Eco-active Lifestyle Choices

Diet:

My personal research has shown me that a vegan lifestyle is a cruelty-free and the eco-friendliest way of eating and living. This means that not only your diet reflects your activism and conscience but also the products that you buy and the way you behave and act. It is however important to note that veganism means different things for different individuals and not everything that is labeled “vegan” necessary means that it is impact-free. Nothing that we do or consume is impact-free but veganism is a big step towards achieving a more humane and compassionate world and towards committing to an environmental consciousness lifestyle.

A plant-based vegan diet excludes all animal products, such as meat, fish, dairy and eggs. Not only is it proven that a vegan diet is much more environmentally-friendly, but it is also very healthy and beneficial to your body. Studies have shown that is reduces the risk of many diseases. A documentary addressing the health issue regarding meat and dairy is called “Forks over knifes” and is worthwhile watching when researching more about the vegan diet and its benefits.

A documentary addressing the environmental impact of the meat and dairy industry is called “Cowspiracy“. This is the movie that inspired me to become vegan. The documentary “Earthlings” addresses the ethics behind animal cruelty and veganism. Both movies are worthwhile when aiming to live a more conscious and sustainable lifestyle. The least we can do is to inform ourselves about veganism and highlight industry interests that lead to animal cruelty, profit-making conspiracy and environmental destruction. Changing the world starts with every single one of us: a single individual can make a difference and can change circumstances, just like one single individual can cause great harm to people, animals and the environment. Our love and the way we respond to our conscience shows the humans that we are behind the masks we wear.

However, even when eating a plant-based diet it is advisable to eat seasonally as far as possible in order to support the local market and avoid imported food with a larger carbon footprint. In addition, due to the harm caused by palmoil plantations and deforestations I avoid all products containing palmoil to protect the wildlife, chimpanzees, eco-systems and the local people in those areas.

Facts from Cowspiracy [www.cowspiracy.com/facts/]:

• Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation.
• Cows produce 150 billion gallons of methane per day.
• Even without fossil fuels, we will exceed our 565 giga tones CO₂ limit by 2030, all from raising animals.
• Animal Agriculture is responsible for 20% – 33% of all fresh water consumption in the world today.
• Animal agriculture is responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction.
• 82% of starving children live in countries where food is fed to animals, and the animals are eaten by western countries.
• A person who follows a vegan diet produces the equivalent of 50% less carbon dioxide, uses 1/11th oil, 1/13th water, and 1/18th land compared to a meat-lover for their food.
• Each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20Ibs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life.

 

Mindful shopping and consuming:

• Bring your own re-usable. Do not buy, accept or use plastic bags.
• Boycott all polystyrene packed products as they are usually non-recyclable, lead to the destruction of ozone layer and are endocrine disruptors.
• Sell or donate your old clothes and buy thrifted good-quality second hand clothes.
• Buy local and support the industry and workers of your country!
• If it is possible in your region adapt a zero-waste lifestyle were you try to produce as little waste as possible by bringing your own bags, glass bottles, containers and refillable bottles.
• Always bring your own water bottle when traveling or going on an outing.
• Boycott and say no to straws as they are non-recyclable and cause harm to marine life. There is absolutely no need for you to suck on plastic straws! Alternatives to plastic straws are metallic reusable ones.
• Do not use balloons! There are so many alternative decorations and balloons are non-recyclable, non-biodegradable and will stay as pollution on Earth forever affecting wildlife and ending up in our own food chain! Having two minutes of fun is not worth it.

An individual person creates lots of waste in the course of a day (please look up the kg or liter of waste produced per person). Now imagine all the waste produced by a single household every day. Multiply that by 356 days and add the years together. These are mind-boggling amounts of waste produced by the world population. It is unsustainable and not even necessary. There is no need for us to depend on plastic and non-reusables! Our oceans are under serious constraints regarding plastic and other toxic waste pollution. Whatever plastic has been produced is still somewhere around us. But you can personally contribute to avoid this kind of ongoing pollution of our environment.

 

Have your ever wondered why most clothes that you buy are “made in China”? Many years ago South Africa had a strong and huge clothing industry, but import deals with China have changed that. Clothes are now imported and many local companies had to close down causing a further increase of unemployment rates. Many Asian countries employ worker under maximal exploiting conditions of both the people working there and the environment. It is better to buy a few good-quality local products than to buy and support lots of cheap foreign imports. A worthwhile and breathtaking documentary addressing the impact of fashion on people and the planet to is called “The True Cost”.

 

Products:

Do you know that when your city is letting sewage and wastewater back into the environment without major treatment all the soaps, detergents, micro-plastics and chemicals that you use to clean your toilets, wash your washing and clean your hair end up in the ocean? You might very well be swimming in them and swallowing them when you take a swim in the ocean! A good label to look out for when buying shampoos, conditioners, cleaning agents and soaps is again the vegan label. This ensures that the product has not been tested on animals, is free of micro-plastic and does not contain harmful chemical ingredients. Usually the product with the vegan label will provide extra-information about its ingredients. Personally I can just say that vegan shampoo and conditioner has shown amazing results for my hair as it is does not react aggressively to my scalp and cleanses my hair more naturally.

Ask yourself what products you want to use on your body and which ingredients your soap and detergent contains?

Vegan make-up? The question is what kind of chemicals do you want to put on your face?  Who had to suffer for your beauty products? It’s good to know that what’s on your skin is not tested on animals, contains no harmful chemicals and is natural.

Also think about using natural air fresheners/ fruit extracts instead of pump sprays. Aerosols in pump sprays can cause acute lung diseases as you breathe them in. Avoid products containing DDT by all costs. Most countries have banned the use of DDT as it can have serious health implications.

Have you ever thought about using vegan toothpaste and bamboo toothbrushes? Regular toothpaste usually also contains harmful ingredients and chemicals which can be absorbed by your body. Plastic toothbrushes are non-recyclable, unsustainable and cause huge pollution problems. The vegan bamboo ones are even biodegradable and compostable and are therefore definitely worth a try.

Plastic kettles?

When plastic is exposed to heat, compounds start to break down such as poly carbonate and polypropylene. This can have risky health implications. It can especially have an effect on unborn fetuses and young children as these compounds are endocrine disrupters. For your own well-being it is therefore advisable to use a non-plastic metal kettle. In addition, they last longer and therefore be more sustainable.

Eco-activism starts with each and every single one of us. What is good for the planet is likely to be good for us as well. Mother Nature should not be your last but your first thought. We are the world. We are the change. Sustainability is a choice. Your choice. Today is the day to start.

“The environment is in us, not outside of us. The trees are our lungs, the rivers our bloodstream. We are all interconnected, and what you do to the environment, ultimately you do to yourself.” –Ian Somerhalder

Eco-active mindset wrap-up:

• Veganism
• Minimalism
• Zero-waste mindset
• Cyclic thinking: recycling &composting
• Buying local