In Latvia – the efforts of this activist couple over 56 percent of the eggs sold in super-markets are certified as being from cage-free hens that are raised in humane conditions. Thanks to the efforts of this activist couple, Aivars Andersons and Katrīna Krīgere (Katie) and “Dzīvnieku brīvība” the Non-Profit (NGO) they run.
Nobel peace prize 2007 for “correlation between human activities and climate change” was shared by Rajendra Pachauri with Al Gore and others – but very few have actually tried as hard as the people in this pic to actually to create an impact and stop climate change the couple in this picture have!
Aivars Andersons and Katrīna Krīgere (Katie)
They fought for years against immense odds and against heavy political and corporate opposition – till they achieved this.
Infact, it’s not just Aivars and Katrina – but there is a larger coalition of non-profits The Open-Wing Alliance of which their organization Dzīvnieku brīvība is an important team-member. Check out the website of “The Open Wing Alliance” (click screenshot below) to learn more.
This is a huge achievement because:
- – Unlike India where vegetarianism is big – in many Eastern European and Baltic former soviet countries– meat is a staple and there is very little awareness about vegetarianism versus veganism versus meat.
- – Especially in former soviet republics there which are much poorer than rest of Europe there’s very little concern about farm animal welfare and great political push to keep prices of meat and eggs cheap when economies are falling and unemployment is heavy.
- – Even against all these challenges, Latvia today leads the world in the percentage of eggs from humanely raised cage-free hens sold in supermarkets.
However, living as they are, by Mahatma Gandhi’s dictum “be the change you want to see in the world” – Aivars and Katie see this as just a start – and are hell bent on striving to create a world where a minimal of animal products are used or eaten.
The kind of change they aim for and the depth of their convictions is visible even in a cursory interaction with Aivars, who has studied philosophy and even worked at a software startup. They are vegan to the extent that beyond refusing coffee that contains milk.
Parle G Biscuits with Tea
When on learning they are hungry, I offered Katie and Aivars Parle-g biscuits – Aivars took the packet from my hands and studied its ingredients – before refusing it on the grounds that it contains milk solids!!!
I end this post here – with a video that describes their efforts and their work, which won them the “Lisa Shapiro Award” in 2017 – which celebrates behind the scenes heroes in the global animal welfare scene.
Aivars Andersons and Katrīna Krīgere – Lisa Shapiro Award 2017 Winner from The Pollination Project on Vimeo.
References
Aivars Andersons And Katrīna Krīgere, Lisa Shapiro Award Winner 2017
Date grant awarded: October 1, 2017Ko “Dzīvnieku brīvība” paveica 2015. gadā? / A Year in Review (English subtitles)
Picture Source for Parle-G Biscuits with Tea
Link to Official website of Aivars and Kate’s Organization (in English)