About the authors

Jennifer Greene is DOVE's lead author. She came to Unitarian Universalism in her youth, when her family began attending Cedar Lane Unitarian Church in Bethesda, Maryland.  She has served as the religious education (RE) director at the South Nassau Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Freeport, NY; interim RE consultant for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Great South Bay in Sayville, NY; and board member for the Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry.

Greene has also worked as Public Health Program Manager at The Humane Society of the United States. She created a family and consumer sciences curriculum for New York Coalition for Healthy School Food, and she is a certified instructor with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. For much of her life, she ate meat, eggs, and dairy; now she eats a plant-based diet, opts for fair-trade products as much as possible, and wants to grow food in her front yard. Greene studied economics at Rice University and holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Michigan.

Greene can be reached at jrg1232 at gmail.com.
                                                               

Diane Bassett has been a member of the Pacific Unitarian Church in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA where she taught the religious education forum series on the UUA Ethical Eating: Food and Environmental Justice Statement of Conscience adopted by the UUA General Assembly in 2011. She is the moderator of the UU Vegetarians and Vegans Facebook page which is enjoyed by people who are UU as well as by others who just share the values expressed in the UUA's 7th Principle (“Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part”).

Bassett, an animal lover from birth, was raised on a standard American diet. As an adult, she evolved to a vegan diet once she learned the whys and hows of doing so, and now she enjoys introducing others to delicious, healthy food that’s cruelty-free and good for the planet as well. She founded and leads a free support group in southern California for those interested in learning more about plant-based eating. Bassett works full time in the field of healthcare technology, is a certified Project Management Professional and graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara. She and her husband live in southern California.

Although they have never met in person and live on opposite coasts, Bassett and Greene are kindred spirits who connected through the magic of social media. Their shared passion for aligning one’s dietary choices with one’s values led Bassett to assist Greene in the development of this program.

Bassett can be reached at diane at dianebassett.com.