Why I am a Vegan

[Jade]

I have a new coworker who asked me this the other day: Why are you vegan? There are three answers that seem to be able to satisfy people: For one's own health, for environmental reasons, or for compassion for the animals. I realized that when she asked me this expecting one of those responses, that the answer was not nearly that simple or compartmentalized. Initially I went vegan for health reasons, supported by a compassion for animals. But after nearly 5 years of this lifestyle, I realize that compassion for my body, compassion for animals, and compassion for the environment/planet are all the same thing. I choose every day to attempt to have a net positive impact on the whole of my environment, based on feedback that the environment gives me, such as how our increasing global desire to farm meat is destroying rainforests and other natural habitats, how much water/fuel is required to farm meat vs. vegetables, and how the livestock industry creates more green house gases than the whole of our transportation system. I just learned yesterday that shrimp has a larger bioimpact than beef! It's cues like these that help show me a better way.