What Can I Do as One Small Individual, Q&A With Philip Wollen

by Jennie Richards · Published August 11, 2018 · Updated April 13, 2019

So what can one individual do? Philip Wollen appeals to us, “There’s plenty of information. Research. Read widely and study the subject of cruelty to animals. Learn as much as you can, join as many fellow travelers as you can and spread the message. It will be the most important and profound decision that you will ever make in your life. If we are to survive, we must change our ways. Time is running out and we only get one chance to do it right.”

Video Length: 3:54 Minutes

About Philip Wollen

Wollen is a former Vice President of Citibank and was the General Manager at Citicorp. He is a prominent Australian philanthropist and member of the animal rights movement. In 2005, he received the Medal of Order for Australia and in 2007 he won the Australian of the Year (Victoria) award. In 2012 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Oxford Centre of Animal Ethics, UK. In 2014, he received the University of Adelaide Distinguished Alumni Award. Wollen became a vegan in his 30s.

Philip Wollen’s main project, Winsome Constance Kindness, is a global initiative whose mission statement is “to promote kindness towards all other living beings and enshrine it as a recognizable trait in the Australian character and culture”. The initiative emphasizes ethics, compassion and cooperation, and opposes cruelty to humans and non-human animals. In 2006, it had initiatives in 34 countries and is growing. Wollen also conducts intervention programs to rescue abused animals and funds outreach programs that promote animal welfare and abstinence.

What You Can Do

Get involved in the animal rights movement. As Philip Wollen says, “Now that you know the truth you can no longer hide. Now that you know the truth, you can no longer ignore the suffering of animals. You must get involved. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”
Go Vegan. Stop eating meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Do it for them, do it for you, do it for our planet, do if for all species, do it for the starving and the poor, do what’s right, just, moral and ethical.