Exploring the True Costs of Factory Farms
In this episode of Equity in Every Drop, Jamie Berger, a filmmaker whose movie, The Smell of Money, highlights the impacts of factory farming in North Carolina, and Larry Baldwin, the coordinator of Waterkeeper Alliance's Pure Farms, Pure Waters campaign, join to discuss the true costs of industrialized animal agriculture.
The conversation provides an overview of factory farming, including the impacts on waterways and ecosystems, as well as the burdens placed on local communities. Larry Baldwin, who has worked on the issue of factory farms and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), brings decades of insight and experience to the conversation. Jamie Berger, who spent years documenting the issue for The Smell of Money, is reunited with Larry Baldwin, who is featured prominently in her film.
The episode highlights the true cost of factory farms and provides the listener with a transparent look at who is paying the cost for all those sides of bacon.
Creators and Guests
Host
Thomas Hynes
Thomas Hynes is the Communications and Marketing Manager for Waterkeeper Alliance. In addition to podcast hosting and production duties, he manages and writes all sorts of editorial content for the organization, including blogs, feature articles, advocacy alerts, email campaigns, social media content, and more. Thomas grew up on the Long Island Sound in Connecticut and now makes his home two blocks from the East River in Brooklyn, New York. He primarily commutes across the river to the Waterkeeper Alliance office via ferry boat. Thomas was drawn to environmental work in order to take an active role in the fight against climate change and help bring justice to the rotten polluters who seek to ruin our shared resources. Before working at Waterkeeper Alliance, Thomas wrote a nonfiction book about the history of wildlife in New York City. "Wild City" also highlights the power and success of the Clean Water Act, and other environmental regulations, in leading an unlikely ecological turnaround. In his spare time, Thomas photographs the many tugboats traversing the city’s various waterways. Thomas lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their son. They can be found most weekends walking or biking along the East River.
Guest
Jamie Berger
Jamie Berger is a writer and documentary filmmaker born and raised in North Carolina. Her writing has been featured in Vox, The Guardian, USA Today, NowThis, The News & Observer, and more. Throughout her career, she has used writing and visual storytelling to draw attention to issues ranging from environmental racism to the climate crisis to other injustices wrought against people, animals, and the planet.
Guest
Larry Baldwin
Larry Baldwin serves as Waterkeeper Alliance’s Pure Farms, Pure Waters (PFPW) Coordinator in North Carolina. He works with the 15 licensed Waterkeeper Alliance groups in North Carolina in their efforts to reform the current polluting practices of the industrial meat producing facilities, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs.
Producer
Lori Harrison
Lori Harrison is the Communications and Marketing Director for Waterkeeper Alliance. She oversees multi-faceted communications and marketing activities to advance the organization’s mission of protecting our right to clean water in communities around the world. With 25 years of experience in strategic water communications and mission-based work, Lori is an award-winning writer and content creator. Her expertise lies in translating complex concepts into relatable ideas, fostering engagement, and promoting sustainable practices and solutions. Her work not only aims to protect clean water, public health, and the environment but also focuses on "connecting the disconnect" between people and this essential resource. Before joining Waterkeeper Alliance, Lori had a background in corporate marketing for professional sports and held various communications and creative positions with a non-profit educational organization for global water professionals. Notable achievements include creating the WATER'S WORTH IT® grassroots awareness campaign and writing the award-winning children's book, “Why Water's Worth It,” designed to educate and inspire the next generation of water protectors. Lori lives in Virginia with her husband and their two children.
