people and companies that are changing how we see and "use" animals. The advances in plant based proteins, and better ways to sustainability with a planet growing rapidly to 9 Billion people- great book.
January 13, 2017
Excellent book. Any one interested in animal welfare should be encouraged by this book as it details the good progress that has been made in recent years. Hopefully the coming years will bring even more changes for a humane economy.
May 9, 2016
Book did not hold my interest. Difficult to read. Great & timely topic but feel the book needs editing.
September 16, 2016
An important read for anyone who cares about animals, particularly for those who are not fully aware of how animals are being treated poorly and cruelly for profit -- and the fast-growing number of alternatives and reforms. Change is incremental, the author observes, and he believes incremental is better than glacial-paced changes.
Note that I realize that some highly dedicated and respected animal advocates disagree with the author's supportive attitudes towards some individuals and corporations who have claimed to have become more enlightened but whose motives and/or concrete actions have prompted doubts.
Following are notes, not a review:
The Humane Economy
Animal Protection 2.0: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals
By Wayne Pacelle
Public opinion and consumer behavior drives change in society and business
Humane economy entrepreneurs are disruptive -- realizing more and more consumers do care.
“Purchasing is always a moral -- and not simply economic -- act.” - Pope Benedict (repeated by Pope Francis)
(the next few paragraphs are paraphrased from the end of the book)
One challenge in modern society is that we can be so disassociated from the reality of exploitation, removing the urgency and even the moral influence or relevance of an issue. A kind-hearted person couldn’t imagine doing such things (buying ivory or rhino horns, setting snare or body-gripping traps, confine pigs in crates, dripping chemicals into the eyes of rabbits, and hurting or killing an animal for profit). Yet with the use of animals built into the routines of so many businesses, and with supply chains that stretch for thousands of miles, and at their point of origin, are hidden behind fences or laboratory doors, somebody else does that work. So just about every one of us is implicated in those very practices we would never be a party to if we saw them up close.
Unless you are consciously avoiding them, you may buy parkas or gloves trimmed with rabbit fur. You may buy cosmetics or household products tested on animals. Or you many buy meat and other animal-based foods [including milk, eggs….cows are made pregnant to product the milk, and the calves are taken and turned into veal, captive in tight stalls, denied milk, slaughtered] from factory farms [or buying skin/fur stripped from bodies of animals, go to zoos or captive animal/sea animal shows, horse racing practices using meds to mask broken/ailing and then suffer/die, greyhound racing].... You become an unwitting or passive commercial partner in these enterprises, hardly realizing the intersection of your purchasing practices and the moral problem of cruelty. Similarly, the people causing the harm directly don’t want us to be reminded of their practices -- in fact, they often make very determined efforts to conceal the cruelty.
Laws shutting up whistleblowers - ag-gag measures introduced and adopted in state govts.
Widespread govt subsidies to the meat and dairy industries, providing price supports for feed crops, crop insurance, predator control programs, research and development funds, programs to buy surplus meat products then fed to prisoners and school kids. This is crony capitalism -- the govt distorts markets for private interests and corporations is extreme in industrialized agriculture and in biomedical research, and this thwarts reform and elimination of old and cruel practices (when there are more effective, better and even more economical alternatives.
Convert me into we...widen kinship circle.
"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men. - Alice Walker
usda more like survival standards
zeuter drug neuter young
petsmarts/cos from sell to adopt
demand' awareness
Carl icahn called McD farrowing crates, hen cage space, wanted to help, told Wayne to seek board seat.
Smithfield decided to consider alts.
brinkmanship.
Trade groups
CGI Planet of the Apes, Noah not just the usual animals, The Jungle Book
(not life of pi, real tiger suffered)
Rudyard Kipling
Entertainment - Detroit Zoo CEO: stopped even tough could increase space for elephants, stated publicly it is wrong to keep elephants in zoos.
slow but there is some.
Cloned meat, meat from veg protein extrusion.
Meat is amino acids, carbs, lipids, mineral and water and all are available in the plant kingdom. Beyond Meat Ethan Brown.
Tesla: auto design addresses env problems but also cool and elegant. It isn't enough to appeal to environmentally conscious or animal-welfare-friendly customers. He is determined to produce a food that has stand-alone appeal and cachet.
Factory farming 50 years of pushing boundaries, tech, abuse
Pres Eisenhower's sec of ag Ezra Taft Benson: get big or get out.
You have to be able to deliver the craveability of meat and dairy, the savory, crumbly, delicious, sensory experience. Beast Burger...technologists and entrepreneurs are getting closer.
You fel better after you eat this. Why wouldn't you have this? - Ethan Brown.
Investors include Bill Gates. And Tony Blair former Brit prime minister. Hampton Creek.
Whales: 2014 scientists found a 104-year-old killer whale off western coast of Canada, just north of the area where SeaWorld used to capture orcas. Granny, just finished an 800 mile trek from northern Calif along with her pod. One grandchild Canuck died at age 4 after captured and held at SeaWord.
Progress
Rudyard Kipling in Toomai of the Elephants, seeing even in that distant time the dignity of animals taken from their world and dragged into ours for spectacle and amusement.
“I will remember what I was, I am sick of rope and chains -
I will remember my old strength and all my forest affairs.
I will not sell my back to man for a bundle of sugar cane;
I will go out to my own kind, and the wood-folk in their lairs.
I will go out until the day, until the morning break -
Out to the wind's untainted kiss, the water's clean caress;
I will forget my ankle-ring and snap my picket stake.
I will revisit my lost love and playmates masterless!”
― Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Books
We're remembering what these creatures are, and in every case the reality is more inspiring and wondrous than any show ever staged by man.
Cirque du Soleil way more profitable.
SeaWorld Tillikum Blackfish
harm apes, animal testing
Chimp Haven
There are plenty of drugs and foods that are beneficial or benign to humans, yet poisonous to animals. Imagine if we had first tested chocolate on dogs and determined that it was toxic...or aspirin, which is poisonous to many animals.In 2004 FDA reported that 92 percent of new drugs failed human safety standards, despite passing batteries of animal tests. The pattern has continued. When something doesn't work 9 out of 10 times, it hardly seems like a valuable tool.
False believe we are safer with animal animals
But far better non-animal models, computer alts for testing drugs, chemicals and other substances.
Wasteful too.
EToday EPA has an inventory of 85,000 chemicals and modern chemistry is introducing 1,500 chemicals a year for possible use in the marketplace. We need to focus on allowing fewer chemicals in our midst.
Do cancer cluster studies.
Makes sense to study human disease with humans. Dr. Francis Collin NIH director helped end use of chips in invasive experiments.
Europe was way ahead.
DARPA with NIH and the EPA invested to develop up to 10 organs on chips
Dr. Don Ingber, Wyss Institute at Harvard U working on organ on a chip developing livers, hearts and other organs outside of a living animal. His lung on a chip mimics the mechanical functions of a living lung. Replicating many effects of a living system.
Cosmetics testing basically a legal shield used against getting sued.
Draize eye irritation test -- rabbits, access tissue destruction of high volume. Yet rabbit cornea very different and rabbits produce a smaller volume of tears than humans.
John Paul Mitchell among the first, The Body Shop next to do away with animal testing
L'Oreal 2015 announced plans to produce human skin substitutes with 3D printers.
Cell-based assays good alt for drug discovery and safety assessment.h]High-throughput human cell and other tests.
Isle Royale inbreeding helped decimated wolf pop. Warmer winters melting ice bridges cross Lake Superior
PPl come to NPS parks for wildlife. Biophilia eo wilson.
Anti-wolf: Farmer Koski baited wolves and claimed 60% of michigan's wolf kills.
Nonlethal means to solve human-wildlife conflicts
Sheldrick Elephant Rescue...Tsavo, human elephant...
many lost to military terrorism conflict...Somali..Sudan....Joseph Kony..
Angola decades ago 200,000 elephants, now fewer than 2,000. the ones who survive have acute senses to smell and learn the smell of landmine, gunpowder. And kill for ivory. To raise $.
Poach
Tourism
Kenya Wildlife Sanctuary director Richard Leakey set pile of tusks aflame symbol that he and his country would not be reduced to trading ivory.
Breakdown of civil society.
Chinese big presence Africa... buying ...market. Smuggling. Break smuggling networks.
Nepal has preserved nearly ¼ of its lands as parks and nature reserves and has done a remarkable job of eliminating poaching. Kenya’s national wildlife service has adopted a mission to save the last great species and places on earth for humanity. These places provide jobs and economic opportunities for communities.
Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago and fourth most populous country, was once the biggest shark and ray fishing nation. A few years ago, the govt of the Raja Ampat Regency in its West Papua province passed legislation forbidding the killing of all species of sharks and rays and later created a shark and manta ray sanctuary.
Muslim fatwas.
Brit anthropologist Louis Leakey...sent Jane Goodall to Tanzania to study chimps and Dian Fossey to Rwanda/Volcanoes National Park to study mountain gorillas (gentle, endangered). Birute Galdikas to roneo to study orangutans too. People orphaned orangutans in the captive primate trade in 70s and 80s.
Billionaires on board like Paul Allen Microsoft (awe of Okavango Delta animals, funds elephant census, Bill Gates, conservatives like Charles Krauthammer May 2015L our treatment or animals will be deemed abominable by future generations. Kathleen Parker: Is making a hen’s cage a little larger really so cost-prohibitive that we can’t manage to make a miserable life a tiny bit less miserable?
“We disagree about where to draw the line to protect animal rights, but almost everyone now agrees that there is a line to be drawn.” - NYT columnist Nicholas Kristof.
FARC prisoners befriended animals like peccary, birds, torment of isolation.
India: goshalas shelters for ailing and homeless cows.
Ahimsa nonviolence...Hindus and Jains devotion to cows.
Many huge buyers like McDonald’s are instituting reforms in their supply chains but these moves are still preliminary and have many loopholes. This is capitalist society with profits coming first, and change does have price tags and takes time, and time is money.
Language has been used by those in power to characterize animals as insensate...and units, objects. Yet created with the same kinds of sensory organs and ability to feel and know pain and to feel fear.
Steven Pinker, in The Better Angels of Our Nature, notes areas in which society is doing better. When asked about areas in which we are falling short, he cited prison conditions and animal cruelty, particularly factory farming.
What you can do:
Vote with your dollars
Eat lower on food chain -- including supporting disruptive food makers
Volunteer / support groups
Influence lawmakers
Urge enforcement of laws
Minimize food waste
Share animal protection info
Remind corporate leaders to do the right thing
Travel like an eco-tourist
Live as if all life matters
Note that I realize that some highly dedicated and respected animal advocates disagree with the author's supportive attitudes towards some individuals and corporations who have claimed to have become more enlightened but whose motives and/or concrete actions have prompted doubts.
Following are notes, not a review:
The Humane Economy
Animal Protection 2.0: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals
By Wayne Pacelle
Public opinion and consumer behavior drives change in society and business
Humane economy entrepreneurs are disruptive -- realizing more and more consumers do care.
“Purchasing is always a moral -- and not simply economic -- act.” - Pope Benedict (repeated by Pope Francis)
(the next few paragraphs are paraphrased from the end of the book)
One challenge in modern society is that we can be so disassociated from the reality of exploitation, removing the urgency and even the moral influence or relevance of an issue. A kind-hearted person couldn’t imagine doing such things (buying ivory or rhino horns, setting snare or body-gripping traps, confine pigs in crates, dripping chemicals into the eyes of rabbits, and hurting or killing an animal for profit). Yet with the use of animals built into the routines of so many businesses, and with supply chains that stretch for thousands of miles, and at their point of origin, are hidden behind fences or laboratory doors, somebody else does that work. So just about every one of us is implicated in those very practices we would never be a party to if we saw them up close.
Unless you are consciously avoiding them, you may buy parkas or gloves trimmed with rabbit fur. You may buy cosmetics or household products tested on animals. Or you many buy meat and other animal-based foods [including milk, eggs….cows are made pregnant to product the milk, and the calves are taken and turned into veal, captive in tight stalls, denied milk, slaughtered] from factory farms [or buying skin/fur stripped from bodies of animals, go to zoos or captive animal/sea animal shows, horse racing practices using meds to mask broken/ailing and then suffer/die, greyhound racing].... You become an unwitting or passive commercial partner in these enterprises, hardly realizing the intersection of your purchasing practices and the moral problem of cruelty. Similarly, the people causing the harm directly don’t want us to be reminded of their practices -- in fact, they often make very determined efforts to conceal the cruelty.
Laws shutting up whistleblowers - ag-gag measures introduced and adopted in state govts.
Widespread govt subsidies to the meat and dairy industries, providing price supports for feed crops, crop insurance, predator control programs, research and development funds, programs to buy surplus meat products then fed to prisoners and school kids. This is crony capitalism -- the govt distorts markets for private interests and corporations is extreme in industrialized agriculture and in biomedical research, and this thwarts reform and elimination of old and cruel practices (when there are more effective, better and even more economical alternatives.
Convert me into we...widen kinship circle.
"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men. - Alice Walker
usda more like survival standards
zeuter drug neuter young
petsmarts/cos from sell to adopt
demand' awareness
Carl icahn called McD farrowing crates, hen cage space, wanted to help, told Wayne to seek board seat.
Smithfield decided to consider alts.
brinkmanship.
Trade groups
CGI Planet of the Apes, Noah not just the usual animals, The Jungle Book
(not life of pi, real tiger suffered)
Rudyard Kipling
Entertainment - Detroit Zoo CEO: stopped even tough could increase space for elephants, stated publicly it is wrong to keep elephants in zoos.
slow but there is some.
Cloned meat, meat from veg protein extrusion.
Meat is amino acids, carbs, lipids, mineral and water and all are available in the plant kingdom. Beyond Meat Ethan Brown.
Tesla: auto design addresses env problems but also cool and elegant. It isn't enough to appeal to environmentally conscious or animal-welfare-friendly customers. He is determined to produce a food that has stand-alone appeal and cachet.
Factory farming 50 years of pushing boundaries, tech, abuse
Pres Eisenhower's sec of ag Ezra Taft Benson: get big or get out.
You have to be able to deliver the craveability of meat and dairy, the savory, crumbly, delicious, sensory experience. Beast Burger...technologists and entrepreneurs are getting closer.
You fel better after you eat this. Why wouldn't you have this? - Ethan Brown.
Investors include Bill Gates. And Tony Blair former Brit prime minister. Hampton Creek.
Whales: 2014 scientists found a 104-year-old killer whale off western coast of Canada, just north of the area where SeaWorld used to capture orcas. Granny, just finished an 800 mile trek from northern Calif along with her pod. One grandchild Canuck died at age 4 after captured and held at SeaWord.
Progress
Rudyard Kipling in Toomai of the Elephants, seeing even in that distant time the dignity of animals taken from their world and dragged into ours for spectacle and amusement.
“I will remember what I was, I am sick of rope and chains -
I will remember my old strength and all my forest affairs.
I will not sell my back to man for a bundle of sugar cane;
I will go out to my own kind, and the wood-folk in their lairs.
I will go out until the day, until the morning break -
Out to the wind's untainted kiss, the water's clean caress;
I will forget my ankle-ring and snap my picket stake.
I will revisit my lost love and playmates masterless!”
― Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Books
We're remembering what these creatures are, and in every case the reality is more inspiring and wondrous than any show ever staged by man.
Cirque du Soleil way more profitable.
SeaWorld Tillikum Blackfish
harm apes, animal testing
Chimp Haven
There are plenty of drugs and foods that are beneficial or benign to humans, yet poisonous to animals. Imagine if we had first tested chocolate on dogs and determined that it was toxic...or aspirin, which is poisonous to many animals.In 2004 FDA reported that 92 percent of new drugs failed human safety standards, despite passing batteries of animal tests. The pattern has continued. When something doesn't work 9 out of 10 times, it hardly seems like a valuable tool.
False believe we are safer with animal animals
But far better non-animal models, computer alts for testing drugs, chemicals and other substances.
Wasteful too.
EToday EPA has an inventory of 85,000 chemicals and modern chemistry is introducing 1,500 chemicals a year for possible use in the marketplace. We need to focus on allowing fewer chemicals in our midst.
Do cancer cluster studies.
Makes sense to study human disease with humans. Dr. Francis Collin NIH director helped end use of chips in invasive experiments.
Europe was way ahead.
DARPA with NIH and the EPA invested to develop up to 10 organs on chips
Dr. Don Ingber, Wyss Institute at Harvard U working on organ on a chip developing livers, hearts and other organs outside of a living animal. His lung on a chip mimics the mechanical functions of a living lung. Replicating many effects of a living system.
Cosmetics testing basically a legal shield used against getting sued.
Draize eye irritation test -- rabbits, access tissue destruction of high volume. Yet rabbit cornea very different and rabbits produce a smaller volume of tears than humans.
John Paul Mitchell among the first, The Body Shop next to do away with animal testing
L'Oreal 2015 announced plans to produce human skin substitutes with 3D printers.
Cell-based assays good alt for drug discovery and safety assessment.h]High-throughput human cell and other tests.
Isle Royale inbreeding helped decimated wolf pop. Warmer winters melting ice bridges cross Lake Superior
PPl come to NPS parks for wildlife. Biophilia eo wilson.
Anti-wolf: Farmer Koski baited wolves and claimed 60% of michigan's wolf kills.
Nonlethal means to solve human-wildlife conflicts
Sheldrick Elephant Rescue...Tsavo, human elephant...
many lost to military terrorism conflict...Somali..Sudan....Joseph Kony..
Angola decades ago 200,000 elephants, now fewer than 2,000. the ones who survive have acute senses to smell and learn the smell of landmine, gunpowder. And kill for ivory. To raise $.
Poach
Tourism
Kenya Wildlife Sanctuary director Richard Leakey set pile of tusks aflame symbol that he and his country would not be reduced to trading ivory.
Breakdown of civil society.
Chinese big presence Africa... buying ...market. Smuggling. Break smuggling networks.
Nepal has preserved nearly ¼ of its lands as parks and nature reserves and has done a remarkable job of eliminating poaching. Kenya’s national wildlife service has adopted a mission to save the last great species and places on earth for humanity. These places provide jobs and economic opportunities for communities.
Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago and fourth most populous country, was once the biggest shark and ray fishing nation. A few years ago, the govt of the Raja Ampat Regency in its West Papua province passed legislation forbidding the killing of all species of sharks and rays and later created a shark and manta ray sanctuary.
Muslim fatwas.
Brit anthropologist Louis Leakey...sent Jane Goodall to Tanzania to study chimps and Dian Fossey to Rwanda/Volcanoes National Park to study mountain gorillas (gentle, endangered). Birute Galdikas to roneo to study orangutans too. People orphaned orangutans in the captive primate trade in 70s and 80s.
Billionaires on board like Paul Allen Microsoft (awe of Okavango Delta animals, funds elephant census, Bill Gates, conservatives like Charles Krauthammer May 2015L our treatment or animals will be deemed abominable by future generations. Kathleen Parker: Is making a hen’s cage a little larger really so cost-prohibitive that we can’t manage to make a miserable life a tiny bit less miserable?
“We disagree about where to draw the line to protect animal rights, but almost everyone now agrees that there is a line to be drawn.” - NYT columnist Nicholas Kristof.
FARC prisoners befriended animals like peccary, birds, torment of isolation.
India: goshalas shelters for ailing and homeless cows.
Ahimsa nonviolence...Hindus and Jains devotion to cows.
Many huge buyers like McDonald’s are instituting reforms in their supply chains but these moves are still preliminary and have many loopholes. This is capitalist society with profits coming first, and change does have price tags and takes time, and time is money.
Language has been used by those in power to characterize animals as insensate...and units, objects. Yet created with the same kinds of sensory organs and ability to feel and know pain and to feel fear.
Steven Pinker, in The Better Angels of Our Nature, notes areas in which society is doing better. When asked about areas in which we are falling short, he cited prison conditions and animal cruelty, particularly factory farming.
What you can do:
Vote with your dollars
Eat lower on food chain -- including supporting disruptive food makers
Volunteer / support groups
Influence lawmakers
Urge enforcement of laws
Minimize food waste
Share animal protection info
Remind corporate leaders to do the right thing
Travel like an eco-tourist
Live as if all life matters
May 20, 2017
According to Pachelle, that we sometimes wetting lyrics and sometimes unwittingly have moved away from the cruelty of animals. He cites the mass-produced Ford automobiles in US. Think of the decreasing of horses' misery the coming of the automobile was. Ford may have had seen a business opportunitype and Parcelle sees a kindness ot other animals, however unintentional. Pace Llewellyn asks us to consciously change what we find acceptable in our dealings with others animals. Changes are coming. More and more xonsumers are making conscious decisions to eat canned tuna that is kinder to dolphins. More and more cosmetic users choose products that have not been tested on animals, Sometimes business's change based on what customers will pay for: COTY, a beauty and fragrance conglomerate has switched to no-animal-testing policies. Other similar businesses are obligated to follow the path set put by COTY or be an outlier. Sometimes conscious consumers are able to get concessions from governmentmental bodies which regulate certain aspects of businesses using animal products or animal testing or animaps in other cruel ways.
Pacelle has spoken of much more than what I have indicated. The book is workplace reading and re-reading. A personal friend of mine complained that all these things are fine except now we have the Donald. In return to her and anyone else who feels overwhelmed: We are the consumers. We have the financial clout to make things happen. Look at all the labeling on foods now in US: "Vegan Friendly" and "No Animal Tested" and other similar labels.
In the city where I live, owners and operators of shrimping boats much stuff have a way out for the turtles. We have a famous (endangered) turtle nesting area nearby, and the people of of my city made it known that they wanted both shrimp and turtles. It has happened here. Not a small feat. Do-able. PacElle asks us to do themdo-able. He lists and discusses "Ten Things You CAN Do to Contribute to the Humane Economy." I am relieved that I do my part. I could do some more. There lies my challenge. I pray others find their challenge here as well.
Pacelle has spoken of much more than what I have indicated. The book is workplace reading and re-reading. A personal friend of mine complained that all these things are fine except now we have the Donald. In return to her and anyone else who feels overwhelmed: We are the consumers. We have the financial clout to make things happen. Look at all the labeling on foods now in US: "Vegan Friendly" and "No Animal Tested" and other similar labels.
In the city where I live, owners and operators of shrimping boats much stuff have a way out for the turtles. We have a famous (endangered) turtle nesting area nearby, and the people of of my city made it known that they wanted both shrimp and turtles. It has happened here. Not a small feat. Do-able. PacElle asks us to do themdo-able. He lists and discusses "Ten Things You CAN Do to Contribute to the Humane Economy." I am relieved that I do my part. I could do some more. There lies my challenge. I pray others find their challenge here as well.
October 1, 2025
Reading this book brings many troubling thoughts to mind, and it's a delight that it does. Maybe this sounds like an oxymoron. Nevertheless, the author puts a great deal of eloquence and passion into describing the problems. These "problems" consist of the regularized mistreatment of animals, for the benefit of human nourishment, medicine or simple entertainment. It shines a bright light on the imbalance of the anthropocentric model that we (naturally) tend to foster.
Fortunately there are some new technologies and initiative that can change this mistreatment, and make the lives of animals better. Many of them are described in the book, alongside the activism side that espouses them. Thus, reading the book does show a trend of positive evolution in our philosophy -- or at least the capacity for it.
One point that I found lacking from the book, is judging the rebalancing of animal populations, after the headways of activism. Veganism and cultured meat are great methods to reduce our need for poultry, bovine and rodents. But as our needs wane, so does our motive to increase the population of these animals. Are there any plans to transform animal farms into wildlife preservation centres, when we decide we don't need animal products? I'm interested in finding more about this. Sadly not in this book. But congratulations for piquing my interest!
Fortunately there are some new technologies and initiative that can change this mistreatment, and make the lives of animals better. Many of them are described in the book, alongside the activism side that espouses them. Thus, reading the book does show a trend of positive evolution in our philosophy -- or at least the capacity for it.
One point that I found lacking from the book, is judging the rebalancing of animal populations, after the headways of activism. Veganism and cultured meat are great methods to reduce our need for poultry, bovine and rodents. But as our needs wane, so does our motive to increase the population of these animals. Are there any plans to transform animal farms into wildlife preservation centres, when we decide we don't need animal products? I'm interested in finding more about this. Sadly not in this book. But congratulations for piquing my interest!
December 26, 2017
Wayne Pacelle wrote an important book about an important subject of modern society. Basically, he lists in every chapter both evildoers of a particular industry, followed by an enumeration of entrepreneurs trying to tackle the underlying problems. It is easily understandable and follows a straight-forward structure. Nevertheless, besides the significance of the topic itself, there are some things I did not like about the book. First, it is too one-sided. What I mean by that is that the motif of Pacelle's book is the ongoing shift to a "Humane Economy" and that more and more entities realise the necessity of this transition. I am not doubting that, but there is barely anything in Pacelle's book which reveals the remaining challenges and roadblock to an even more humane economy. Without these insights, the book seems overly optimistic and naive. Second, sometimes, Pacelle uses a way to pathetic language. Of course, the subject is very touching, but at some points he tries to hard to arouse compassion. Other than that, the book is worth reading, but you should not expect a book on an academic level.
March 6, 2017
This book is not an easy read. That being said, this book is a necessary read.
"The Humane Economy" shows us the ugly truths of how animals are treated by humans. I didn't go into this book blindly; I already knew quite a bit about most covered topics (puppy mills/rescues/shelter animals, lab animals, farmed animals, zoo/theme park animals, wildlife conservation, etc.). That didn't make the information presented by Pacelle easier to take, but I think it would do everyone good to take it, even if they don't agree with it.
Pacelle shows us the cruelty we've been inflicting on animals. He not only goes over the problems, but he examines the economic impacts of our actions and presents solutions that would not only help animals, but economies all over the world.
One doesn't need to be "another bunny-hugging, cow-kissing, compassionate badass" (I have that T-shirt) to appreciate the thoughts and ideas presented in this book. It benefits everyone to see how they can make life better for both the animals and for themselves.
"The Humane Economy" shows us the ugly truths of how animals are treated by humans. I didn't go into this book blindly; I already knew quite a bit about most covered topics (puppy mills/rescues/shelter animals, lab animals, farmed animals, zoo/theme park animals, wildlife conservation, etc.). That didn't make the information presented by Pacelle easier to take, but I think it would do everyone good to take it, even if they don't agree with it.
Pacelle shows us the cruelty we've been inflicting on animals. He not only goes over the problems, but he examines the economic impacts of our actions and presents solutions that would not only help animals, but economies all over the world.
One doesn't need to be "another bunny-hugging, cow-kissing, compassionate badass" (I have that T-shirt) to appreciate the thoughts and ideas presented in this book. It benefits everyone to see how they can make life better for both the animals and for themselves.
August 15, 2017
With a wide-ranging scope, covering all kinds of animals used or endangered by humans, readers are brought up-to-date on their changing circumstances, mostly for the better. The motivation for somewhat kinder treatment for animals still being exploited, or reducing the numbers of animals now less likely to be exploited, has mostly been economic--it's more about the bottom line than ethical concern for the animals' suffering. I'll admit I am bothered by HSUS' support of "humane meat" (an oxymoron for sure)--trying to make consumers feel good about giving farmed animals a little more space while still manipulating, confining, debeaking, tail-docking, etc. and of course slaughtering them after very short and only marginally less miserable lives. Why not put that organizational
clout into encouraging people to give up (or at least greatly reduce) the eating of meat?
Overall, though, HSUS is doing some good things, and I learned a lot from the book about the changing attitudes and practices toward many different groups of animals.
clout into encouraging people to give up (or at least greatly reduce) the eating of meat?
Overall, though, HSUS is doing some good things, and I learned a lot from the book about the changing attitudes and practices toward many different groups of animals.
January 8, 2020
A book that provides example upon example of why humane practices involving animals are basically always more profitable (therefore more viable in today’s world) than its inhumane predecessor. One good example from the book is how ecotourism/diving with reef sharks brings in thousands of dollars every year versus one reef sharks fins being sold for $108. The humane observation of these beautiful creatures actually brings in more money (A LOT more money) than finning. The old argument for finning was that it was profitable and poor fishermen need the money, but Wayne shows in this book that there are ways people can profit from sharks (and many other creatures) without making them suffer.
This book is essentially a long list of examples like the above, but he goes into lots of detail and uses a lot of personal stories to fill the gaps.
I enjoyed it a lot, I think it’s a good introductory book for folks who are venturing into veganism/more conscious consumption.
This book is essentially a long list of examples like the above, but he goes into lots of detail and uses a lot of personal stories to fill the gaps.
I enjoyed it a lot, I think it’s a good introductory book for folks who are venturing into veganism/more conscious consumption.
June 4, 2017
2016 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge: A book that is published in 2016.
Wayne Pacelle was speaking today at the Toronto Veg Fest and I wanted to go and see him, but knew going down to the festival would result in spending way more than the one hour to see his talk (there is so much good vegan food down there too!!) That would have been time I couldn't really afford today! So I stayed home to get my work done instead. (Yes, writing this review was on my list of to-dos for today as well!)
Read this book if you are unaware of the many ways animals are exploited around the globe -- don't think "I'd rather not know"; read this book even if you think you are aware of all the ways animals are exploited -- I guarantee there will be something new for you too. I am continually shocked, baffled, saddened and outraged at the way we treat animals.
However...
This book is not really, at its core, a sad or depressing book. As a vegan, I can say that I would rather have chicken "farms" (the quotes are because Pacelle even questions if these businesses can call themselves "farmers") not exist, but the reality is that they do and will until all of humanity starts to regard eating animals as an outdated, antiquated, cruel and unnecessary practice. I'm not trying to defend these businesses at all, but I understand that Pacelle is simply acknowledging that they exist and as long as they do, what we can at MINIMUM hope and fight for is a significantly more humane approach than what is currently the norm. This applies to ALL areas of animal welfare as well.
At its heart, 'The Humane Economy' is a hopeful book that examines how treating animals humanely is not only great for the animals, but is also great for the pockets of businesses. This monetary approach doesn't mean Pacelle is exploiting animals in my mind (as I have seen another reviewer claim). He is simply trying to appeal to the not-so-humane people through their pocket because that is what will work for some. The humane revolution is spreading and is proving to be an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs. Take for instance food innovators like the company Beyond Meat -- striving to make a meat substitute that will have that meat "taste" to appeal to those hell-bent meat eaters. 'The Humane Economy' examines the shifts in attitudes about everything from the use of animals in movies (interviewing Darren Aronofsky about his film 'Noah' and his choice to use CGI) to cosmetic and medicine testing and the unreliability of decades of animal testing resulting in countless animal lives wasted.
Pacelle also brings to light the amount of money compassionate people, as well as governmental departments, spend because of the existence of puppy mills, dog fighting, horse and dog racing among other shameful activities. When these animals are used up or are sick or hurt, they are (if lucky) rescued by sanctuaries and other smaller, independent rescues who rely on public support and government grants. So, we (the compassionate ones) end up cleaning up the mess, emotionally and financially, caused by activities that could just be banned entirely. Let's hope it is a wake-up call for governments to completely outlaw these activities. He also looks at how backwards it is that some governments will give subsidies to farmers (for livestock that is diseased or spoiled therefore "recalled" at supermarkets -- hurting the farmers big time financially) or even to seal hunters (to "harvest" seals for their pelts that no one even wants anymore!) to make up for their businesses that are no longer thriving! Isn't that a sign they should just STOP?! In the case of the seal hunting, because it has traditionally been the means of income for east coast Canadians, they have no work, ostensibly, if they have no seal fur or hides -- so the Canadian government gives them money to subsidize an activity that has no buyers and no economic gain for them! Pacelle points out the inane logic to this by asking why they just don't hand over the money WITHOUT KILLING THE SEALS!
In Africa, Pacelle highlights how much more wildlife is worth alive rather than dead. Many countries in Africa, such as Rwanda, have realized this and are actively protecting their animals because their tourism is booming. If you want to see a mountain gorilla up close, Rwanda is the place to go. A country that not so long ago was rife with political and human rights atrocities, to say the least, is now a go-to destination for animal and wildlife lovers. Rwanda shares its revenues with its neighbours, Uganda and DRC. Together these countries have been tantamount in protecting gorillas from poaching and, in fact, are helping the population of gorillas to recover. Other countries whose wildlife populations have been wiped out (Somalia, Sudan, Angola) are ones you won't often hear people buying plane tickets to.
He ends his book with '10 Things You Can Do to Contribute to the Humane Economy'. There are things on there that everyone of us can do because at the end of the day, we end up paying for the "inhumane" economy that results in billions in health care costs related to poor diets (meat-based) not to mention the environmental costs these agribusinesses incur with their pollution and energy costs; there are also costs related to rescuing animals that are discarded by legal (and illegal) animal fighting, breeding and trophy hunting, the list goes on and on.
One thing he mentions is to eat lower on the food chain. No, he does not shout, 'Go Vegan!' because he knows that if his book is preachy like that, he will potentially alienate people. He wants to reach a large audience and through reading this book, I think people will have to acknowledge their choices and make better ones for the benefit of themselves and, more importantly, the animals.
Wayne Pacelle was speaking today at the Toronto Veg Fest and I wanted to go and see him, but knew going down to the festival would result in spending way more than the one hour to see his talk (there is so much good vegan food down there too!!) That would have been time I couldn't really afford today! So I stayed home to get my work done instead. (Yes, writing this review was on my list of to-dos for today as well!)
Read this book if you are unaware of the many ways animals are exploited around the globe -- don't think "I'd rather not know"; read this book even if you think you are aware of all the ways animals are exploited -- I guarantee there will be something new for you too. I am continually shocked, baffled, saddened and outraged at the way we treat animals.
However...
This book is not really, at its core, a sad or depressing book. As a vegan, I can say that I would rather have chicken "farms" (the quotes are because Pacelle even questions if these businesses can call themselves "farmers") not exist, but the reality is that they do and will until all of humanity starts to regard eating animals as an outdated, antiquated, cruel and unnecessary practice. I'm not trying to defend these businesses at all, but I understand that Pacelle is simply acknowledging that they exist and as long as they do, what we can at MINIMUM hope and fight for is a significantly more humane approach than what is currently the norm. This applies to ALL areas of animal welfare as well.
At its heart, 'The Humane Economy' is a hopeful book that examines how treating animals humanely is not only great for the animals, but is also great for the pockets of businesses. This monetary approach doesn't mean Pacelle is exploiting animals in my mind (as I have seen another reviewer claim). He is simply trying to appeal to the not-so-humane people through their pocket because that is what will work for some. The humane revolution is spreading and is proving to be an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs. Take for instance food innovators like the company Beyond Meat -- striving to make a meat substitute that will have that meat "taste" to appeal to those hell-bent meat eaters. 'The Humane Economy' examines the shifts in attitudes about everything from the use of animals in movies (interviewing Darren Aronofsky about his film 'Noah' and his choice to use CGI) to cosmetic and medicine testing and the unreliability of decades of animal testing resulting in countless animal lives wasted.
Pacelle also brings to light the amount of money compassionate people, as well as governmental departments, spend because of the existence of puppy mills, dog fighting, horse and dog racing among other shameful activities. When these animals are used up or are sick or hurt, they are (if lucky) rescued by sanctuaries and other smaller, independent rescues who rely on public support and government grants. So, we (the compassionate ones) end up cleaning up the mess, emotionally and financially, caused by activities that could just be banned entirely. Let's hope it is a wake-up call for governments to completely outlaw these activities. He also looks at how backwards it is that some governments will give subsidies to farmers (for livestock that is diseased or spoiled therefore "recalled" at supermarkets -- hurting the farmers big time financially) or even to seal hunters (to "harvest" seals for their pelts that no one even wants anymore!) to make up for their businesses that are no longer thriving! Isn't that a sign they should just STOP?! In the case of the seal hunting, because it has traditionally been the means of income for east coast Canadians, they have no work, ostensibly, if they have no seal fur or hides -- so the Canadian government gives them money to subsidize an activity that has no buyers and no economic gain for them! Pacelle points out the inane logic to this by asking why they just don't hand over the money WITHOUT KILLING THE SEALS!
In Africa, Pacelle highlights how much more wildlife is worth alive rather than dead. Many countries in Africa, such as Rwanda, have realized this and are actively protecting their animals because their tourism is booming. If you want to see a mountain gorilla up close, Rwanda is the place to go. A country that not so long ago was rife with political and human rights atrocities, to say the least, is now a go-to destination for animal and wildlife lovers. Rwanda shares its revenues with its neighbours, Uganda and DRC. Together these countries have been tantamount in protecting gorillas from poaching and, in fact, are helping the population of gorillas to recover. Other countries whose wildlife populations have been wiped out (Somalia, Sudan, Angola) are ones you won't often hear people buying plane tickets to.
He ends his book with '10 Things You Can Do to Contribute to the Humane Economy'. There are things on there that everyone of us can do because at the end of the day, we end up paying for the "inhumane" economy that results in billions in health care costs related to poor diets (meat-based) not to mention the environmental costs these agribusinesses incur with their pollution and energy costs; there are also costs related to rescuing animals that are discarded by legal (and illegal) animal fighting, breeding and trophy hunting, the list goes on and on.
One thing he mentions is to eat lower on the food chain. No, he does not shout, 'Go Vegan!' because he knows that if his book is preachy like that, he will potentially alienate people. He wants to reach a large audience and through reading this book, I think people will have to acknowledge their choices and make better ones for the benefit of themselves and, more importantly, the animals.
August 19, 2017
In a nutshell The Humane Economy: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals by Wayne Pacelle tells how pressure from the Humane Society of the US (HSUS), other groups, and (perhaps most importantly) consumers encourages more humane treatment of animals. The examples that Pacelle discusses vary from deeply disturbing to hopeful. I was left with the impression that HSUS's practical and realistic approach has been responsible for improving the lives of many animals.
My main complaint about the book is that, although this is not a long book, it's longer than it needs to be. More than once I came to what seemed like a good concluding paragraph for a section to see that the section continued on for another dozen pages. I read those pages, but they didn't add much new information.
My main complaint about the book is that, although this is not a long book, it's longer than it needs to be. More than once I came to what seemed like a good concluding paragraph for a section to see that the section continued on for another dozen pages. I read those pages, but they didn't add much new information.
June 4, 2020
This book took me a long time. It’s very much beginner-level material, so as a lifelong vegetarian, I didn’t feel like I learned much more than a handful of points. I literally read more than 35 books between starting this book and finishing it because every page felt like a chore. I skimmed much of the last 10 pages because I just wanted it to be over. The points were just getting redundant and my brain could not take it anymore.
Basically, I don’t think books about animal rights or animal welfare could ever really work for me since I already know so much about it. I don’t think this book had any more interesting perspectives than anything else I’ve ever seen. I’m sure if I was clueless it would have been very eye-opening, but this just bored the hell out of me. I’m kinda glad it’s over.
Basically, I don’t think books about animal rights or animal welfare could ever really work for me since I already know so much about it. I don’t think this book had any more interesting perspectives than anything else I’ve ever seen. I’m sure if I was clueless it would have been very eye-opening, but this just bored the hell out of me. I’m kinda glad it’s over.
February 19, 2018
I read this book following Safran Foer's Eating Animals, which was one of the most important books I have read.
This book is important too...though not as well written as the former. It has a more global perspective, and offers insights into how incremental change is happening on a large scale. Safran Foer's book empowered me to change my lifestyle. This book offers a path in familiarizing myself with macro-movement - and perhaps ways to become more activist.
The author can be a bit self-referential, inserting his role in all the important change a bit too much for my taste. (He is the CEO of the Humane Society.) Still, I am grateful for his efforts and for this book.
This book is important too...though not as well written as the former. It has a more global perspective, and offers insights into how incremental change is happening on a large scale. Safran Foer's book empowered me to change my lifestyle. This book offers a path in familiarizing myself with macro-movement - and perhaps ways to become more activist.
The author can be a bit self-referential, inserting his role in all the important change a bit too much for my taste. (He is the CEO of the Humane Society.) Still, I am grateful for his efforts and for this book.
January 16, 2019
This was a very hopeful read (listen) to start the new year. The author covered the progress achieved in every domain of the economy based on animal exploitation (food, entertainment, fashion, pet trade... etc) and we really are changing our ways. It often feels like we're not going in the right direction or that we're not moving fast enough but this made me realise how lucky we are to live in an era of progress and change for the better. I mean it's still capitalism and change for profit, but it showed the true power of consummers getting informed and choosing to spend their money in more ethical ways. Never underestimate the power of human empathy.
November 12, 2017
I loved how this book not only presented the many ways animals are suffering at the hands of man, but also how individuals and corporations alike are making big moves to change our perception and humane treatment of animals. There was as much positive movement in this book as there were warnings. If everyone could just open their ears and eyes and become a bit more aware, informed.... personal adjustments in lifestyle - what you support through your simple decisions and actions - can have a profound effect on the future of animals and their level of suffering.
December 27, 2021
Although an important topic, this book felt really familiar. I did appreciate the economic point-of-view, though, arguing that advocating for animal rights and seeking alternatives for exploting animals is not just a moral issue, but also has economic opportunities for innovative companies, and even whole nations. The book also pointed out the massive impact consious consumers can have. Otherwise many examples, some very familiar, some less, on how hideous the human kind has been to animals and how single acts can make a huge shift for the better.
August 9, 2020
Although hard to read at times, I think this book was necessary. I think Wayne did a good job of presenting the issues at hand, but not making you feel guilty about your part in them. He inspires you to want to help and do better by educating you about the reality of our society. I also love how open he is to learn from, and meet with, his adversaries. He does a great job of presenting all sides to the issues and offers a realistic perspective that can actually evoke change.
March 20, 2017
This was a really fascinating book. It talked about all the advancements we have made and how we have so many more to make. Be conscientious about your decisions....where are your products coming from? Are you ok with that? If not, change what you are purchasing. It discussed several different topics to the amount of space hens laying eggs have (in factory farming) to what the hunting industry is really doing to the economy in Africa (there are actual dollar amounts of what an animal hunted is compared to what the lifetime value the animal could be for tourism). It was a hard read...it was tough to know that I contributed to so much for thirty years. It is not a #govegan book, but a #behumane book. #humaneeconomy #waynepacelle #readit
September 20, 2017
Everyone should read this book. It's not preachy and it doesn't try to make you feel guilty for choices that you may make. This book is simply a factual collection of information to educate the public so that they can make better choices in regards to animal cruelty. Not everyone has to be vegan to make a difference.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews