Birmingham Public Library Receives Donation of 19 DVDs, Five Books of Cowspiracy, Acclaimed Documentary Promoting Vegan Lifestyle

Jennifer Roberts

A Decatur woman has donated to the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) 19 copies of an acclaimed documentary DVD and five copies of its companion book that promotes a vegan lifestyle. People who are vegan don’t consume or use any animal products or by-products.

Jennifer “Auntie Jen” Roberts donated copies of Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret to each of BPL’s 19 branches. Roberts also donated five copies of the film’s companion book, The Sustainability Secret, to the following BPL locations: Central, Springville Road, North Birmingham, Five Points West, and Avondale.

Roberts acquired copies of Cowspiracy after meeting co-director Keegan Kuhn while attending the NYC Green Festival in April 2016. She had learned of the documentary, which has gained a loyal following in the global vegan community since its June 2014 release, by following actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s Facebook page, which is dedicated to inspiring the public to take action on key environmental issues. DiCaprio is executive producer for the film.

Cowspiracy is a groundbreaking feature-length documentary that examines animal agriculture's impact on the environment and investigates why some of the world's leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it. The film has appeared on Netflix, available for streaming courtesy of DiCaprio's company, Appian Way Productions.

“Mr. DiCaprio is one of my role models, and my dream is to work for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF),” said Roberts, a vegan and lifelong advocate for human rights, wildlife, domestic animal welfare, and the environment. LDF focuses on protecting wildlife, saving our oceans, restoring wildlands and empowering communities.

Roberts said she donated the DVDs and books to educate the public about the health benefits of a vegan lifestyle and the negative impact of animal agriculture on the environment. She also has donated five copies of the DVD and five copies of the book to the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, and next week will donate a copy of the film and book to the Decatur Public Library.

Read an article about Cowspiracy and watch the trailer below.


Roberts said she was inspired to donate the Cowspiracy DVDs to BPL after reading about Birmingham-based nonprofit Black Warrior Riverkeeper and Southern Environmental Law Center donating to BPL 57 DVDs—2013, 2014, and 2015 editions of the film Southern Exposure. The public can get more background on the DVD at the Southern Exposure website.

Roberts was so inspired by the award-winning Cowspiracy and her talks with the documentary co-director that she has come on board as one of the associate producers of What the Health, an upcoming feature-length documentary from the creators of Cowspiracy.

What the Health is being dubbed ‘the health film that health organizations don’t want you to see,'” Roberts said. Here is a link to the official film trailer www.whatthehealthfilm.com.