(no subject)
hey everyone,
my name is elisabeth, and i'm sixteen. i'm a high school junior in washington, dc, working towards the international baccalaureate diploma (hopefully leading to a b.s. in chemistry). i'm not technically a vegan yet, mostly because i still live with my family and can't control all aspects of my diet, but this seems like a good place to get inspired.
i've been thinking about going vegetarian for a while, and then a girl on a message board i post on linked to this article, which i thought was very thought-provoking. i admit that i'd held a few misconceptions about veganism, but reading the article persuaded me to try it. i've never liked the taste of milk, cheese, cream, eggs, etc., and that makes it fairly easy to adapt. i used to really like the taste of meat, but recently i've only felt repulsed by it.
i've been eating mostly vegan food these past few days, and i'm already noticing a change. i feel much less sluggish, and i haven't been troubled by indigestion (sorry if that's too much information!). it's definitely something i want to continue with, and hopefully when i get to college i'll be able to take it further. right now, i try to pick my battles--i still put honey in my tea, but on the other hand, i did convince my mother to buy soy milk.
that said, there are some things i'm having trouble with.
i. leather
i don't want to buy petroleum-based products, and as a result, i still wear some leather shoes. if an environmentally friendly, biodegradable leather substitute were to be developed, i would of course use that... but right now i don't know of any such alternatives.
i've been reading old posts in this community, and some of you suggest buying leather items second hand, which is definitely something i'll look into. this is definitely an issue that i'm struggling with.
ii. wool
the reasoning for this is the same as for leather. in addition to that, my skin reacts really badly to synthetic materials, even good quality ones. is it possible that i'm allergic? i've never heard of any such allergy, but it's a huge problem for me. most of my knit clothing is cotton, but i wear a wool coat in the winter, and sometimes knit with wool yarn.
iii. photographic film
i take classes in photography, and it's a huge interest of mine. is there even such a thing as vegan film?
those are my only reservations. i guess that means i'm not a "real" vegan... but "semi-vegan" or "strict vegetarian" is still preferable to carnivore, right?
sorry for the long introduction, and thanks for an informative and interesting community,
elisabeth
my name is elisabeth, and i'm sixteen. i'm a high school junior in washington, dc, working towards the international baccalaureate diploma (hopefully leading to a b.s. in chemistry). i'm not technically a vegan yet, mostly because i still live with my family and can't control all aspects of my diet, but this seems like a good place to get inspired.
i've been thinking about going vegetarian for a while, and then a girl on a message board i post on linked to this article, which i thought was very thought-provoking. i admit that i'd held a few misconceptions about veganism, but reading the article persuaded me to try it. i've never liked the taste of milk, cheese, cream, eggs, etc., and that makes it fairly easy to adapt. i used to really like the taste of meat, but recently i've only felt repulsed by it.
i've been eating mostly vegan food these past few days, and i'm already noticing a change. i feel much less sluggish, and i haven't been troubled by indigestion (sorry if that's too much information!). it's definitely something i want to continue with, and hopefully when i get to college i'll be able to take it further. right now, i try to pick my battles--i still put honey in my tea, but on the other hand, i did convince my mother to buy soy milk.
that said, there are some things i'm having trouble with.
i. leather
i don't want to buy petroleum-based products, and as a result, i still wear some leather shoes. if an environmentally friendly, biodegradable leather substitute were to be developed, i would of course use that... but right now i don't know of any such alternatives.
i've been reading old posts in this community, and some of you suggest buying leather items second hand, which is definitely something i'll look into. this is definitely an issue that i'm struggling with.
ii. wool
the reasoning for this is the same as for leather. in addition to that, my skin reacts really badly to synthetic materials, even good quality ones. is it possible that i'm allergic? i've never heard of any such allergy, but it's a huge problem for me. most of my knit clothing is cotton, but i wear a wool coat in the winter, and sometimes knit with wool yarn.
iii. photographic film
i take classes in photography, and it's a huge interest of mine. is there even such a thing as vegan film?
those are my only reservations. i guess that means i'm not a "real" vegan... but "semi-vegan" or "strict vegetarian" is still preferable to carnivore, right?
sorry for the long introduction, and thanks for an informative and interesting community,
elisabeth