How Lauren Ornelas Of Food Empowerment Project Is Helping to Promote Sustainability and Climate Justice
An Interview With Monica Sanders
If it doesn’t exist, you need to create it. When I wanted to connect various problems in the food industry, I felt we as individuals, as well as collectively, could make a difference that combined animal rights and human rights. No group like that existed, which led me to start Food Empowerment Project.
According to the University of Colorado, “Those who are most affected and have the fewest resources to adapt to climate change are also the least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions — both globally and within the United States.” Promoting climate justice is an incredibly important environmental responsibility that is slowly becoming more and more recognized. In this interview series, we are talking to leaders who are helping to promote sustainability and climate justice. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Lauren Ornelas.
Lauren Ornelas has been a deeply involved animal rights activist since 1987 and is the founder and General Programs Collective Member of Food Empowerment Project (F.E.P.), a vegan food justice nonprofit that promotes veganism, champions for the rights of farm workers, highlights the lack of access to healthy foods in Black and Brown communities, and raises awareness about the worst forms of slavery, including child labor, in the chocolate industry. Watch lauren’s TEDx talk on The Power of Our Food Choices. Learn more about F.E.P.’s work at www.foodispower.org.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Thank you so much for your interest in our work!
I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and my two sisters and I were raised by my mom as my parents got divorced when I was four. At times, my mom had to work two jobs to make ends meet and often relied on our family to help out. I think this helped me form a lot of empathy for the separation of families, so when I would see the cows in the fields, I would imagine how painful it would be for the baby to lose their mamma or vice versa. When I was still in elementary school, I went vegetarian as I didn’t want to contribute to the suffering of non-human animals or be responsible for separating them. As we didn’t have a lot of money, I couldn’t stick with it.
Also, someone of Mexican descent (I identify as a Xicanx — X to honor my indigenous ancestors and an X at the end as a strike against the Patriarchal language of Spanish and my solidarity with the non-binary community), my mom raised me with an understanding and respect for the Delano Grape Strike and Boycott called by California farm workers.
Later in high school, I got involved in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Feeling very helpless to make a difference, I learned how I could boycott certain companies that were still vested in the regime.
I also got involved in animal rights in 1987 and went vegan in 1988. I started the first animal rights group at a high school in Texas.
Everyone has a cataclysmic moment or marker in their life which propels them to take certain actions, a “why”. What is your why?
My why has always been and will always be — why not? Why not do whatever I can to eliminate the suffering of others?
There is so much suffering and injustice taking place in the world that we should all be doing our best to help make a difference.
When I learn of a new injustice, I immediately think about what I can do to speak out.
You are currently leading an organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change?
We recently transitioned into a collective model, where as a team we make decisions and are equally responsible for the organization because of this, I stepped down from our board, to ensure we are all equal. This is a natural evolution of our organization and helps to model what we want to see in the world more equity.
We are working to change the way people look at their food. Instead of just looking at it as a source of sustenance, nutrition, and even pleasure, it’s important to realize your food choices can help ensure a more just and compassionate world. A world where suffering is lessened, where workers have rights and are treated with dignity, and where food choices are made with respect for the land and the environment.
By fighting for change within our food system, we inform people about the power of their food choices to make the world better, and we do so with our numerous resources. We offer multiple recipe guides such as Vegan Mexican Food (in English and Spanish), Vegan Filipino Food (in English and Tagalog), Vegan Lao Food (in English and Lao), Vegan Chinese Food (in English and Simplified Chinese), and our upcoming site, Vegan Soul Food (which will be in English and Spanish).
These resources show people that they can still enjoy traditional and nostalgic favorites without compromising their culture and without animal products. Creating change at home with what you eat can positively impact your health, the lives of animals, and the climate.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
When I started the F.E.P. in 2007, I was working full-time at another nonprofit organization and had just been an executive director (ED) of another organization. I had made a decision to not be an ED again, but the demands on F.E.P. grew, and I eventually needed to accept the ED title. In the fall of 2013, I began to run the organization full-time, and by late 2016, we had hired our first full-time employee.
However, things never felt right to me as I was never comfortable being the “boss” and being in charge. Over the years, I have always used a more collaborative approach.
Fast forward to May 2024 when we are officially using a collective model for how we function. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit but now have more of an equal structure.
I feel this is the natural evolution of our organization as we have supported worker-owned cooperatives (where the workers make the decisions) and both worker- and community-led efforts. And I strongly believe this is what is right — that everyone has a say. And if we fight for equity, it should begin with us.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
When I first got involved in animal rights when I was in high school, I had several mentors including a couple, Kay Lair and John Hollrah, who ran the local animal rights group. They helped me to get my animal rights group at my high school started as I needed someone to meet with the school administrators. They also helped to set up my tables when I was in college so when I got out of class, it would be all setup, and they drove me all over town to attend various meetings and protests.
My other mentor was a man named Don Barnes who used to experiment on animals and was a hunter who turned vegan. The night I heard him speak, I went vegan and used to turn to him when I felt conflicted. He even paid for me to attend my first animal rights conference in 1988.
When I started to work on the issues of slavery and child labor in the chocolate industry, I met Robin Romano who filmed two documentaries: The Dark Side of Chocolate and Shady Chocolate. He would fill me in on what he was seeing in Western Africa and give me input on the creation and criteria for the list of chocolates that we do and do not recommend, including not trusting the various certifications.
Honestly, I have actively studied and watched various social justice activists and campaigns both in the US and abroad and have used them to help shape my view on how to go about my work.
Thank you for that. Let’s now move to the central part of our discussion. Let’s start with a basic definition of terms so that everyone is on the same page. What does climate justice mean to you? How do we operationalize it?
To me, climate justice means that every living being on the planet, from the people to the butterflies, can live and thrive and find food and fresh water without threats or fear from human-made problems. That people can live without fear of their communities being underwater or fear they cannot grow food. That trees are able to grow where they always have and fears of human-caused fires are a distant memory. Where animals who hibernate are not thrown off by temperature changes.
Climate justice also means that those of us with privilege all have a responsibility to do everything in our power — every day — to stop the negative impacts we have on the planet while making sure that for those for whom it is too late, we accept full responsibility and do everything we can to protect the future of all life on our planet.
Science is telling us that we have 7–10 years to make critical decisions about climate change. What are three things you or your organization are doing to help?
- We encourage people to not eat animals or animal products. Animal consumption not only wastes our natural resources, such as water, but it also produces harmful greenhouse gasses that are released into the air. They create an extremely large amount of manure. Also, compassion toward animals encourages everyone to think beyond themselves on how we can have a better world.
- We mobilize young people to recognize the impact that their food choices have on the planet and people.
- We also connect issues such as environmental racism (where Black, Brown, and Indigenous people are impacted by pollutants) with animal farms because people who live nearby have their health and their lives negatively impacted.
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you in your mission?
- When it comes to lack of access to healthy foods, one thing that politicians can do is to listen to the impacted communities to learn what they need and not listen to corporations. Community-led efforts are where the power and solutions lie, and ensuring there is a fair distribution of funds to those doing the work on the ground can create a community that is self-driven and will look out for each other.
- Society and politicians can begin to understand that we have a responsibility to look out for each other, especially the most vulnerable. An understanding that racism, discrimination (of all sorts), and impacts of both colonization and slavery are the root causes of much of the poverty in this country as is capitalism. And if we want to have a world where everyone can live and thrive (including both non-human animals and the planet), we need to change how we view each other and our responsibility to one another.
- And lastly, we can always use donations to support our work.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
We are a nonprofit organization.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started promoting sustainability and climate justice” and why?
- If it doesn’t exist, you need to create it. When I wanted to connect various problems in the food industry, I felt we as individuals, as well as collectively, could make a difference that combined animal rights and human rights. No group like that existed, which led me to start Food Empowerment Project.
- You will feel alone, but you will find your people. When I first started F.E.P., I had such an interconnected lens of food justice, and I was associating with other activists who didn’t see how the various issues of vegan food justice are connected.
- Your skin might not ever be thick enough. When you speak about things that most people don’t want to look at or feel inconvenienced by, many will mock you and even be rude to you. Some of this comes from people who you thought would understand. I don’t have thick skin, and one needs to decide if they are going to change to fit in or stick strongly to their beliefs. Some people you just can’t connect with, and that is okay. There are a lot of people who can look past their wants and make changes that can make a difference in our world.
- When you stick to your principles, you might not grow as fast as those who are willing to stray from them. Because of F.E.P.’s strong internal compass and our commitment to our beliefs, we wouldn’t receive funding from corporations that others might.
- Starting something important can consume your life. Be sure to surround yourself with people who remind you to practice self-care. When you’re passionate about something, that passion can overwhelm you. While you’re fighting against various injustices happening in the world, it’s important to recharge. This work cannot be done if we lose hope.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Angela Davis. Without a doubt. I would like to thank her for everything she has done both in the past and is currently doing to show how many issues are connected and how important it is for us to use our voices and protest injustices of all types. I would love to learn from her firsthand about connecting diverse issues and fostering collective action–ultimately making this world a better place.
How can our readers continue to follow your work online?
They can check out our website:
And sign up for our email list where we send out a message once a month (except during fundraising!):
https://foodispower.org/signup/
https://www.instagram.com/foodempowermentproject/
https://www.facebook.com/foodempowermentproject/
Threads
https://www.threads.net/@foodempowermentproject
https://www.linkedin.com/company/7788096/admin/feed/posts/
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaHXQ0fthka-7EuadaRNsGg
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@foodempowermentproject
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Monica Sanders JD, LL.M, is the founder of “The Undivide Project”, an organization dedicated to creating climate resilience in underserved communities using good tech and the power of the Internet. She holds faculty roles at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. Professor Sanders also serves on several UN agency working groups. As an attorney, Monica has held senior roles in all three branches of government, private industry, and nonprofits. In her previous life, she was a journalist for seven years and the recipient of several awards, including an Emmy. Now the New Orleans native spends her time in solidarity with and championing change for those on the frontlines of climate change and digital divestment. Learn more about how to join her at: www.theundivideproject.org
