Try Out Veganism! By Caitlin Roeltgen
What would it take for you to go vegan? For me and a few of my friends, all we needed was a challenge, at least for a week. Indefinite veganism, though, would take a bit more consideration. But what am I willing to give up for my values? What steps am I willing to take?
I currently (aim) to eat vegetarian. Of course, there are exceptions, but I don’t cook meat for myself and I aim to avoid it elsewhere. The decision, for me, was almost purely ecological, as going plant-based has one of the biggest impacts on individual greenhouse gas emissions. I have never been the biggest fan of meat, anyways, so it hasn’t been super difficult.
There are other ways to reduce my footprint; I could stop buying plastic, start only buying sustainably, become an activist, join a team. I could go completely vegan. But instead, I opted for the easiest choice. Can I really say I care about the environment if I limit myself to what is simple, what is easy?
Eating less meat does decrease greenhouse gas emissions, along with land use and other environmental impacts (though not necessarily water usage). Beef, shrimp, and lamb have the highest protein-rich impact on the environment, per a 2018 study by Poore and Nemecek. Just removing one meat-based meal a week removes around the equivalent usage of a tank or so of gas. In general, less meat in a diet typically correlates with a smaller footprint. After beef, shrimp, and lamb, though, the study found, lies cheese. Cheese, milk, and eggs are almost equivalent to farmed fish and other meats, in terms of overall footprint.
Cheese hit me the hardest. I love cheese! I eat it with my breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner. It’s easy, not too expensive (mostly), and goes with everything. When the idea for a week of veganism came about, I knew cheese would be the most difficult to lose. I have to think more about the seasonings I use with my pasta, what to put on my sandwiches, and whether I have enough time to make something I actually want to eat. My own fault, mostly, for relying on cheese normally, but for a week, it’s not too bad.
Could I remove it from my diet entirely, though? Logistically, yes, obviously. Emotionally? I’m not sure. It’s a question of sacrifice, on the smallest scale. Am I willing to sacrifice ease and comfort for one of my strongest beliefs? And, why do I hesitate? Why does an individual action for the collective good feel like such a task?
More generally, I think that’s a common feeling to have. Of course, a majority of the responsibility falls onto the corporations that promote and allow for unsustainable production. Under capitalism, profit and infinite growth are primary goals. In a finite ecosystem, though, nothing can grow forever, yet people in power often ignore this reality. The average person can do very little to counteract this culture, and, at least for me, I feel like nothing I do makes any impact. I can try to avoid single-use plastic when I shop, sure, but Jumbo will continue wrapping all its produce. And, in my community, what impact does my reusable bag really make?
It’s hard, in general, to consider a world outside the one you see right in front of you. With plastic bag usage, for example, at UCU we don’t physically see the accumulation of trash that affects other places; we also don’t see how generational usage has changed, or what other policies could look like; everything we see is based on this one community we live in. Even if most of us are a part of two or more communities, we still only see a small selection of possible ways to live.
All of these things make one small sacrifice seem so much less worth it. Opting to make your life more difficult when you can’t concretely see the outcome is hard, no matter how much we may wish it wasn’t. But, eating plant-based does have an individual impact, and there are billions of individuals on the planet. If everyone went vegetarian (excluding around 25% who may already be vegetarian), we could reduce carbon emissions due to food production by around 35%. In one estimate, around 20% of global carbon output is due to food production, so that would be an estimate of 7% total reduction. A very loose estimate, of course, but it does give some sense of scale. For something more tangible, we can go back to the tank of gas estimate from before: a reduction of one tank per person may mean little in our frame of reference, but globally (especially where driving is not the norm), it means much more. The context matters.
I wish I could say I’m completely convinced by my own argument. That I’m now going to go vegan and make some tradeoffs. But I don’t know what I’m going to do in the future; I still don’t know what feels worth it. I do know, though, I’m going to take it one decision at a time. Vegan for the rest of this week is already decided. And next week? Less cheese, maybe, or I could try out some new recipes that could reduce my cheese usage in the future. We’ll see how it goes, but in the meantime, I ask you to try with me. Something small, to start. Try vegetarian meat, maybe, or opt for a bowl of noodles over mac and cheese. See what works for you, and what you’re willing to try, and don’t forget that we’re all in this fight together.
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