Larry Weiss is a retired attorney who earned a B.A. from the University of Chicago and a law degree at the University of California at Berkeley. He practiced law in California for 36 years, first as a criminal defense attorney and then in the field of animal law. Larry specialized in the defense of animal activists. Larry believes that the exploitation of animals is a branch of the pervasive tree of dominance that exists within our society. "If we create a culture of true respect and compassion toward animals then this will change everything." Click to see author's profile.
Every U.S. state has an agency that sets wildlife policy, but the vast majority of these commissions are heavily weighted in favor of hunters and ranchers. Animals’ needs and welfare have been considered only secondarily, if at all.
Veteran animal rights and legal expert Larry Weiss discusses some of the most pressing issues in animal rights today, and outlines his vision for a humane tomorrow, at VegFest Colorado 2017.
Animal law expert Larry Weiss, who has defended activists charged with offenses since the 1980s, recounts the history of the animal rights movement up to the present at VegFest 2016.
In any discussion of ecotourism the dangers of “greenwashing” must be explored. Greenwashing is the use of misleading advertisements to suggest that an activity is good for the environment when objectively it is not. Wildlife theme parks, underwater hotels and motorized tours into fragile ecosystems strive to portray themselves as environmentally positive (or neutral) but they are not. True ecotourism builds environmental awareness while emphasizing human rights and local control over resources and development. It is not solely about animals but also about the humans who live there, and have lived there in the past, often for thousands of years.
So many backyards in our neighborhood are covered with grass and non-native plants which are unfriendly to wildlife. Animals can only utilize certain plants as food and some are unusable or even poisonous. Grass is an environmental disaster. It requires a prodigious amount of water which in drought regions is irreplaceable. Pesticides are generally used it which poison the ecosystem and drain off into our rivers and oceans. People then mow it and put the clippings in plastic bags which are hauled away (using fossil fuels) to the landfill. What a tragedy!