Bethany Chester

An article I wrote about myself and my blog for Simply Vegan magazine.

A recent paper appearing in the journal Business and Society Review has claimed that researching drugs on animals is both ineffective and misleading.
The authors, Lisa A. Kramer and Ray Greek, looked specifically at the impact of animal experiments on stakeholders. They concluded that animal research does more harm than good, even when the welfare of animals is not taken into account.
Kramer and Greek point out that humans are complex systems which differ substantially from animals, and so an...

The Animal Justice Project has won a grant from The Pollination Project to help fund its campaigns against animal exploitation. The Pollination Project received 550 applications for the grant this year, from which it selected 71 to receive funding.
The grant will support the next phase of the Animal Justice Project’s growth, enabling the organisation to continue working towards the eradication of animal experimentation and other forms of speciesism. It will help to finance advocacy, education...

Most of us are not at peace most of the time.
I was taken aback when this thought first popped into my head. It had just occurred to me that at any given moment, most of us are bored, dissatisfied, restless, angry, jealous, resentful or otherwise distressed. These emotions may be subtle, bubbling just beneath the surface, but they are usually there. I include myself in this! The more aware I become of my thoughts and feelings, the more I realise how much energy I waste on dissatisfaction. I w...

A team from the Computer Science department at the University of Oxford have won a prestigious prize for their work towards ending animal experiments. The prize was awarded by the organisation NC3Rs, which funds research into reducing animal experiments. GlaxoSmithKline were the sponsors of the project.
The team, led by Dr Elisa Passini, built a computer model which can predict with 89 per cent accuracy whether a drug will cause heart problems. This is one of the main reasons why new drugs do...

China is home to one of the world’s largest cosmetics markets, valued at £21.6 billion. It is also one of the few countries which still requires that all cosmetics sold there are tested on animals.
The reasons why are complicated. China has gained a reputation for fakes and poor quality products, something which the government has come under fire for. Although there are now many viable alternatives to animal testing, Chinese labs generally don’t have the required training and certifications t...

The Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA) has written a letter to the House and Senate Agriculture Committee advocating changes in agricultural policy to support the plant-based foods market.
According to the PBFA, current policies unfairly favour meat and dairy producers. It points out that demand for plant-based products is rising rapidly, and that agricultural policy should reflect this. The PBFA’s executive director, Michele Simon, believes these changes are necessary in order for the mark...

Almond marketer and producer Blue Diamond Growers has become the 100th member of the Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA). Blue Diamond is well known for being the maker of Almond Breeze, America’s most popular brand of almond milk. It also produces a range of other nut-based foods such as almond flour and Nut-Thins crackers.
Based in California, Blue Diamond is special because it is a non-profit cooperative rather than a traditional corporation. The company is owned by its almond growers, wh...

It’s something most vegetarians and vegans have heard before: “Why worry about animals when so many humans are suffering? Surely that’s more important.” This argument has obvious flaws – it’s possible to care about multiple issues, and besides, human superiority is a matter of opinion. Regardless, anyone who’s truly concerned about human suffering should eliminate animal products from their diet.

Getting enough protein is often cited as a concern by those considering a vegan diet. Protein is traditionally associated with meat and other animal products, so it's unsurprising that people wonder where they will get it from if they go vegan.
With millions of healthy vegans all over the world, it's clearly possible to meet your nutritional requirements without meat. But how? This article answers that question.

When I first went vegan, I remember experiencing a kind of shift in consciousness. I felt lighter, as though a weight I’d been carrying my whole life had been lifted off my shoulders. Though I’d never been much of an animal lover, I suddenly found myself full of compassion for other beings, including humans. It was as if my conscience was truly clear for the first time.

Several people I’ve spoken to have reported similar experiences, and many in the vegan community consider themselves to be spiritual. But why does the connection between veganism and spiritual development appear to be so stron

I’ve never been too comfortable with the idea of genetically modifying crops. There are no proven negative health effects of consuming GMOs, and many people confidently assert that they’re our best bet for feeding a growing population. But I still have my doubts about the necessity of genetic modification.

High-yielding and easy to grow, palm oil has become the most widely used vegetable oil in the world. In developed countries, it’s found in up to 50% of household products – these include packaged and processed foods, toiletries, cleaning products and cosmetics.

In recent years, palm oil has become a very controversial topic. Most people are now aware of the related environmental issues, which include the destruction of vast swathes of rainforest for palm oil plantations and the consequent habitat destruction of creatures like the orang-utan and Sumatran tiger.

Art is a powerful tool for communicating important messages. With that in mind, artist and YouTuber Aisha Eveleigh is organising an art exhibition to raise awareness of animal exploitation and its consequences.

The name ‘Behind Closed Doors’ refers to the way our mistreatment of animals is hidden from the general public – most of us have little idea what happens to animals behind the doors of factory farms, slaughterhouses and vivisection labs. The exhibition seeks to bring these issues into the light, changing the way we think about animal rights.