When Gene Baur co-founded Farm Sanctuary in 1986, he could hardly have imagined that it would become the world's premiere refuge for farm animals, with outposts in New York and California offering homes to about 1,000 cows, pigs, chicken and other farm animals.

These rescued animals are never eaten or used for milk or eggs. Instead, they live out their lives in peace, interacting with the thousands of people who visit the farms each year.

One of the core tenets of Farm Sanctuary's mission is to encourage plant-based eating by making small changes in the way we eat, beginning a journey towards a more-compassionate life.

Recipes included with this story: Tacos With Salted Grilled Plantains, Salsa Verde and Pepitas; Blood Orange, Olive and Basil Salad; Pancakes With Orange Moscato Syrup and Pine Nuts.

"Living The Farm Sanctuary Life," by Gene Baur.

In his new book "Living The Farm Sanctuary Life," Baur shows how to living an animal-friendly life by eating and developing a mindful connection with animals and food for health and ecological reasons. Included are 100-plus recipes from sanctuary supporters like chefs Jason Wyrick and Tal Ronnen, cookbook authors Laura Theodore and Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and Moby.

We caught up with Baur when he was in Portland recently to talk about the goal of living compassionately and changing the way people think about food.

Do you think more people are paying attention to where their food comes from?

Most people don't think about their food and are unwittingly supporting a system that they don't like when they look at it. One response is to say "I don't want to know," but I don't think that's a very responsible way of looking at it. Increasingly now, people are learning about where their food comes from, and they don't want to support factory farming. More and more people are turning to plant-based alternatives. I think if we approach it from a way that understands that there are habits people have and that making changes can be difficult.

Finding ways to make that change less difficult is critical. For meat eaters, hearing about going vegan can seem like too much at first, but we support any steps that lead in that direction, and ultimately I think they will lead to more and bigger steps in that direction. It makes sense. It's not in our interest to eat food that makes us sick, like fast-food hamburgers and processed food. It makes a lot more sense and is in our best interest to eat healthy plant-based foods that will make us feel better and live longer.

Meet Gene Baur

What:

The author of "Living the Farm Sanctuary Life" will discuss his approach to compassionate living.

When:

7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 12

Where:

Powell's City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St.

Some people don't want to take even small steps because there's the perception that veganism is expensive.

You have to look at the total cost. It's been estimated that we could save 70 percent of health care costs by shifting to a whole foods, plant-based diet. And there's the cost to the environment, too. Animal agriculture is extremely wasteful and polluting, and requires far resources than plant-based agriculture. So we're destroying the planet, and that's not in our interest. I think if we look at our food and align it with our values, we're going to see a massive shift. When they think about it, most people do want to eat food that's good for them, that doesn't destroy the planet, and that doesn't cause unnecessary harm to others the way animal agriculture does.

What do you make of the backlash that's happened recently when high-profile vegan celebrities stop being vegan?

These are heated emotional issues, and I can understand why people would be angry if they look at this industry and the harm that it does, and still choose to contribute to it. But it's important to recognize that human beings are complicated and emotional, and that we're all imperfect. Even the most-vegan vegan is not perfect. I try to buy organic produce, for example, but it's probably grown with animal manure, possibly from a factory farm. Is that technically vegan? I think we need to do the best that we can, and for me, being vegan is more of an aspiration and an intention of living well without causing harm. It's more of a process than an end-point. We need to show compassion to people who we think are making mistakes. People have a right to make mistakes, and hopefully as we make mistakes we learn from them. For me, eating animal foods would be a mistake. For other people, I can't judge. Everyone needs to make their own choices.

How do you initiate conversations about compassion towards animals with people who aren't interested in giving up meat?

You start with the common ground. Instead of saying "I'm a vegan and you're not a vegan," I try to say "We agree that animals shouldn't suffer," and most people agree that animals shouldn't suffer unnecessarily. You build from there, instead of creating labels and divisions, making it almost impossible to understand each other. There actually is a lot of common ground. Ben Franklin said that if everyone thinks the same way, nobody's thinking. So there's a value in different perspectives.

You've got some great people who contributed recipes to this book. How did you round up this group of recipe creators?

I feel very fortunate that we have such a wonderful community of people who supports Farm Sanctuary, and all of the folks who contributed recipes are part of this community. I just reached out and asked for contributions, and I'm very happy with the variety of recipes and the different contributors we were able to involve. We wanted to have recipes that were quick and easy, but also that were more advanced for people who want a challenge in the kitchen. I think we got that. There are some recipes that are very health-oriented, but there are also recipes that taste very good that aren't health-oriented but will appeal to everyone. Different people's lifestyles call for different recipes.

-- Grant Butler

503-221-8566; @grantbutler