On the occasion of the International Day for Biodiversity and the start of UN talks on a possible sustainable development goal (SDG) on agriculture Brighter Green and the Global Forest Coalition have published a briefing paper to raise awareness of the negative impacts of rapidly expanding industrial livestock farming and large-scale cattle ranching on the world's forests and biodiversity. Industrial animal agriculture cuts across multiple sectors, affecting land use, water, food security, public health, and climate change. But too often these intersections are overlooked.

Brighter Green's Executive Director Mia MacDonald spoke about climate change and animal agriculture, and the ecological impacts of the global spread of factory farm operations, at the Seed Experience in New York City on May 18, 2013. She also screened Green's short documentary, "What's for Dinner?" Find out more about the film, including how to show it, here.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald's blog post on the U.S. National Climate Assessment and U.S. and global systems of food production was featured in the Huffington Post and was re-blogged on the American food system news website Civil Eats.

Brighter Green collaborated with Global Forest Coalition on an event and paper on the risks of industrial livestock production for the environment, communities (including indigenous communities), and animals at the World Social Forum in Tunisia.

Brighter Green guest blogger Wanqing Zhou's exploration of of the growing challenge of food waste in China ("Food Waste and Recycling in China: Too Easy, Too Hard"), including from animal agriculture, has been republished in English and Chinese on China Dialogue, an important, bilingual Web portal for global environmental news with a focus on China.

The winners of the two Katerva awards for innovation in sustainability have been announced. Mia MacDonald of Brighter Green served on the judging panel for the food security theme, and the project finalist she ranked highest, Backpack Farm, piloted in East Africa, came first in its category.

Brighter Green and Tribal Link hosted a successful fundraiser for the East African Girls' Leadership Initiative in December 2012. Over $3,000 were raised to help support two girls' education, living costs, rights training, mentoring, and leadership skill workshops for one year. Singer-songwriter Joy Askew performed at the event and Grace Koutimet, from SIMOO spoke about the role of Maasai women in the community and how educating Maasai women greatly assists the communities' progress.

Brighter Green's Mia MacDonald's blog post on COP 18 and the conference's failure to address the negative effects of industrial food systems, particularly industrial agriculture, on climate change appeared in the Huffington Post on December 6, 2012.

Brighter Green's Mia MacDonald participated in and moderated a side event to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP18) in Doha, Qatar in December 2012. The side event entitled "Climate Change & Ensuring Sustainable, Humane, Equitable Food Systems: Views from the North and South" focused on climate change and livestock farming. Xie Zheng, featured in Brighter Green's short documentary "What's for Dinner?" also spoke at the event. For more information on Brighter Green's research on climate change and the globalization of farming click here.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald attended the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 18) from November 26 to December 2, 2012. Mia shared Brighter Green's research on climate change and the globalization of intensive animal agriculture.

Brighter Green has just become a member of Climate Action Network-U.S. (USCAN), in the lead up to the COP18 climate summit.

On the occasion of the International Day for Biodiversity and the start of UN talks on a possible sustainable development goal (SDG) on agriculture Brighter Green and the Global Forest Coalition have published a briefing paper to raise awareness of the negative impacts of rapidly expanding industrial livestock farming and large-scale cattle ranching on the world's forests and biodiversity. Industrial animal agriculture cuts across multiple sectors, affecting land use, water, food security, public health, and climate change. But too often these intersections are overlooked.

Brighter Green's Executive Director Mia MacDonald spoke about climate change and animal agriculture, and the ecological impacts of the global spread of factory farm operations, at the Seed Experience in New York City on May 18, 2013. She also screened Green's short documentary, "What's for Dinner?" Find out more about the film, including how to show it, here.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald's blog post on the U.S. National Climate Assessment and U.S. and global systems of food production was featured in the Huffington Post and was re-blogged on the American food system news website Civil Eats.

Brighter Green collaborated with Global Forest Coalition on an event and paper on the risks of industrial livestock production for the environment, communities (including indigenous communities), and animals at the World Social Forum in Tunisia.

Brighter Green guest blogger Wanqing Zhou's exploration of of the growing challenge of food waste in China ("Food Waste and Recycling in China: Too Easy, Too Hard"), including from animal agriculture, has been republished in English and Chinese on China Dialogue, an important, bilingual Web portal for global environmental news with a focus on China.

The winners of the two Katerva awards for innovation in sustainability have been announced. Mia MacDonald of Brighter Green served on the judging panel for the food security theme, and the project finalist she ranked highest, Backpack Farm, piloted in East Africa, came first in its category.

Brighter Green and Tribal Link hosted a successful fundraiser for the East African Girls' Leadership Initiative in December 2012. Over $3,000 were raised to help support two girls' education, living costs, rights training, mentoring, and leadership skill workshops for one year. Singer-songwriter Joy Askew performed at the event and Grace Koutimet, from SIMOO spoke about the role of Maasai women in the community and how educating Maasai women greatly assists the communities' progress.

Brighter Green's Mia MacDonald's blog post on COP 18 and the conference's failure to address the negative effects of industrial food systems, particularly industrial agriculture, on climate change appeared in the Huffington Post on December 6, 2012.

Brighter Green's Mia MacDonald participated in and moderated a side event to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP18) in Doha, Qatar in December 2012. The side event entitled "Climate Change & Ensuring Sustainable, Humane, Equitable Food Systems: Views from the North and South" focused on climate change and livestock farming. Xie Zheng, featured in Brighter Green's short documentary "What's for Dinner?" also spoke at the event. For more information on Brighter Green's research on climate change and the globalization of farming click here.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald attended the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 18) from November 26 to December 2, 2012. Mia shared Brighter Green's research on climate change and the globalization of intensive animal agriculture.

Brighter Green has just become a member of Climate Action Network-U.S. (USCAN), in the lead up to the COP18 climate summit.

What's for Dinner was mentioned in Veg News magazine's Media Lounge section in the November+December 2012 issue.

For Food Day 2012 Brighter Green hosted an online event for Food Day: a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable and sustainable food. We screened three movies related to global industrial food production and held a Facebook discussion on our Facebook page.

The Katerva Award is given annually to the most promising ideas and efforts to advance the planet toward sustainability. Executive Director Mia MacDonald is a member of the 2012 impact panel for the food security category. Mia and the other panel members, all experts on food security, agriculture, social change, and sustainability from around the world, have ranked the food security finalists. The Award Council (members include Mary Robinson and Marina da Silva) is now deliberating. The award-winning project and runners up will be announced on December 7th.

Brighter Green's Executive Director Mia MacDonald spoke at the Global Diet and Sustainability Conference on October 12th at the New School in New York City. This conference explored the global consumption of animal based products (meat, eggs, and dairy) and the negative impacts these products have on humans, animals, and the planet.

Great news! Brighter Green's short documentary "What's for Dinner?" will be screening with terrific long-form documentary "Vegucated" as part of New York City's annual Climate Week (details here). Q&A and climate-friendly food to follow. Save the date: Saturday, September 29, 1-4 p.m., Anthology Film Archives, Manhattan. Free.

Visit our Resources page for new links added to the India category.

"What's for Dinner?" will screen this Sunday July 29th at 16:30 local time in Siri Fort 3 at the 12th Osian's-Cinefan Film Festival of Indian, Asian, and Arab Cinema in New Delhi, India.

June marked the middle of the second term for the Kenyan girls' academic calendar, and the end of the first term for the Tanzanian girls.

"What's for Dinner?" has been accepted into the 12th Osian's-Cinefan Film Festival of Indian, Asian, and Arab Cinema to be held in New Delhi, India, later this month.

Take a look at what we've been up to this year in our summer newsletter. Please note, the links are not active so please refer to the website for relevant pages.

Brighter Green worked on this video honoring the legacy of Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai for the Green Belt Movement to be shown at the UN Rio+20 Earth Summit underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Mia MacDonald recently attended the 2012 Animals and Society Institute and Wesleyan University's Animal Studies initiative's Fellowship Program conference at Wesleyan.

Mia MacDonald is attending the Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany. It runs from May 14-25 at the Maritim Hotel in Bonn.

Brighter Green served as a partner of the 2012 Brooklyn Food Conference and hosted a workshop panel.

Mia MacDonald moderated a panel tonight at NYU titled, "Global Equity and Animal Agriculture." She was joined by Professor Lori Gruen, Chetana Mirle, and Professor Peter Li.

Mia MacDonald joined Peter Li, Associate Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Houston, at a screening and discussion of "What's for Dinner?", as part of NYU Earth Week.

Mia MacDonald spoke at the State of the World 2012: Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity release celebration today, along with other co-authors of the report and Worldwatch researchers. Mia contributed a chapter to this year's report, titled, "Food Security and Equity in a Climate-Constrained World."

Brighter Green is pleased to announce a new associate, Eve Feng. Eve is a media and communications consultant for various international organizations, and shares our interest in climate change, animal welfare, sustainable development, and equity.

Mia MacDonald attended a tree-planting ceremony, organized by Columbia University Professor Gayatri Spivak. More details here.

Today, Mia MacDonald spoke at Stanford University's Environmental Humanities Project for a special lecture titled, "Sustainability, Equity, and Rights: Human-Animal Nature Interactions & Intersections".

Brighter Green was on the host committee of the event, International Women's Day Celebration, organized by Oxfam Action Corps NYC.

Yesterday, Mia MacDonald spoke at the event, Rural Grassroot Girls and Women as Agents of Climate Justice: Living Testimonies of Wangari Maathai's Legacy, honoring the memory of Brighter Green Advisory Board member, Wangari Maathai, in the specific context of rural agriculture and women farmers.

Brighter Green's policy paper, Veg or Non-Veg? India at the Crossroads has been featured in a recent article in the Daily Mail India.

The five Tanzanian girls participating in the East African Girls' Leadership Initiative went back to school recently to start the first term of their new academic year.

The Kenyan girls participating in the East African Girls' Leadership Initiative went back to school this week, the first term of their last year. The Tanzanian girls go back later this month.

Happy New Year from Brighter Green! Please take a look at our most recent newsletter for a summary of what Brighter Green has accomplished this year.

The highly anticipated India policy paper, Veg or Non-Veg? India at the Crossroads is now available for download.

The East African Girls' Leadership Initiative is holding a workshop in Morogoro, Tanzania.

Brighter Green participated in an official side event at the UN climate summit with partners Humane Society International and Compassion in World Farming. Mia MacDonald's presentation from the event on December 2 is posted here.

Brighter Green's documentary film, "What's for Dinner?" is screening as part of the 12th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival.

Brighter Green is excited to spread the word about Food Day, a day for all Americans to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.

Thanks to the hard work of translator Tibebe Mengistu, the Ethiopia video is now available with an Amharic narration. To view the rest of the Globalization of Factory Farming materials related to Ethiopia and other countries, click here.

Brighter Green's short documentary, "What's for Dinner?," is screening at the 12th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival on Thursday October 27 at 5:20 PM (PST).

In this blog on the Huffington Post, Mia MacDonald reflects on Wangari Maathai's life, their work together, and what made Wangari remarkable.

Mia MacDonald is quoted in this article in the U.K. Independent about how Kenyans are dealing with the loss of Wangari Maathai. Mia recalls the day in 2004 when Wangari learned she had won Nobel Peace Prize -- Mia was there -- and how what happened after the news broke embodied Wangari's approach and the values she held.

Thanks to translator Tibebe Mengistu, the Amharic translation of the Ethiopia policy brief is now available in a smaller file size for dial-up internet connections.

Brighter Green's short documentary, "What's for Dinner?" exploring rising meat consumption and production in China, has been chosen to screen at the 12th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival. The festival runs October 20-28, 2011 in San Diego, California. A schedule of screenings will be posted soon. In the meantime, view a short interview about the making of the film with "What's for Dinner?" director Jian Yi here.

Brighter Green's policy brief, Climate, Food Security, & Growth: Ethiopia’s Complex Relationship with Livestock is now available in an Amharic translation. Amharic is widely spoken in Ethiopia, among the Ethiopian diaspora, and is also the working language of the Ethiopian government. Countries in the Horn and East of Africa, including Ethiopia, are in the grip of a severe drought. Millions of people and livestock are affected, providing an important current context for Brighter Green's Ethiopia research and policy recommendations.

Brighter Green Executive Director Mia MacDonald was interviewed August 17 by REAL (Responsible Eating and Living) founder and radio host, Caryn Hartglass. For a podcast of Mia's interview, click here.

Brighter Green Research Associate Justine Simon spoke at the FoodFight conference hosted by Columbia University's Teacher's College last week. The presentation, which addressed the environmental impacts of global meat and dairy production, is available here.

A recently-released report on China's pork industry by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Feeding China's Pigs: Implications for the Environment, China's Smallholder Farmers, and Food Security, draws from Brighter Green's policy paper, Skillful Means: the Challenges of China's Encounter with Factory Farming. Executive Director Mia MacDonald was also an external reviewer for the report.

The five Kenyan girls participating in the Girls' Leadership Initiative recently offered their thoughts on the program and its supporters as they embarked on a new school term (an update was also given about their academic performance and family situations). To read some of the girls' comments in their own words, click here.

Brighter Green's recently released policy brief on climate change and animal agriculture in Brazil, Gado, “Sojanização” e Mudança Climática, in Portuguese, has been published on the website of the Brazilian Vegetarian Society. Read the full policy paper (in English), Cattle, Soyanization, and Climate Change: Brazil's Agricultural Revolution here.

The short documentary video for Brazil Brighter Green produced to accompany the release of its policy research on global warming and animal agriculture is now available in Portuguese with narration by Andréa Nichols. Watch it here.

An article by Mia MacDonald has been published in China Dialogue, a leading online English-Chinese journal on environmental issues. The piece explores China's recent drought, climate change, and rising production of livestock and consumption of animal-based foods. It also contains details of reactions to Mia's recent presentations in Beijing and Shanghai on these topics. Read and comment on the English version here. The Chinese version is here.

The Chinese media picks up on Brighter Green Executive Director Mia Macdonald's recent trip to China, where she discussed the links between climate change and increased meat consumption. Chinese news sources including 21cbh.com, szn.net, 12316A.com, and nfdaily.com have published coverage of her presentation and presentations made by Dr. Robert Goodland and Gerry Wedderburn-Bishop in Beijing and Shanghai.

Brighter Green is pleased to announce its collaborative documentary short, "What's for Dinner?" has been accepted into two spring film festivals, one in the U.S. and one in South Korea. Click here for more details.

Brighter Green's Mia MacDonald was interviewed by partner organization Farm Sanctuary for a new web initiative, Plate to Planet. The educational microsite includes a short video, voiced by actor Jason Schwartzman, as well as interesting statistics and facts about global factory farming. Click here to see the video, as well as Mia MacDonald's interview.

Read about what Brighter Green's been up to and where we've been: China, Cancun (for the UN climate summit), and campuses. Click here for the April 2011 newsletter (PDF).

Shanghai's Science & Technology News has published an article [Chinese only] on livestock and climate change, including information from Mia MacDonald's recent talk at the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences.

Mia MacDonald gave two presentations today in Shanghai on behalf of Brighter Green. First at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and then the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, which advises the Shanghai Municipal Government on creating a low-carbon economy.

Mia MacDonald spoke today as part of a panel, along with with Dr. Robert Goodland and Dr. Gerry Bishop, on livestock and climate change to undergrad and graduate students at the Beijing Institute of Technology. A lively discussion ensued -- in English and Chinese -- followed by an on campus banquet.

A report on events at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, at which Mia MacDonald of Brighter Green spoke.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald spoke at the conference “Beijing 2011 - Summit Forum on Science and Technology for A Carbon Neutral Society” at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in central Beijing today. She described Brighter Green's research on the growth of factory farm systems in China, their link to to climate change, and their impacts in the U.S.

Brighter Green's translated work on country experiences of climate change and the globalization of industrial animal agriculture is now available. Click to view the 2011 edition in Chinese of Skillful Means: the Challenges of China's Encounter with Factory Farming, our policy brief on China in Chinese, and our policy brief on Brazil in Portuguese.

Brighter Green's Executive Director Mia MacDonald discusses Brighter Green's mission and work related to the environment, animals, and sustainable development with Our Hen House. The podcast is available here.

Daniel Salau shares his report on the December 2010 Human Rights Workshop in Arusha, Tanzania. Read more about the program's developments here.

Mia MacDonald's powerpoint presentation from the Healthy Food for a Healthy Life: Cool Food in School and at Home Conference now available. Click here for a PDF on the connections between climate change and animal-based foods, and how to bring these issues into the classroom.

American teacher in China, Jane Zawadowski, uses Brighter Green's policy paper, Skillful Means: The Challenges of China's Encounter with Factory Farming, to raise issues of environmentalism and diet in her class at Xihua University in China's Sichuan province.

The participating girls from Brighter Green's collaborative Girls' Education, Leadership, and Rights Training Initiative wrap up a human rights workshop held in Arusha, Tanzania. They have also returned to school to start the 2011 academic year.

Mia MacDonald's latest article has appeared in The Huffington Post. Writing from the Cancun, Mexico climate change talks now underway, she urges delegates to consider the linkages between animal agriculture and global warming.

Brighter Green's November 2010 newsletter is now available. See what we've been up to (policy papers, documentary videos, and a film, outreach, climate change talks, girls' leadership, and more), and what we're planning for 2011.

The presentation given by Brighter Green senior fellow Martin Rowe at this past weekend's Boston Vegetarian Food Festival is now available as a PDF. Martin was also quoted in Dig Boston's coverage of the event—read the article here.

Our East African partners SIMOO and PAICODEO met in Ngong, Kenya for an annual meeting to evaluate the Girls' Leadership Initiative. Among topics discussed were the girls' academic performances, their candidacies for university attendance, and an upcoming human rights workshop in December.

Simone de Lima, biologist and Professor of Psychology at the Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, joins Brighter Green's Associates Program. Click here to view a recent collaboration with Simone: Brighter Green's short video on the ecological impacts of Brazil's rapidly expanding soybean and meat production.

Watch a video of Daniel Salau Rogei, program coordinator for SIMOO (Simba Maasai Outreach Organization), one of the five partner NGOs for the initiative, discuss the latest developments after visiting nine of the participating girls at their schools in Kenya and Tanzania.

Mia MacDonld's presentation from the AAWA conference in Nairobi is available now, covering Ethiopia's livestock sector, developments in nature's rights and animal rights, and strategies for action.

Narrated by former Brighter Green intern Whitney Hoot, this video is part of Brighter Green's Food Policy and Equity Program, outlining the social, environmental, and animal welfare consequences of intensifying meat production and rising domestic and export consumption on Ethiopia, home of Africa's largest livestock herd.

Brighter Green's program on Food Policy and Equity continues to grow, with a video on the expansion of Brazil's livestock sector now available. The video, narrated by Simone de Lima, professor of psychology at the University of Brasilia and founder of Brazilian animal rights organization Pro-Anima, explores the profound environmental consequences of Brazil's booming livestock and soy industries.

As part of Brighter Green's Food Policy and Equity Program, a short video detailing China's rising consumption of animal products is now available. The video is narrated by Brighter Green Associate Stella Zhou, who is blogging from China this summer. More to come soon as we explore further the impacts of the globalization of industrial animal agriculture in China, India, Brazil, and Ethiopia.

Last month, Mia MacDonald posted a blog on the Huffington Post, covering Goldman Sach's involvement with factory farming in China. Her piece, "Investment Bankers with Wings: Making a Killing," earned several notable mentions online, from sources such as the PETA Files, Discovery's Planet Green, and Current TV.

Mia MacDonald posted a blog on Goldman Sachs's investment in factory farming in China on the Huffington Post. Read it here. Feel free to add your comments or share with others or link to it.

Brighter Green Executive Director Mia MacDonald recently discussed the environmental impacts of factory farming at a Pace Law School Panel, organized by the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Environmental Law Society. Click here for the PDF of this presentation.

Brighter Green colleague Anna Lappé's new book is out. Diet for a Hot Planet addresses the climate impact of our food choices, and what we can do to make a difference. Thanks, Anna, for mentioning Brighter Green's work in helping to shape a more just and sustainable food system for New York City!

The March issue of Resurgence Magazine, themed "The Future of Food," has published an article by Brighter Green Executive Director Mia MacDonald. Click here for a PDF version of the article, "Eat Like it Matters."

Karin Chien, founder of dGenerate Films and Co-Executive Producer with Brighter Green of "What's for Dinner?", has won the Piaget Producers Prize at the Independent Spirit Awards. Karin won the award for her work on The Exploding Girl, and Santa Mesa.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald has joined the Board of Directors of Green Belt Movement International-North America. Founded in 1977 by Nobel Peace Laureate and Brighter Green colleague, Wangari Maathai, the Green Belt Movement (GBM) promotes a bottom-up, holistic approach to development and environmental conservation.

The piece by Mia MacDonald, originally published in "Sanctuary," the newsletter of Farm Sanctuary, makes clear the connection between animal agriculture and environmental degradation, and spotlights city-level "green food" resolutions.

Presentations from Brighter Green and the Green Belt Movement's Copenhagen side event are now available. Click to view PDFs from Brighter Green's Mia MacDonald, Dupoto Forest and Wildlife Association's Samwel Naikada and The Green Belt Movement's Fredrick Njau. Interested in more? Here's Mia's blog on the side event.

Richard Greene, host and producer of a daily show on Air America, interviewed Mia MacDonald last night at the Klimaforum about "What's for Dinner?" and Brighter Green's work on the globalization of industrial animal agriculture.

Brighter Green's screening of "What's for Dinner?" took place last night at the Klimaforum in Copenhagen. The turn out was great, with the venue filled to capacity, and a lively discussion taking place afterwards. Read more about the event in Mia MacDonald's blog.

Citing parts of Samuel Naikada's presentation at the "side event" co-sponsored by the Green Belt Movement and Brighter Green on December 11 at the Copenhagen climate summit, the COP 15 Post (a daily paper on the summit proceedings in English) has published an article on Wangari Maathai, and climate change in Kenya.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development's Reporting Services has picked up on Brighter Green's and the Green Belt Movement's side event on Livelihoods, Forests, Livestock and Climate, at the Copenhagen climate conference. Read the full article here.

In addition to posting here, Brighter Green's Executive Director Mia MacDonald is also blogging from the Copenhagen climate talks for Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai's Green Belt Movement. Read her blogs here.

Brighter Green has posted three new draft summaries (PDF)—of Ethiopia, Brazil, and India—of its forthcoming papers on the challenges to public health, environmental conservation, and animal welfare faced by these countries as they attempt to increase their production of meat and dairy.

Fall is winding down, and Brighter Green is getting ready for the UN climate talks in Copenhagen, beginning on December 7th and running for two weeks. Executive Director Mia MacDonald will be at the climate summit in Copenhagen, beginning on December 10th. Brighter Green was approved to attend as an "observer organization" (UN speak for NGO attendees). Read on to learn about our what we're planning for Copenhagen and our current projects.

Jonathan Safran Foer's best-selling new book Eating Animals cites as a reference Brighter Green's policy paper "Skillful Means".

Brighter Green Research Associate Justine Simon is back from the Massachusetts Climate Action Network, and her presentation on the climate impacts of our diets - particularly in terms of meat and dairy consumption - is now available in PDF form.

Brighter Green Associate Stella Zhou's presentation from the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival is now available in PDF form. At the conference, Stella discussed China's embrace of factory farming and the missing role of farm animals in present-day public health discussions.

Stella Zhou was interviewed by the International Herald Tribune about her experiences in China for an article on meat consumption and its impact on climate change.

Mia MacDonald, Executive Director of Brighter Green, describes the effects of intensive animal agriculture on climate change and fossil fuel use in a video of a powerpoint lecture at New York University, convened during Climate Week NYC, September 25, 2009.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald gave a presentation on the links between meat consumption and global warming as part of an event hosted by NYU in conjunction with Climate Week NYC. Co-panelists included Jasmin Singer of Farm Sanctuary, and Marisa Miller Wolfson of Kind Green Planet.

Watch our brand new video on the East African Girls' Education, Leadership and Rights Training Initiative. Hear Lucy Mulenkei of the Nairobi-based Indigenous Information Network discuss the program's launch and progress and learn more about the lives of the ten girls who are participating in it.

Welcome to Brighter Green's summer newsletter. We've been busy these past few months, attending events, developing our online presence, and launching our Associates Program. We also have a number of exciting projects underway. Please read on for an update, and thanks for your interest in our work.

Our partner, Tribal Link Foundation, has put up a Facebook Cause page to help raise money for the girls' school fees and living expenses (learn more about the girls and the project here). If you'd like to support this work, please visit here.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald spoke about the Environment and Industrial Animal Agriculture at Farm Sanctuary's annual Hoe-Down in Watkins Glen, NY. A PDF version of her presentation is available for download.

Brighter Green is now on Facebook. Become a fan, get updates of our latest events, and communicate with our network!

Harvard Public Health graduate student Stella Zhou becomes a Brighter Green Associate. Stella's interests include population-level bioethics, animal rights, and the relationship between public health and diet. A Chinese citizen, Stella hopes to use her degree to reinvigorate the bioethics curricula used in Chinese Universities. Brighter Green looks forward to working with Stella and gaining from her fresh insights.

A piece by Mia MacDonald on China's response to factory farming was the featured article on today's China Dialogue, a bilingual Web forum for news and analysis on China and the environment. Click here to read the article in English and leave a comment. The Chinese version of the article and a comment forum is here.

Click here for Sangamithra Iyer's biography. One of her interests is tracking the global rise of meat, egg and dairy consumption and its environmental and social implications. She'll be documenting factory farm facilities and trends in India in the coming months, as well as the food economy in Korea from the perspective of an organic berry farm. Read her first blog, from Korea, here.

A resolution (PDF) to reduce New York City's collective and individual climate "foodprint" is introduced today to the City Council. Press conference and rally 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 1, on the steps of City Hall. All are welcome to attend.

Brighter Green Executive Director Mia MacDonald is blogging from the Nobel Women's Initiative conference in Guatemala. Click here to read her daily posts.

New links have been added to the Resources section of this website that encompass some of the challenges that China is facing in its encounter with factory farming.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald spoke on a panel entitled, "Eating Green: Food and Climate Change," at The Future of Food: Transatlantic Perspectives conference. See PDF of Powerpoint presentation here.

Mia MacDonald has a blog on attending the Nobel Women's Initiative Conference in Guatemala, May 10–14. Click here to read it.

The latest issue of the "Backgrounder" policy newsletter series published by the Institute for Food and Democracy (Food First) is an excerpt from Brighter Green's Skillful Means: the Challenges of China's Encounter with Factory Farming. Click here to read or download the Backgrounder, "China and Industrial Animal Agriculture: Prospects and Defects."

Executive Director Mia MacDonald spoke at the May 2, 2009 Brooklyn (NY) Food Conference as part of a workshop panel, "Climate Change and the World's Food Supply." Her presentation is available as a PDF.

Author, activist, Nobel Prize laureate and Brighter Green colleague Wangari Maathai's latest book, The Challenge for Africa, was recently released by Pantheon. Maathai offers a compelling analysis of the problems facing Africa and the promises of the continent's future. For an interview with Maathai about "Challenge" from NPR's "Talk of the Nation" on April 23, 2009 click here. More about "Challenge" and Maathai's recent U.S. book tour are available on the Green Belt Movement website.

"Taking Root: the Vision of Wangari Maathai," a documentary film by Lisa Merton and Alan Dater about Nobel peace laureate and Green Belt Movement founder Maathai's life and work will be broadcast on most PBS stations April 14, 2009.

Welcome to Brighter Green's spring '09 newsletter and thank you for your interest in our work. Here's what we've been up to, and what we're planning.

The six person delegation of pastoral community activists and one radio reporter who travelled to Basecamp Maasai Mara in southern Kenya to exchange experiences has reported back. "It was very enlightening and beneficial to the participants," writes Daniel Salau of SIMOO. "We hope this will be the beginning of long-term partnership." The delegation's report offers details of what this peer-to-peer learning visit entailed, and what sustainable development looks like on the ground.

As a result of disseminating Skillful Means: the Challenges of China's Encounter with Factory Farming more widely within China, Brighter Green has gathered some interesting perspectives on how the links between climate change and animal agriculture are being framed by the Chinese government and interpreted by China's people.

To mark the Chinese Year of the Ox (or Cow), Brighter Green undertook a broader dissemination of its policy paper, Skillful Means: the Challenges of China's Encounter with Factory Farming to Chinese media, bloggers, academics and activists.

An interview with Mia MacDonald on Brighter Green's study, Skillful Means: the Challenges of China's Encounter with Factory Farmingconducted by Take a Bite out of Climate Change founder Anna Lappé, appears today on Grist, the online environmental news and feature site.

Brighter Green's initiative, piloted with partners in the U.S., Kenya, and Tanzania, launches this week, with the participation of 10 girls from Maasai communities. "All the girls have now secured places in schools and look forward to start classes in the next one week."

Brighter Green colleagues from Maasai (pastoral) organizations in Kenya are set to embark on a study tour. A six-person, gender-balanced delegation will travel February 10-12 to eco-lodge Basecamp Explorer Masai Mara in southern Kenya to exchange experiences and learning.

An interview with Mia MacDonald by Brighter Green colleague, Anna Lappe, about China and the rapid rise in and dairy production is now up on Take a Bite Out of Climate Change. That's Anna's savory, savvy site that charts the intersection of food and global warming. She asked some great, and tough, questions. Read the full interview here, and Brighter Green's China paper (in English or Chinese), below.

Brighter Green's policy paper, Skillful Means: the Challenges of China's Encounter with Factory Farming, is now available in a Chinese translation, as 中国农业工厂化所遭遇的挑战. Read the press release describing the report in Chinese here, and the full report here.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald gave a presentation (PDF) on the links between food and global warming at a conference in Manhattan co-sponsored by the United Federation of Teachers' Humane Education Committee and Science Committee, and the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food.

A new issue of Environmental News - Indigenous Peoples' Perspectives is just off the press from the Indigenous Information Network, with support from Brighter Green

An oped by Mia MacDonald on the challenges posed by China's rapid adoption of industrial-style animal agriculture appeared in the Institute's environmental news portal, "Eye on Earth." The piece also appeared on the Environmental News Network.

Welcome to Brighter Green's fall newsletter and thank you for your interest in our work. Here is what we've been up to.

The challenges for China's people, and environment, extend beyond the Olympics, and are encapsulated in Brighter Green's new report (PDF). For a summary in Chinese, click here.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald gave two talks in Portland earlier this month on the links between the globalization of industrial meat production and the global environment, public health and food security.

Click here to listen to a podcast of an interview with Mia MacDonald on KINK radio in Portland.

Mia MacDonald appeared on Thom Hartmann's Air America radio program today to discuss a world without meat -- and the world we actually live in.

Farm Sanctuary by Gene Baur was number 12 on the Los Angeles Times' hardcover bestseller list for the week ending March 30, 2008.

On Friday, April 25th, join Francis ole Sakuda and Daniel Salau of Simba Maasai Outreach Organization (SIMOO) in Kenya as they discuss the realities of climate change and solar and wind power for indigenous communities in Kenya and elsewhere. Co-sponsored with the Sierra Club NYC Group and Tribal Link Foundation.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald gave a presentation on Monday, April 7, at the University of Chicago entitled: "Meat World?: Current and Future Scenarios."

Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, by Gene Baur, co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary, has just been published by Simon & Schuster, with Brighter Green's participation.

Mia MacDonald, Brighter Green's Executive Director, has been elected to the Executive Committee of the New York City Group of the national environmental organization, the Sierra Club.

Brighter Green has gathered reports, media articles, policy papers and other materials on factory farming and its impacts on the world's environment, public health, animals, poverty and food security. Click here to visit the Resources section.

The following op-ed, co-written with Hope Ferdowsian, director of the Washington Center for Clinical Research, a division of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, appeared in the The Oregonian on Sunday, December 30, 2007 (circulation 370,000).

Just in time for the UN climate change meeting taking place in Bali, Indonesia, December 3-14, comes the inaugural issue of Environmental News, produced by the Nairobi-based Indigenous Information Network through a partnership with Brighter Green.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald spoke about the globalization of industrial meat production on Saturday, November 3rd at an all-day conference co-sponsored by EarthSave Chicago and the University of Chicago's Vegan Society.

Mia MacDonald of Brighter Green and Gene Baur of Farm Sanctuary describe their vision for food, farming and agriculture as the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill is debated.

Brighter Green and Farm Sanctuary's white paper on the farm bill was the subject of an article in Connecticut's Record-Journal.

Coverage by Web-based news and information sources.

Brighter Green and Farm Sanctuary's 2007 farm bill white paper leads agribusiness publication news.

Drovers, "America's beef business source," features environmental and animal welfare recommendations.

Collaborative analysis published: The 2007 Farm Bill: A New Vision for U.S. Agriculture, Food Production and Healthy Eating