WHY  VEGAN?     

                                                                                                                                                               COMPASSION  AND  EQUALITY

Veganism is one of today’s fastest-growing social justice movements. Ethical awareness is growing that we can no longer support and enable the unnecessary exploitation and killing of over 150 billion non-human animals each year for food production, entertainment, research, and the clothing industries. The suffering of these animals is like an invisible thread in the fabric of our everyday lives, perpetuated by the inertia of cultural norms and powerful interests of businesses that exploit animals. Most people are part of a significant disconnect: they love their companion animals and see them as family members, yet have become numbed and desensitized to the plight of others.

Every living being, in the words of the late animal rights philosopher Tom Regan, has intrinsic rights because they are “subjects-of-a-life.” They have lives that matters to them, just as our lives matter to us. The actions of individuals choosing compassion over exploitation have the collective power to elevate our consciousness and create positive change. More than ever, the world needs a new emboldened sense of empathy for the innocent sentient beings who have no voice.

”Each and every one of us has the ability to affect change. You have the power to affect change. It just takes a decision to act.  A decision to not look away.  A decision to come closer. Never doubt the power you have, and the even greater power we have when we come together at a grassroots level. Stop waiting for someone to do something and be that someone.”     

Emily Moran Barwick

THE  ENVIRONMENT

Animal agriculture has a destructive, severe impact on our planet. The industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gases, damaging climate events, land, water and air pollution, soil erosion, deforestation, species extinction, habitat loss, depletion of water reserves, and ocean dead zones. And its far-reaching detrimental effects are intrinsically tied to global crises relating to world hunger, disease, the economy, food safety, and rising health care costs. Humanity is accelerating along a destructive path, and we are now at a critical point where we must take a hard look at the damaging consequences of our current means of food production.

Through a conscious elimination of our reliance on animal products, the planet can restore the balance of its ecosystems. Yet it is not just about the physical world. Real change is possible when we transform our own inner landscape into a deeper emotional and spiritual awareness that all life, and all things, are vitally connected. In doing so, we will have the chance to return to a greater harmonious alignment with our natural world.

”Environmentalists who ignore the ecological cost of producing meat are in denial of one of the greatest threats to the world’s ecosystems and the prospect of eating ethically.”

James McWilliams

HEALTH

Our food choices affect all aspects of our being, from the physical and mental to the emotional and spiritual. The beneficial, healing capabilities of a purely plant-sourced diet are clearly evidenced through numerous medical and scientific studies.  A vegan lifestyle can not only halt, but reverse the progression of many diseases, protecting the body through a wide range of nutrients, fiber, antioxidants and hundreds of thousands of phytochemicals. And vegans speak of many effects beyond the physical—an enhanced clarity of mind and well-being, a deep sense of peace from living in line with values of compassion and non-violence, and a growth in spiritual awareness.

”The most ethical diet just so happens to be the most environmentally sound diet and just so happens to be the healthiest.”

Dr. Michael Greger