Tiny Choices Q&A: Where Be The Vegans?
By Jenn (TinyChoices.com) | September 27, 2007
Welcome to Tiny Choices Q&A, where we open the floor for discussion on questions which ya’ll have submitted (read the first list of questions here).
MZ asks:
If so many people know that being a vegan makes such a difference to the environment (it’s been in the news that it’s more helpful than not driving) than why do you think there are not more vegans…
It’s indisputable that vegans tread much lighter on the planet than both carnivores and all the pretty colors of vegetarianism. The statistics on this vary, but “…worldwide agriculture, especially livestock production, accounts for about a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions”. The methane produced by those (ahem) poopin’ and fartin’ cows, pigs, ducks, chickens and turkeys is a surprisingly effective factor in ramping up global warming.
[As an aside, it will be cool when animal farms capture the escaping methane, and use it to power their own operations--I mean, if you're going to factory-farm animals, which I don't personally advocate in the least, at least try to close the loop, a little? That, and, you know, let the animals go...]
From PETA: This U.N. report shows that animals raised for food generate more greenhouse gases than all cars and trucks combined, and goes on to say that meat is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global,” including land degradation, air pollution, water shortage and pollution, loss of biodiversity, and of course climate change. And according to a recent University of Chicago study, switching to a vegan diet is more effective in countering global warming than switching from a standard American car to a Prius.
Also, the production of meat is an insanely inefficient use of resources:
8 pounds of grain are needed to produce one pound of beef 2,464 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of beef
So I think we can most likely all agree that, although the numbers fluctuate from report to report (depending on who’s doing the reporting, I suspect), being vegan is a good environmental move. So to answer your question about why more people are not vegan, even though it may be better for the planet… in my opinion:
I think it’s kind of like why so many people still drive SUVs. And build McMansions. And take plastic bag after plastic bag from the grocery store, even though they’re about to suffocate underneath their plastic bags. We’ve all got our foibles-whether it’s green choices we haven’t made (switching to CF bulbs) or general healthy choices we ignore (drinking enough water, eating fruits n veggies)… there are things we know we should do, but realistically, they might just never happen. Because when it comes down to it, we’re human. We’re imperfect. We can be lazy and irresponsible and ignore the very important warnings that are staring us in the face. We know that factory-farmed meat is beyond horrific, and yet we eat it anyway (I’m speaking in the broad sense of “we” here). We know that pesticides on grapes damages the factory workers who produce it, the migrant workers who apply it, the earth that soaks it up, and the consumers of grapes, but we eat them anyway. Love them grapes.
If people haven’t found a way for any specific change to work for them in their life, in a way that they’re comfortable with, they are not going to do it. Sure, there are some dedicated die-hard folks out there- but more commonly, we all fall somewhere on the Good Citizen Spectrum. Some people choose to be vegan, but still eat pesticide-laden produce. Some people choose to eat meat, but will gasp in horror if they see you putting a recyclable into the regular trash bin. Some people choose to carry a refillable water bottle, but continue to buy poorly-made goods they really don’t need.
Also, going vegan is not an easy choice. It’s not at all a tiny choice. The dietary restrictions take a whole lot of energy to adhere to, and following them changes your life and the way you live it in dramatic ways. No careless eating at all, lots of label-reading and research, and much more meal-planning than many folks are used to. For example, not only does it mean giving up bacon, but eggs too- requiring a switch to fakin’ bacon and tofu scramble- which is a double whammy for the average brunch eater, and I suspect one whammy too many for most.
When it comes down to it, we can all choose to be the best planetary citizens we can be. And that definition is created by us, one choice at a time.
What’s your opinion on the subject?
Topics: Food | 27 Comments »
27 Comments
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Here’s the thing. I have PCOS, so the best diet for me includes a lot of protein and less reliance on carbohydrates, whether or not they are whole grain (which kind of removes that old vegan protein standby rice and beans.)
I am not convinced that a diet as heavy on soy products as Americans seem to think is as healthy as advertised, either. Plus I just do not like tofu, and I have tried.
I must get my protein from somewhere, and like it or not animal sources are a quick way to do that. I do try to eat less meat overall, plus I am anxiously awaiting delivery on a portion of a cow and a whole pig from nearby farms, where I can be confident about their living conditions. (As an aside, I also try to get as much of my fruit and vegetables from local farms, as well, to cut down on my food miles.)
If I could be vegan, I might (I love vegetables! love them!), but I’ve had to make other choices. I struggled with the decision but once I got my diagnosis of PCOS I really felt like the choice was made for me. We all do the best we can, you know?
(I usually post here under another name but I don’t want to splash my health information all over the internet.)
I agree on the soy thing - if you look at allergies over time, we’ve gone from a lot of wheat allergies in the 80s, to a lot of peanut allergies in the 90s, to what seems to be an upswing in soy allergies these days. what’s next, corn? it’s in EVERYTHING, too.
and my statement above is kind of based on observation, not actual studies that I’ve read.
and thanks for posting about such a personal issue!
I struggled with the decision but once I got my diagnosis of PCOS I really felt like the choice was made for me. We all do the best we can, you know?
I think that pretty much sums the whole thing up.
I’ve been veggie for about 13 years, and I was vegan for about 3 of those. It WAS hard. Hard to plan, hard to shop, hard to eat out/in social situations, and hard to deal with vegan-baiters: it’s a more radical position, and apparently threatening to some, so more people feel justified in asking you to defend your food choices. As if I was the one who needed to be defensive…
I went off the wagon when I was on vacation in Ireland. I had been enjoying myself in the pubs, it was the night before St. Pat’s, and my hostel was directly over a by-the-slice pizza joint. I caved. That was about 4 years ago.
I’ve gone through more and less vegan phases, and I do stay conscious of my eating habits. I’ll never eat meat again, no problems there, but I’ve been thinking about the ovo-lacto part again, and I’m getting back to the place where I’m ready to make the leap again. It’s a challenge, and I want to rise to it.
I think that people (generally speaking) will do whatever they want to do, and then justify their choice however they can-see my “but I was drunk in Dublin!” excuse above.
I think you know that I’m a firm believer in moderation! I haven’t read all of the links you put up yet, but my initial response (from someone who is not veggie or vegan) is that large scale veganism is not something that will be environmentally beneficial. on a small scale, sure: it does reduce greenhouse gases, and it is an environmentally sound individual choice. but large scale, there are a lot of kinks to be worked out. it’s not just the pesticides that are required for growing monocultures of crops like soy. it’s also the fertilizers required (from petrochemicals) and the monoculture itself (monocultures = very bad), among other things.
plus, there are a lot of anti-hunger advocates who firmly firmly believe that the only way to feed the world is to use genetically modified crops. and most environmentalists are not behind that either!
so, I guess what I’m saying here is that there is no one right path. we all have to do our little bit, and there’s no way that everyone being vegan will help the environment, not at this point anyway.
in addition, there are also a lot of assumptions made about class and wealth in any suggestion that everyone do any one thing. everyone should eat vegan: is that really possible for an individual who doesn’t make enough money to afford a steady supply of plant-based protein? everyone should take public transportation: will that honestly work for people who are constrained by where they can afford to live? at some point we have to trust everyone to take the information and circumstance that they have and do best with it as they can.
maybe sometime in the future we’ll figure out how to manage our food distribution better so we can rely on less animal proteins. but until then, I’m going to continue to sparingly eat meat (and when I do, eat responsibly raised meat), purchase my dairy and eggs from responsible farmers, and stick to local, seasonal, and organic foods to fill out my diet as best I can. I have the luxury to do so, after all!
another point I meant to say: a tiny choice would be for people to reduce the amount of meat they eat. and after that, they can reduce the amount of OTHER STUFF they eat. but I think that it can be alienating to claim environmentalists aren’t making a real impact when they are not vegans. there’s no one true path to doing your best!
I do think that’s pretty much the answer, for most everything I can think of: There’s no one right path.
We make our choices based on our abilities, whether real or perceived. And moving from a place of responsible action, we do what we can- which is a different level of action for all of us.
I don’t personally think that everyone should eat vegan-to each their own!- but I do think that vegans *generally* create a lighter footprint overall. But there are so many variables that it’s really impossible to generalize- for example, I eat dairy products, but don’t drive a car. How does that really balance out against a vegan who drives daily?
In the end, it’s just about the tiny choices. :)
karina-
who says everyone needs to be vegan? statistics show that vegans are great amounts healthier than carnivores and this intense guilt you are carrying around with you is something that you feel the need to express how your decisions are cheaper and better than mine (vegan) than maybe you need to reevaluate your self before posting false information to the public about plant-based diets and its expense. Lives or Money? I guess thats your decision. Our dollar is the most important vote we have in this world. Veganism is not only about helping the environment. It is about doing what is morally right, and giving animals the right to roam free of cages, free of being milked, and free of being butchered.
if you’re saying veganism is morally right, than *you* are the one saying that everyone needs to be vegan. I was carrying PETAs claim that people can not be environmentalists and eat meat through to its logical end-point and discussing the environmental impacts of this statement.
I don’t know if you meant to escalate the discussion by calling everyone who is not vegan immoral, but that’s essentially what has happened here. We’re not discussing animal rights here on tiny choices, but environmental decisions - which seem to be easier to quantify and discuss without offense and hurt feelings. I certainly did not mean to imply in any way that my decisions are “better” than yours.
I’m absolutely NOT trying to be needlessly provocative here, but there seems to be a lot of unwarranted concern about not getting enough protein. Yes, everyone has different needs, but:
Scientists have done studies that show that the RDA of protein (for men) is 56 grams. The average omnivore male ate 103 grams of protein per day, and the average veggie guy ate 105 grams. The RDA of protein for females is 44 grams, and studies showed that the average female omnivore gets 74 grams/day, and average veggie female gets 65 grams. The ADA confirms that a vegetarian diet is among the healthier choices on can make.
Provided you eat enough food-and enough variety of foods-there is no reason to be concerned about getting enough protein, or anything else. I’m not going to type up a reference list here, but if you want it, I will.
Go ahead, be needlessly provocative! We love that around here.
I agree with your point- we (Americans, anyway) are so worried about getting enough protein, it’s really the first point of conversation people wonder about when they find out that I am (generally) vegetarian.
“Almost all plant based foods have protein in more than sufficient quantities to provide what we humans need. Only certain fruits lack the marginal amounts required to live. A vegetarian would have to either be starving or eating nothing but kiwis and grapefruit in order to not get enough protein.”
I agree with Kari about moderation. I think that everything within moderation is fine, and then within those moderate choices you make, it’s best if you can try to keep within a reasonable realm of responsibility.
While I agree that veganism can have a lower impact on the environment than other diets, especially the typical American diet of processed foods and factory meats, I don’t think it’s the most practical, sustainable, or healthful diet for a lot of people, myself included.
I eat meat, and I suspect I will always eat meat. But I am lucky, because I am financially able to buy responsibly raised meat that (hopefully) is antibiotic free.
But again, it’s all about moderation, and making reasonable choices.
Food, and quality of food, is very important to me, as I love to cook and am a little bit obsessed with cooking/food (hate the term “foodie” tho). I am extremely uncomfortable with the level of hormones and antibiotics used in meat production—I suspect that I developed an allergy to penicillin partially because of the antibiotics pumped into meat, eggs, etc. But I also am not at all comfortable with the amount of soy that seems to be in everything and try to minimize the amount of soy that I eat-the studies that have come out recently about soy mimicing estrogen in the body is freaky.
To me, it’s more about mass-produced vs. local, or sustainably produced. Until factory farmed soy has less of an footprint than a small farm raised pig, I can’t really buy one dietary choice as better than another. I’m so wary of the mass produced thing-there’s a whole lot of mass produced vegan food out there. the “vegan” label doesn’t trump mass production, factory farming, etc., at least not to me.
I’d rather people concentrate on organic, non-mass-produced food, vegan, vegetarian, or meat-of course that’s somewhat pie in the sky of me. I’d love to raise my own meat. I’m one of the few folks I’ve encountered who really doesn’t have a problem with the “living animal killed for meat” cycle-I am of the mind that it’s far better for your mental health to know and respect the source of your food, whether it be veggies or chicken, or pork-but I suspect that my suburban neighbors would have a real problem if I started raising pigs and chickens in my backyard.
I don’t like having food and diet choices dictated, or ranked. They are a very very personal thing, and as Jenn points out, there’s no one solution for everyone. I have many friends and family who are vegetarian, or vegan, and I fully support their food choices.
(Just a quick note: I do not trust information from PETA, the same way I do not trust information from big meat/chicken lobbies. Even if much of it is accurate, they are not the most reliable source for stats, or other facts-just look at what they say about shearing sheep, and wool harvesting. I simply do not feel like I can trust them any more than I can trust any other lobby-funded study. Of course, it’s such a hot-button topic, it’s so hard to find reliable bias-free stats from anyone! It seems like every study is funded by this corporation or that activist group-how can you find neutral and fair information out there?)
Last year I had interviewed Ruth Katz who is the former Exec. Director of Just Food. This is what she had to say about our agricultural research infrastructure:
“more than we’ve ever done before we need to really look at the research infrastructure because it is unjustly impacting our access to healthy food.” Land-grant universities should use public funds for agriculture that is beneficial to the public; but this is often not the case, as they too often support big business profit over our public good. “It’s almost like we are nibbling at the edges by focusing on markets. We really need to get to the core and that would be looking more at where this all starts in the first place. Why does that lead to us not having access to organic, local food?”
PETA’s latest campaign on global warming is based on the UN FAO report “Livestock’s Long Shadow.” I found the report’s calculations and analyses disjointed from it’s conclusions and recommendations. The report itself does not talk about reduction, but high tech fixes for factory farms to mitigate the environmental problems, which i personally don’t think are necessarily realistic, cheap, efficient or practical for all facilities to employ.
There is also the study “Diet Energy and Global Warming” by researchers Gidon Eshel and Pam Martin. They found that switching from the standard American diet to a plant-based one could result in preventing an extra ton and half of greenhouse emissions per person per year. By contrast, switching from a standard sedan like a Toyota Camry to a hybrid Toyota Prius saves about one ton of CO2 emissions.
What I appreciated about this study is that it showed that diet choices like driving choices have planetary impacts, and that it attempted to quantify some of the benefits of these choices (not necessarily pit them against each other).
Their study has a graph where one can see how much more greenhouse gas equivalent you are responsible for depending on the type of animal products you consume and what percentage of your diet they are, compared to a diet based totally on plant based sources. They compared it to difference in emissions of various cars, to put these numbers in perspective.
Vegans Represent. I transitioned to veganism about 8 years ago and it was the most empowering choice I ever made. I view veganism as a gateway into my understanding of larger food, environmental and social issues and it has influenced other tiny choices I make. Our food infrastructure is very flawed. There has been huge corporatization, globalization, and consolidation of our food supply over the past couple decades, and that is pretty scary. I think food equals power and making better decisions about what we eat is getting some of that power back.
I do believe a plant based diet or a transition to a more plant based diet are tiny choices that would lead to a more sustainable and equitable food system. I agree that other food issues to address in creating this better food policy are pesticides, and monocultures, and yields.
A word about soybeans. I want to remind folks that the vast majority of soybean (and corn) production does not go to feed tofu-eaters but rather to feed animals
for human consumption. I personally have been diversifying my protein consumption with nut and bean sources, so it’s not like all i eat it soy.
I want to address the comment about wealth and class. It’s alarming how cheap fast food is, and how there are neighborhoods where you can’t buy fresh produce.
Some might assume that veganism is classist, I would argue our heavily meat centered food system is a primary source of environmental injustice, considering not only water and air pollution and the communities they affect the most, but also workers conditions (HRW did a report Blood Sweat and Fear), as well as health disparities that like obesity and early onset adult diabetes. There are also growing links between egg and dairy consumption and breast and ovarian cancer.
The true cost of meat is not paid at the cash register.
I recommend reading some of Amie Breeze Harper’s thoughts. She’s from the Sistah Vegan Project and looks at veganism as a means of addressing institutional and environmental racism. http://satyamag.com/mar07/harper.html
There are lots of hunger advocates out there that also advocate plant based foods.
There is a newly formed Food Empowerment Project (www.foodispower.org) that hopes to address many of these issues related to the impacts of what we eat.
There’s a lot to say about the growing “humane” meat market. Some might also argue that there are wealth/class issues with this.I do have concerns of painting idyllic images of “happy animals” on happy farms, when livestock production, even small-scale, has some harsh realities. (How do you impregnate the cows, when do you steal her child from her, what happens to him or her, how long to they live, what happens to the male chicks in egg operations, how are they killed?)
Some argue that animals are needed in sustainable agriculture, but I would argue that you don’t need to kill/eat them for their poop or weeding capabilities.
I have concerns about scale as well, and fear what Michael Pollan coined “Industrial Organic” is what is happening to this concientious omnivore market.
I know people who rescued hens from “cage-free” operations that still had thousands of hens crammed together in a shed and suffered tremendous health ailments.
What also troubles me is while you have this small growing interest in small-scale local animal products here in the States and in Europe, meat consumption and factory farming is on the rise in the developing world and replacing what were once small-scale operations.
One of the things I found most shocking in the UNFAO report is that meat and milk consumption is expected to double by 2050! Look at all the environmental problems we have with meat production and double that! While the report outlined all the water, pollution, and greenhouse gas impacts of livestock production, it did not mention a reduction in consumption as one of the solutioins but rather implementing technical controls in intensive operations (like figuring out how to make non-burping cows (it’s the burps not the farts that’s the problem).
Personally, I think we need to change the demand. I echo Kari’s sentiment about reduction. Whether you want a vegan world or a non-factory farmed world, reducing the amount of animals you eat, is a tiny choice in that direction.
I want to end with saying that veganism is fun. I don’t feel like i’m making sacrifices when i’m standing behind the courage of my convictions. There’s tons more vegan options and awareness these days and it’s less an alienating experience. I’ve had the wonderful support of great veg community and live in a city with about 100 veg restaurants, and access to local fresh goodies. There’s tons of resources and community building on the internet too and an emergence of yummy award winning vegan food blogs. Check em out. The cows, pigs, and birdies will thank you.
*love* your thoughtful and informed response, Sangu! thank you!
Sangu, thanks for your informed and enlightening comment. You’ve raised many points of discussion!
I just got this in my inbox:
New York City Bar Association hosts:
Global Warming: The Animal Connection
When: Saturday, September 29, 2007; 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Where: New York City Bar Association Building, 42 West 44th Street (b/t 5th & 6th Avenues)
What: Conference on combating global warming; features expert panelists
How Much: $25 for the general public; $15 for NYC Bar members/students/seniors
Greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet at an alarming rate. Biologists estimate that we may lose up to 50% of animal species by the middle of the century if steps are not taken soon to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There are many creative solutions to slow down or stop global warming. Many of these solutions will require changes in the way we live and do business.
The NYC Bar Committee on Legal Issues Pertaining to Animals presents its Annual Conference on Animals & the Law. Join us for an engaging discussion with scientists, lawyers, and environmental activists on the effect of livestock as a major cause of global warming and the resulting loss of biodiversity. Featured speakers include:
Moisha K. Blechman, Co-Chair, Global Warming Committee, Atlantic Chapter of Sierra Club
Gidon Eshel, Ph.D., Div. of Science, Mathematics and Computing, Bard College at Simon’s Rock
Michael B. Gerrard, Esq., Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP, New York, NY
Michael W. Klemens, Ph.D., Senior Conservationist & Founding Director, Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society
Gowri Koneswaran, Esq., Program Manager, Farm Animal Welfare, HSUS
Jason Matheny, Director, New Harvest
Bryan G. Norton, Ph.D., School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology
Cynthia Rosenzweig, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies,
The Earth Institute at Columbia University
Michael Scott, Managing Director, ENVIRON-Carbon Ventures
This conference is co-sponsored by the International Environmental Committee and the Environmental Law Committee of the NYC Bar. Funding was provided by a grant from Animal Welfare Trust, Inc.
i recently started eating meat again after being a vegetarian for many years. my reasons were initially based on health: my naturopath wanted me to stop eating dairy and wheat and cut way down on soy so i felt that i should start incorporating meat into my diet. i immediately felt a lot better.
i buy all of my meat from the farmer’s market, either in williamsburg or in union square and i eat meat about four times a week.
i don’t think it’s realistic to expect people to become vegans but i do think it is realistic to get people to eat less meat, especially factory farmed meat. i spend more money on the meat that i buy but i eat it less frequently. i think it’s a good trade-off and the quality of local, free-range meat is so much better!
i agree with jen that a lot of vegan and veggie options are mass produced as well. all those packaged foods that you get at health food stores don’t seem that much better for the earth than a burger.
my feeling is that buying locally and eating a variety of fresh foods is the best option.
i don’t think i’ll ever eat meat again. it’s been 12 years, i don’t miss it and i’m healthier than i’ve ever been. this healthy feeling is probably due to a recent change in the amount of fresh fruits & veggies that i’m getting - and i love it! we also mix up the protein source so that we’re not overloading ourselves with one type … soy, beans, nuts … yum!
i used to “defend” my vegetarian lifestyle with the statement that if i could kill my dinner myself, than i would eat it. i know that unless i was starving, that personally killing an animal is just not in me. asparagus, on the other hand, fair game!
could you kill your dinner? night after night? then, one has to wonder, how does that affect your psyche … maybe it doesn’t, i’m just not sure.
food for thought, no pun intended.
Well, that’s pretty much my motivation right there. I went fishing one day, and I found that I couldn’t hurt the worm to put it on the hook, let alone then wack the unlucky caught fish over the head so that I could eat it… so, there went fish from my diet.
I don’t believe that sentient beings need to die in order for me to survive, and I don’t want to be responsible for their death. So there went the rest of the meats.
I feel that I’m also much happier and healthier overall since becoming veggie, and I do think that at least part of that comes from a lighter psyche. Ahimsa is a personal goal for me, as well.
Maybe it would have made for less interesting reading but I think a more constructive question could have been “why aren’t people MORE vegan(ish)?”
As Jenn said, being a vegan isn’t a tiny choice. It’s hard. It requires discipline coupled with conviction. (I fall short on both counts.) Its argument is beautiful in that it appeals to our most noble qualities. We have the ability to care about people who we’ll never know and about places we’ll never see. We also have the ability to understand that just because we are smarter, faster or stronger than another creature doesn’t necessarily mean we have the right to take its life.
All but the most jaded and cynical among us admire those people who demonstrate this level of humanity but it motivates very few. Action on the part of the masses requires an appeal to self interest which is where the idea of being “more vegan” would come along. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation are good but reducing the chance of getting prostate or breast cancer could have people making lentil loaf instead of meat loaf.
Paul, I think that’s a great question- because I think it’s much more realistic for the masses to become vegetarian-ish or vegan-ish than full-on either. If individuals are strongly pulled by their personal ethics to jump head-first into a veggie/vegan lifestyle, then the required changes are not as difficult, due to the belief and passion backing them up. Otherwise, if it’s just an intellectual activity… much harder to stay dedicated to the task, I think.
And yes, selfish reasons are what can motivate the masses- knowing that the hormones pumped into meat/dairy, and pesticides on our fruits and veggies, are health-threatening is probably what’s pushing more folks to spend more money at places like Whole Foods, etc. I’d wager that most of them don’t consider themselves “environmentalists” (whatever that actully means) but are most concerned with keeping their own bodies fit and healthy. Which is absolutely fine, because the trickle-down effect from individual tiny choices is what makes the bigger changes come, in time. Three cheers for lentil loaf!
I’ve never actually had lentil loaf…
lentil loaf … not so good, in my opinion. but maybe i had a bad one.
i think the above statement is so true about the masses realizes what is bad for them and making other choices. my boyfriend rarely eats meat these days (and i truly mean rarely) but he still doesn’t consider himself a vegetarian. i’m not sure he considers himself an environmentalist either but he’s the one buying the CFLs, worm poop for the garden, and lives by the motto “why get a new anything when i can fix what i have?”.
we can all call ourselves what we want … in the end it’s the actions/choices that make the difference.
keep those choices coming!
Different things motivate different people. Many people eat foods or engage in habits that they know are bad for their health. Many people eat meat but exercise, eat lots of fruits and veggies, etc, and are healthy.
I think a lot of us - more than we care to admit - do things because it’s the norm, or because we grew up with it, or because it’s the path of least resistance. I think this explains a lot about our diets. Most meat-eaters in the West are grossed out by people who eat chicken feet or cow tongues, but will eat a hot dog or gelatin without thinking about it. Or say “yuck” when faced with tofu - made from beans - yet eat eggs that came out of the same hole that hens use for crapping. Conditioning is powerful.
Ultimately, I think the morals of the culture have to change. One day I believe that creating animals just to kill them - not to mention mutilate them, severely confine them, and transport them long distances in the heat of summer with no water, after starving them for one to four days - will be seen as aborhent and morally unnacceptable throughout society. It will probably be illegal. Veganism will be the norm and the abundance and quality of plant-based foods will be stupendous, beyond our imaginations.
Until then, we each do what we can to divest ourselves from a violent lifestyle, and set an example for others. It’s not hard to be vegan. The biggest barriers are psychological. You have to withstand being different for a while. Others will resent your choice. But if you’re firm in your principles yet polite to people including skeptics, you’d be surprised how many of them come around. Everybody deep down wants to be kind and just and desires peace of mind. Veganism helps achieve all those things.
[...] And the issue of how veganism impacts the environment. [...]
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