My New Year's resolution this year was to live a more sustainable lifestyle and develop more sustainable habits. My Mom has been supporting me a lot in this (thanks Mom!) and she has been keeping a very open mind and following me on this journey. We have implemented new sustainable practices each month in a very spontaneous way. Stay tuned. There will be a future blog (likely in December) including all of the new, more sustainable things we have done this year. For a sneak peek, this week you guys are going to get to know what we did for the Month of May. Exactly two months ago, my mom and I went vegan. My dad has also taken a role in this by reducing his meat intake and focussing on a more "pescatarian style" diet. We have not been buying much meat and there are many more vegan options in the house. As a result, even my brother has reduced his animal product consumption substantially.
Overall I feel great and at the same time, a bit shocked. I never expected it to be possible for me to go vegan. Possibly vegetarian I used to think to myself. But here I am, and after two months this lifestyle now seems very possible and by taking it one day at a time, I can live a vegan lifestyle. I’m still shocked. This is coming from someone who used to eat an average of 14 oz of animal products each day! Yet, every time I finish a meal now, I might be sad it is over, but I am happy no animals were harmed in the process. Being vegan has helped me become even more aware and intentional about the clothes I wear, the floss I use, and the food that goes into my body. I feel better the lower my impact is. With a much lower carbon footprint, I feel better. Speaking of clothes, this is one area I have been giving a lot of thought to. This is because of second-hand items. I understand this has become a very controversial topic in the vegan community. I, at the moment, I would much sooner wear second-hand leather rather than fast fashion cotton. Even though leather is not traditionally vegan. That is just what I believe is right. Of course, others believe this is not a vegan practice so I call myself plant-based more often than vegan because it is less labeling. I don’t like labels. They put you into one category and give you no room to move. This is why I love minimalism. Minimalism defined by only owning the things that bring you happiness. If you own millions or billions of items, but all of them spark joy, you could call yourself a minimalist. Of course, a lot of people would disagree, but that is where you can simply ignore this very controversial world we live in. Anyways, back to being vegan. Just yesterday was my first experience in the real world and being vegan. Due to the pandemic, we have stayed home these past two months. However, last night was my moms birthday (and she doesn't look a day over 80). We decided to put on our masks and go out to dinner to celebrate. It was not nearly as hard as I imagined it would be to order and eat a vegan meal. Well... we did nearly forget butter isn't vegan. But overall the meal tasted great and I strongly recommend eating more plant based to anyone who eats a lot of animal products. I feel awesome and know I am helping our planet be more sustainable. I believe our world is on a path to being much more plant-based, and I am simply grateful to be doing my part.
Check It Out Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPWpBFCJa0Q&t=113s
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