meat and consumer products.

To organize around this cause locally, the Occupy Seattle protesters have formed an Animal Rights & Environmentalism working group to address what changes should be made to prevent corporate abuse of animals.

Peter Keller, a member of Occupy Seattle, explained that many animal-rights groups have worked to change the behavior of consumers, such as encouraging people to avoid fur or to buy cruelty-free products. But the Occupy movement is different.

“Rather than ask for change among consumers, the Occupy movement is demanding change on the part of corporations,” Keller explained. “Right now, we are educating people on the issues, such as government subsidies that make animal products artificially cheap for the consumer.”

Additionally, the group is educating the public on the degradation of the environment from meat production.

As the working group grows, Occupiers hope to branch out and work for more direct change. To get involved with the Occupy Seattle Animal Rights &

Power to the Chickens logo.

Environmentalism working group, visit the

Occupy Seattle website at occupyseattle.org.

If helping improve life for animals feels daunting at times, don’t worry — you’re not alone. As it turns out, making a difference can be easy. Kim Sgro, the founder of Power to the Chickens (PTTC), has a way for all people to advocate for animal-welfare concerns from the comfort of their home, office or coffee shop.

“PTTC is an effort to bring the mainstream to animal-welfare causes through lightheartedness and simple reform action,” Sgro said. “One of the main ways we deliver our message is through being silly.”

Check out the chicken-chorus rendition of Snap’s “I’ve Got the Power” on the PTTC homepage ( www.powertothechickens.com) and the photos of supporters around the world doing the three-fingered “International PTTC Salute.” Photos have flooded in from near (the Fremont Troll) and far (the Norwegian

courtesy of Power to the Chickens

Arctic and Zimbabwe). Additionally, this website takes a

different approach to alleviate serious animal-welfare problems, ranging from the dolphin hunting in Japan to dwindling bee populations in the United States.

PTTC points you directly to what you can do to make a difference, such as signing petitions or writing letters. It also includes “Good News” updates to show when animal-welfare reform has triumphed globally.

“Part of the intent of Power to the Chickens is to open the door in a nonthreatening way — to teach people from all walks of life how to get involved and open their minds to things they may not have considered before,” Sgro said.

Once the PTTC door is open, the world of creating positive change is available to all who enjoy life and want to make a difference.

CHRISTIE LAGALLY is a freelance pet columnist who manages the website “Sniffing Out Home: A Search for Animal Welfare Solutions” at www.sniffingouthome.org.

A ‘silly’ approach