 Welcome to Lillian's Vegan World, the show where we talk about veganism and the plant-based diet. I'm coming live to you here at the downtown studio in gorgeous Honolulu at Think Tech Hawaii. Thank you so much Think Tech Hawaii for an awesome year. I've absolutely enjoyed all the shows I've done here and can't wait for another exciting year and be part again of the Think Tech Hawaii team of hosts. So looking forward to an awesome 2020. Today I'm actually having my last show for this year and I'm very, very, very excited to have on Angie Howitz. Yes, yes. Yes, from the Aloha Animal Sanctuary. Thank you so much for coming on to the show and so lovely meeting you for the first time today. Yes. You know what, Angie? I did interview, I did have on my show another one of your co- Jessica. Yes, Jessica, who is gorgeous. And I see Hannah. Oh yeah, Hannah Mizuno. Mizuno. All three of you are like just adorable and so, so attractive. Oh yeah. I mean, again, must have something to do with the vegan diet and lifestyle I'm sure. I think so, yeah. Yeah, you guys are just adorable. Yeah. Welcome to the show. Thank you. And yes, I'm really lucky to have Jessica and Hannah on my team and they're wonderful women to work with running Aloha Animal Sanctuary. I'm sure they look, tell us all about it, the Aloha Animal Sanctuary. We did talk about it a few months ago, but do please feel us in on what it is and what you do there. So we are Oahu's first 501C3 non-profit farmed animal sanctuary. So we rescue farmed animals specifically like goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, animals that are in a, maybe in a case of neglect or are on their way to slaughter or being abused. So we've, we're contacted all the time or reached out to about these situations. So we rescue these farmed animals, bring them in, and they live out their forever life at the sanctuary. It's just so amazing. Like I do follow your Facebook page and every time I see photos of the animals, it just, it's so heartwarming. You know, what you guys do is incredible and we do have to remember this is a non-profit. So you do rely on donations. Yes, definitely. We're, I think all of our success that we've had and we are really new. We just started as of January 1st. I know. You've been in your first year and already so much success and you've saved so many lives. Definitely. It's pretty amazing, the journey that we've done and I was the good soul this year is the year of the pig and January 1st we marked our, the beginning of the sanctuary with bringing Haku the pig. He's a 600 pound pig into the sanctuary, such a sweetie. But it's a huge community effort so not only with like financial donations really is what we, how we're able to run the sanctuary, but also we have an amazing like 50 over 50 caretaker volunteers who come every week to help us run the sanctuary and then other volunteers that help us do things like creating merchandise, our website, graphic design. So it's really a testament to just a community that's really passionate and dedicated here on Oahu. That is awesome. I see, you know, places like this in Hawaii, people are just so, so tight-knit, aren't they? You guys get this job done. It must be so hard to do this and, you know, saving all these animals one at a time. I'm sure there must be some that you can't bring on. Like, so we really need to get some funding in and push for those donations. Definitely. The hardest part is having to say no sometimes. And it's just because we want to grow the sanctuary sustainable, you know, sustainably and be a long lasting organization. So, and every animal we take in, like I said, is with us forever. So we always want to be able to provide that quality care and exceptional life. So, yes, definitely we need help, you know, help with volunteers, help us grow as we continue on into our second year or so. Well, tell us how we can be a part of this. Yeah, so there's a lot of different ways. Everything from being a volunteer, so you can, people can sign up for a volunteer list through our website and then get notified about different, we have community volunteer days. We're actually having one this Sunday, or becoming part of our, or like our weekly caretaker team. We're donating, we're actually doing a special kind of sponsorship for animals during the holidays. It's a one-time donation and receive like a holiday adoption certificate. So, I think it's a really cute idea for a gift for, you know, Christmas, the holiday time, for those animal lovers and people's lives. Definitely, yeah. The website, what is the website? Oh, yes, it's at www.alohasanctuary.org. Okay. And then on the website you can learn all about the animals, about our mission, and it also talks about all the different ways you can donate, whether it's sponsoring an animal or doing a different kind of one-time donation, becoming a Patreon member. So, there's all different ways to help us at the sanctuary. Awesome, so get, get on that website and show some of that Christmas spirit, definitely, because it is for a really worthy cause. And you are also on Facebook. I love your Facebook page. We are, yeah. Are you on Instagram? Yes, we're on Instagram, Aloha Animal Sanctuary. Also on Facebook, you can just find us our name. And yeah, what's bad about just looking at a lot of cute photos of animals? Yes. So, yeah, it's a fun way to follow us. It's the highlight of my scroll, actually. Speaking of photos, Angie, you have prepared some for us. So, let's take a look at some of the things that you've brought in for us today. This is a photo, oh, look at how adorable. This is a photo of? This is a Viapuna. So, she's one of our newest members at the sanctuary. She's currently being fostered outside, because she's still being bottle-fed. But in the next two weeks, she'll come to the sanctuary. What kind of animal? Oh, she's a goat. Yeah, and yeah, she's a baby goat. We rescued her when she was only about a week. Oh, wow. Two weeks old, we're not quite sure. But she was so young. We think that she had been stolen from her mom in the wild, her and her siblings. And then she was being sold on Craigslist. But luckily, somebody reached out to us who saw her on Craigslist, and they had already rescued her from that situation. But then, not many people have the facilities to just have a goat, right? And especially a baby goat is a lot being bottle-fed like every two hours. But luckily, one of our powerhouse volunteers, Brian Highthouse, who's our garden leader, is well-stepped up, and he's being the most amazing, faster goat dad. Oh, awesome job, Brian. That's incredible. It's, oh, God, it's heartbreaking to think about some of the things these animals go through. But look, you've got the sanctuary. They're taken care of there. They have beautiful lives there, and we can all be a part of this. That's the very important thing. Yeah, it's definitely adorable. What did you say the name of the goat was? Oh, Vaipuna. Vaipuna, what does that mean? So two of our volunteers gave her this name, and I've been told it means spring water that shines like the moonlight. Yeah, so adorable. Yeah, so, yeah, she's really, really adorable. She's still only about this big. It must be small. But when she came to us, she was like this big. Oh, wow. So she's already like quadrupled in size, driving and having fun and getting big. And she'll be at the sanctuary probably in about two to three weeks, so. Good. People happy? Like, do they like being around people? Do they like being around people? Well, I must say, I've never been around a goat, to be honest. I know, so I think it depends probably how they're raised and what they're used to. But she definitely is very attached to Brian. Must be, yeah, OK. So they're always together. And she's been accustomed, because she's been taken care of her, to going into different social situations of people. So they're not the same as, at least from my experience with her, as a dog, where she just runs up to everyone. But she seems to do well. And how do the animals get along with each other? Like, are they living in sort of separate homes? Or how does it all work? Yeah, they do. And that's an interesting part of it, is that not everyone always gets along. So you do have to see who will thrive with each other. So for example, Haku and Eleanor, they're both are larger pigs. They're about 600 pounds. They're BFFs, best friends forever. And they love, and they share an area, and they love to be together. But we have Charlotte and Yoru, who are smaller pigs. Charlotte will get to be about 600 pounds, but she's still very young, so she's growing. She might be about 150, 150 pounds right now. But we found that we tried to introduce her to Haku and Eleanor, and they never really accepted her into their little pack. Maybe that will change in the future. But for now, we have separated them. So Charlotte and Yoru, and they get along great. Yoru's another pig. So they are in a separate area. So yeah, you definitely have to observe the animals and see just like people and everyone. Yeah, sure. It must be interesting to see the interaction between the animals themselves. Let's have a look at another one, Angie, that you've got for us. Is that a little scarf or muffler or something? It's a little scarf on our duck. And then that's definitely with his looking like a little angel with wings raised. How cute. So you've got two ducks there. Yes, we actually have five ducks total. But these are two, the other three ducks like we talked about, not everyone gets along. So they're in a separate enclosure to do better. Duckley and Fern, though, are together. And that was for a little holiday kind of photo shoot that we took for the animals. So what do you feed ducks? Yeah, well, it's a combination of different seeds and grains. But we go to the like farm supply store and they kind of point us in the right direction. Yes, they have like organic duck feed. OK, they can sometimes we'll give them a little like papaya to see if they want to nibble on. OK, so they can eat fruit. Yeah, gosh, you know, I need to get educated about what animals eat because I'm just I'm just lost. Well, I've learned a lot in the last year and still learning to. What about the pigs? What are what are they eating on a daily basis? Yeah, so they eat also a combination of different kinds of grains. Like we buy it at the store. It's like a car that has a like barley and oats. And we put some alfalfa pellets in there as well. And then actually down to earth sounds very healthy. Yeah, it's like something a vegan could eat on a on a a cybol or something. Yeah, they have a really healthy. They have a whole foods plant based diet. Definitely all grains. We could learn a lot from them. And they down to earth actually donates produce to us. Great. That's maybe like a little past its prime. Maybe they wouldn't be selling it or maybe the produce from like their juices or things. So we get to take that and feed the pigs produce as well. So they get grains and produce. And it sometimes looks like their food. It does look like a giant a cybol. They'll be like the tie up. Yeah, I like the tie up hairs and the grains. It's definitely I think eat way healthier than I do. Yeah, something to be said about the way animals eat. And they are definitely getting enough protein. Yeah, you come to the sanctuary protein. Yes, if you look at them, their 600 pounds are very strong, happy and healthy. Yeah, awesome. And she we're going to take a quick break and then come back and talk more about the awesome aloha sanctuary and other things you're getting up to on the island here. So stay tuned. Aloha. I'm Keisha King, host of At the Crossroads, where we have conversations that are real and relevant. We have spoken with community leaders from right here locally in Hawaii and all around the world. Won't you join us on thinktechhawaii.com or on YouTube on the Think Tech Hawaii channel. Our conversations are real, relevant and lots of fun. I'll see you at the crossroads. Aloha. Aloha. My name is Becky Sampson, and I'm the host of It's About Time on the Think Tech Hawaii, a digital nonprofit organization that's raising public awareness. Join us on Wednesday at 2 p.m., where we talk about real issues. Some of the topics will include entrepreneurship, health, life skills and growing your business. So once again, this is Becky Sampson on It's About Time on Wednesday at 2 p.m. on Think Tech Hawaii. Mahalo. Welcome back, everyone, to Lillian's Vegan World, where we talk about everything to do with veganism and the plant-based diet. I have my awesome guest here, Angie Howitz, from Aloha Animal Sanctuary. Thank you again for coming on. Angie, so awesome talking to you. You are vegan, I'm guessing. I haven't even asked you where you are. May I ask how long you've been on a plant-based diet for? It's been about five years now. Okay, yeah. What made you step up and go vegan? Go vegan, yeah. Well, I would say about, probably about ten years ago, I just started thinking about it. And just wondering, I just found thinking about the ethical issues behind eating animals, and if I really needed to, to be a happy, healthy person. So I actually went vegetarian first, and I will have to say my husband, Robert, is the person who pushed me or got me to that place. He actually went vegetarian first, after just seeing a chicken on TV one day and making the connection. And then after I saw him do it just like a flip of the switch, it motivated and got me to align my values with my actions. At the time going vegetarian, I didn't really know much about dairy or eggs. And so then about, I guess, four years later, after finding out more information about those industries, went vegan. And again, my husband actually went vegan first, so that it kind of helped me push me into that. Interesting. So that's great. I have to give him credit. Yeah, it's good for him. And it's nice that you're both vegan, so obviously your home is as well. My husband's not vegan, but our home is. And that was actually his idea to do that. So he's totally on board with eating vegan at the home, and then he'll eat what he wants outside of the home. But yeah, I mean, you only need to show people some of the documentaries that are coming out, and hopefully they will make that connection. But there's some really awesome films that are being put out there. I think in particular recently, this year's big hit, I guess, was Game Changer. Game Changers, yes. I saw it and I loved it, and there's just so much buzz about it from really making an impact. Yeah. Well, speaking about the vegan lifestyle, I recently went back to my beloved Japan, a city in which I spent 30 years of my life. So I'm a vegan chef and cooking instructor, and I did live in this gorgeous place north of Tokyo in the northern regions called Sendai. Sendai is one of my favorite places on earth, and the food there is incredible. So I would like to show you this video that I took of all the vegan food that I had there during my one week stay. Take a look at it. Angie, have you ever been to Japan? I haven't, and I really want to go, and this will make me want to go even more. Well, I know. Check out this video. This is just Japanese food at its best. Sendai is actually very famous for its food. They have amazing fresh, you know, just vegetables of fantastic fruit in abundance. It looks beautiful. Yeah. One of my Israeli friends there actually opened an Israeli restaurant this year, so I did visit there. These are dishes that my friends from the Ukraine and Russia made. They veganized everything for me. Wow. Just lots of dips and fresh vegetables, roasted, sauteed, anything you can think of. Gorgeous tempura, Japanese tempura. This was a vegan restaurant that I visited during my stay there. So artistic. Look at how beautiful. It's gorgeous. So this is, you know, you really, you're not missing out on anything on a vegan diet. No, every time I travel, I'm so excited to try all the vegan restaurants in new places. Yeah. Are you feeling a bit hungry now? Yeah, I think so. You know, it's funny. A lot of people say to vegans, you know, as they're eating their burgers or steak, you don't know what you're missing out on. It's like, I know exactly what I'm missing out on. Absolutely nothing. Yeah. Because I think, I think that we tend to eat more of a variety of foods than the average person on say, like a typical American diet. I think we venture out more and therefore we are getting more, you know, nutrients and vitamins and all those, you know, the good things that we need to sustain our bodies. That's my answer. Absolutely missing out on nothing. Definitely not. And then all the foods like, yeah, burgers, tacos, cakes, we can, I still eat all those things, too. Exactly. It's the vegan version. Exactly. We do all of that and we make it better, actually. Let's have a look at another one of your photos, Angie, as we go through. Oh, this is Kylie, one of our volunteers with Eleanor and Haku, who we talked a little bit about before. These are our pretty, our 600 pound big pigs. Amazing. And they're just best friends. How old are they? Roughly. Yeah. So Haku is about three years old now. Wow. And Eleanor, she's probably about 11 to 13. Oh, okay. We're not quite sure exactly how old she is, but so she's a bit of a more senior pig at the sanctuary. They are adorable. Again, if you're on Facebook or Instagram, do definitely follow their pages because there are heaps of just really cute photos you can take a look at. Let's look at another one. Yeah. So this shows, this is one of the activist groups on the island called Oahu Animal Save. The Save Movement is an organization that happens, that has chapters all over the world, but we have one here on Oahu. And we go to slaughterhouses. There's actually one slaughterhouse here right now on Oahu and bear witness to the animals before they are sent to slaughter. That is absolutely heartbreaking. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know how people do it. Still, still don't make that connection. Yeah. It's definitely, yeah. And it's definitely, it can be difficult being there. Yes. But when activists and volunteers go to bear witness, you're there to offer some love and comfort to the animals in their final moments and also to document their stories and share their stories. So hopefully people do make the connection. Yes. Yeah. It's amazing what you do. Thank you so much for the work you guys do. I mean, it's hard. It's hard to do that, I'm sure. But yeah, keep doing it. Keep going. It's an uphill battle, but, you know, we keep fighting it anyway. And these are, yeah, Oahu Animal Save is a great group to be part of. Right. And I just want to encourage everyone to be active. You know, being vegan is amazing. But I do think that we're in such a, we're in a pivotal time and we're faced such dire issues in the world that I think we need everyone's voice to speak up and for the animals and for the planet and for the people. Definitely. So well put. And she is. And again, you can find information, I'm sure, on the net if you want to get involved in something like that. Oahu Animal Save gets run by amazing organizers and you can look them up on Instagram, Oahu Animal Save to see when their next vigil is or also on Facebook as well. You can find the group and learn more about what happens. Great. Thank you very much for that information. Let's do another photo. Yeah. So this is a very new organization and chapter here on Oahu Animal Rebellion. And it's actually, this organization started off in the UK and they're just starting up here on the island but they link the effects of climate change and how that's related to animal agriculture because oftentimes that's not talked about enough. Yeah. And so to, you know, strive for ecological justice we believe that we really need to abolish the animal agriculture system and go towards a plant-based food system. Definitely. It's all intertwined, isn't it? Animal rebellion. Yes, I had never heard of that. So thank you for mentioning that. And they're a new chapter here on the island. Yeah, a new chapter. They've just had their first, I believe, two events in this past month and they participate. I think they were demonstrating a climate strike at the capital. So, you know, advocating for policy change and systemic change. Okay. Wow. Awesome. So to everyone out there who's doing all of that, you know, power to you, it's fantastic that all of you guys are volunteering, you know, taking out the time to do that. So my hat off to you. Let's do another one, Angie. We've got another photo here. So, so many ways to get involved here. Yes, yes. So this is another activist group on the island Anonymous for the Voiceless. It is also a global organization with a chapter here in Honolulu. This group, we show waterhouse footage and other footage in animal agriculture, just standard practice footage from that related to animals and how they're used in our society. We show these in public spaces and then just if people are interested and want to chat with bystanders, walking by, want to chat with us about what they see, we will explain to them what they're viewing and really just educating and empowering people to go vegan. What is the general reaction when these bystanders, you know, do take a look at the footage that you show them? So there are all sorts of reactions. There are people that just walk by and they don't want to see, you know? Yeah. But I think you'd be surprised. Actually, I think a lot of people are maybe nervous or scared to do this kind of activism because they feel like it might be confrontational and hostile, but... It's really not the at all, is it? You guys are not there to, you know, start cause arguments or get confrontational. Exactly. We really want to talk to people who are interested in talking to us. So a lot of people really, you'd be surprised how many people really don't know what's going on in these industries. We're allowing this space for them to learn and with that knowledge, hopefully comes then the drive for them to make better, more compassionate choices every day. Definitely. Definitely. It all helps. And I mean, people are getting curious. They really are. You know, we live in a world now where, you know, nothing's hidden. It's all out there in the open. Was it John Lennon that said years and years ago before all of this happened and veganism has become mainstream, but I think it was John Lennon that said something like if slaughterhouses were built with glass or made of glass, we'd all be vegetarian, but it's so true. I mean, you can do this and try and hide from it and keep eating the way you do, but I think there's got to be a time when it just, you do click and it makes more sense to leave them alone and be healthy. There's so much good stuff to eat out there. We're here in gorgeous Honolulu, Hawaii and food is abundant here. We've got amazing produce here available. Lots of vegan substitutes to satisfy your meat cravings. Exactly. And we have good times. Definitely. Definitely. And if we have that choice personally to make the peaceful, compassionate choice every day, why not if we can be healthy and happy and make that choice, why not do that? We look all right. We're not starving. We're not lacking in protein. It's the funniest thing when vegans get asked about their protein. We're all good. We're happy. We're healthy. We're, yeah, it's all good on a, you know, delve in, learn more about it, learn more about why so many people are becoming vegan and you might yourself just, you know, wake up one day and decide to give it a try. Definitely. Yes, I think so. And yeah, I encourage everyone to do that. Yes. Well, thank you so much, Angie, for coming on. It's been a pleasure having you on. Thank you. And see you next year in the new year. We'll definitely have you guys on again. Thank you, everyone, for an awesome year. Happy holidays. Take care. Have a wonderful new year and see you in 2020. Aloha.