Serena, Kiley, and Tess aren’t just sisters—they’re also bandmates in their rock band, Truth on Earth. This trio uses their music to speak out about social issues like child abuse, world hunger, substance abuse, cyber bullying, and animal cruelty. Their song Factory Farm (listen to it and watch the video) discusses the problems with animal agriculture—and what you can do to help stop cruelty on factory farms. 

What inspires you to speak out about social issues like world hunger, cyber bullying, and child abuse?

Serena: What has inspired us is the desire we have to help the many people, especially children, who suffer from hunger, abuse and cyber bullying. We are also inspired in knowing that we can connect people, through our music, worldwide who want to or are already working on solving these problems, to make the biggest difference. Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever does."

Specifically, why do you encourage people to take action against factory farming?

Kiley: In addition to the immense cruelty and suffering animals experience on factory farms, a recent study conducted by the United Nations determined that the significant majority of emissions accounting for Earth's current global warming problem are due to the methane gas given off by tortured factory farm animals. Gandhi once said, "The way you judge the moral progress of a society is by the way they treat their animals." Animals on factory farms are forced to live in cages they can't move in, are abused, tortured, beaten, skinned alive, and subjected to many other horrifying forms of abuse. We don't want to support that in anything that we do or eat.

What do you personally do to help stop factory farming?

Tess: We have been vegan our entire lives and have never eaten meat, eggs, or any dairy products. We educate people with our music about factory farming and slaughter houses, animal testing and animal abuse. We hold vegan cooking classes, and take people on vegan grocery shopping trips. Throughout the years we have worked on some campaigns/petitions, protested, and raised money for various animal causes. Kiley, you started your own vegan baking business when you were 10. Can you tell us more about this? Kiley: I've always had a love for baking, cooking, styling, and preparing food. I love serving food to people that just tastes good. The way that we (my family) cooks/bakes tastes so good that it doesn't matter to other people if it is vegan or not. I have found people like great tasting foods, and if I serve super tasty food (which of course is always vegan) it shows how delicious vegan food can be. We take regular recipes and veganize them, so our meals are recognized and comforting, not new, weird things that people don't know.What other animal issues are important to you? Tess: All issues where the safety and well-being of any animal is at stake. Some examples are animal skin (leather) and fur being used, dogfighting, horse and dog racing, animal testing (for cosmetics and medicine), and animal dissection in schools.

Can you tell us about your animal companions?

Tess & Kiley: We have 3 dogs (all spayed/neutered), a turtle and a bunny. All of our animals are vegan and are fed fresh veggies and different soy proteins. We have rescued most of our pets. Daisy Mae, a mutt mix, is 14 years old. She loves carrots and sweets and is the alpha/mom. She used to have a fang (tooth) in the front of her mouth which was kind of her trademark for a while. It was so funny! Moses is 8 years old and is a German shepherd. He always carries his bed around with him, and sucks on it. It is very cute! He likes to be the center of attention and talks a lot! He gives us kisses and comforts us when we are sad or hurt. Eli (short for Elijah) at 7 years old is the youngest of the pack and is a Scottish terrier. When he was little, he would poop number and letter-like formations. It was hilarious! We rescued him when he was a puppy and was very sick. He is better now. Eli loves food, apples, and sitting outside enjoying nature. Judah (short for Judah Maccabi) is Serena's bunny and he is an English Lop. He has adorable long ears and his fur is the softest thing ever! We rescued him, and he is around six or seven. He loves tomato and carrots. When he's really relaxed, he'll lay on his stomach with his legs stretched out behind him! Jetpack is our box turtle. She likes neck massages, head rubs and pears. We aren't exactly sure how old she is because we rescued her. She is a great climber - which is a little bit odd for a turtle!

Do you have any advice for teens who want to help animals or get involved in other social issues but aren't sure where to start?

Serena: Being a part of HumaneTeen is a great start! Connecting with organizations that support your beliefs is one easy way to get informed on current issues. The idea behind our band is to unite people from all over the world of all races and backgrounds to bring sustainable solutions our planet needs to get back on track. On our website, we have a page called "Take Action" where we list many "things you can do" for all of the problems we sing about. We would love your help with spreading the word about our music and mission. Specifically for animals, you can volunteer at a local animal shelter. Raise money or get donations (old blankets, dog food) for a local shelter by going door to door. One thing we did was call local police departments until we found a police dog that needed a bullet-proof vest. We raised money for him (Grimace), and then we got to go to the police station to meet him and see him do some tracking for drugs. It was very cool. You would probably be surprised that if you sat down with your friends, you could think of all kinds of things you could do, today, that don't cost anything but your time.