I know this blog is supposed to focus on Veganism, but I thought that since saving the environment is such a large reason why many people become vegans I thought I would share a few tips.
Saving Water:
- Turn the faucet off while you wash your face/brush your teeth
- While you're warming up your shower/tub save the water for something else like watering plants
- Use water efficient laundry detergent
- Only do laundry and dishes when you have a full load
- Saving trees saves water!!! Print as little as possible but when you do, print double sided
- Make sure you do not have a dripping faucet or a leaking toilet
- When you wash your body in the shower, turn the water off for that few minutes
- Don't flush if you don't have to!
Saving Energy:
- Use rechargeable batteries
- Turn the lights off when you leave a room
- Use energy efficient light bulbs
- Don't keep your cellphone charging longer than it needs to be
- When you turn your car on, don't give it time to warm up- most cars don't need it
- Turn your computer off when you are not using it- screen savers use energy too!
Reducing Waste:
- Get a trash compactor
- Start a compost
- Recycle EVERYTHING that can be recycled
- Donate old clothes and furniture, don't throw things away that other people may use
- Mow the lawn on dry days, so you can use the clippings as feed for your grass to stay healthy
- Don't use paper goods, carry a water bottle with you
- Buy clothes from vintage stores, or thrift shops
- Grow some of your own food
Saving Trees:
- Don't print unless you need to
- Don't use paper towels, get a dish rag and a cleaning rag
- Monitor how much toilet paper you use, most people use more paper than they need
- When you dry your hands watch how many paper towels you use, try and use an electric dryer as much as possible
- Use recycled paper and paper towels when possible
Friday, April 9, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Speciesism
Richard D. Ryder created the term in 1973, and ever since then it has been an essential argument for the cause! Speciesism is the assigning of values or rights to beings, based on the species they belong to. This has been turned into the argument that assigning values or rights based on species membership is a form of prejudice, similar to anti-Semitism or racism. It has been used by animal rights activist to argue that the use of sentient beings as property, such as in factory farms, is morally wrong and/or irrational.
I know this theory can be daunting at first, so I will go through questions you may have.
Well people are smarter than animals, so I deserve to eat them.
- The problem with this rationalization is the fact that there are human beings who are not as intelligent as other humans, such as those who are mentally ill. Obviously it is wrong to treat a mentally ill human the way animals are treated, so intelligence is not an adequate argument.
Humans have families, animals don't.
- Farm animals, such as cows and pigs, have been found to show emotional responses to different stimuli. How animal emotions are measured is by the amount of white visible in their eye. While this is not definitive evidence as to the exact emotion the animal is feeling, it is the best indicator we have available, and it has been consistently found to be reliable. One study found that when a cow is separated from their calf, a common occurrence in the meat industry, the white in their eyes widened significantly. This has been interpreted to mean the cow was under emotional distress when the calf was removed. (Study done on cow-calf separation (requires purchase)) This reaction shows, at the very minimum, that cows are affected by the removal of their young. I recognize that this is not a definitive study, however that does not mean the study holds no merit. Animal emotion is something that has not been in focus for a long time, therefore the studies and methods used are still being developed. However, there are still multiple studies that support the findings of this study, and the theory is gaining validity within the science sommunity. This experiment, along with others (Study concerning emotional capabilities of farm animals (requires purchase)) show that farm animals are capable of forming emotional connections to others, therefore ability to form emotional attachments is invalid.
Animals are overpopulating the planet, so we should eat them.
- So are people (and I do not recommend eating them)! So why we eat animals because of overpopulation when people contribute even more the exact same problem? What makes us superior to them, and therefore more worth living?
People can use tools, let's see an animal do that!
-Animals using tools. Animals are way more intelligent than given credit for. They have an amazing ability to adapt to their environment and use the tools provided to them by the environment as a means of survival and defense.
People are capable of industrialization.
- A problem with this argument is that not all people are industrialized, there are plenty of societies that live off the earth, without technology. Those societies that live a completely unindustrialized life, are not killed for not industrializing, monkeys have been taught to use a computer more than most of those civilizations will ever know.
I know this theory can be daunting at first, so I will go through questions you may have.
Well people are smarter than animals, so I deserve to eat them.
- The problem with this rationalization is the fact that there are human beings who are not as intelligent as other humans, such as those who are mentally ill. Obviously it is wrong to treat a mentally ill human the way animals are treated, so intelligence is not an adequate argument.
Humans have families, animals don't.
- Farm animals, such as cows and pigs, have been found to show emotional responses to different stimuli. How animal emotions are measured is by the amount of white visible in their eye. While this is not definitive evidence as to the exact emotion the animal is feeling, it is the best indicator we have available, and it has been consistently found to be reliable. One study found that when a cow is separated from their calf, a common occurrence in the meat industry, the white in their eyes widened significantly. This has been interpreted to mean the cow was under emotional distress when the calf was removed. (Study done on cow-calf separation (requires purchase)) This reaction shows, at the very minimum, that cows are affected by the removal of their young. I recognize that this is not a definitive study, however that does not mean the study holds no merit. Animal emotion is something that has not been in focus for a long time, therefore the studies and methods used are still being developed. However, there are still multiple studies that support the findings of this study, and the theory is gaining validity within the science sommunity. This experiment, along with others (Study concerning emotional capabilities of farm animals (requires purchase)) show that farm animals are capable of forming emotional connections to others, therefore ability to form emotional attachments is invalid.
Animals are overpopulating the planet, so we should eat them.
- So are people (and I do not recommend eating them)! So why we eat animals because of overpopulation when people contribute even more the exact same problem? What makes us superior to them, and therefore more worth living?
People can use tools, let's see an animal do that!
-Animals using tools. Animals are way more intelligent than given credit for. They have an amazing ability to adapt to their environment and use the tools provided to them by the environment as a means of survival and defense.
People are capable of industrialization.
- A problem with this argument is that not all people are industrialized, there are plenty of societies that live off the earth, without technology. Those societies that live a completely unindustrialized life, are not killed for not industrializing, monkeys have been taught to use a computer more than most of those civilizations will ever know.
The Meat Industry and the Environment
Given the overwhelming gravity and extent of of the effects of factory farms on the environment one cannot write a brief summary. I have chosen bullet points in order to make the reading a little easier.
- When you eat meat you are not only eating that burger, you are also taking all the resources it took to make that burger, that is where most the harm to the environment comes from!
- Converting to a vegan diet actually is better for the environment than switching to a hybrid car! (But still... get that hybrid)
- In the United States alone 250 million acres of forest have been cut down for animal agriculture
- Producing one pound of beef requires 2,500 gallons of water
- The average vegetarian consumes 300-400 lbs of grain a year, the average meat eater consumes over 2,000!
- 33% of all raw material consumption goes to goes to the production of meat, egg and dairy products (think of all those hungry people in the world that could be fed with that food!)
The statistics provided below are provided by: 101 Reasons Why I'm A Vegetarian
- 70% of the worlds commercial fish stocks have been overfished
- 18% of greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock productions (38% higher than emitted by all the vehicles in the world)
- A pound of beef takes 3/4 of a gallon of gasoline to produce
- Producing a pound of animal protein requires 100 times more water than producing one pound of vegetable protein
Factory Farming and the Environment
- When you eat meat you are not only eating that burger, you are also taking all the resources it took to make that burger, that is where most the harm to the environment comes from!
- Converting to a vegan diet actually is better for the environment than switching to a hybrid car! (But still... get that hybrid)
- In the United States alone 250 million acres of forest have been cut down for animal agriculture
- Producing one pound of beef requires 2,500 gallons of water
- The average vegetarian consumes 300-400 lbs of grain a year, the average meat eater consumes over 2,000!
- 33% of all raw material consumption goes to goes to the production of meat, egg and dairy products (think of all those hungry people in the world that could be fed with that food!)
The statistics provided below are provided by: 101 Reasons Why I'm A Vegetarian
- 70% of the worlds commercial fish stocks have been overfished
- 18% of greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock productions (38% higher than emitted by all the vehicles in the world)
- A pound of beef takes 3/4 of a gallon of gasoline to produce
- Producing a pound of animal protein requires 100 times more water than producing one pound of vegetable protein
Factory Farming and the Environment
Documentaries I Recommend
Fresh - Slash Food. I believe this documentary is a brilliant documentary and even better, a stepping stone for those of you who are on the fence about veganism. This movie shows that meat is not inherently cheap, as McDonalds and Burger King would have you believe, someone pays the price- the animals. This shows how the big industry meat companies abuse their animals for profit. It encourages people to buy food from local, humane farms. This movie does not argue for veganism or even vegetarianism, merely argues against the factory farming industry.
Food Inc. If you want to see the way factory farming is integrated into your every day life, watch this movie. Factory farms are utilized for many schools' cafeteria menu. This movie does not have a focus on veganism, instead it focuses on health and how factory farming can actually hurt you, the consumer, as well as the animals. This is a good movie to start off with if you are exploring veganism.
A Delicate Balance - Phoenix Films Phorever. This offers a slew of health and environmental reasons for veganism. Many scientists and scholars talk about the how a vegan diet is used in order to help people with diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Death on a Factory Farm - HBO. You may want to watch this documentary on an empty stomach. It is a shockingly revealing undercover investigation done by the Humane Farming Association (HFA) at Wiles Hog Farm. It reveals how easily and readily the factory farming industry abuses animals for a profit. I, as I'm sure many of you have too, have often heard that the documentaries that show animal abuse are staged, and that in reality it happens very rarely. This documentary will prove those people wrong.
Crackers vs. The Egg Farm - Michael Moore. The link I have provided is a youtube link that allows you to watch the entire 24 minute documentary shot for Michael Moore's show "The Awful Truth". I'm sure many of you know Michael Moore is a brilliant director and his documentaries are honest and enjoyable. This episode is about the horrors of the egg industry. This is one of the best documentaries I have seen it reveals that animals are treated poorly not only for meat but also for eggs (and don't forget dairy!). I highly recommend everyone watches this short, free documentary.
Food Inc. If you want to see the way factory farming is integrated into your every day life, watch this movie. Factory farms are utilized for many schools' cafeteria menu. This movie does not have a focus on veganism, instead it focuses on health and how factory farming can actually hurt you, the consumer, as well as the animals. This is a good movie to start off with if you are exploring veganism.
A Delicate Balance - Phoenix Films Phorever. This offers a slew of health and environmental reasons for veganism. Many scientists and scholars talk about the how a vegan diet is used in order to help people with diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Death on a Factory Farm - HBO. You may want to watch this documentary on an empty stomach. It is a shockingly revealing undercover investigation done by the Humane Farming Association (HFA) at Wiles Hog Farm. It reveals how easily and readily the factory farming industry abuses animals for a profit. I, as I'm sure many of you have too, have often heard that the documentaries that show animal abuse are staged, and that in reality it happens very rarely. This documentary will prove those people wrong.
Crackers vs. The Egg Farm - Michael Moore. The link I have provided is a youtube link that allows you to watch the entire 24 minute documentary shot for Michael Moore's show "The Awful Truth". I'm sure many of you know Michael Moore is a brilliant director and his documentaries are honest and enjoyable. This episode is about the horrors of the egg industry. This is one of the best documentaries I have seen it reveals that animals are treated poorly not only for meat but also for eggs (and don't forget dairy!). I highly recommend everyone watches this short, free documentary.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Vegan Clothing Links
Here are a few links that you may find helpful when looking for Vegan clothing! Be wary that some of these sites may not have anything you find appealing, but not all sites are the same. Vegan stores can be chic or casual, you just need to take the time to look.
Peta's Guide to Vegan Shopping
- Although I am not affiliated with Peta they did compile e helpful list of links to vegan clothing stores.
Cafe Press
- Offers clothes and paraphernalia to advertise the cause!
World of Good- Ebay
- Contains both eco friendly and animal friendly clothes and shoes.
Humanitaire
- Provides clothing and other products this company offers are vegan and eco friendly. A lot of the clothes have logos on them.
Alternative Outfitters
- This store has vegan clothing, shoes and accessories.
Peta's Guide to Vegan Shopping
- Although I am not affiliated with Peta they did compile e helpful list of links to vegan clothing stores.
Cafe Press
- Offers clothes and paraphernalia to advertise the cause!
World of Good- Ebay
- Contains both eco friendly and animal friendly clothes and shoes.
Humanitaire
- Provides clothing and other products this company offers are vegan and eco friendly. A lot of the clothes have logos on them.
Alternative Outfitters
- This store has vegan clothing, shoes and accessories.
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