Palo Alto Humane Society

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Humane Planet

Planting the seeds to grow a more compassionate world.


Humane Planet is a platform for a new understanding. It is based on the foundation that all life has equal value and everything is interconnected by a complex web of relationships.

It is because of this web of relationships that life exists, thrives and advances. This web also means that whatever impacts people or the planet also impacts animals, and vice versa. Understanding this creates the necessary foundational knowledge to inform new actions in the world. Within this Humane Planet platform, we provide information, references and resources. Our purpose is to foster the creation of a more humane community in order to lead the path to a more humane planet.


The three areas of focus are:

Humane Living Human-animal relationships
Humane Commerce Ethical options
Humane Eating The realities of food


“We see quite clearly that what happens to the nonhuman happens to the human. What happens to the outer world happens to the inner world. If the outer world is diminished in its grandeur then the emotional, imaginative, intellectual, and spiritual life of the human is diminished or extinguished. Without the soaring birds, the great forests, the sounds and coloration of the insects, the free-flowing streams, the flowering fields, the sight of the clouds by day and the stars at night, we become impoverished in all that makes us human.” - Thomas Berry, from his book called The Great Work: Our Way into the Future



Humane Planet addresses our current but transitioning worldview: from one that is dominance-oriented, competition-based and short-view to one that understands that all life systems are inherently equality-based, cooperative and thrive only when attending to the whole.

As Chief Seattle, Thomas Berry and others have noted: Humans are only one strand in the web of life and only one part of the much wider community of beings. Realizing that we are one of many and not one over many is fundamental if we are to create change for animals in our world.

Humane is defined as: “Having the good qualities of human beings, as kindness, mercy, or compassion.” It is also: “Tending to evoke these qualities; refining; civilization.”

Mahatma Gandhi was once asked what he thought about Western civilization by a news reporter, to which Gandhi smiled and responded, “I think it is a good idea”.

We agree!