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/
