IHE News & Announcements October 2010

• Featured Changemaker: Connecticut State Representative, Annie Hornish
  
• 7 Ways You Can Support Fair Trade
  
• Humane Education Activity: Pedro Comes for a Visit
• Enhance Your Students' Critical Thinking (& Your Own) with ProCon.org
  

FEATURED CHANGEMAKER: CONNECTICUT STATE REPRESENTATIVE ANNIE HORNISH

How does a cytotechnologist with an MBA end up as a state representative working for a better world for people, animals, and the earth? She merges her passion with her talents. Annie Hornish is just finishing her first term as a State Representative in Connecticut, where she has worked for legislation that recognizes the importance of creating a just, compassionate, sustainable world. Representative Hornish was kind enough to share with us about her work.

IHE: You co-founded the Compassionate Living Project with your husband, IHE M.Ed. graduate Neil Hornish, so you’ve done quite a lot of humane education, but more recently, you’ve been elected as a state representative for Connecticut.  What made you decide to enter the political spectrum?

RAH: My animal advocacy has led me along various paths.  In recent years that included the political arena.  In correspondence with my own Representative, it soon became apparent that we held diametrically opposite positions on certain issues.  When the election year approached and I learned that my Representative did not have a challenger, I decided that I would run against him myself.  My campaign had a strong message of diversity, which included not only issues of social justice -- including environmental and animal protection -- but helping small business and microbusiness enterprises.  The campaign was incredibly time-consuming, and I could not have done it without the support of my husband.  I canvassed my district on bicycle and knocked on many doors.  In the end, I won over an eighteen-year incumbent by a 4% margin in each of the four towns that I represent.

IHE: What have been some of the successes and challenges of your first term?
  
RAH: Enacting change through laws can be an arduous process.  Passing legislation often takes years, with each session gaining slightly more ground. In some cases, the success is not measured in passing beneficial laws, but in preventing the passage of harmful laws.

The vast majority of my successes were initiatives that promoted job growth, with a focus on helping small businesses, microbusinesses, and green businesses. There were many ways to encourage these objectives (e.g., tax credit incentives, student loan forgiveness for studies in certain fields, loans for small businesses).

I’ve also had success with animal issues.  I have championed a bill that would allow students to opt out of dissections.  The bill passed out of committee and through the House with a great deal of support, but unfortunately, time ran out in the session before the Senate could vote on the bill.  Some bills of which I was a leading advocate made it into law: Connecticut’s “Pet Lemon Law,” which will fight puppy mills by promoting transparency to consumers (in terms of clearly posting the origin of the dogs) and through reimbursement for veterinary costs (health problems are common in dogs who have originated in puppy mills), and the “Tethering” law, which deals with helping dogs who are cruelly tethered. I also initiated and co-chair a new group, Legislators for Animal Advocacy (LAA), which will work to educate legislators and foster humane policies.  The organization is only the second of its kind in the country -- California introduced the first earlier this year.  Response from legislators and the public has been very positive.


IHE: You’re on the Commerce, Education, and Environment committees, three committees which can potentially wield a lot of power in helping create a better world.  How did this come about?

RAH: At the beginning of the legislative term, which is two years for state Representatives and Senators in Connecticut, each legislator provides a list of committees on which they would like to sit to the leadership, and the leadership decided who will be on which committee.  Luckily these were my three top choices.  I chose the Environment Committee because of my passion for protecting the environment, and virtually all animal protection bills pass through this committee.  I chose the Education Committee because I understand the necessity to provide students with a quality education and opportunities to pique their desire for knowledge.  I chose the Commerce Committee to help local businesses and to assist in the implementation of green business methods.

IHE: How have you been able to infuse humane education values into your work?

RAH: Legislative Committees are in many ways similar to school classrooms.  The committee members meet to address a certain issue, gather information from the public, lobbyists, and experts, and then debate the issue before voting on the bill.  This presents many opportunities for humane education. During my first term, I have had the opportunity in public hearings, press conferences, and committee meetings to discuss issues such as animals in factory farms (intense confinement), alternatives to plastic shopping bags, the impact of plastic bottles on the environment, students’ choice regarding participation in dissections, compassionate alternatives to hunting and trapping, hunting’s negative impact on ecosystems, and the cruel treatment of animals in circuses and traveling shows.


IHE: What suggestions do you have for citizens who’d like to help get laws passed that support a humane world?  What should they know?

RAH: There are a number of ways to become involved.  First, consider running for a political position, at any level of government.  Even positions at the local level present opportunities to promote humane policies.  If people choose to advocate for humane legislation, I would suggest developing a relationship with the elected officials in your district.  Join a local advocacy group that understands how the legislative process works and that is committed to developing a strong, organized voting bloc.  I strongly recommend as required reading Get Political for Animals by Julie Lewin.  It is an excellent guidebook on understanding the process for how laws and policies are passed.  While it was written for animal advocacy, the information presented can work for any social justice issue.

IHE: What do you see happening in the world that gives you hope for a more just, compassionate, sustainable future?

RAH: The past couple of years have witnessed the most economically challenging times in decades.  The media has focused on the negative reactions of certain groups, such as the volatile and occasionally violent reactions during the health care debate. However, in my position as a legislator, I have had the opportunity to hear from a large number of constituents who, even during these difficult times, have expressed a strong desire to support social justice issues that preserve the environment, protect animals, and maintain justice and equality.


IHE: What are the biggest challenges in creating a humane world?

RAH: The biggest challenge is getting people to listen to the information they need, and to work together to make compassionate choices.  Often the information is controlled by the entities that have the most to gain from the exploitation of people, animals, and the environment.  These entities have the funds to run advertising campaigns, hire lobbyists, and contribute to political campaigns.  This results in not only inundating the public with biased or misleading information, but also allows these entities exceptional influence in determining public policy.  Fortunately, the information to counter those who would exploit people, animals, or the environment is now more than ever readily available through the Internet.  Often different social justice groups are focused on their own particular interest without understanding the interrelationships between their group and others’ groups.


IHE: What advice do you have for aspiring changemakers?

RAH: I would advise that once you determine what it is that you want to change, you must apply your strengths.  Some people are great at public speaking, some people are good at research, some at generating funding, and others may find the political arena intriguing.  No matter what you do, it’s important that you demand change from the government (local, state, and federal) that represents you.  I think that it’s important to remember that while others are working on different social justice issues, there are many areas of common interest, and it is important not to compromise other social justice issues while working to advance your own.
 

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7 WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT FAIR TRADE

October is Fair Trade Month, designed to educate others about the importance of fair trade and encourage them to buy fair trade products.

The goal of fair trade is to empower producers in developing countries, advocate for a fair price for their goods, and to establish social and environmental standards for the production of those goods. (Find out more from Wikipedia.)

When we buy products, most of us want to know that our desire for coffee or chocolate or sugar isn’t harming people or the planet. Fair trade is one avenue for helping us make more positive choices.

Here are 7 ways you can support fair trade:

1. Buy fair trade products whenever you can. Look for the certified fair trade labels from Transfair USA or Fair Trade Labeling International. Fair trade products can include coffee, chocolate, sugar, rice, tea, bananas, flowers, and many other products (including non-agricultural ones). Transfair USA, Global Exchange and the Fair Trade Federation offer resources on where to buy such products.
   
   
2. Ask stores, restaurants and any place that sells products like coffee, tea and chocolate to stock fair trade products.
   
   
3. Educate yourself about issues surrounding fair trade, so that you can make informed choices and share what you’ve learned with others. A few useful resources include:
   Transfair USA
   Global Exchange
   Green America
   Fair Trade Resource
   
   
4. Teach others about fair trade issues. Host film screenings, discussions, parties, tastings and other events. Talk with your friends and neighbors. Contact retailers and legislators. Write letters to the editor. Give presentations at schools and community events. Post to your blog, get a widget for your Facebook page, share with your online communities.
   
   If you're an educator, you can use curriculum resources such as those from Equal Exchange, Global Exchange, and Transfair USA to teach students about fair trade issues.
   
   
5. Introduce fair trade products and issues in your community – at work, your place of worship, school, community groups, etc. Encourage your community groups to become part of Green America's Fair Trade Alliance, or suggest fair trade fundraising for your child's school.
   
   
6. Participate in campaigns such as Reverse Trick or Treating or Fair Trade Month to increase awareness about fair trade issues.
   
   
7. Work to get your town or city declared a fair trade town. Use resources such as those from Transfair USA and Fair Trade Towns USA to help you.

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HUMANE EDUCATION ACTIVITY: PEDRO COMES FOR A VISIT

October 10-16 is World Rainforest Week. If you're looking for a way to engage younger children (grades K-4) in exploring the power they have to help protect the rainforest, what better way than to have the kids hear about it from a rainforest resident?

Pedro Comes for a Visit is a great opening activity to help teach about the destruction happening in rainforests and to involve students in creating positive solutions.

Image courtesy of BotheredByBees via Creative Commons.

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ENHANCE YOUR STUDENTS' CRITICAL THINKING (& YOUR OWN) WITH PROCON.ORG

Many educators are seeking strategies for helping their students think more deeply, critically and broadly about the challenging issues of our times, and ProCon.org is a great tool to help spark critical thinking about controversial issues. ProCon offers “research on controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, and primarily pro-con format.” The organization provides pro-con information on more than 30 issues, from gay marriage to obesity to “illegal” immigration to alternative energy. Each meta-issue begins with a question, offers a 1-minute overview, a core question (with quotes from opposing sides), the top 10 pros and cons for that topic, and a list of “Did you know?” factoids. Each meta-issue is broken down into sub-categories, with a variety of questions about topics connected to the meta-issue. Each meta-issue also offers (on the sidebar) a whole slew of additional information, from surveys and charts to sources for additional information. Some of the newer topics include video clips.

One of the strengths of the site is their star rating of the different types of sources. Government information gets more stars than non-profit organizations or industry sources, for example. The site also offers resources and tips for teachers and librarians in using the information on the site in their classrooms. If you need convincing about the benefits of exploring controversial issues in your classroom, check out their page on “Benefits of Teaching Controversial Issues” with statistics and links to studies and other resources.

A terrific extension to the either/or lens of the site is to explore third-side and both/and thinking with your students. Most pro-con sources set the issue up as two sides opposing each other, without looking for common ground or the reasoning behind why the stakeholders hold the views they have. If you need support or ideas for how to extend the conversation this way, check out our activities such as Many Colors (pdf) or Earth Court (pdf).

ProCon is also a great tool for helping all of us, whether teachers or not, enhance our knowledge of some of the important issues of our time and to expand our understanding about the various viewpoints people hold dear.

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