Slide 2: Commonly Advertised
According to The Vegan Society, Veganism is a philosophy and
way of living which seeks to exclude exploitation of, and cruelty
to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; promotes the
development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit
of animals, humans and the environment.
Everyone hears that it offers a list of benefits including, but not
limited to: reducing greenhouse gas emission, conserving energy,
preserving habitats, limiting pollution caused by meat
production and improving human health.
Slide 3: Negative Impacts
However, one coin has two sides, just as there are two different
stories relating to the same event.
We have scientific evidence concerning the amount of land, feed,
energy and water, raising animals for food requires. However
the vegan diet is not always green.
Slide 4: Industrial Agriculture
Fruits and Vegetables are not grown in certain locations or
during specific seasons, so transportation of these foods, airfreight, contribute to high levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
Also, due to the fragile nature of these items, nearly ½ of all
produce are wasted globally. This also contributes to the total
loss of all electricity, gas, and power embedded in their
production, transport and storage.
Due to high demand of certain highly-marketed foods, water is
used as a source to help fuel the growth of these foods. One
example points to strawberry farms in Florida, which have
depleted natural wells and groundwater so severely that
sinkholes are causing havoc over the state.
Due to the high demand of avocados, Mexico makes the most
money for exporting avocados, causing the driving force of
illegal deforestation.
Slide 5: Not So Eco Friendly
It takes 30-60 gallons of water to produce 1 avocado.
It takes 19.54 gallons to produce 1 glass of almond milk.
The growing demand for these products are causing water
shortages in countries like Peru and Chile.
The process of cultivating mushrooms emits greenhouse gases
and takes up energy.
This process produces are 3kg of CO2 per kg of mushrooms on
average. Chicken cultivation produced around 4.1kg of CO2 per
KG of chicken on average.
A small 50g bar of dark chocolate can create up to 7kg of CO2
emissions, which is equivalent to driving around 17 miles in the
average American car. That is equal to 250kg of CO2 per kg of
dark chocolate.
That is almost 10 times more CO2 emission than producing 1kg
of beef.
According to “Marco Springmann, a senior researcher with the
Oxford Martin Program on the Future of Food indicates that
typical plant-based meat alternatives produce the same amount
of emissions as poultry and five times the emissions of
vegetables and legumes.”
Slide 6: Diet and Human Health
The list of ingredients in frozen Morning Star Grillers Prime
Veggie Burgers reveals food additives, including Maltodextrin
and Soy Protein Isolate as well as sugars and 24% of the daily
sodium requirement.
Fake meats that are highly processed and rely on ingredients/
materials/ processes that are detrimental to the environment or
human health.
Even items like refined sugars, palm oil and food additives are
vegan. That doesn’t mean they are healthy for the human body.
So these products are actually doing more harm for our bodies
than eating meat or animal products.
Vegans are also prone to nutritional deficiencies such as
Vitamin B12, D, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Zinc and Iron.
Slide 7: Veganism’s absolutism is harmful in the pursuit of
environmental sustainability. “Environmental sustainability
depends on where the production takes place and what the
critical environmental issues are in that region,”
Veganism is a step in the right direction BUT the way and how
we approach making is sustainable is more important
Certain products are over advertised and this causes more harm
on the environment and atmosphere than anything else.
Living a healthy lifestyle includes most things in the vegan diet
like fruits and vegetables, but that just means adding more of
these ingredients into our lives, rather than eating products
containing chemical additives, bad fats, and sugars.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/going-vegan-isnt-actually-th/
https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animals-usedfood-factsheets/vegetarianism-environment/
https://harvardpolitics.com/more-than-veganism/
https://www.americanostrichfarms.com/blogs/news/is-veganismsustainable-vegan-diet-environmental-effects
https://www.vogue.in/wellness/content/are-vegan-foods-really-betterfor-the-planet
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/negative-effects-veganism-3304.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/daphneewingchow/2020/06/28/not-allmeatless-meats-are-good-for-your-health-or-theenvironment/?sh=2c98bca22482
https://naturallysavvy.com/eat/meat-substitutes-have-anenvironmental-impact/