How Veganism Helps the Planet

Photo Credit: Mercy For Animals

Hey Guys! Hippie Gym Rat here, writing on Theresa’s blog to switch up the flow a little bit. Theresa and I connected over our interest and activity in vegan lifestyles. We got to talking a bit and the topic of our lovely planet Earth came up.

When I think of myself, I consider myself a total mother nature lover. I do everything in my power to leave the smallest possible footprint. I bring my reusable grocery bags when shopping, I drive a fuel efficient car, I don’t buy plastic water bottles, I say no to straws, and I unplug all of my electronics and appliances when they aren’t being used. But perhaps, my biggest commitment to leaving a tiny footprint is my choice of a vegan diet. Because animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation industry combined, by abstaining from buying or consuming these products, I am helping to secure a vibrant future for Mother Earth. So, how else do my eating habits contribute to the success of our planet? Well…

• Animal farming is inefficient, because animal feed production takes up a lot of land, fertilizer, water, and other resources – resources that could be used for feeding humans.
• Livestock farms accelerate topsoil erosion.
• Animal agriculture is responsible for 91% of amazon deforestation.
• One third of the Earth’s land is used for animal agriculture.
• Animal agriculture is the leading cause of water pollution.
• More than 70 percent of the Earth’s fresh water is used in agriculture of plants and animals: it takes 100 to 200 times more water to produce a pound of beef than it does to grow a pound of plant foods.
• Producing animal-based protein requires eight times more fossil-fuel energy than creating plant-based protein.

The greatest thing I have found through my vegan diet is that I never felt like I was “giving up” anything at all. I still get to eat all the foods I really enjoy (like buffalo mac and cheese or pizza) and feel 100% guilt free about doing it, all while helping to save the planet and reduce my carbon footprint.