CreatureKind Founder, David Clough, with Professor Elizabeth Stuart, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Winchester. The University of Winchester was the first institution to sign the CreatureKind Commitment.
Why Food Policy?
CreatureKind Partner Communities distinguish themselves as places where people want to learn more about animals as a faith concern, and take action to improve practices related to farmed animals. Becoming a partner community or institution means encouraging community participation in discussion and exploration of what it means to be a human Christian in relation to animals and food; reducing the consumption of animal products; and committing to a cycle of reviewing current food sourcing, setting goals for improved practices, and acting on them. If your community wants to have a positive impact on humans, the environment, and animals, we can help!
The first step is for CreatureKind and your institution to discuss why food choices matter to Christians and the impact that institutions can make on the lives of animals used for food. We’ll talk about who to include in ongoing conversations about the practical implications of your institution’s ethical commitments. We want to emphasize that working with CreatureKind is a collaborative, community-focused effort. We don’t dictate the terms of your engagement, and understand that every community will have a different starting place.
Why Community Engagement, Reduction, and Improved Sourcing Matter
The CreatureKind project is motivated by a Christian recognition of animals as fellow creatures of God and the conviction that when humans are kind to animals and care well for the world, God’s entire creation―humans, animals, and the earth―benefits.
| Goal | Why? |
|---|---|
| Engage the community to help them understand the need for action. | To educate the broader community about the realities of intensive farming, to empower community members to help animals, humans, and the planet in all areas of their lives. |
| Reduce consumption of animal products | For animals: to reduce the number of animals subjected to intensive farming. For humans: to improve food and water security, move to healthier diets, to reduce risk of disease, and to protect efficacy of antibiotics. For the planet: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. |
| Obtain remaining animal products from higher welfare sources | For animals: to urge the food industry to adopt methods and policies that help animals to flourish. For humans: to reduce risk of disease and protect efficacy of antibiotics. For the planet: to reduce pollution from industrialized agriculture. |