WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE VEG*N?

Veganism represents a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, other animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.

WHY WOULD SOMEONE CHOOSE TO BE VEG*N?

Preventing the exploitation¹

For every 1 pound of fish caught, up to 5 pounds of unintended marine species are caught and discarded as "by-kill"

This can be as many as 40% (63 billion pounds) of fish caught globally every year are discarded.

of animals is, for many, the primary factor in their decision to be vegan. Others believe that all sentient creatures

have a right to life and freedom.

The best way²

AG-GAG Laws criminalize whistleblowers who photo-document abuses by the animal agriculture industry.

to help animals suffering³

More than 6 million animals are killed for food every hour.

in industries that exploit

and treat them cruelly⁴

80% of antibiotics sold in the US are for livestock.

is to stop eating them! No animal, regardless of breeding, wants to die for someone’s dinner.⁵

Dead hogs are processed into feed and fed back to the hogs in our current food production industry.

The vegan lifestyle provides many scientifically proven health benefits⁶

Within minutes of eating dead meat bacteria toxins the body gets a burst of inflammation, stiffening or paralyzing of the arteries.

when compared to the average⁷

The average American consumes 209 pounds of meat per year.

western diet

.⁸

Most Americans consume 2x their daily protien requirements, while getting less than half of the fiber they need.

Well-planned plant-based diets are rich in protein,⁹

All protein is initially made by plants.

iron, calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals.¹⁰

Vitamin intake and overall nutrition go up on a plant-based diet from a meat-based diet.

A plant-based diet tends to be low in saturated fat, high in fiber and packed with antioxidants, helping mitigate some of the modern world's biggest health issues like obesity, heart disease,¹¹

You can stop and reverse heart disease with plant-based diets.

diabetes¹²

One serving of processed meat per day has been found to increase your risk of developing diabetes by 51%.

and cancer.¹³

If you chose to eat meat, your chances of

Getting diabetes are about 1 in 3
Getting cancer: for women 1 in 3, for men 1 in 2
Gaining weight are about 2 in 3

The most effective thing you can do to lower your carbon footprint is to avoid all animal products.¹⁴

Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, and 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.

Livestock is responsible for 65% of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide - a greenhouse gas with 296 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, and which stays in the atmosphere for 150 years.

The production of meat and other animal products places a heavy burden on the environment¹⁵

Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gases than the entire transportation sector.

- from crops and water¹⁶

Growing feed crops for livestock consumes 56% of water in the US.

required to feed the animals, to the transport and other processes involved from farm to fork.¹⁷

55% of water consumed in the US is for animal agriculture.

5% of water consumed in the US is by private homes.

Meat production is a significant contributor to deforestation,¹⁸

Animal agriculture is responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction.

1-2 acres of rainforest is cleared every second.

habitat loss and species extinction.

¹⁹

Up to 137 plant, animal and insect species are lost every day due to rainforest destruction.

Land used²⁰

Livestock or livestock feed occupies 1/3 of the earth’s ice-free land, covering 45% of the earth’s total land.

for animal agriculture contributes to developing world malnutrition²¹

We are currently growing enough food to feed 10 billion people.

Yet much of that food is grown to feed the 70 billion farmed animals are reared annually worldwide.

by incentivising profit over the lives of people and animals in impoverished populations, resulting in starvation and human rights violations.²²

82% of starving children live in countries where food is fed to animals, and the animals are eaten by western countries.

Conversely, lower quantities of crops and water are required to sustain a vegan diet, making veganism the most effective way to reduce your impact on the environment. ²³

15x more protein can be grown on any given area of land with plants, rather than with cows.

Soybeans can be produced at 52. 5 bushels per acre x 60 lbs. per bushel = 3,150 dry soybeans per acre
Soybeans protein content (dry) is 163.44 grams per pound
The protein content per acre of soybeans is 163.44 g x 3,150 lb. = 514,836 g per acre

Beef can be produced at 205 pounds per acre
Beef protein content (raw) is 95.34 grams per pound
The protein content per acre of beef is 95.34 g x 205 lb. = 19,544.7 g per acre

²⁴

A person who follows a vegan diet produces the equivalent of 50% less carbon dioxide, uses 1/11th oil, 1/13th water, and 1/18th land compared to a meat-lover for their food.

Plant-based living is also a more sustainable way of feeding the human family. A plant-based diet requires only one third of the land needed to support a meat and dairy diet.²⁵

Land required to feed 1 person for 1 year:

Vegan: 1/6th acre
Vegetarian: 3x as much as a vegan
Meat Eater: 18x as much as a vegan

Avoiding animal products is not just one of the simplest ways an individual can reduce the strain on food as well as other resources, it's the simplest way to take a stand against inefficient food systems²⁶

Testing shows 88% of pork chops, 90% of ground beef, and 95% of chicken breasts sampled were contaminated with fecal bacteria.

which disproportionately affects the poorest people all over the world.²⁷

Each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life.

The suffering caused by the dairy²⁸

The dairy industry is the veal industry.

Cows, like humans, have strong maternal instincts. When a calf is born, they are removed from their mother to make the mother’s milk available for human collection and consumption. These young calves are raised for veal or put in the milk production system, based on their sex. Both outcomes involve lives of exploitation, loneliness, and a premature death.

and egg²⁹

The average hen is given less than an 8 ½ x 11-inch encaged area to live in her entire life.

Egg production farms, or industrial hen houses, subjects females to live their entire lives in small, wire ‘battery’ cages that often hold 5-10 chickens.

industries is possibly less well publicized than the plight of factory farmed animals.³⁰

Pigs in factory farms are wrapped in darkness.

Pigs are fully aware of their own existence and are even more intelligent than dogs. On factory farms, pigs do not experience fresh air until the last day of their lives, when they are transported to slaughter.

³¹

Chickens raised for meat are called broilers, and live in a crowded shed where the ammonia from their own waste irritated and burns their eyes, throats, and skin.

It is not uncommon for chickens to be beaten, stabbed, and impaled by workers while being gathered for slaughter. These workers spray the chickens with smoke to subdue them.

³²

It is common for young calves to develop acute throat irritation resulting from repeated crying for their mothers.

Beef Cattle Factory Farms feed cattle a grain diet that is unnatural and hard on their digestive system, causing chronic illness and bacteria complications.

The production of dairy

products necessitates the death of male calves to the veal industry, while female cows are slaughtered when their milk production decreases.

In the egg industry, even ‘ethical’ or ‘free range’³³

Even ‘free-range’ chickens are often kept inside massive crowded sheds without ever going outside.

eggs involve the killing of the ‘unnecessary’ male chicks.

Hens are debeaked and declawed at a young age to prevent them from harming themselves and others out of the stress they will experience in their lives.³⁴

The cages cause bruises and abrasions, which are quickly complicated as fecal matter falls from cages above.

The cages are stacked on top of one another, and the waste of the chickens continuously falls on the chickens below.

It’s tempting to want to believe that the meat we eat is ethical, that our ‘food animals’ have lived full, happy lives

and that they have experienced no pain or fear at the slaughterhouse. Yet the truth is that all living creatures (even those labelled ‘free range’ or ‘organic’)³⁵

Eating organic meat will NOT help you avoid contaminants in the meat.

fear death, just as we do. No matter how they are treated when alive, they all experience the same fear when it comes to slaughter.

IT TAKES THREE WEEKS TO BUILD A HABIT.

COULD YOU CHANGE YOUR DIET?

Prove it.