dan kellar Waterloo, ON – With wildfires burning across the continent, and record breaking heat intensifying around the world, the additional focus on climate change at this year’s KW VegFest is very timely. VegFest organizers say the annual festival is “for everyone” and they invite folks to “learn about plant-based and planet-based eating, health, gardening, and climate action.”
This show features an interview with Mo Markham, a member of Waterloo Region Climate Initiatives, and an organizer of the 7th annual KW VegFest. The event is taking place at the Uptown Square in Waterloo on Saturday July 27th from 2-7pm.
Mo Markham of KW Vegfest Mo Markham joins me, Bob Jonkman, on a web conference to talk about the upcoming KW Vegfest 2021, and tells us about the speakers and vendors who will be at this year’s Vegfest. We talk about veganism, the need for a plant-based diet, and the “Ag Gag” laws that try to suppress publication of the problems with industrial agriculture. The speaker presentations are being recorded, so we’ll have Mo back in a few weeks to as we put some on the air.
I promised to play a bunch of new CanCon and KWCon music today, but there was so much Vegfest to talk about we didn’t get to it. We’ll definitely have a full music episode next week, and I’ll invite the musicians to come into the studio (when it re-opens) for a Live, On-Air, In-Studio performance!
Mo Markham tells us about this year’s KW Vegfest, being held in-person at the Kitchener Market. She gives a little history, and then goes over the Covid protocols in place, done by the Kitchener Market staff. There’s no online component, but presentations will be recorded and we’ll air excerpts on a future CCC. Mo tells us about the KW Vegfest programme, and tells us about some of the musical guests. There’s more stuff happening outside, and Mo goes over the list of vendors. We talk about transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, there are Vegan Societies to help people with this, for example the KW Vegan Society and the Cambridge, Ontario Vegan Society. KW Vegfest is put on by KW Animal Save.
Veganism is one of the ways to address climate change — animal agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Plant Based Treaty was recently set up to bring attention to this, and some municipal councillors are already on board.
Mo’s cat Joanie introduces herself, and we talk about plant-based cat food. Cats are obligate carnivores, they’re required to eat meat. But the only nutrient needed by cats missing in plants is taurine, so adding a taurine supplement makes plant-based cat food completely nutritious for cats.
We talk about “vegan” as an ethical choice, separate from eating a plant-based diet. Veganism includes not using any animal based clothing, not going to the zoo, not riding a horse, not using animals in any way. It’s not only animal welfare that drives people to veganism, but also climate change. Mo tells us of her experiences in seeing the effects of climate change herself.
Talking about “Ag Gag Laws”, to suppress information about the conditions for animals in industrial agriculture. Mo gives details about some of these “acceptable” practices. Content Warning: Mo gives some explicit descriptions of animal abuse. Talking about the specifics of the law, how it doesn’t do what it claims to do. There have been no incidents of disease brought in my activists. But it’s foreign and low-paid workers who are most at risk of the zoonotic diseases spread by poor working conditions in these places. Strong agricultural industry lobbying keeps this law on the books.
54m34s
Hardest Part (vocals by CJ Cooper) and Bob gives the closing credits
Mo Markham on CKMS Community Connections 1 July 2019 Mo Markham is back, but not in the studio. Because of Covid the studio is still closed to guests, so Mo joins us online.
The same is true for KW Vegfest. After the huge turnout in Carl Zehr Square at Kitchener City Hall the last two years, this year KW Vegfest is going virtual. Mo and Bob Jonkman talk about how that will work.
Bob announces the played tracks, and reads artists bios for Tye Dempsey and Kiana Smith, but Bibo remains an enigma. There’s also a phone call, but it’s not Mo Markham.
Bob introduces the Korol Music School, Melotika, and Parallax Error; a bit more information on KW Vegfest, and a promo for Liberation Hour which airs Fridays at 8:00pm on CKMS-FM
Liberation Hour focuses on various aspects of non-human animals in our society. We interview experts; people who are passionate about other animals and the planet; people who take care of non-human animals; people who create plant-based food; people who fight for animal rights and for the planet.
On Canada Day we talk about colonialism and settlement in Turtle Island, the students’ School Strike for Climate, and Kitchener-Waterloo VegFest. Our guests are Sophia Kudriavtsev, who’s been leading the School Strikes, Kaiha, an 11-year-old student who’s been speaking at the School Strike rallies in Toronto and the Nation Rising rally in Ottawa, and Mo Markham, organizer of KW Vegfest.
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