The first of November marks World Vegan Day, which is a day that helps motivate people to follow the vegan lifestyle. The benefits of being vegan are advocated for on this day, along with the positive environmental impacts that come along with it. This is a day for people to raise awareness of the issues that the world is facing regarding food supply and its impact on the environment, so people can understand why veganism is important. It is also a chance to try out a new vegan restaurant or dish.
With an increasing number of people converting to plant-based diets or flexitarianism and citing the impact on the planet as the reason why, we thought we’d use this day to highlight how a plant-based diet can reduce your carbon footprint.
The animal agriculture industry is one of the main causes of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, species extinction and water pollution. Going vegan is a good way to help lessen the environmental impacts of this industry.
One of the main benefits of veganism is that it cuts greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, animal agriculture generates over 14% of global emissions. Studies show that if everyone in the world went vegan, emissions would be cut by 70%. This would be enough to reverse the harmful effects of climate change like rising sea levels and droughts. Along with this, veganism would help save air pollution due to the decreasing carbon dioxide emissions.
Another great benefit of veganism is that it helps save water. Since plant foods require much less water to produce than animal products, a vegan diet is a great way to save water. The production of agriculture as a whole accounts for 93% of the world's water supply, with one quarter of the world's supply going to meat and dairy production. Going vegan can save over 200,000 gallons of water a year!
The fishing industry has led to an imbalance in the ocean’s biodiversity. It has massively reduced the worldwide fish population which has led to a change in the characteristics of the remaining fish. This causes a dangerous domino effect that has put the ocean food chain at risk. In order to have the ocean’s ecosystem running smoothly, the fish population must be balanced. Veganism reduces the demand for fish which will lead to a stabilisation in the ocean.
These are just a few of the environmental impacts that come with being vegan, if you want to know more about them, check them out here.
There are many ways you can get involved in World Vegan Day. If you are already vegan, use the day to celebrate your lifestyle and encourage friends and family to join you. If you are looking to make the switch to veganism or just want to try a vegan dish or two, check out some easy vegan recipes. You can find some delish ones here.
For more info on why Vegan Day exists and where it originated from plus more on how to get involved, check that out here.
If you’re keen to try vegan food, but don’t know where to start, Foodprint has loads of exclusively vegan eateries on the app, including Little Bird Kitchen, Revive, The Raw Kitchen, Well+Good, V1 Vegan, Aroha and Krishna Foods.