My first introduction to veganism came from the pamphlets animal rights groups handed out at my college’s dining hall. The colorful trifold displayed cute animals frolicking through fields. I gazed at those tiny, fluffy chicks, ate tofu for a week, and then (I have to admit) went back to eating meat the next week. While compelling, learning about animal cruelty is not what pushed me to try out veganism. So what did?
Some facts that compelled me to try veganism:
- Factory farming pollutes waterways: The 10 million pigs farmed in North Carolina alone produce the same amount of daily waste as 100 million people (Seattle Times). North Carolina pig farms use open-air manure sludge pits, which have been linked to higher rates of cancer and death for local residents.
- Mass-produced meat is of questionable quality. Have you ever stopped to really think about what’s even is in a hot dog or a chicken nugget? Why does McDonalds only sell its (in)famous McRib sandwich when pork falls to its lowest annual price? The McRib contains no rib meat and instead is composed of “restructured meat products” like heart, tripe, and stomach all held together by a charming petrochemical preservative called tertiary butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ.
- The human cost of mass-produced factory farmed meat: Food giant Tysons, the second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork in the world, in the past has demonstrated a blatant disregard for the health of its employees and nearby town waterways.
- Global consumption of meat and animal products drives climate degradation. From forest clearing and the feeding, raising, and transport of animals, the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from meat consumption are through the roof!
Changing your diet can be one of the easiest, fastest ways to make a positive impact on the health of the environment. If a meat eater goes vegan, they can cut their carbon footprint by at least 1/3.
How does your diet contribute to climate change? Take this quick quiz from the New York Times to find out.
Sources:
Your Questions about Food and Climate Change, Answered (New York Times)
Seattle Times
Duke School of Medicine
The Atlantic