Ninety-Five
Ninety-Five: Meeting America's Farmed Animals in Stories and Photographs
I am very excited to announce the arrival of the No Voice Unheard book Ninety-Five: Meeting America’s Farmed Animals in Stories and Photographs! This beautiful full-color coffee table book features thirteen of my photographs of rescued farmed animals living at sanctuaries, as well as amazing photographs and stories by other contributors.
Ninety-Five is the average number of animals spared each year by one person’s vegan diet. While this is an abstract concept, it does point to the grim reality of animal-based agriculture. In a world that is over-populated by people, there is no humane way to raise enough animals to feed us like this. In any world, there is no way to humanely kill animals. We eat them for moments of pleasure on our tongues, for comfort, and out of tradition. Yet we attain vibrant health on a plant-based diet. We reduce global warming and environmental devastation by replacing animal agriculture with plant-based agriculture. Just as importantly, I believe, we can choose to evolve towards a more compassionate world. As long as we enslave animals for food, product testing and entertainment, we will be one breath away from war, murder and rape. We are all animals, subjects of a life, longing for happiness and freedom. To disrespect one being’s right to these desires is to accept that none of us have these rights. This is a spiritual reality, beyond the reach of intellectual rationalizations justifying the use of animals. The longer one meditates upon it, the clearer it becomes.
It is for these reasons that I am a vegan activist. It is for these reasons that I photograph the animals who have been rescued from terrors we can only imagine and now live their lives in environments filled with love and respect. These animals, who have been subjects of human abuse, learn to forgive and to be our friends. They are spirits in the material world, just as we are. They are beautiful, graceful, and unique. They deserve consideration and compassion, just as we do.
Derek’s Photographs in Ninety-Five
To purchase prints of my photographs in Ninety-Five, mouse over the slideshow above and then click on the “shop” icon. Thanks for looking!
