"What is it that should trace the insuperable line? ...The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?"
Jeremy Bentham, philosopher
Overview
What is this page even here for? I am not a big activist, mainly because I don't believe I have the power to change anyone's mind. How many times in the course of human history has anyone changed anyone else's mind? Not many. So if you eat meat or eggs or dairy products, it is safe to assume you will keep on doing so even after you read this. But it is an important part of my life, and is something I strongly believe in, and so I think it deserves a part on my web page.Why I am vegan (quick summary)
We don't need animal products to survive (in fact research not funded by the animal farming industry suggests eating any animal products is harmful). This means that any animal product we eat is for our pleasure only, and I don't believe animals should suffer for my pleasure.Why I don't eat eggs and dairy products
The egg and dairy industry cause so much suffering, I can't begin to describe it. And it never ceases to amaze me how little people know about it. I myself didn't know how much suffering these industries cause until AFTER I was a vegetarian! Here is one fact from each industry:Eggs: Male chickens are not necessary for egg production. When the eggs hatch, chicks are checked for sex - males are thrown out into a garbage bin where they are crushed to death by the sheer amount of chicks on top of them.
Dairy: In order to keep a steady supply of milk, cows are repeatedly impregnated. Many male calves are taken from their mothers when they are as young as one day old and chained in tiny stalls to be raised for veal. The confinement is so extreme that they cannot even turn around or lie down comfortably. They live their entire lives like this.
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Environmental Issues
I have to be honest, this isn't the reason I'm vegan, but I think very few people know what the impact is of the meat indutry on the environment. Just two small examples:- To produce a kilogram of beef takes roughly 20,000 litres of water. (As a comparison, an average shower takes about 50-70 litres).
- The global livestock industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all the planes, trains and automobiles in the world combined.