Turning Compassion Into Action: An Afternoon With Gene Baur at Ethos Farm to Health

This past Saturday was a perfect fall day! My son and I woke up early and drove almost two hours to Ethos Farm To Health in Long Valley, NJ. Ethos Farm to Health is a beautiful 342-acre historic farm, dedicated to connecting the health of people, the community, and the planet. Founded by Ronald Weiss, M.D., a physician who is dual board-certified in internal medicine and lifestyle medicine, Ethos brings together farming, healthcare, education, and the concept of food as medicine.

From May-November each year, you can visit the Doctor's Farm Market, that offers a beautiful variety of seasonal produce. There are also various events each month. Click here to learn more about Ethos Farm To Health and all of their wonderful offerings.

Here are some photos of the amazing produce we purchased.

I haven't been able to get to Ethos Farm since last year. When my friend Kimberly told me that Gene Bauer was going to be there to do a talk and book signing, I was really happy that I had the availability to go.

Gene Baur has been an advocate for farm animals for 40 years, using education, investigative work, activism, and storytelling to inspire people to rethink how we view and treat animals. Gene is the founder of Farm Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing farm animals from cruelty. Farm sanctuary has two locations, one in Watkins Glen, NY and the other in Los Angeles, CA. Please take a moment and click here to check out all the wonderful work Gene and Farm Sanctuary are doing.

His latest book "Farm Sanctuary: The Story of a Movement" chronicles the organization's 40-year journey through photographs and stories. At his talk, Gene shared with us highlights of his journey through stories and photos from the book.

I have been a committed vegan for over 9 years. I didn't think I could feel more committed than I already am. Gene's talk inspired me and connected me deeper to my vegan values. He also inspired my son Joseph to go vegan. I was the only vegan in my family and never imposed veganism on my family. They have respected my choices and I have been respectful of them. Hoping that maybe one day they would make the connections on their own. Joseph has been vegetarian for about a month. Giving up meat and fish has been relatively easy for him. Giving up eggs and dairy has been much harder. After listening to Gene speak, and seeing photos of his work, the decision to go vegan became much easier for him.

Going vegan is a process for many of us. It took me two years to fully commit. A big part of my content for The Confident Vegan is to provide support and resources for vegans and aspiring vegans. It is nice that I get to have this opportunity to support my son on his journey now.

Other great bonuses of the day included spending time with my friend Kimberly and her husband JP (pictured above). Kimberly has an incredible podcast called Did You Bring The Hummus. You can find it on any of the podcast platforms. Please go check it out! Kimberly and I have also collaborated together on That Vegan Morning Show. This project is on on hiatus right now, but you can still check out all the wonderful conversations we had over here.

Before heading back home from such a wonderful afternoon, we stopped at Mama's and Cafe Baci in Hackettstown, NJ. Mama's served vegan and non-vegan food. Their vegan menu out of this world!!!!

Here are some photos of the amazing vegan food we ordered.

My trip to Ethos Farm with Joseph to see Gene Baur speak has become a special memory for us. His talk inspired us in different ways. Spending time on the farm was also very grounding. We look forward to going back there together in the future.

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Jennifer Shlomovich is as an Alignment Coach and Vegan Educator. She helps women move from self-abandonment to self-alignment by becoming more intentional about their choices. She is also the only vegan in her family and shares her journey about living differently from the people around her. She is also passionate about showing others just how delicious vegan food can be. To learn more visit https://www.theconfidentvegan.com/