Vegan: More Than 'No Cheese'

I like cheese. A lot. A connoisseur to havarti, brie, and edam. I could never be Vegan.

Until recently I had only correlated the world of Veganism to a world without Ben and Jerry's. But I have learned that Veganism is not just what people eat, it's also what they wear.

Anti-leather and fur movements are by no means a new idea. Years back PETA practices became embedded in the fashion industry. A handful of designers, companies, and models threw away their mink coats and leather boots. Killing an animal for the sake of fashion was considered, well, bad. I like to think of these fashionistas as the vegetarians of the clothing industry.

But, what about all those wool sweaters? The sheep is not killed. You might ask, what's so bad about shaving a sheep? Vegans see this as "using" the sheep. Essentially its exploitation.

Also, there are often poor practices within the wool industry. Sheep are often shaved at the wrong time of year and end up dying from exposure to the heat and cold.

Veganism, related to both food and clothes, is considered to lead to a more healthy lifestyle for:
1.) The Vegan
2.) The animals
3.) The environment

The meat industry is after all one of the main hinderances to the environment. In order for people worldwide to enjoy their fav fast food burger:
- rainforests are cleared to make room for herds=obvious environmental implications
- cow waste=destruction of groundwater
- the beef is shipped to butchers, processing plants, and eventually restaurants=tons of energy use for transport

Vegans and vegetarians alike make sound arguments about the animal and earth friendliness of their practices. Sometimes I feel a little guilty. But for now, cheese will continue to be a part of my life.

WARNING: This video is graphic. It's titled "This is Why I'm Vegan." I'm not sure what I think of it. What do you think?...If you can stomach it.