INTERVIEW:

Lorena Elke, our Animal Ambassador Consultant, conducted the following interview with Paul Watson:

LE: In the introduction to your book Seal Wars, you say that as a child of nine you “first saw evidence of the seal hunt with my own eyes”, and that “the memories of those images remained hauntingly lucid.” Can you talk about how your early experiences with the seal hunt informed your compassion and dedication to animals today.

PW: I was raised in a fishing village in New Brunswick a place called St. Andrews by the Sea. It was a lobster fishing village on the Passamaquoddy Bay just across from Eastport, Maine. When I was 9 I spent many days during the summer swimming with beavers. The next summer when I was 10 I returned to the beaver pond and discovered there were no more beavers there. I made inquiries and found out that local trappers had killed them all during the winter. That made me very angry and that winter I began to walk the traplines to free the animals and to destroy the traps. That was my first activism.

I did witness the seal hunt that Spring when I was visiting my uncle Philip Watson up near Shippington Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence just north of Prince Edward Island. Some baby harp seals had come close to shore on some ice floes and local fishermen went out and began to club them as we were watching them. I was horrified but also helpless and it was that sense of helplessness that I believe influenced me to become an activist.

LE: Today (March 27, 2013), the Canadian government voted to reject a proposed bill that would ban the import of shark fins. In addition, for the second year in a row, the Newfoundland  government has given a large loan to a seal processing plant. Can you comment on the intersection of politics and economics in relation to such areas as the  Canadian seal hunt and the Japanese whaling industry. How do you see this changing in the future?

PW: Governments can usually be counted on to side with any industry profiting from the exploitation of nature and animals. The actions of the Canadian government have disgusted me for most of my life. What really irks me about both the Canadian and the Japanese government is that they speak about the importance of the free market system and how the market influences economics yet the only reason that the seal slaughter in Canada and the whale slaughter in Japan continue to exist is because of huge government subsidies. These industries have become corporate welfare projects. In defending the killing both governments have denied due process and openly exercised an aggressive bias against anyone who opposes the killing. Our approach has tended to be economic. Our strategy is to undermine the markets and to make the losses of the industry exceed the profits. It is the language they understand. I have learned over the years that an appeal to ethics, to morality, to kindness simply does not work. What does work is when you impact their profits.

LE: With all of the trials and tribulations you have experienced in your life as a result of your activism, there is a mythology that encompasses you as a “pirate” of the seas. What does this ascribed definition mean to you?

PW: I often joke that I’m not really a pirate, I just play one on television. Seriously however some time ago when our critics began to call us pirates I simply adapted to it by designing our own Jolly Roger. I was inspired by history. Pirates get things done. The United States Navy was founded by the accused pirate John Paul Jones. It was not the British Navy that shut down piracy in the Caribbean, it was Henry Morgan, a pirate. It was the pirate Jean LaFitte who stood with Colonel Andrew Jackson to defend the city of New Orleans. Other great pirates included Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake. The Confederate raiders who destroyed the Yankee whaling fleet during the American civil war were called pirates. I view what we do as being pirates of compassion in pursuit of pirates of greed. Our black flag has the human skull symbolizing the destruction of our oceans with the cross trident and shepherd’s crook beneath it symbolizing an aggressive non violence. We are at sea to protect. The yin yang of the whale and dolphin represent the balance of diversity in the sea and the intelligent minds in the waters that we defend.

Captain Paul Watson is our  Featured Animal Ambassador for May 2013.

I had the pleasure of being in Vancouver during the LUSH Vancouver Ghost-Free Journey event that took place between Monday May 13th – Friday May 17th. I spent a day in the field with some LUSHies on Day-4 of their 5-Day Journey. It was fun!

To begin, I dropped by the LUSH store on Robson street and saw Kelly Davidson, Store Manager, a former Ghost-Free Journey participant, getting a facial.  I had to snap this photo with my iphone.

Then, I was offered a facial by Ghost-Free Journey participant Nicole Kaczorek.
Nicole is a “Key Holder” at LUSH, which means she is a leader in the store. She became vegetarian 8-years ago, because she loves animals, and had watched some PETA videos about factory farming. She chose to embark on the 5-Day Ghost-Free Journey because she was ready to make a shift and wanted the support.

Nicole attended the Vancouver Premiere of THE GHOSTS IN OUR MACHINE at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival, and in her own words: “The film facilitated the change to veganism for me. The film allowed me to see in a way that wasn’t pushy, and I could make the connection between the dairy and veal industry. The film is philosophical and that was very effective for me, it made me think about animal use and animal rights.”

After a couple of hours at the LUSH store with some of the friendliest humans I have ever met (seriously, they are hired based on their ability to genuinely and positively interact with and inspire others), a few of us went to NICE SHOES – the only vegan shoe store in Canada. It is owned by two friends of mine, Glenn and Joanne.

Before the LUSHies came into the store, they went next door to FAIRY CAKES and bought gooey ghost-free cupcakes.
At NICE SHOES we tried shoes on, looked at vegan books, bags, belts and tshirts. We hung out with Joanne, the very nice owner. I got a new pair of very stylish boots but I don’t have a photo, sorry. By the way, you can purchase our FOR THE GHOSTS tshirts at NICE SHOES.

My final destination was GRAZE, the new fabulous sumptuous over-the-top-delicious plant-based organic local restaurant. They grow herbs out back and collect and use rainwater too.

At 7pm about 40 of us all gathered at GRAZE: LUSH employees on the 5-Day Ghost-Free Journey; Jennie Ridler, a LUSH leader we adore and respect who is one of our esteemed Animal Ambassadors, and Tricia Stevens, a LUSH leader mover and shaker who makes a difference in the world for humans, the environment and for animals. We dined and hung out and discussed issues and ideas for a few hours. We ate several exciting dishes, including almond kale cheese, which is my favourite thing on the menu. I met and spoke with each of the GFJ participants. For some the GFJ was a brand new way of seeing the world, it was enriching and challenging. For others it was a significant step they had been wanting to take already, and our Ghost-Free Journey facilitated the opportunity. Thank you to the wise counsel of our Ghost-Free Journey Coaches Rosemary and Donna.

Check out the LUSH Vancouver Ghost-Free Journey photo album to see an assortment of images from my day with these wonderful people.

Check out the LUSH Vancouver Ghost-Free Journey

For the Ghosts,

Liz

As we go about our busy lives, it’s sometimes hard to make the time  to really see the world around us, including the Ghosts In Our Machine.  This week, each of you took that time to explore a piece of the world that can be hidden from our view and consciousness.  Perhaps this experience has introduced you to a new level of awareness about yourself and the Ghosts.  Or, maybe it served as in introduction to being vegan.  Either way, we hope it prepared you to continue this learning process beyond the 5-Day Ghost-Free Journey.   Thank you all for your openness, your deep reflection and sharing with this wonderful community.

Today, we hope to use the time to review and answer any questions you may have that weren’t addressed this past week as well as discuss ways in which you can continue to learn about or advocate for The Ghosts!  We would also love to hear from those of you who are participating in the  Chicken Vigil  today with Liberation BC.

Please feel free to bring up anything else you feel necessary to help you prepare for your continued journey!

For the Ghosts,

Coaches Rosemary and Donna

The opinions we express as GFJ Coaches are ours personally. We are not professional health practitioners.  Neither are we treating a specific health care issue.  That means we are not offering advice on health-care problems. If you  are experiencing a health-care problem, it is important to seek the advice of a health professional. However we are experienced, practicing vegans and we look forward to coaching you on your journey.

Now that you have all been exploring a Ghost-Free lifestyle for several days, it’s time to take it to the road!  Tonight, as you dine on wonderful vegan food at GRAZE, we thought it would be a great topic to expand on.  The interpersonal and social aspects of being vegan can pose some challenges in our culture: within our family, work setting, dinning with friends in our homes or theirs, and how to select food in restaurants.  Have you encountered any social challenges this week?  Do you anticipate having some of these challenges?  We’d love to hear from people who have already encountered these challenges and how they have faced them.   Have a wonderful time at GRAZE !

For the Ghosts,

Coaches Rosemary and Donna

The opinions we express as GFJ Coaches are ours personally. We are not professional health practitioners.  Neither are we treating a specific health care issue.  That means we are not offering advice on health-care problems. If you  are experiencing a health-care problem, it is important to seek the advice of a health professional. However we are experienced, practicing vegans and we look forward to coaching you on your journey.

Now that you have all been exploring a Ghost-Free lifestyle for several days, it’s time to take it to the road!  Tonight, as you dine on wonderful vegan food at GRAZE, we thought it would be a great topic to expand on.  The interpersonal and social aspects of being vegan can pose some challenges in our culture: within our family, work setting, dinning with friends in our homes or theirs, and how to select food in restaurants.  Have you encountered any social challenges this week?  Do you anticipate having some of these challenges?  We’d love to hear from people who have already encountered these challenges and how they have faced them.   Have a wonderful time at GRAZE !

For the Ghosts,

Coaches Rosemary and Donna

The opinions we express as GFJ Coaches are ours personally. We are not professional health practitioners.  Neither are we treating a specific health care issue.  That means we are not offering advice on health-care problems. If you  are experiencing a health-care problem, it is important to seek the advice of a health professional. However we are experienced, practicing vegans and we look forward to coaching you on your journey.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS SHARED TODAY ON YOUR GFJ.  LET’S KEEP THE DISCUSSION GOING!

So far, we have explored diet and fashion aspects of  living Ghost-Free.  You are all looking more closely at how your food comes to your table and how clothes wind up in your closets. Ghosts are all around us….

Animals as Companions/Animals in Captivity

Today, let’s explore how we view non-human animals from the perspective of sharing our lives with them, learning about them, and learning from them.  As an example: have you ever thought about the ethics behind breeding vs. adopting from a shelter or rescue group?   How do you feel about visiting a zoo or aquarium to learn about animals or to teach children about them?  LUSH is known as company against animal-testing, how has this impacted your views on this topic?

For the Ghosts,

Coaches Rosemary and Donna

The opinions we express as GFJ Coaches are ours personally. We are not professional health practitioners.  Neither are we treating a specific health care issue.  That means we are not offering advice on health-care problems. If you  are experiencing a health-care problem, it is important to seek the advice of a health professional. However we are experienced, practicing vegans and we look forward to coaching you on your journey.

So far, we have explored diet and fashion aspects of  living Ghost-Free.  You are all looking more closely at how your food comes to your table and how clothes wind up in your closets. Ghosts are all around us….

Animals as Companions/Animals in Captivity

Today, let’s explore how we view non-human animals from the perspective of sharing our lives with them, learning about them, and learning from them.  As an example: have you ever thought about the ethics behind breeding vs. adopting from a shelter or rescue group?   How do you feel about visiting a zoo or aquarium to learn about animals or to teach children about them?  LUSH is known as company against animal-testing, how has this impacted your views on this topic?

For the Ghosts,

Coaches Rosemary and Donna

The opinions we express as GFJ Coaches are ours personally. We are not professional health practitioners.  Neither are we treating a specific health care issue.  That means we are not offering advice on health-care problems. If you  are experiencing a health-care problem, it is important to seek the advice of a health professional. However we are experienced, practicing vegans and we look forward to coaching you on your journey.

HELLO EVERYONE! STARTING A NEW POST THIS EVENING IN ORDER TO NAVIGATE EASIER AND FIND YOUR THREAD/RESPONSES.  The conversation about Ghost-Free shoes, clothing and other wares is a lively one…let’s keep it going!

Good Day!  We are looking forward to another wonderful day filled with great discussions and reflections.  Starting today, we will break up each day in two parts: morning/afternoon (Part 1) and evening (Part 2).  This will hopefully make it easier for you to find your post and responses.

One of the areas of leading a Ghost-Free life that some might not consider right away has to do with the  ghosts that are in our wardrobes. The shoes that we wear, the handbags/briefcases that we carry, the coats that we wear -from fur to leather to wool to down to silk to shell buttons – so much  is hidden behind the scenes of the final products that we buy in the stores.

Is this an area that anyone has explored or thought about before?  What are your thoughts and feelings about this aspect of living a Ghost-Free life?

For the Ghosts,

Coaches Donna and Rosemary

The opinions we express as GFJ Coaches are ours personally. We are not professional health practitioners.  Neither are we treating a specific health care issue.  That means we are not offering advice on health-care problems. If you  are experiencing a health-care problem, it is important to seek the advice of a health professional. However we are experienced, practicing vegans and we look forward to coaching you on your journey.

Good Day!  We are looking forward to another wonderful day filled with great discussions and reflections.  Starting today, we will break up each day in two parts: morning/afternoon (Part 1) and evening (Part 2).  This will hopefully make it easier for you to find your post and responses.

One of the areas of leading a Ghost-Free life that some might not consider right away has to do with the  ghosts that are in our wardrobes. The shoes that we wear, the handbags/briefcases that we carry, the coats that we wear -from fur to leather to wool to down to silk to shell buttons – so much  is hidden behind the scenes of the final products that we buy in the stores.

Is this an area that anyone has explored or thought about before?  What are your thoughts and feelings about this aspect of living a Ghost-Free life?

For the Ghosts,

Coaches Donna and Rosemary

The opinions we express as GFJ Coaches are ours personally. We are not professional health practitioners.  Neither are we treating a specific health care issue.  That means we are not offering advice on health-care problems. If you  are experiencing a health-care problem, it is important to seek the advice of a health professional. However we are experienced, practicing vegans and we look forward to coaching you on your journey.

Day 1 will focus primarily on food issues. This is often the most common place where a journey starts. LUSH distributed nutritional information  before the weekend in order to help with grocery shopping/meal planning. Hopefully you also had some time to check out the resources that are on this website.

How is everyone feeling today? Excited? Curious? Has anyone tried some new recipes over the weekend?

We would love to hear what your concerns/questions are. And as always, we hope that the rest of the community will join in wth encouragement and suggestions – it takes a village!

For the Ghosts,

Coaches Donna and Rosemary

The opinions we express as GFJ Coaches are ours personally. We are not professional health practitioners.  Neither are we treating a specific health care issue.  That means we are not offering advice on health-care problems. If you  are experiencing a health-care problem, it is important to seek the advice of a health professional. However we are experienced, practicing vegans and we look forward to coaching you on your journey.