Why I'm vegan

[megglemuffin]

I took offense to people posting comments about how being vegan due to land use issues is "lame," so I am posting this so people might see that there are people out there who are vegan not only for the animals.

First off, I was raised Catholic. While I no longer believe in the traditional sense of the word, Catholic social teaching has played a huge

Comments

[bitspike]

"I am vegan for animal rights reasons, but largely and maybe more so on an environmental scale."

One of the main things I was getting at was that the OP seemed to have a similar stance; that there were animal rights concerns affecting their choices to some extent, even if the environmental concerns are usually/always the initial or main concern.

". . . you can be vegan for health reasons, animal rights, environmental reasons, or because you just hate the taste of meat."

Statements like this I disagree with. I just feel that if health or environmental reasons are your only concern, then room is made in your choices to act against what veganism is. To me, the only determining factor which is logically consistent with veganism (the intentional omission of consumption of all animal products where possible) is a concern for animal rights. Whether it is the primary cause or not, as long as it is strong enough.

I just can't agree that veganism is a diet. To me, it's like saying being an astronaut is a dietary choice because they restrict themselves to 'space food' (sorry, I know this is a bad analogy). There are factors which form these actions which are external to a desire to (not) eat specific things. This is one issue I think I'll have to say I disagree with you.

(These are just the debates I was trying to avoid. Food choices are very personal and it is easy to offend people by claiming you know more about their reasoning than they do - which is what my opinion probably sounds like.)

Having said all that, I am very interested in exploring the idea that there can be a solely environmental reason towards a vegan lifestyle. Do you know any vegans who are vegan only for this reason? I'd love to hear about how they form their choices.

In my original reply, I began to wonder whether a concern for animal rights could be seen as an inherent part of an environmental concern. Thinking about it more, this is sounding like a real possibility. Do you, personally, avoid certain animal products even when it has no direct effect on the environment? If so, why? Do you think 'sole environmentalists' (for lack of a better term) would/could reason similarly?

[bucketofpuke]

I used to get upset over people who were vegan just for diet reasons, but any vegan who is true to it is a vegan to me so I stopped worrying about it. As long as they make strides to better themselves and other people by talking to them about their diet, why they eat that way, then I see no problem with it. I don't give a crap if x amount of people have met a 'diet vegan' and consider all vegans 'diet vegans,' as long as it's sending a positive message about how terrible consumption of animals is, then it's not of my concern.

Veganism for environmental reasons effects everything from people to animals to water. It just encompasses a larger scheme, and I know at least three vegan people who are vegan for environmental reasons and environmental reasons alone. Animal rights plays it's fair part in their decision, but it's the overall way of treating the world that they have a problem with. Environmental vegans are looking at everything -- the sewage run off of farms, to over fishing, to cattle ranches causing global warming and harming wildlife in other areas of the world that we cannot see.

When I went vegan is was for animal rights, but over time I realized that most of my decisions to eat were based off of environmental reasons, so I researched and became aware of how horribly the dairy and meat industries are run throughout the world. Not only do I limit my consumption of animal products, I limit my consumption of other things -- I've built my own furniture with recycled material, don't run the air conditioning, have worked on a self sustaining farm and plan to eventually run my own.

I can't tell you why other environmental vegans are vegans, since everyone has their reasons. I don't understand why people are getting so weird about people who are strict, passionate vegans but whose first reasoning isn't animal rights. When it comes down to it, does it really matter?

[tin_foil_hat]

I know at least three vegan people who are vegan for environmental reasons and environmental reasons alone. Animal rights plays it's fair part in their decision

Does not compute.

Clearly they are not doing it solely for the environmental reasons, it is just their main reason, as animal right is my main reason with environment and health etc. backing it up.

[bucketofpuke]

Do you, personally, avoid certain animal products even when it has no direct effect on the environment? If so, why?

I do avoid using them, because I'm vegan. I also don't use products testing on animals, or support companies that directly support dairy/meat industries or companies that test on animals.