What World Vegan Day Means to Me
Last Friday we celebrated World Vegan Day. This is a day that makes my heart sing, and I could not be prouder to celebrate our community.
Why is it so special to me?
I am proud to say that I am vegan. It gives me a sense of purpose and direction. I cannot even begin to explain how empowering it is to be a voice for the voiceless and to live a life that is causing no cruelty or harm to other beings.
I firmly believe that you cannot be an animal lover and still eat them at the same time. You wouldn’t eat your dog, so why eat a pig? We are hurting these animals every day through the purchases and decisions we make. Often it is unknowingly, because it is how we were brought up. But it is time to make the connection. It’s also time to make the connection between animal agriculture and the impending climate disaster.
Animal agriculture and fishing are leading causes of climate destruction and ecosystem breakdown. Billions of land animals and trillions of fish are killed each year in an unjust food system that destroys rainforests, depletes oceans and cannot sustain the planet. As humans, we have an opportunity to help the climate crisis, not contribute to it. Making the choice to eat a plant-based diet is the single most important action we can take to minimise our footprint on the earth. For that choice, I am incredibly grateful.
Going vegan has allowed me to live a life that is more aligned with my beliefs. It is the best decision I have made for myself, and since switching to a plant-based diet I am healthier, happier and more full of energy than ever before. I know I am nourishing my body every day, helping the environment and animals, and putting my energy towards a cause that I am so passionate about.
Why are we celebrating?
In celebration of World Vegan Day, Vegemite was officially certified as vegan-friendly. If that’s not reason enough to celebrate, I don’t know what is!
But in all seriousness, we have come so far, and have so much to celebrate. World Vegan Day is an acknowledgement of the work our community and the vegan movement does each and every day. It is a celebration of conscious living, of lives saved and health regained. The movement is on the rise. The day honours a cruelty free lifestyle and is a commemoration of the efforts of every human cutting down on their consumption of animal products.
Here are several reasons we have to celebrate:
Vegan brands are on the rise. They are breaking into our fashion industry, our mainstream supermarkets and our skincare/cosmetics markets. There really are vegan alternatives to absolutely everything!
The Australian vegan restaurant scene is booming and our cities are full of vegan restaurants. The last 5 years have shown unprecedented growth and we are now never short of options.
All our major cities are now hosting regular vegan markets to help promote brands doing the right thing and educating people on leading a more conscious lifestyle.
Information has become super easy to access. For example, the PETA cruelty free bunny logo is now a worldwide phenomenon and allows us to easily see whether products (like cosmetics and skincare) are cruelty-free.
Education has moved into mainstream media. Netflix now boasts a bunch of documentaries on sustainability and veganism (if you haven’t seen the recent Game Changers, you should!) – they are a great place to start for people thinking about making the transition.
Animal sanctuaries and charities are on the rise! They shelter animals in need, and help educate people on why the lives of these animals are so important.
What can you do?
First up, be easy on yourself. There are so many ways to help – by no means does it have to be an all-or-nothing approach. Take it step by step, day by day. Don’t put pressure on yourself to be perfect, because none of us are.
There are so many labels and associated connotations. But you do not have to be ‘vegan’ to make a difference. What we do 80% of the time is going to create the biggest impact on our health, on the animals, and on the environment. If you are vegan except for that one single food you can’t live without (it’s cheese, I know), then you should be incredibly proud of yourself for making the commitment to change the other parts of your diet.
There are so many ways you can help, and so many changes you can incorporate in order to contribute. You could start by swapping out dairy for plant-based milk. This is so popular and easily accessible – there’s really no reason to still be consuming dairy products. Another impactful way to incorporate change is to commit to Meat-Free Mondays. Giving up one serving of meat each week saves the equivalent emissions of driving 580kms in a car! Think about how your actions have run-on effects – with Melbourne Cup coming up this week, something you can do is to avert it. Don’t attend and look into why horseracing is so unethical.
I am vegan for the animals, for our planet, and for my health. To all those vegans out there, I salute you. And to all those thinking of making the change, I know you can do it! Thank you for making the world a better place to be.