MOGO (Most Good) « Zoe Weil

The True Cost of a Burger

Posted on February 24, 2012 by zoeweil

A recent UK study evaluating the carbon footprint of 61 categories of food reveals that a switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet would dramatically reduce carbon emissions. Here’s an excerpt from a Science Daily article about the study: “The report ‘Relative greenhouse gas impacts of realistic dietary choices’ published in the journal Energy Policy [...]

Filed under: food and diet, food policy, global warming, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: carbon emissions, carbon footprint, food, greenhouse gases, meat, Most Good Least Harm, studies, veganism, vegetarianism | Leave a Comment »

When Desire and Will Compete

Posted on February 17, 2012 by zoeweil

Note: This is a repost from 10/19/2009. Enjoy! I was reading an excellent essay by Eknath Easwaran in the Blue Mountain Journal, titled “Will and Desire.” He begins: “Desire is the key to life, because desire is power. The deeper the desire, the more power it contains.” The Upanishads say: “You are what your deep, [...]

Filed under: MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: changemakers, desire, Eknath Easwaran, freedom, hope, Inner Peace, intentions, Most Good Least Harm, passions, responsibility, will | 2 Comments »

It IS About Equality: Rep. Maureen Walsh on Gay Marriage

Posted on February 13, 2012 by zoeweil

For my blog post today, I simply wanted to share a moving testimonial from Representative Maureen Walsh, testifying on the Washington state bill regarding gay marriage (which is to be signed into law today): For a just world for all, Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, [...]

Filed under: human rights, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: equality, gay marriage, human rights, legislation, maureen walsh, Most Good Least Harm, same-sex marriage, social justice, videos, Washington | Leave a Comment »

Choosing My Father’s Ties: Changing Systems

Posted on February 10, 2012 by zoeweil

When I was a child, my father would come into my room most mornings and ask me to choose which tie he should wear with the suit he had on that day. He usually brought two ties into my room from which I could choose. As I got older, sometimes I felt that neither choice [...]

Filed under: humane education, MOGO (Most Good), systemic change | Tagged: changemakers, fathers, humane education, modeling your message, MOGO choices, MOGO principle, Most Good Least Harm, neckties, positive choices, social change, systemic change | Leave a Comment »

A Morality Pill?

Posted on February 3, 2012 by zoeweil

Peter Singer and Agata Sagan had an opinion piece in The New York Times this past Sunday, which asks whether we’re ready for a morality pill. The essay describes the variation between humans (as well as rats) regarding empathy and willingness to come to another’s aid. Both humans and rats lie along a spectrum, which [...]

Filed under: MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: behavior, bystander effect, drugs, empathy, ethics, free will, morality, Most Good Least Harm, Peter Singer, philosophy, rats, research, studies | Leave a Comment »

Politicians’ Failures of Generosity

Posted on February 1, 2012 by zoeweil

Image courtesy of Newton Free Library via Creative Commons. For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Common Dreams, a progressive news site. Here’s an excerpt from “Politicians’ Failures of Generosity”: “It’s intriguing to me that wealthy politicians, even knowing that the public will scrutinize their charitable contributions, are so [...]

Filed under: MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: character, charitable giving, ethics, Generosity, morality, Most Good Least Harm, philanthropy, politicians, politics, values, wealth | 1 Comment »

The Depth of Animal Emotions

Posted on January 30, 2012 by zoeweil

Image copyright Zoe Weil. For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “The Depth of Animal Emotions”: “On January 14, we adopted a new dog. He was found tied to a tree a week [...]

Filed under: animal intelligence and emotion, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: animal emotions, animal rescue, animal welfare, compassion, dogs, empathy, golden rule, Most Good Least Harm, responsibility, suffering | Leave a Comment »

A Prison Without Bars Reminds Us We Can Change Entrenched Systems

Posted on January 25, 2012 by zoeweil

Image courtesy of randy OHC via Creative Commons. For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “A Prison Without Bars Reminds Us We Can Change Entrenched Systems”: “I recently learned about the Bastoy prison [...]

Filed under: MOGO (Most Good), systemic change | Tagged: Bastoy prison, changemakers, criminal justice system, criminals, justice, norway, prisons, solutionaries, systemic change | Leave a Comment »

From Complaint to Compassion to Kindness

Posted on January 16, 2012 by zoeweil

One of my favorite quotations is this: “Be kind for everyone is fighting a great battle.” It’s often a hard one to remember when we’re late and the driver ahead is poking along, or when we’re treated rudely or worse, or when someone seems truly mean-spirited or cruel. Yet kindness always matters, and often our [...]

Filed under: compassion, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: assumptions, compassion, empathy, helping others, Kindness, mindfulness, perspective, videos | Leave a Comment »

Redemption & Reunion: Elephants Never Forget

Posted on January 9, 2012 by zoeweil

I could write a blog post today about circuses; about captive elephants and their plight. There is much to say about our treatment of animals for entertainment, but I’ll write that post another day. For today, please enjoy this short, beautiful video, and then consider — before participating in forms of entertainment that use and [...]

Filed under: animal protection, compassion, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: animal captivity, animal cruelty, animal exploitation, animal protection, circuses, compassion, elephants, entertainment, videos | 1 Comment »

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The True Cost of a Burger

When Desire and Will Compete

A Morality Pill?

Politicians’ Failures of Generosity

The Depth of Animal Emotions

A Prison Without Bars Reminds Us We Can Change Entrenched Systems

From Complaint to Compassion to Kindness

Redemption & Reunion: Elephants Never Forget

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