Veganism–a way of living where people don’t consume anything coming from or made with animals, can stop the consumption of animals and can stop animal abuse, which means killing animals for clothes, furniture, anything. 

    Veganism can help the planet by reducing our carbon footprint by up to 73 percent according to vegconomist.com, a site that talks about the vegan society. Global farmland could be reduced by 75 percent; that is the equivalent amount of U.S, China, Australia’s land mass combined. 

   Torianna Pena, PVHS Sophomore, said, “I do think going vegan is an easy way to help the planet because by cutting meat and dairy products from your diet, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds.” Greenhouse gasses cause health problems by polluting the air, and it causes climate change by trapping heat in our atmosphere. 

    Animals are bred to suffer in slaughterhouses as the demand for meat and animal products rise, but veganism can stop animal cruelty, which would stop the animals from suffering. They suffer because they are in extremely poor conditions, where they are drugged with steroids, antiseptics, bactericides, and fungicides. They are also forced into a cramped living space with other animals and have to stand in their own feces. 

   Without animals, Vegans need a lot of food that contain protein, protein from tofu, tempeh, edamame, lentils, chickpeas, peanuts, almonds, and more. Edamame is Japanese for green soybean. It has 17 grams of protein per cup, while an 8oz steak has 45 to 50 grams of protein. 

   Veganism is a plant-based diet that has less risk of high blood pressure. Medicalnewstoday.com, a site that has health news since 2003 notes that vegans tend to have lower BMI (body mass index), lower rates of heart disease, and less obesity than people who eat meat. Meat-eaters have a BMI of 118.8 lbs in men and 115.1 lbs in women, while vegans have a BMI of 108 lbs in men, 105.6 lbs in women. 

   Veganism helps the planet by reducing the acidity in the ocean by reducing the amount of agricultural carbon being pumped into the atmosphere, which affects coral reefs and molluscs as they both have calcium carbonate shells which find it hard to reproduce and grow if acidity increases in the ocean. Meat and dairy industries cut down a part of the rainforest in brazil the size of one football field for producing more products, in the past 50 years, 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest has been cut down. 

   Mrs. Womble, PVHS Government teacher, said, “Using alternative transportation methods that do not use fossil fuels and not using single use plastics are better ways to help the planet instead of going vegan.” Any vehicle that does not use diesel or petrol is considered an alternative vehicle. Alternative vehicles are considered “cleaner” and safer for the environment as they typically use gasoline (petrol) and electric batteries for the energy used to power internal-combustion engines.  

   Veganism is also healthy for the body as it is proven to decrease heart problems and help people lose weight. Veganism has been connected to improve kidney function and lower blood sugar levels. Vegans usually consume a good amount of fruits and vegetables which, when consumed versus a carnivorous diet, seem to have a 15% lower risk of dying from cancer. 

   Veganism is one way of helping the planet, a healthy and fun way to make new meals and desserts.