Veganism is often considered an extreme measure; most consider it absurd to eliminate meat, dairy, and any other animal byproducts from their lifestyles. However, in our society, normalcy is going on multiple pills to reduce hypertension, lower cholesterol, and promote weight-loss. Normalcy is suffering from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Type-2 diabetes. “Who supports that[animal abuse]?” is the common reaction when asked if someone supports animal abuse. But, these people allow for, and even advocate, the use of animals as food; whether it be their slaughter for meat, allowing male chickens to be ground up for eggs, or cows having their children ripped away minutes after birth for dairy. Pets are considered animals; cows, pigs, and chickens are not. But, these are all sentient beings; they have feelings, have families, and have a fear of dying for your next meal. So, do you support animal abuse?

Cutting out one serving of chicken per week would save the same amount of CO2 emissions as taking 500,000 cars off the road. Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, or 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. 1,000 gallons of water is required to produce 1 gallon of milk. Our planet is in crisis mode, and animal agriculture is the top offender. In a 2006 report, the UN claimed that raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined. In addition, livestock production is responsible for 70% of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. The popular environmental documentary Cowspiracy*, and major players in the dairy and meat industry have confirmed that this behavior is not sustainable for our environment. Huge plots of land dedicated to feeding cows and other animals take up too much room with our growing population and, in addition, our oceans are expected to be free of fish by 2048. There’s a plethora of other statistics and facts regarding veganism and the environment that you can access here: https://www.downtoearth.org/go-veggie/environment/top-10-reasons

The number of animals killed for meat every hour in the U.S. is 500,000, merely to satisfy human taste preferences. Reducing animal suffering is a huge aspect of veganism. Factory farming, the predominant source of animal products, is horrific; animals are shoved together with barely any room to move while they live there. Pigs are hung, while still they are alive, by their hooves, and then their throats are slit so that they can bleed out. Chickens are hung upside down by their legs as a rotating blade chops off their heads. If the chicken’s head is missed, which it often is, they’re thrown into a vat of boiling water while still breathing. In the egg industry, male baby chicks are ground up as soon as they’re born, as they don’t have the profit potential that female chicks do – to produce eggs. The dairy industry is arguably the worst of all, though, as the cows’ suffering is prolonged. Firstly, to be able to give milk, just like other mammals, cows must be pregnant. To speed this process up, cows are artificially inseminated, which often leads to infections that are not treated. By the time the calf’s due date comes around, the cow gives birth and her baby is taken from her as soon as the labor is over. In order to save as much milk as possible to sell for a profit, cows aren’t allowed to be with their calves. The mother cows will cry for hours after their babies are taken from them, proving that, contrary to popular belief, animals do have feelings. Even smaller, non-factory, farms have begun adopting these horrific practices to keep up with the hugely profitable factory farms that receive government subsidies.

What will you be willing to sacrifice for your next meal?

*Come out to Gage Hall in Charleston on Thursday, October 29 at 7 PM to watch Cowspiracy and learn more about veganism!

Beyond Carnism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0VrZPBskpg

Best Speech You’ll Ever Hear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4

101 Reasons to Go Vegan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4HJcq8qHAY

If Slaughterhouses Had Glass Walls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_UpyY2MIOc

Check out Cowspiracy and Forks Before Knives on Netflix!