There are many reasons why more and more people are eschewing a reliance on animal products and embracing the vegan lifestyle. And you’d better believe that they are! This year’s Veganuary was a fully fledged record breaker with a staggering 183% increase on last year with 79,000 omnivores taking part to try the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle and 168,542 people taking part overall.
The reasons for this increase are both uniquely personal and extremely varied. Many are people who love animals and can no longer reconcile their love of all creatures with their predilection for eating and wearing them on a regular basis. Others are people who have seen their health gradually deteriorate after years and years if a diet rich in meat, eggs and dairy products. All those saturated fats are bound to take a toll and there’s a mounting body of evidence to suggest that the so-called Western diet (usually characterised by a slab of meat accompanied by a starchy carbohydrate and a flourish of green here and there) is fundamentally unhealthy and leads to overeating and obesity not to mention an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. Yet, as our awareness of the global impact of our planet’s reliance on animal products rises as a result of documentaries like Cowspiracy and The Earthlings more and more people are turning to a vegan diet and lifestyle simply because it represents a more sustainable option for a planet that is fast running out of resources. Thus, many vegans are also embracing the zero waste lifestyle. Inspired by the likes of Bea Johnson, author of Zero Waste Home and Lauren Singer of Trash Is For Tossers these people take inventive and creative measures to reduce or even eliminate the damaging landfill waste that is slowly killing our planet.
