Community Member Spotlight: Julia Elizalde
Driven by purpose and fueled by compassion, Julia Elizalde is lighting the way for farmed-animal advocacy in Spain.
It’s no coincidence that ARDE (short for Animal Respect and Defence of the Environment) also means “it burns” in Spanish, because Julia burns with purpose!
Through her work, she confronts companies that conceal the brutal realities of factory farming and pushes for plant-forward policies in Spain, the top meat-consuming country in the EU. Her advocacy is as bold as it is strategic, combining passion with precision to create change in one of Europe’s toughest food systems.
Julia’s Journey
Based in Valencia, Julia has spent the last four years leading high-impact campaigns and investigations that shed light on the suffering behind industrial farming and the urgent need for systemic transition.
Her journey into animal advocacy began the moment she witnessed the cruelty of factory farming firsthand: an experience that changed her life forever. “Seeing what animals endure inside factory farms made it impossible for me to look away,” Julia says.
“After years of working on campaigns, I saw plant-forward advocacy as a bold, effective way to help animals and our planet.”
That realization became the foundation for ARDE, which has since evolved into a leading voice for food-system change in Spain.
The Work
Among ARDE’s many projects, one of the most striking is the campaign “Your Supermarket Is Deceiving You” . This campaign is a national effort calling out misleading animal-welfare and sustainability claims on food products. It urges retailers to take real responsibility and commit to plant-based transitions rather than greenwashing.
Julia and her team use grassroots protests, investigative journalism, and coalition-building to make invisible systems visible — pushing companies, policymakers, and the public toward accountability.
Her work is tireless, and at times, deeply personal.
The Challenges
For Julia, advocacy hasn’t been without risk. One of the biggest challenges she faced was criminal prosecution for rescuing animals from a factory farm! This was a moment that revealed how deeply the system protects corporate profit over life.
“What helped me through was the support of a strong community, who reminded me that resistance is a shared effort.”
It’s this sense of solidarity, of knowing she’s part of a broader, interconnected movement that keeps Julia grounded and motivated to keep going.
Thank You, Julia!
Julia believes that animal advocacy cannot be separated from other struggles for justice. For her, the fight for animals is part of a larger push for environmental protection, human rights, and systemic transformation.
She continues to work at the intersection of campaigns, communication, and coalition-building — always guided by compassion and community.
“Change doesn’t happen in isolation,” she says. “We need each other to build a better future — for animals, for people, and for the planet.”
A Community Fueling Change
Julia’s work embodies what our global community stands for: courage, collaboration, and a shared belief that we can achieve more together than alone.
We’re proud to spotlight Julia’s voice and vision, and deeply grateful for everything she brings to the Hive community 🧡
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