Is veganism extreme reasoning?

By Mike, Vegan Pledge Volunteer & longterm vegan

Tell a friend or colleague you are vegetarian, and the response may well consist of a knowing or admiring nod of the head. Inform them of your vegan lifestyle, and quizzical puzzled looks may be the response. In mainstream culture in Britain 2012, the word veganism is still often linked to the word extremism.

When people hear of my vegan lifestyle, their immediate puzzlement is habitually framed by questions wanting to know why I don’t drink cow’s milk or why I don’t eat cheese. Of course the reason I don’t drink cows milk is because my mother isn’t a cow. Similarly, the reason I don’t eat cheese is also because my mother isn’t a cow... or a goat, or a sheep. In fact even calves or kids or lambs don’t eat cheese. 

Image from One Green Planet

Veganism is a lifestyle choice whose essence is compassion. Those who wish to see the destruction and cruelty continue still hold the megaphone of public discourse. However, the tide is visibly turning as more and more people embrace veganism as a way to manifest their deep commitment to a more kind and just world.

Vegan Pledge Trip to Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary

By Kelly, Vegan Pledge organiser

On Saturday 9th June, I drove a 17 seater minibus full of Vegan Pledgers to vegan run Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary in East Sussex. The sanctuary is home to more than 30 cows and other animals who were destined for slaughter in the meat, dairy and egg industries. We wanted to provide the opportunity for new vegans to meet animals whom the closest most people get to is their body parts on a plate. These animals are just like the dog or cat you may share your home with - they are all individuals with their own characters and emotions and most importantly, they all have the ability to suffer and feel pain, anger, happiness and sadness.

This is Reggie who is a 16 year old Jersey cow. If Wenda (the sanctuary owner) had not given her a lifelong home, she would have been killed by the dairy industry at just four or five years old. Reggie is currently grieving for the loss of her lifelong partner Gromit who sadly died earlier in the year after developing a brain tumour following the death of his mother whom he had never been parted from. Reggie and Gromit were inseparable and since Gromit's death, Reggie has refused to stand up. She is gradually showing signs of improving, but as anyone who has lost someone close to them will know, it takes time. We all gave Reggie lots of love whilst we were there.

Hugletts and another one of the sanctuary's old ex dairy cows - Luksa - features in Animal Aid's informative 4 minute film on the dairy industry, which you can view here: www.govegan.org.uk.

For the rest of this article, I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves!

Herbert and Alex

Burfi the bull who found sanctuary at Hugletts after he was no longer wanted as a breeding machine

 Basil gets all the attention

Emile (the head of the herd) and Golda

Golda hugging Herbert

Edmund blissing out

Jamie and Emily with Herbert

Chester and Edmund

Alex and Herbert

Mollie being brushed by Alex

Zachariah saying hello to one of the pledgers

Fawne and Alex getting to know Little Lester

Chester and Edmund enjoying their brushing session with two pledgers

Dominika and Alex with Mollie Munchkin

Shan giving Mollie a groom

"I like your non leather shoes!"

Basil with Wenda, who lovingly cares for every soul at Hugletts

A huge thank you to Wenda and Matt for allowing us to visit and introducing us to all of the lucky individuals who live at the sanctuary and to Vicky Alhadeff for taking the pictures.

Answering questions from non-vegans

By Cathy, Vegan Pledge Buddy 2010, 2011 & 2012, and Vegan Campaigns volunteer since 2009

For many people, one of the most challenging aspects of going vegan is how to deal with reactions from other people. Although these may be genuinely interested and supportive, there are times when you might encounter defensiveness. There are however constructive ways to deal with the whole spectrum of reactions and questions that arise – especially if we remember that every encounter of this kind as an opportunity to convey our reasons in a positive way. This short post explains some of the things that help me whenever I'm asked about why I'm vegan. 

~ I look for common ground, which is surprisingly easy to do: after all, hardly anyone thinks cruelty, inequity or trashing the planet are a good thing. In fact, most people share the exact same values that underlie the vegan philosophy. It’s then just a matter of being able to help people make those connections, and start to question the belief system that underlies their complicity in the industries that exploit animals for food. 

~ Even if somebody seems completely closed-minded, I hope to leave an impression on them as an example of a healthy and vibrant vegan who has chosen to tread gently in the world through making this fulfilling choice. Through that, I may just plant a seed which will get watered over time by other exposure to the reasons to be vegan.

~ I take heart from many vegan and vegetarian advocates who offer ongoing inspiration. Some I know in person; others are public advocates whose message I wish to see filtering far and wide through the human consciousness. Just a few examples are Melanie Joy, Marc Beckoff, Kathy Freston and Philip Wollen. There are many quotations from thinkers throughout history who have looked ahead to the day when we treat the interests of other animals with equal consideration. A wonderful website for this is herbweb, which is the source for the pictures and quotations in this post. These never fail to inspire me. 

~ There are lots of resources that I find helpful, in keeping me up-to-date on the facts, discussing the issues and maintaining hope that change is coming. As a podcast aficcionado, two of my favourites are Vegan Radio (US) and The Vegan Option (this UK podcast is London-based, and includes an episode on the Vegan Pledge 2011). There are many great websites out there too; the one I visit most often for regular and reliably good content is One Green Planet.

~ I also remember 
that I’m in good company. As Philip Wollen points out in the video linked above, there are over 600 million vegetarians in the world: more than the population of the entire EU. We are part of a growing movement, whose time has come. Here in London, we're lucky to be at the epicentre of this movement, with like-minded people to be found all over the place!   

~ In my case, I’ve also come to feel that it’s ok for me to state unequivocally that I'm vegan for ethical reasons, rather than quietly writing it off as a personal choice. Although that might be the path of least resistance, I suppose I have come to feel that peaceful and constructive resistance against this scale of oppression is both acceptable and appropriate. But that doesn't mean I have to make the whole conversation really gruelling. In fact, I always explain veganism as a positive choice that helps animals, people and planet, while offering a wonderfully full, healthy and abundant lifestyle. My motto is 'the best things in life are cruelty-free'. 

~ And finally, here's a nice little quip, courtesy of Snargleplexon, that makes me smile:

How many vegans does it take to change a light bulb?

Ten. One to do it and nine to convince people it really is that easy.

:)

Stumbling-block-of-cheese Part 1: What's wrong with dairy?

By Cathy, Vegan Pledge Buddy 2010, 2011 & 2012, and Vegan Campaigns volunteer since 2009

Lots of new vegans say cheese is their biggest stumbling block. This two-part post is here to help.

The first thing to say is you are not alone: many have been through this before and found the way through. You will too! If that sounds like advice for people afflicted with some kind of addiction, well that’s not so far from the truth, seeing as cheese contains casomorphins, which have an opioid effect on the brain. The good news is, the addiction subsides and then vanishes once you wean yourself off it, and there are many great reasons to do just that.

This first post gives a very quick insight into those reasons. Tomorrow’s post will be on the more upbeat subject of how to live happily without cheese.

Since I mentioned weaning, let’s start there.

Suffering for cows and their calves…

Image from
animalaid.org.uk/images/pdf/
booklets/zerograze.pdf

No calf = no milk, so cows are kept almost constantly pregnant throughout their curtailed lives, with each birth followed by an agonising separation of mother and calf. The ‘lucky’ female offspring get to follow in their mothers’ footsteps: their reproductive systems exploited without respite from the moment they reach sexual maturity. As well as the loss of their calves, they suffer routine mutilation through the widespread practice of ‘disbudding’ (the industry term for burning off young horn tissue), as well as being subject to lameness, metabolic disorders, and mastitis due to being selectively bred over generations to massively overproduce milk.

Photo from Animal Equality 

animalequality.net/food/milk

The young males are either shot at birth or shipped to Europe to be incarcerated in veal crates which induce anaemia in the name of producing pale flesh for human consumption. Continental veal production is banned in the UK because it is deemed so cruel. However, some UK dairy farmers, keen to cash in on the flesh of their male calves, are now trying to promote ‘rosé veal’. Obviously profit is their true motive. The young calf is still taken from his mother, castrated, disbudded, reared indoors, and butchered after a few months. It is clear that the only way to have no part in the suffering of cows and their offspring is to say no to all forms of dairy. 

You can search ‘dairy farm cruelty’ on Google, YouTube, etc, and sadly you will find countless hits that illustrate the suffering that takes place in the production of cheese and other dairy products, much of which is very upsetting to witness. For easier watching, I recommend this watchable short video, in song form, recently released by the comedian Vegan Smythe, which uses humour to make some important points in an very accessible way, without any distressing footage.

Environmental costs

As with all animal products, cheese and other dairy products take a heavy toll on the environment. Dairy farms are one of the most significant contributors to water table pollution (this was actually one of the main reasons for refusal of permission for the controversial Nocton mega dairy). As ruminants, cows contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions as their digestive systems emit large quantities of methane. Together with emissions from feed production and fertilisers associated with dairy production, the industry is responsible for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The dairy industry is also responsible for 7% of the global water footprint, in addition to its vast land footprint for both grazing and the production of feed crops.

Human health issues

Using cows' milk as food for humans doesn't just hurt them and the environment – it is not a healthy choice for us either. This is perhaps unsurprising, when you consider that we are the only species that drinks the baby food of another, or indeed consumes milk after infancy at all. Although the industry spends millions trying to convince us that dairy products are good for us, we can meet our calcium needs from plant sources in a form that is more accessible to our bodies, and without the health problems associated with dairy. These include links to higher rates of osteoporotic bone fracture, some cancers, autoimmune diseases, and ear infections and allergies in children, as well as the prevalent symptoms of lactose intolerance. The overuse of antibiotics in dairy cows is now also being linked to antimicrobial resistance, with worrying implications for human health too.

So, the case against dairy is compelling - but, once you’ve realised that dairy-free is the way forward, how do you make the transition? This is what tomorrow’s post is all about, focusing on the one that people tend to find most challenging: cheese.

Further reading

Special report Milk: why the white stuff leaves a bad taste in the mouth - the Ecologist

Milk Myths Dairy Report - VIVA!

Milking the truth - Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation

Milk - Animal Equality

Dairy - Vegan Peace

Milk is cruel - Occupy For Animals warning: includes links to upsetting short videos

White Lies - the health consequences of consuming cow's milk - Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation

Confessions Of A Cheeseaholic - Vegetarian Times

I Couldn’t Give Up Cheese, So I Gave Up Animal Cruelty Instead - This Vegan Life