2 Simple Changes You Can Make That Will Change The Lives Of Countless Animals

As president of the Humane Society, Wayne Pacelle’s life and career has been devoted to preventing animal cruelty. But, as Pacelle explains in a conversation on OWN’s “SuperSoul Sunday,” you don’t have to be in an animal-related field or make any sweeping changes in your life to help improve the lives of animals everywhere. In fact, he tells Oprah, anyone can do two incredibly simple things that will have a huge impact.

1. Choose synthetic fashions.

Many people who buy a fur coat don’t want to be cruel, Pacelle says. But the fact is that the process for creating these types of fashions is inhumane, and it’s no longer your only option.

“You can have synthetic fabric, you can have natural fiber coats that have all of the functionality of fur,” Pacelle says. “You can be warm and you can be stylish, and we don’t need to kill 40 animals by catching them in leg-hold traps or raising them on a mink farm.”

With the rise of vegan fashions and more compassionately made clothing, these synthetics are typically on par with their animal-based counterparts. “You’ve got an option that is a functional equivalent or that’s superior,” Pacelle points out. “It’s a simple choice for us, but it’s game-changing for the animals.”

2. Be a more conscious eater.

Pacelle knows it’s difficult to ask people to make drastic changes to their diets, so he suggests more manageable changes, like incorporating more plant-based foods into your meal plan and eating animal products that come from farmers who “let the animals live.”

“The head of our agriculture council nationwide said his greatest wish is to see that his animals only have one bad day in their entire lives,” Pacelle says. “So, on all the days before they’re sent to slaughter, he wants to give them a good existence.”

By eating more consciously, even the most avid meat-eater can help change animals’ lives.

“The fact is, the vast majority of people eat meat and they eat animal products,” Pacelle acknowledges. “We can reduce it or we can make those animal products from some other more humane system.”

“Super Soul Sunday” airs Sundays at 11 a.m. ET on OWN. You can also watch the most recent full episodes for a limited time on SuperSoul.tv, or catch up on past full episodes on demand via the Watch OWN app.

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