Patricia Mikkelson is pitching a big tent and building bridges.
When you want to do the most good for animals, you stake the biggest tent you can. It has no walls, so people can walk right in, says Patricia Mikkelson. That’s the intent of Animal Earth Alliance, which she founded one month ago in the Arkansas Ozarks.
Patricia says the Alliance is the culmination of her life experiences and the start of her life’s work.
She’s joined two of her passions – animal rights and environmentalism. “They’re so connected … I don’t really like to duplicate efforts, and I didn’t see an organization out there doing both,” she said.
The purpose of the project is to “unite, empower and inspire all the people and organizations working for the animals and the earth.”
For example, the Alliance will host an online think tank early next year. Called “Unite for the Animals and the Earth,” it will use Open Space Technology, a meeting format in which participants set the agenda and move freely between groups. “It’s uniting, and it empowers people to connect with people who are similar, and it inspires them because they see all these people doing good things,” Patricia said.
The topic for the event is support for the March to Abolish Animal Testing in Washington, DC.
Patricia said she was glued to coverage of September’s two-week march to Marshall BioResources, the beagle breeding facility in New York. Inspiration for Animal Earth Alliance came from that demonstration and the organizers’ ability to draw in people with different backgrounds and beliefs for a common goal.
For Patricia, the ultimate goal is that all life will thrive.
“To achieve that goal we need to work together, and to work together we need to learn how to accept each other’s differences,” she said.
In animal rights circles, she found “a lack of ability to resolve conflict” and more focus on getting the job done than how the group gets there.
In contrast, process and relationships are as important to her as her mission.
Her own history of searching for a home in the animal rights movement is colored by feelings of rejection and not belonging. She writes transparently about her religious and political beliefs in articles on the website.
Patricia wants to be sure no one is left out who wants to be included, and that everyone working for the animals and the earth is welcome.
Connect with Patricia and learn about the project at animalearthalliance.org.
