Rainforests
are levelled to raise cattle, over-grazing erodes fertile land
into arid desert, and vast quantities of energy and water are
wasted to raise animals for food.
'I
chose to be vegan initially, as ... meat and dairy were slowing
me down, but I have since become convinced it is not only the
most healthy way to live, but also the most compassionate and
ecologically responsible way.' - Actor Woody Harrelson.
A
week to help the world WORLD
Go Vegan Week was celebrated around the Globe from October 25
to 31, in a show of compassion towards the animals and hope for
a better and more sustainable world. The fourth annual World Goes
Vegan Week (WGVW) was a time to take action for animals, the environment,
and everyone's well-being.
WGVW supporter actor Woody Harrelson invited groups and individuals
to join with thousands of other compassionate people around the
world during this special week. People were educated about the
vegan lifestyle as a compassionate, sustainable, and healthy way
of eating and living. "I chose to be vegan initially as an energetic
pursuit, as meat and dairy were slowing me down, but I have since
become convinced that it is not only the most healthy way to live,
but also the most compassionate and ecologically responsible way."
Reasons abound for not eating meat.
• The natural world upon which humans and animals depend
is under attack. Animals in factory farms suffer terribly, and
pollution, deforestation, global warming, and resource depletion
are rapidly destroying the planet. Vegans want to the world a
better place by giving up meat, dairy products, eggs, and other
animal-derived items.
•
Veganism saves animals from the horrors of the slaughterhouse,
reduces pollution from factory farms, and preserves millions of
acres of land that could otherwise be used to grow grain to feed
the millions of malnourished people in the world.
• Vegans are motivated by compassion for animals' suffering
and respect for life. Both modern science and simple common sense
tell us that other animals besides humans feel pain and fear death.
• Vegans empathise with living creatures and understand that
humans don't need to eat meat, wear leather, or drink milk to
survive.
Vegans use widely available cosmetics alternatives that are animal-free.
• Plant-based diets, including vegetables, fruits, seeds
and nuts, whole grains, and legumes, offer an abundant, diverse
selection of nutrient-rich foods to choose from, are high in fibre
phytochemicals, and antioxidants, and have no saturated fat (with
the exception of coconuts and palm oil). According to numerous
studies, plant-based diets have been shown to lower the risk of
many diseases including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes
and obesity.
• A plant-based diet is also an important step towards solving
the terrible problem of world hunger. Animal agriculture is a
grossly inefficient way of growing food. Experts estimate that
at least three kilograms of grain or soybeans are needed to generate
half a kilo of meat. Food that could be going directly to hungry
people is instead being used to produce steaks and hamburgers.
Animal agriculture also wastes huge amounts of water and energy.
• The production of meat has a devastating impact on the
subtle web of connections that sustains life on our planet. Rainforests
are levelled to raise cattle, factory farms pollute rivers and
lakes', over-grazing erodes fertile land into arid desert, and
vast quantities of energy and water are wasted to raise animals
for food. At sea, huge fishing drift nets turn acres of ocean
into graveyards. All this damage to the earth can be stopped -
taking meat, dairy, and eggs off your plate will make a difference.
• What we put into our bags at the supermarket has more environmental
impact than whether we bring our reusable shopping bag or drive
a hybrid to the shop.
A
2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation study revealed
that animal agriculture causes more greenhouse gas emissions than
all the world's transportation combined. It said: "Livestock is
a significant contributor to today's most serious environmental
problems."
Animal agriculture contributes to the global greenhouse effect
from the methane produced by cows, deforestation of the rainforest
to create land suitable for grazing and the enormous consumption
of fossil fuel used to operate the factory farms and slaughterhouses.
It takes eight times as much fossil fuel to produce animal protein
as it does to produce plant protein. Over half the total amount
of fresh water consumed in the world goes to irrigate land to
grow feed for livestock.
By
going vegan you join hundreds of thousands of people who have
decided they will improve the world by changing what they eat.
Veganism is a celebration of life.
