Happy Earth Day! 7 Ways Being Vegan Helps Our Planet

Ooooh happy happy Earth Day! Today is wonderful – and it marks 45 years. Over the last 40 years, EDN has run a number of successful environmental campaigns on issues ranging from climate change to saving the whales.

So, here we are. What can we do from our own community? Of course, you can plant a tree or organize a neighborhood clean-up, but you are certainly already helping the Earth just by being vegan. Yes, everyday is Earth Day in your world, lovely. We thought it may be fun to point out just a few of the ways that you are going green, day in and day out.

#1: If just ONE person ditches eating meat for a plant-based lifestyle, they’ll reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 tons per year.

#2: So, 50% of water used in the U.S. goes to raising animals for food. FIFTY PERCENT, PEOPLE. Everyone just stop and give that water to a country that REALLY needs it!

#3: When you adopt a vegan diet, you only require 300 gallons of water per day. A meat-eater? 4,000 galloons. On that same note, it takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat, while growing 1 pound of wheat requires only 25 gallons of water. You are conserving more water than you realize!

#4: More than 260 million acres of forest in the U.S. have been cleared in order to grow more grain for factory farm animals. We’ll never get those forests back, and that is disgusting.

#5: The above fact is the number one reason why plant species will go extinct over time.

#6: The livestock sector is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO₂ equivalent. Seriously, cows and pigs (while we love ’em) produce a number of polluting gases that affect the atmosphere. Climate change is a real issue, folks.

#7: Where’s all that poop and pee going? Right into our water supply, baby. Going vegan means you are helping to avoid water pollution – from lagoons to rivers to the ocean.

Veganism, you are a breath of fresh air. Happy Earth Day, vegheads! xx bianca