These Women Are Changing the World

Women comprise almost 51% of the population — and they’re even more of a dominant force in the farm animal protection and advocacy movement! The vast majority of humans working in this field have always been female, from chefs to front-line activists to those leading organizations.

These rock star advocates deserve accolades for their remarkable work to create a kinder world! Women are coming to the forefront and ushering in the next wave of all-star, inter-sectional activism.

From the culinary angle, there’s been rapid growth in the number of female plant-based chefs who are changing minds and menus across the world.

Nina Curtis is the Incoming President of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR), and she’s been plant-based for over 18 years, having worked in an array of renowned restaurants.

Curtis, along with chef Peggy Chan, founder of meat-free Grassroots Pantry in Hong Kong; and Berlin-based chef Sophia Hoffmann, author of the Vegan Queens cookbook and host of the Vegan Queens Podcast — joined forces to cook at the prestigious James Beard Foundation for their International Women’s Day dinner.

They were also the stars of an #EatforthePlanet podcast where they talked about the future of food, fighting stereotypes, and how to empower other female leaders in the food industry.

Women are opening new vegan eateries, like in Brooklyn, NY, where 21-year-old Francesca “Sol” Chaney launched her restaurant Sol Sips. Serving the inner-city community, Chaney says, “My mission is to help close the accessibility gap in wellness.”

Women are also creating innovative ways to back each other’s work. A recent piece from RealLeaders talked about women as the key to the next wave of impact investing, and nowhere is this embodied more than by Women Funders in AR, a group that financially supports animal rights organizations led by women.

The purpose is to “provide a platform for women funders in the Animal Advocacy movement to learn from one another, to collaborate together, and to provide and leverage money…towards uplifting and backing women in the movement.”

Lisa Feria is the CEO of Stray Dog Capital, a venture capital firm founded in 2013 that’s dedicated to funding alternatives to animal products. Its portfolio includes Beyond Meat (raised $55 million), Purple Carrot, and more.

“Millennials are three times more likely to be vegetarian than any other generation,” Feria told OZY.com. “We’re in a massive health crisis, and the emergence of the plant-based movement is a reasonable and alternative way to eat.”

Feria is already making a huge difference for the movement, and as she said in the interview: “If I die 10 years from now and I’ve helped bring plant-based meat to every supermarket, I will die with a smile on my face.”

Then there’s Alicia Robb, founder of the Next Wave US Impact Fund, an early-stage investing fund focused on bringing more women into angel investing.

Robb told RealLeaders: “Personally, as a vegan, I plan for my next fund to focus on investing in companies that are removing animals from the supply chain. I don’t think we need to exploit animals for food, clothing, entertainment, or medical experiments.”

Whether it’s through investments, delicious and healthy vegan food, or other efforts for animals and humans alike, it’s clear that women are changing the game, and changing the world!

Photo: Sol Sips