Mara, a Primetime Emmy-nominated actor known for her roles in House of Cards (2013–2016) and American Horror Story (2011), is joined by The Green Knight (2021) director David Lowery, who will also serve as an executive producer, and North Carolina filmmaker Jamie Berger, who wrote and produced the film.

The Smell of Money, due for release later this year, is directed by Californian filmmaker and conservationist Shawn Bannon, best known for his work on the documentary that accompanied The Green Knight movie and explored its mythical background in Arthurian legend.

Mara, a dedicated vegan, frequently advocates for animal welfare and environmental issues. She is a representative for the Humane Society of the US and even featured in one of the nonprofit’s “Meatless Monday” promotions back in 2015.

The trio’s new documentary will focus on Herring and her community’s fight against North Carolina’s hog farming industry, which began in the 1990s when farms began spraying their land with excess manure from the increasingly huge number of animals being “produced.”

‘The Smell of Money’ movie tackles environmental justice

Herring, who passed away last year, spent decades fighting against these concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), or factory farms, that polluted her home county of Duplin. She later joined the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network as an organizer and helped to highlight the dangers of factory farming to rural communities nationwide, from pollution to racism.

Factory farms are a huge problem. Approximately 99 percent of all animals farmed in the US are living on factory farms, despite the various ethical, environmental, and other issues with this dominant form of animal agriculture. That’s something in excess of 1.5 billion animals.

One of the main problems with this is the disposal of waste, and factory farms produce well over 300 million tons of manure per year—more than three times the annual waste produced by humans. This is stored in huge lagoons and spread on crops, releasing toxic pollutants like hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and nitrogen, along with a powerful smell.

When describing the oppressive and all-pervasive stench of factory farming in the vicinity of her family home in Duplin, Herring told the House Committee On Energy & Commerce that “we can’t stay outside for very long because the odor is so offensive that we start gagging.”

Pork, pollution, and capitalism

The title of the new documentary comes from Wendell Murphy, a state legislator at the time, who notoriously referred to the inescapable smell of hog waste in the region as the “smell of money.”

Murphy is notably also the founder of Smithfield Foods, the single largest pork producer in the entire world, and the laws he helped pass as a state legislator are inarguably partially responsible for the unsustainable and destructive growth of the industry that continues today.

Hog farming emissions are directly related to 89 of the 98 animal agriculture-related air pollution deaths that take place in Duplin per year. As of 2019, the county has 2.3 million pigs for its 58,967 people—approximately 39 hogs for every single human. Farmers sprayed pig manure so close to Herring’s home that droplets would land on the front porch like rain.

Learn more about CAFOs and the pork industry from Compassion in World Farming here, and read on here to find out about Herring’s North Carolina Environmental Justice Network. Want to learn more about air pollution and animal agriculture? Learn more here.

Editor’s note: Since publication, LIVEKINDLY has corrected this article. First-time filmmaker Jamie Berger wrote and co-produced ‘the Smell of Money,’ and Elsie Herring did not co-found the NCEJN, she joined the extant group as an organizer.

Set to debut this summer, Peeled will follow in the style of existing reality cooking shows like Beat Bobby Flay and MasterChef. The digital platform vKind will lead the production, having gained interest after launching a concept episode on its YouTube channel. The show is being shot in Las Vegas at the Vegas Vegan Culinary School and Eatery.

“As a vegan and a foodie, I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with cooking shows,” Star Simmons, founder of vKind and show creator, said. “Peeled allows vegans and vegetarians to enjoy cooking shows again and gives plant-based culinary arts a platform to be taken seriously.”

Throughout the run of the show, selected professional chefs will compete in a series of challenges to wow the palates of an all-vegan panel of judges. In each episode, the chef with the lowest score will be eliminated—“peeled off”—and the lucky ones that remain will continue to vie for the title of “Hottest Vegan Chef.” The winner and last remaining chef will pick a charity of their choice to receive a $1,000 cash donation. 

“We cherry-picked our chefs from across the country to bring diverse sets of skills and backgrounds to the table,” says Star Simmons, show creator and founder of vKind. The show will feature Chef Jaena Moynihan, a certified health coach from Phoenix, Arizona; Chef Donald Lemperle, founder and executive chef of VegeNation in Las Vegas; Cordon Bleu-trained Chef Nicole Derseweh; and Chef Sandra Hurtault, a French baker and personal chef.

We can expect to see the Peeled chefs whip up dishes that showcase the versatility of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes as well as products from plant-based brands. Simmons sees this as an opportunity to show audiences how to cook with vegan alternatives like a pro.

“Not all vegan or veg-curious people want to cook purely from scratch, just as not all of them want to use processed products,” says Simmons. “But the truth is, both can be used to make a knock-out meal, and we want to show people what’s possible with this lifestyle. You neither have to be a junk-food vegan nor someone who spends hours in the kitchen to make veganism work for you.”

Vegan competition heats up cooking shows

The panel of judges features former Hell’s Kitchen contestant Chef Josie Clemens, who is also joining Peeled as a co-creator. “Competing in Hell’s Kitchen was a great experience, but not at all hospitable for a vegan chef like me who would otherwise never opt to cook anything that wasn’t entirely plant-based,” Clemens said in a statement. “I was thrilled to learn that vKind would be producing an all-vegan cooking competition. Signing on as co-creator was a no-brainer for me.”

Dr. Miles Woodruff, CEO of the plant-based seafood brand Sophie’s Kitchen, celebrity chef Chris Tucker of ABC’s The Great American Baking Show fame, and media personality Elizabeth Alfano, will also serve as judges. The competition will be hosted by raw vegan chef and restaurateur, Babette Davis, as well as TV host and health educator, Shabnam Islam.

Plant-based chefs are increasingly taking up space in mainstream cooking competitions. Most recently, Souley Vegan founder Tamearra Dyson became the first competitor to defeat Bobby Flay on his show. “Bobby told me my energy filled that place, and he told me it was the greatest episode ever, and that he had never taken off his apron and given it to another chef,” she told LIVEKINDLY earlier this year.

Plant-based chef Teresa Colaço was recently crowned the winner of MasterChef Portugal, not too long after MasterChef Romania’s first vegan contestant, chef Alex Lenghel, was eliminated for refusing to cook beef. Even the most recent season of Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off featured its first vegan baker, Freya Cox.

“Peeled will prove that vegan chefs and vegan plates deserve a spot at the table with everyone else, and that killing animals is not a requirement for culinary recognition,” says Simmons.

Peeled is slated to premiere this summer and will be available on UnchainedTV, which is accessible through Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, IOS, Android, and the web.

Over the course of three years, Huriwai and Milked director Amy Taylor documented Fonterra’s greenwashing sustainability marketing, as well as the mental health and debt crises of New Zealand’s dairy farmers. Contrary to the happy, grass-fed cows of Fonterra’s consumer packaging and the claims of their sustainability report, the reality is quite grim. Taylor and Huriwai uncovered widespread animal abuse, coal-powered pollution, and high levels of methane pollution.

We spoke with Taylor about how Māori populations are affected by soil erosion and waterway pollution, the urgent need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions caused by the dairy industry, and what a milk-free future might look like.

LIVEKINDLY: Your film’s protagonist, Chris Huriwai, endures a hero’s journey of disillusionment as he learns how deceptive the dairy industry is in New Zealand. He gets stonewalled and greenwashed by Fonterra all along the process.

Amy Taylor: Chris was shocked at how bad the actual impacts of the dairy industry in New Zealand are. The industry is failing in every way possible, and he was surprised that it wasn’t working for anyone—the economy, or farmers. We obviously knew it was bad for the animals and bad for the environment, but the economic side of it, and the threat of the coming agricultural disruption, were quite unknown to us.

LIVEKINDLY: So what are the hidden aspects of the dairy industry that you want to amplify with this film?

Taylor: People tend to make the dairy industry out to be better than the meat industry. Because they like to hide the fact that, you know, you do have to take the young off the mother cows. And those calves are generally killed when they’re newborn or at a very young age. So, yeah, I think they tend to make out that it’s a wholesome industry. And, obviously, it’s quite closely aligned to the meat industry, because dairy cows themselves end up as hamburger after only a few years of being worn out producing calves and milk. 

Most people still believe that farming cows is a good use of land. And they’re totally unaware of the fact that we’re using the majority of the world’s agricultural land to farm animals and grow food to feed them. 

LIVEKINDLY: You say in the film that nearly a quarter of New Zealand greenhouse gas emissions are caused by dairy—more than all transportation combined. That’s a pretty shocking figure.

Taylor: The majority of that is methane, and people still have a false idea about methane. The methane situation is urgent. It’s 84 times more potent than CO2. A global methane pledge was signed at COP26, and New Zealand was part of that, along with 100 countries around the world. We want to reinforce that that pledge needs to happen, and that we need reduce methane emissions drastically.

LIVEKINDLY: You speak in the film to the fact that 95 percent of New Zealand’s dairy products are exported. Is increased demand in nations like China the reason for the 132 percent increase in dairy emissions in the last 38 years, or is that simply due to a growing population?

Taylor: The rising emissions have been due to the dairy herds getting bigger, so more cows are on the land, which means more methane and nitrous oxide. There’s also been a huge increase in the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. Although New Zealand is famous for talking about its carbon footprint for milk being smaller than other countries, that’s inaccurate really. That carbon footprint assessment is based on the dairy industry’s own research, which doesn’t take into account all the coal that is used to dry the milk to turn it into milk powder, as well as the other kinds of emissions involved with the chain of distribution. They’re only looking at on-farm emissions, which is misleading.

LIVEKINDLY: Chris points out that Māori lactose intolerance is common, as well as a rise in diabetes, heart disease, and cancer in Māori communities that wasn’t present pre-colonization. And yet, all kids in New Zealand, regardless of ethnicity or lactose intolerance, are given Fonterra for school milk. Do you see this as a form of food oppression?

Taylor: Chris’ initial journey was triggered by the milk in the school program. He started looking into things more and realized that there was that dietary racism element. He started doing social media videos and posts about the dairy industry and about the injustice of that. It was very interesting in our research to discover that the industry itself, including Fonterra, has a say in the guidelines, to the point where they were able to remove the suggestion of alternative milks. They have a direct influence on the nutrition guidelines. Chris is really passionate about using veganism as a decolonization tool. He’s trying to decolonize systems that have been pushed on the indigenous culture here, and the food system is a big part of it.

LIVEKINDLY: What is the scope of influence that lobbyists have on politicians in New Zealand’s dairy industry?

Taylor: Dairy is our biggest industry, and it’s pretty much part of this whole country. Everyone is involved in the dairy industry, or knows someone who is. Our prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is from a dairy farming town called Morrinsville. Lobbyists play a role, and even the Green Party here has been a little bit slow to stand up against it. We’re going to aim to have a parliamentary screening of the film and try and get some discussion going. It’s tricky, and very hard to make change happen.

LIVEKINDLY: The dairy industry is affecting waterways, soil erosion, and perhaps most devastatingly in terms of culture, the wetlands. Talk about their importance for biodiversity and overall health.

Taylor: Animal agriculture took out 90 percent of our wetlands, which are crucial for filtering the water. Many wetlands got drained and then made into dairy farms. There’s definitely potential for reversing a lot of the damage and restoring wetlands and waterways. Once we do shift away from animal agriculture, nature has an incredible way of regenerating.

LIVEKINDLY: Let’s talk a little bit about farmer longevity. The film puts forth the statistic of 167 farmers having died by suicide in the past 10 years, as well as the story of a 23-year-old farm manager who suffered grave mental health detriments after having to kill calves due to the Mycoplasma bovis disease. Also, you say New Zealand farmers are $38 billion in debt.

Taylor: Farmers were told to intensify their farms, to take out loans, get more cows, and create bigger milking sheds, so they could up their output. That massive debt hasn’t worked out for our farmers.

People always talk about the isolation contributing to the mental health challenges that farmers face. They talk about that and about the pressures of debt. But not many people have talked about the fact that farmers have to witness and be part of some awful situations with animals, having to kill them and watching them suffer. And I think a lot of farmers we’ve spoken to, that’s really affected them. They don’t know how to handle that side of the job. So it’s not something that’s acknowledged in the industry. 

LIVEKINDLY: In Milked, you show a pro-dairy cover story done by a prominent New Zealand magazine called North and South. The article was funded by The Riddet Institute, which has close ties to the meat and dairy industries, including Fonterra—who were also one of the sources. Is New Zealand media complicit in supporting the dairy industry?

Taylor: Their main advertisers are the meat and dairy industry, in general. So I think it’s very hard for them to try and push back against the propaganda that comes out. When it hits the front page of a magazine that’s got quite a lot of credibility, people just take that as the truth.

I researched extensively and was quite shocked at those ties with Fonterra—and also universities, their massive influence on some of our biggest universities here in New Zealand.

LIVEKINDLY: It takes a really long time to make these changes, but you bring up precision fermentation and cell-cultivated products. At one point, you pose the question of what would happen if Nestlé, which obviously is one of the world’s largest dairy product producers, eventually switched to animal-free milk products or dairy products?

Taylor: Big companies like Nestlé are looking for ways to reduce their emissions profile because they have to, and this is one of the easiest ways that they can do it. It’s really all about the environmental concerns of dairy cows. One of the most hopeful parts of the film for me was interviewing RethinkX co-founder Tony Seba, who wrote the report that predicts that the dairy industry could be wiped out in the next 10 years or so. It’s just a matter of time, since animal-free dairy seems like a no-brainer.

It’s hard to expect everyone to give up dairy, but at least they can change the source of the dairy, and that’s a good start.

LIVEKINDLY: Until precision fermentation is widespread, how do you support the transition to more plant-based dairy?

Taylor: Organizations like Switch4Good, who is also another associate producer with us, help make that transition easy. Their founder, Dotsie Bausch, was in the Game Changers, is an  Olympic athlete, and a great advocate for a plant-based diet. We also encourage initiatives like World Plant Milk Day. 

LIVEKINDLY: You mentioned The Game Changers. What do you think the power is of a documentary that the written word can’t quite accomplish? When asked what had an influence on them going vegan or flexitarian, people often mention Seaspiracy, Forks Over Knives, and The Game Changers.

Taylor: We’re emotional creatures, and storytelling is a huge part of our culture. And I think the impact of watching a documentary versus reading something is quite a different thing. Obviously, reading is great, but documentaries capture stories in an easily digestible way. People can get really inspired, informed, and entertained at the same time.

Read more about Milked and find out where you can watch the shattering new documentary film here.

The 44th president of the US and best-selling author is the narrator and star of Our Great National Parks, an intercontinental trip to conservation areas across the world, from Monterey Bay, California to Tsavo, Kenya. The educational series will see Obama himself travel into the wilderness to share knowledge about, and inspire a love for, the continued preservation of the world’s national parks and their inhabitants.

“When humanity started to protect these wild places, we did not realize how important they would become. They’re a haven for endangered species, and a hotbed for scientific research,” Obama says in the documentary trailer. Yellowstone National Park—the oldest national park in the world that celebrates its 150th anniversary this year—is a prime example of how parks play an active role in research and conservation. Read more about that here.

“This sloth has an entire micro-kingdom living in his fur,” Obama continues. “Researching him will help fight cancer, malaria, and antibiotic-resistant superbugs. This sleepy sloth might just save us all.”

Obama’s lasting legacy of environmental protections

Over the course of his two terms, Obama was a champion for both land and water, protecting more than 550 million acres while he held office between 2009 and 2017. (That’s more than double the amount that 26th president of the US and famed conservationist, Theodore Roosevelt, did.) Towards the end of his presidency in 2016, Obama created two new national monuments in Utah and Nevada—Bears Ears and Gold Butte—and protected 1.5 million acres of land.

Our Great National Parks was produced by A Wild Space in association with Freeborne Media and Higher Ground Productions, an Academy Award-winning company launched by Obama and his wife and former FLOTUS, Michelle, in 2018. The former Oval Office occupant himself, Blue Planet II filmmaker James Honeyborne, and Tonia Davis executive produced.

Coinciding with the series launch, the environmental nonprofits the Wildlife Conservation Society and Count Us will kick off a nature protection campaign.

All five 60-minute episodes of Our Great National Parks are set to premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, April 13.

If you need another example, one needs look no further than the colossal mess that was Tiger King. Netflix’s 2020 true-crime series had it all: big cats, deranged zoo operators, a beyond wild plot, and Carole Baskin. It was pure headache in TV form—and I happily devoured every. single. episode.

Netflix is undoubtedly a machine for churning out the latest gossip-heavy conversation starter. And with an incendiary title like Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives, you know the streaming platform’s newest true-crime docuseries—out March 16—is sure not to disappoint. (That, and it was directed by filmmaker Chris Smith—the mastermind behind Tiger King, as well as 2019’s Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened—so you know it’s going to be juicy even before watching the trailer.) 

The title is click-baity enough to entice vegan and non-vegan viewers alike. Granted, this style of filmmaking is all about shock and awe—of preying on viewers’ ravenous appetites for all things drama and scandal. But Bad Vegan sets the tone for one of the most common misconceptions about veganism: That people who abstain from consuming animal products are perfect. And it perpetuates the notion that vegans are smug and overly virtuous in their beliefs. 

Sarma Melngailis: Vegan restaurateur turned fugitive 

The four-part series follows the incredibly bizarre tale of Sarma Melngailis—the disgraced queen of vegan cuisine turned fugitive on the run. It features interviews with her former coworkers and investors, friends and family, and Melngailis, herself.

The blond bombshell seemed to have it all. Her cookbook was a best-seller. She owned popular establishments—a chain of juice bars called One Lucky Duck and Pure Food and Wine. The latter, an upscale, raw plant-based restaurant in New York City, was frequented by the likes of wellness elites and top A-listers, including Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson. (Actor Alec Baldwin even met his wife, Hilaria, there.) Melngailis opened the restaurant in 2004 with her then boyfriend—famed plant-based chef Matthew Kenney—and fellow restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow. 

She and Kenney broke up. And then, her life takes a turn for the worse. She meets a man named Shane Fox on Twitter. Only that’s not his real name; his real name is Anthony Strangis. He promises Melngailis dreams of happily ever after: A life of immortality for herself and her beloved dog, Leon. (Yes, you read that right.) The two marry, but Melngailis says the marriage was not a happy one. She alleges Strangis manipulated her, making her drain nearly $2 million from her restaurant—defrauding her employees and investors to fund his gambling addiction and extravagant lifestyle.  

In May 2015, the pair went on the run for about a year. “My family was getting increasingly concerned. He knew that I had to be in contact with them in some way. So he occasionally would have me speak to somebody—my father, my mother—almost like a hostage would put me on the phone. Like ‘I’m alive; I’m okay,’” Melngailis explains. “It was like some sort of colossal, somewhat self-imposed, state of denial.”

They ended up in a small town in Tennessee. “Not only was all of her money gone, but kind of her perspective on life, her reality, nothing made sense, so why not be there. But ultimately where they were was the end of the road,” Allen Salkin, a Vanity Fair journalist who covered the scandal back in 2016, says in the film.

Investors ultimately contact authorities, charges are filed, and warrants are issued for their arrest. They were tracked down to their hotel in Tennessee, all thanks to a Domino’s order of pizza and chicken wings. 

Melngailis later pleaded guilty to theft and fraud charges in 2017, negotiating a deal to spend four months in Rikers Island, a New York City jail, followed by five months on probation.

What Bad Vegan gets wrong about vegans

The story was sensational. A vegan ordering non-vegan food?! The media ate that one up. (And for the record: The meal was, apparently, for her husband.) “NYC’s hottest vegan felled by pizza order,” one headline read. “‘She’s the vegan Bernie Madoff’: stole $2 million from investors and was busted for ordering pizza,” read another. And my favorite: “Crazy, hypocritical vegans are driving me insane.”

As we know, headlines don’t tell the whole story—but they sure do make for good soundbites. Unfortunately, the spammy, attention-grabbing titles are often misleading, as is the case with the docuseries. Bad Vegan’s provocative title and the media’s incessant headlines merrily add fuel to the fire of preconceived notions—such as those about veganism—instead of accomplishing what they’re intended to do: accurately summarize the story.

Who cares if Melngailis ordered a pizza from Domino’s? Who cares if she ate it? (Although, according to Kevin Bush, an officer for the Sevier County Police Department who was involved in her arrest, she did not.) What’s important about this story is that, somehow, millions of dollars went missing. As Pure Food and Wine’s former beverage director Joey Repice probes in the documentary, “What happened to the money?” 

“There is this sense of hypocrisy that really adds to the story,” explained Salkin about the media’s fixation. “Somehow vegans present themselves to us as being better than the rest of us. They don’t eat meat. They don’t kill animals. They don’t hurt the environment as much as the rest of us. So the fact that she would become involved in a criminal scheme like this sort of belies who she’s presenting to the world.”

But that’s a common misconception about veganism: That vegans are self-righteous and overtly virtue signaling in their abstention of consuming animals. Ok, some certainly are, but there are extremes in every belief system, and they often do not represent the majority. Need one example? How about politics. Need another? Try religion. 

And that’s what the greater media gets wrong about being vegan: It isn’t about being perfect. It’s about avoiding things that promote animal exploitation as much as possible. Why purchase makeup tested on animals if there are cruelty-free alternatives? Why support animal cruelty by going to a zoo when there are sanctuaries that actually foster animal conservation? Why drink a glass of cow’s milk when there are countless plant-based options? Being vegan is about doing one’s best to not support brutal industries that exploit, torture, and kill innocent animals. Was Melngailis a bad vegan? Well, that’s debatable. But I think the better question is: Who’s asking?

Bad Vegan is now available to stream on Netflix.

The film was co-directed by vegan influencer and activist John Lewis and filmmaker Keegan Kuhn, who also co-directed the 2014 film Cowspiracy. 

A follow-up feature length documentary to Kuhn’s 2017 film, What the Health, They’re Trying to Kill Us explores the intersections between systemic racism and diet as told “through the lens of Hip Hop and urban culture.” It also follows Lewis’ quest to discover why Black Americans suffer disproportionately higher rates of chronic disease than their white counterparts.

Eilish and Paul, who are both vegans, regularly speak out about the importance of eating plant-based. The Grammy Award-winning musician, who eschewed meat and dairy back in 2014, has previously supported Support + Feed, an initiative founded by her mother, Maggie Baird. The organization works to bring nutritious, plant-based meals to communities impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The NBA All-Star, who ditched animal products in 2019, previously teamed up with Atlanta’s popular plant-based burger chain, Slutty Vegan, buying out all three of the company’s locations to help feed the local community. 

In August, he also invested in plant-based nutritional shake brand Koia to help make vegan foods more accessible to underserved communities. The duo introduced vending machines on ten HBCU campuses, including Winston-Salem State University.

“They’re Trying to Kill Us”

They’re Trying to Kill Us premiered online at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 19. Also known as Juneteenth, the day commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. Two days prior, the Biden Administration signed a bill into law making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

The film highlights the importance of Black culture and Hip Hop in influencing the issue of food justice, diving into topics like food deserts, nutritional and environmental racism, animal welfare, and global warming, among other issues. Put simply, intersectional justice is front and center.

“If our idea of justice is narrowly focused only on animals used and abused in farms then we are practicing speciesism in my opinion,” Kuhn explained. “We must incorporate all aspects of injustice in the vegan movement otherwise we are just as bad as any other single issue movement that doesn’t see the interconnectedness and intersections of oppressive systems.”

The documentary features commentary from a number of Hip Hop artists and activists, including Angela Yee, Mya, Ne-yo, and Styles P. It also includes interviews with researchers, doctors, politicians, professional athletes, including Paul, and other experts in the field of food justice. 

“Hip Hop is arguably the most influential art form in modern history. What Hip Hop artists say, wear, drive, eat and drink influences their fans unlike any other genre,” said Lewis. “We wanted to give an opportunity for so many notable artists to speak about their own passion for food and health. We felt it was really important to have a film squarely focused on the experiences of Americans of Color, because sadly the mainstream vegan movement has largely ignored or overlooked us.” 

“I want people to feel empowered after watching the film,” Lewis continued. “I want audiences to feel inspired and encouraged to take their health back, to take their communities back, and to come together to restructure our food system.” 

They’re Trying to Kill Us will be released on November 11 on the film’s website for a $20 download fee.

Most of the time these documentaries tell a compelling story through the lens of the climate crisis, sustainability, or the food system. Since these issues are often interconnected, a well-executed documentary will typically address more than one, and even show how they are intertwined. 

For example, a documentary called Meat Me Halfway examines the climate crisis and how it will worsen if people do nothing to lessen its effects. For producer Brian Kateman, part of the solution lies in getting consumers to make changes to their diets (even incremental ones) in order to cause less damage to the environment and our planet.

Although it might not seem like much, cutting back on your meat intake just a little can have a profound impact, especially over time. In fact, a study published in the journal Science in 2018 found that cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73 percent. Additionally, the study found that if everyone stopped eating these foods, global farmland use could be reduced by 75 percent.

Another stellar documentary, Gunda, follows a pig of the same name who lives on a Norwegian farm with her piglets. The black-and-white doc has no words or dialogue. Instead, viewers are given an up-close and personal look at Gunda’s daily life and can see firsthand that she (and her fellow farm dwellers) are beings worthy of kindness, compassion, and a full life.

The best vegan documentaries to watch right now

Other noteworthy documentaries to watch include I Am Greta, which chronicles Greta Thunberg’s path to becoming one of the most-watched and respected climate activists in the world and Seaspiracy, which examines oceanic destruction and how people and governments have actively worsened the problems plaguing the world’s oceans.

While you once had to venture to an arthouse or independent movie theater to see these titles, most if not all of them are now available online via YouTube and/or various streaming platforms. I Am Greta, for example, is available on Hulu, while Seaspiracy is on Netflix.

Keep reading for a list of the 14 must-watch vegan documentaries!

Seaspiracy 

Seaspiracy, the 2021 follow-up to Kip Anderson’s 2014 Netflix documentary Cowspiracy, focuses on the challenges facing the world’s oceans. The documentary follows directors Ali and Lucy Tabrizi as they explore the extent of the continued global threat to ocean life. 

Throughout the documentary, the filmmakers discover how the issues contributing to global oceanic destruction intersect. For example, Seaspiracy examines the way various governmental policies, the fishing industry, and even environmental organizations contribute to the devastation of marine life.

“When we embarked on the journey to expose the leading threat to our seas, we had no idea of the sheer scale of what we were about to uncover,” Ali said in a statement. “What made things even more shocking though, was the fact that governments and environmental groups are complicit and profiting off it’s demise.”

Seaspiracy is available on Netflix.

Kiss the Ground

This Netflix documentary, which came out in 2020, is narrated by vegan actor Woody Harrelson. It explores an “new, old approach” to farming known as regenerative agriculture. As the film illustrates, regenerative agriculture has the power to balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world. Additionally, Kiss the Ground features appearances from an array of experts and celebrity activists such as Detroit Dirt founder Pashon Murray and David Arquette, who unpack the ways in which the earth’s soil may be the key to combating climate change and preserving the planet.

Kiss the Ground is available on Netflix.

Gunda

This moving documentary from director Viktor Kossakovsky follows the daily life of a pig named Gunda who resides on a Norwegian farmstead with two cows, a one-legged chicken, and her own litter of piglets. The 2020 film is shot in black and white and contains no dialogue, or subtitles. Instead, the work, which was produced by Academy Award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix, simply depicts the animals living their lives, which is part of why it’s so impactful and why viewers around the world have connected with it.

“We kill cows and chicken and pigs and don’t even think about it. But it’s the same,” Kossakovsky told GQ of the film. “Same creatures, with feelings, emotions, with the right to be happy.”

Gunda is available on YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and other VOD platforms.

Meat Me Halfway

While some documentaries in this space seemingly deliver a “vegan or else” message, Meat Me Halfway takes a decidedly different approach. Instead, the 2021 documentary accepts the notion that there is no “perfect” approach to veganism. More specifically, Meat Me Halfway argues that getting meat-eaters to simply cut back (not cut out) the amount of meat they consume, is the key to weaning ourselves off of the factory farm system, which has a catastrophic impact on animal populations and the environment. 

The film, which was produced by Brian Kateman, the leader of the Reducetarian movement, even explores Kateman’s own attempt to consume less meat for the health of the planet. “We’re so far away from any kind of utopia, no matter how you define it, that any change in the positive direction is one worth celebrating,” said Kateman. “We want to move away from that all-or-nothing thinking and allow people the flexibility to simply move in a more positive direction, even if it’s not as ideal as some people might want it to be.”

Meat Me Halfway is available on YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime, and other VOD platforms.

Eating Animals

Academy Award winner Natalie Portman produced and narrated this adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s book of the same name. Eating Animals, which was released in 2018, examines the evolution of animal agriculture into the industrial process it has become today. The film explores the environmental, economic, and public health issues tied to factory farming, and also details the use of antibiotics and hormones.

Eating Animals is available on Hulu, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and other VOD platforms.

Akashinga: The Brave Ones

This 2020 film follows the world’s only all-female, plant-powered anti-poaching unit, which is in Zimbabwe. Called Akashinga: The Brave Ones, this documentary is produced by three-time Academy Award-winning director James Cameron and directed by Maria Wilhelm.

The short—which is a National Geographic Documentary Films production—explores how the Akashinga are revolutionizing the way animals are protected and communities are empowered. Akashinga is a radical team of vegan women who are working to protect Africa’s key species, including the continent’s vulnerable elephants, which are frequently hunted for their ivory. The Akashinga vow to protect these animals with their lives, and have stopped many poachers who are a threat to these majestic creatures.

To watch Akashinga: The Brave Ones, click here.

Food, Inc.

This 2009 documentary from filmmaker Robert Kenner still holds true today. Food, Inc. examines how massive corporations have taken over all aspects of the food chain in the United States, including the farms where food is grown to the supermarket it’s purchased in. As the film proves, these companies routinely prioritize profit over public health. Money also comes before the livelihood of farmers, workers’ safety, and the state of the planet. 

One of Food, Inc.’s goals is to make you think twice about the food on your plate and it has urged many people to give flexitarian and vegan diets a try, even more than a decade after its release.

Food, Inc. is available on YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and other VOD platforms.

An Inconvenient Truth

One of the most popular documentaries of the last two decades, this 2006 film is the movie that ignited a global conversation about climate change. The Academy Award-winning documentary follows former United States Vice President Al Gore’s campaign to educate people about global warming. While it sheds light on how climate change has had a negative impact on the planet, it also provides viewers with hope and actionable solutions, noting that the effects of global warming specifically can be lessened if we work to release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

An Inconvenient Truth is currently the eleventh highest grossing documentary film in the United States to date, and was so successful that it spawned a sequel, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, that was released in 2017. Additionally, Gore remains an ardent climate activist and has now adopted a vegan diet.

An Inconvenient Truth is available on YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and other VOD platforms.

Our Planet

This episodic series narrated by David Attenborough premiered on Netflix in April 2019. Each installment showcases some of the world’s natural wonders, iconic species and wildlife spectacles that still remain. There are episodes devoted to jungles, forests, and more. 

While the natural beauty of the world is breathtaking, Our Planet also notes how climate change affects all living beings and their surroundings. “Our Planet will take viewers on a spectacular journey of discovery showcasing the beauty and fragility of our natural world,” said Attenborough. “Today we have become the greatest threat to the health of our home but there’s still time for us to address the challenges we’ve created if we act now. We need the world to pay attention.”

Our Planet is available on Netflix.

I Am Greta

As its title suggests, this 2020 Hulu documentary is all about 18-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. It follows her as she earnestly and urgently heads off on an international crusade to get her peers, politicians, and others to address the climate crisis.“People always tell us that young people are going to save the world, but there is simply not enough time to wait,” Thunberg declares in the film. 

It also illustrates how Thunberg, who has Asperger’s syndrome, became laser-focused on the ongoing climate crisis, and even features footage of her sailing from Plymouth, UK, to New York after she was invited to speak at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. 

I Am Greta is available on Hulu.

Honeyland 

This 2019 Macedonian documentary follows Hatidže Muratova, a loner beekeeper who lives in a remote mountain village. Filming lasted three years, and a whopping 400 hours of footage were obtained. As Muratova looks after her bees and interacts with her bedridden mother and neighbors, the film explores issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and exploitation of natural resources. It also has a strong conservationist message.

Honeyland premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and has received virtually universal critical acclaim. It even earned two nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards.

Honeyland is available on Hulu, Apple TV, YouTube, and other VOD platforms.

INHABITANTS

This 2021 feature documentary follows five Native American Tribes across deserts, coastlines, forests, and prairies as they restore their traditional land management practices. While Native Americans have successfully stewarded and shaped their landscapes for centuries, hundreds of years of colonization have disrupted the tribes’ ability to effectively care for the land. However, as the climate crisis escalates, these time-tested practices of North America’s original inhabitants are becoming increasingly essential in a rapidly changing world. The doc spotlights these tribes as they work diligently to restore their relationships with the land.

Additionally, the INHABITANTS filmmakers worked with The Tribal Advisory Board to ensure that the film included representatives from each of the Tribes. The partnership ensured that the film is accurate, culturally appropriate, and met the needs of their communities.

For information on how to watch INHABITANTS, click here.

Before the Flood 

In this moving documentary, actor, and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio uses his platform to meet with scientists, activists, and world leaders around the globe to discuss the dangers of climate change and possible solutions to the many problems it presents. Subjects include Barack Obama, Pope Francis, and Indian environmentalist and political activist Sunita Narain.

The 2016 film, which opened the Toronto International Film Festival that year, also acknowledges the unmissable link between animal agriculture and environmental devastation. DiCaprio has said of the film, which was directed by actor Fisher Stevens: “We went to every corner of the globe to document the devastating impacts of climate change and questioned humanity’s ability to reverse what may be the most catastrophic problem mankind has ever faced. All that we witnessed on this journey shows us that our world’s climate is incredibly interconnected and that it is at an urgent breaking point.” 

Before the Flood is available on Disney+.

73 Cows

The BAFTA Award-winning short documentary 73 Cows spotlights Jay Wilde—a former UK beef farmer who now practices sustainable organic vegan farming.” The documentary follows Wilde and his wife, Katja, as they transition from meat farming and become “friends” with the animals they once raised for slaughter. “Everything that had bothered me about the process of beef farming in the past, all that burden of responsibility, was lifted. It was just such a relief to know that the animals I’d been looking after have a happy, cow-y, life,” Wilde says at the end of the film. 

Watch 73 Cows here.

Take Colin Kaepernick, for example. The activist and athlete has a very busy fall ahead of him. A book he edited, Abolition for the People: The Movement for a Future Without Policing and Prisons, is expected to be released next month. The manifesto features 30 essays that represent a diversity of voices. Each essay explores the anti-Black terrorism of policing and prisons.

Later next month, Kaepernick’s drama series—Colin in Black & White—premieres on Netflix. The new show delves into the former football player’s high school years and the experiences that led him to become an activist. Ava DuVernay, who is also a vegan, is a producer on the highly-anticipated series.

Click through the above gallery to find out what more stars are up to this fall.

Winslet is joined by billionaire and vegan investor Sir Richard Branson, marine biologist Sylvia Earle, philanthropist Tony Robbins, and some of the world’s most respected scientists, doctors, and academics. Together, they lead viewers through a deeply poignant journey of cinematography (shot by Brockway’s brother Ludo), solid science, and shocking facts to face a hard truth: animal agriculture is destroying the planet, and with it, humanity’s future.

Are we really eating our way to extinction?

Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation around the globe. It also contributes to water pollution, soil degradation, ocean dead zones, and emits 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gases, according to the United Nations. The picture looks bleak. But we can turn things around. Eating Our Way to Extinction intends to be a wake-up call to the public that there is true power in changing what’s on our plates. 

It’s a message backed up by multiple scientific studies. A 2020 environmental report found that replacing just 10 percent of animal agriculture could save the equivalent of 2.7 billion trees in CO2 emissions. Two years prior, the biggest-ever food production analysis found that eating plant-based was the single-most effective way of tackling climate change. (The lead author of that report, Oxford University’s Dr. Joseph Poore, appears in Eating Our Way to Extinction.)

We spoke with Brockway about his inspiration for the film, the power of incremental change, and why he believes documentaries have a unique power to change the way people think and act.

LIVEKINDLY: We all know there’s a climate crisis, but what was the impetus for you to make this film? Why did Eating Our Way to Extinction feel necessary for you in this moment?

Otto Brockway: Ultimately, I think the idea was born out of frustration. It’s something that’s been building up in me for many years. The science is so strong, and yet, when it comes to action, in terms of policy and also people’s general habits, there is a lack of change. I think I’ve always seen documentaries as one of the most powerful ways to create positive social change. 

LIVEKINDLY: So why focus on diet?

Brockway: For me, it comes down to the science. I like making films, but I’m kind of a scientist, that’s my hobby. And the science is so strong. Scientists at Oxford University say that in developed countries, we need to reduce our meat and dairy consumption by about 80 percent within the next few years if we’re going to keep global average temperature increases below 1.5 celsius. I think they find it frustrating that their message seems to be falling on deaf ears. I do too.

LIVEKINDLY: Do you think that when it comes to diet, an all-or-nothing approach is effective? Or is there power in incremental change?

Brockway: I think there is definitely power in flexitarianism, and incremental change will help put us in the right direction. But I think we’re at a point now where we do need to make quite drastic changes in our eating habits. We’ve pushed the boundaries of our planet’s ecology. The negative feedback loops, the methane coming out of the arctic, and the permafrost may already outrun us.

With things like Meatless Mondays, for example, I would always applaud anyone for making any sort of change. But even if the whole planet went to Meatless Mondays, that would still not come close to what we really need. Without trying to sugarcoat it, the more a person can do the better.

LIVEKINDLY: When it comes to the food industry and its environmental impact, where does the blame really lie?

Brockway: I don’t like to use the word blame, personally. I think it’s something that nearly all of us have been a part of. We’ve been eating meat for thousands of years, it’s been a part of our culture, so I think that responsibility is a word I would prefer to use. And the responsibility lies with all of us. It lies with policymakers, governments, businesses, and it also lies with us as individuals. We have to ask ourselves the question: Do we really want to stop the very worst effects of climate change by making a very small change in our eating habits?

LIVEKINDLY: As well as experts and celebrities, the film features accounts from indigenous people, who quite often suffer the most from the consequences of the climate crisis. Why was it important to you to include their perspectives? 

Brockway: For thousands of years, many indigenous people have lived in tune with the cycles of the Earth. Because they’re very sensitive to the natural rhythms of the planet, we thought it would be very powerful to see from their point of view how these natural cycles and natural rhythms have changed.

A memorable moment for me was when we were filming a tribe in Taiwan, and the grandfather said to his grandson that he would have to become a lot stronger to survive in the world that’s coming. He said he feared many would not make it, because he had seen how drastically the weather had changed in his lifetime. He really believes that at the speed at which things are changing, many people won’t survive in the years and decades to come. That was equally chilling and moving to hear. 

LIVEKINDLY: There are many documentaries covering the climate crisis now, and they have a huge impact. Why do you think this method of communicating information to the public is so effective?

Brockway: As humans, we like stories. You just need to look at the growth of Netflix in the last few years to see how much people enjoy watching documentaries. I think it’s so powerful to use the tool of storytelling to inspire potentially millions of people to open their eyes to something they may not have realized yet. There are so many people out there that care, that have a lot of love for this world. They have a lot of common sense and they understand that the planet is in crisis. But perhaps, because of the lack of information, they haven’t quite realized yet just how bad our eating habits are. 

LIVEKINDLY: How do you want people to feel after they’ve seen the film?

Brockway: We want to move people to have an experiential connection with the beauty of our world; through the music, through the beautiful shots that my brother Ludo filmed. We want people to have a moving experience and hope that it will remind them of the beauty of this incredible planet that we are so blessed to live on. Hopefully, through that experience, it will inspire people to make a change.

LIVEKINDLY: What is your biggest takeaway after making this film?

Brockway: I think, from a scientific point of view, we can’t save civilization as we know it. We’ve pushed the planet’s boundaries so far. Even if we went to a completely green economy today and stopped eating all animal products, with the effects of biodiversity loss and all the carbon that’s in the atmosphere, there will be big changes coming. And probably not-so-good ones. I’m not so hopeful in that sense. 

However, there is definitely a massive shift happening towards not just a green economy, but a plant-based lifestyle. So I am hopeful that at least we’ll be able to save a part of civilization. Perhaps we can rebuild a new world from the ashes of this one.

The film release in the UK and U.S. is one night only, Thursday, Sept. 16. For more information on Eating Our Way to Extinction, see here.

The fictional superhero, who made his first appearance in a DC comic back in 1965, has the power to “borrow” the abilities of other animals. In other words, he can swim like a fish or possess cat-like reflexes. Due to his unique abilities and his gift to literally relate to any and all animals, Animal Man—AKA Buddy Baker—is a vegan. 

Though Animal Man was initially a bit player in the DC comic book world, the superhero was reimagined by legendary comic book writer and playwright Grant Morrison in the 1980s. With Morrison at the helm, Animal Man (and Baker) tackled more pressing issues such as vegetarianism and animal rights.

For those unfamiliar with Morrison’s work, they are known for infusing political, pop- and sub-cultural references into their comics. When Morrison worked on Animal Man they often broke the fourth wall (à la Deadpool) and even wrote themselves into the comics. Here’s hoping some of Morrison’s quirkiness and activism is included in the Animal Man movie, when and if it gets made!

Animated vegan superheroes

Should the Animal Man movie come to fruition, the empathetic superhero will be the latest in a string of beloved vegan comic book characters. Keep reading to learn about more animated heroes who don’t eat meat.

Lucy in the Sky

Lucy in the Sky (AKA Karolina Dean) is a character from Marvel’s The Runaways. She is the extraterrestrial daughter of evil super-powered criminals and has the power to manipulate solar energy. In The Runaways comics, Karolina is depicted as a kind person with a deep love and appreciation for animals, which is why she sticks to a vegan diet. She was also raised by vegan parents.

Additionally, Karolina is widely thought to be one of Marvel’s LGBTQIA+ characters and appears on Hulu’s Runaways.

Beast Boy

As his superhero moniker implies, Beast Boy can transform into any animal he wants. This power is ultimately what encouraged him to stop eating animals and go vegan. Beast Boy, who has appeared in many iterations of the Teen Titans cartoons, has been a part of the DC universe for several decades. He’s almost instantly recognizable thanks to his furry green skin, green eyes, and green hair.

Thunderbird

Thunderbird—AKA Neal Shaara—was born in India and later became a member of Marvel’s the X-Men. He has the power to convert and mimic solar energy.

The most recent iteration of Thunderbird was introduced in 2000, and there have been references to his Hindu upbringing. Since many Hindus don’t eat meat because they believe in non-violence against all life forms (ahimsa), Thunderbird is understood to follow a vegan diet.

Bruce Banner

While the Hulk is most certainly not vegan, his alter ego—Bruce Banner—sticks to a plant-based diet and is proud of it. In fact, in the comic series “Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk,” which was published from 2005 to 2009, Banner is working on a farm in Dublin. During his time there, some of his coworkers tease him about being vegan and call him weak. By now we all know who got the last laugh!

Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch—AKA Wanda Maximoff— is one of the most powerful Avengers in the Marvel universe, and played a pivotal role in defeating Thanos in the 2019 film, Avengers: Endgame. She also happens to follow a diet that doesn’t include meat.

Scarlet’s meat-free diet was mentioned in her own comic book, “Scarlet Witch.” In the second volume, the superhero is offered some grilled goat with lemon and herbs. She turns it down, telling the person who offered her the meal that she does not eat meat.

Superman

Believe it or not, one of the most recognizable superheroes in the world chooses not to eat meat. In the comic “Superman Birthright: The Origin of The Man of Steel,” which was published in 2004, readers are treated to an updated version of Superman’s origin story. 

In this version of events, Superman has a new power that allows him to see a glow around every living thing. He also knows when a living organism’s life ends, because the glow fades. Given this new power and the impact it has, Superman decides not to eat animals.

Robotman

Robotman is a cyborg superhero in the DC Comics Universe and a member of the Doom Patrol, which is a team of superheroes not unlike Marvel’s The Avengers. He was created in 1963 after racecar driver Cliff Steele had his brain transplanted into a mechanical body (thus transforming him into Robotman) following a crash. He has since appeared in the Titans television series, which is now on HBO Max.

Since Robotman is, well, a robot, he doesn’t eat food of any kind. Therefore, he’s technically a vegan by default.

Lisa Simpson

Though not exactly a superhero, the beloved character from The Simpsons is one of the most outspoken vegetarian characters on television. Lisa’s vegetarianism was first revealed in the fifth episode of the show’s seventh season, which was aptly named, “Lisa the Vegetarian.” It even featured cameos from well-known vegetarians, Paul and Linda McCartney.

Over the course of the episode, which premiered in 1995, Lisa falls in love with a baby lamb during a visit to a petting zoo and then, realizing the connection between food and her new pal, refuses to eat the lamb chops Marge prepared for dinner that night. She endures plenty of teasing and ridicule, but stands her ground.

Now, nearly two decades later, Lisa is still a proud vegetarian who has chosen not to eat meat due to her love of animals. Some of her favorite meat-free meals include gazpacho and tofu dogs.