What Makes a Carnivore a Vegan?

*** You may learn some things that are not easy to swallow. But please keep reading. Ignoring facts will not stop these terrible things from happening. There is a happy story along the way. :)***

When you lose someone or something that has been an integral part of your life, your natural coping response is to grieve. The path to veganism has been one that I have had to grieve throughout. All of my favorite dishes contained meat, eggs or dairy, and so in making the decision to become a vegan I have had to detach myself from positive associations with animal products. The big question is "why would someone do such a thing? Isn't it easier to just keep living your normal life?" Yes, it most definitely would have been easier to continue living as I had been.

The reality, however, is that the more I learned about factory farming, the less I could bear to support it. Are you aware that "free range" chickens must share their "open space" with hundreds of other chickens? Not to mention that most of them can't walk because they have been so severely neglected, and pumped with hormones to drastically increase their growth period to expedite the product to the shelf (aka. quicker growth + less time and money to feed the livestock = more money for the industry). $$$. That's what is numero uno. Has no one else noticed the correlation between our hormone infused food and the giant "next generation"? Human and animal health and well being are of no concern to the meat, egg and dairy industries.

Eggs. Oh eggs; since boy chicks are useless to the egg industry, their future is a device much like a wood chipper. All the little chicks are sent down a conveyor belt and are checked, by employees, to determine their sex. The females are sent to the factory to be neglected, abused and then slaughtered once they are no longer laying eggs (their meat can not be eaten because of the years of neglect). The male chicks are crushed alive.

I am an active volunteer for a farm refuge, Teja's. The owner is living in poverty to save animals from factory farms. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see the state of the animals coming from our local farms.

Happy Story Time!The last time I was at Teja's I was petting an enormous pig (he was pumped with hormones during his "stay" on the factory farm). He was enjoying his little pat down so much that I put him to sleep. The best part, however, was when an other pig trotted over to get in on the petting action, and immediately dropped to the ground, rolled over and demanded that I rub his belly (very much the same behaviours as dogs)!! When I briefly stopped petting pig number 1, he nuzzled me with his snout to let me know that he was not finished being petted. :D

When exposed to real live factory farm animals, who have incredible personalities and affection, it is absolutely crushing to imagine their initial fate, and the fate of those who have not been rescued. How is it that we can disconnect ourselves from the animals on our plate, but pour so much love into our pets? The animals on your plate are little different from those living under your roof.

I strongly encourage you to make informed decisions when supporting these industries. There are 2 excellent documentaries that are eye opening and informative and I would be eternally grateful if you find the courage to watch one or both.  Although based in the United States, Canada has similar if not identical problems that are outlined in both of these documentaries.

Food Inc.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food,_Inc.

Forks Over Knives:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forks_Over_Knives

Although I have had to grieve the loss of my habits and favorite foods, I no longer have to grieve for the animals who suffered beyond imagination to provide me with such empty pleasure. I still, however, have to grieve for those animals on others' behalf.

Once Upon a Landfill...

The movie WALL-E is meant to be an eye opener.  Talking robots aside, WALL-E is a pretty accurate depiction of the future of our wasteful ways. Unless we stop producing so much waste, we’re going to run out of convenient locations to hide our consumerism.

What is a landfill? Picture it. Have you seen one in person before? Step back and really think about what a landfill is; in my opinion, it’s an enabler to humans’ wasteful ways.  What if you were to instead throw your garbage in your backyard or your living room?  That’s out of the question, right? So why are we okay throwing our trash into a landfill?

Let me ask you the question again; what is a landfill? Before humans decide that they wanted their trash out of sight, those landfills were forests or meadows. Land inhabited by plants, animals, and rich in ecosystems.  Not to mention the people who live in the area.

Until I truly comprehended “throwing something out”, I had every excuse in the book; “I can’t find a recycle bin” or “I don’t have time to think about it” or “I don’t know the difference”. Then the harsh reality hit me; ever single item that I am placing in a garbage can is finding a quaint new home in a landfill.

Did you know that disposable coffee cups are compostable (in Ottawa)? Familiarize yourself with your city’s acceptable compostable and recyclable items. Here is a link for all your Ottawa dwellers:

Recyclables:

http://ottawa.ca/en/garbage_recycle/recycling/bluebox/index.html (Blue box)

http://ottawa.ca/en/garbage_recycle/recycling/blackbox/index.html (Black box)

Compostables:

http://ottawa.ca/en/garbage_recycle/greenbin_yard/green_contents/index.html .

Pay special attention to the “Other Acceptable Items”. Some of them may surprise you!

Green Bin tips:

http://ottawa.ca/en/garbage_recycle/greenbin_yard/bin_cleaning/index.html

Other tips:

1.  Stop making excuses. If something does not belong in a landfill, do not allow it to go there.  Yes, I said it. Carry it with you until you find a compost or recycle bin, donate it, or just stop buying it if it’s not actually necessary.

2. Bring an empty food container with you if you’re going out for dinner to save those tasty leftovers without creating more waste. Along the same line, bite the bullet and buy yourself a darn reusable coffee mug, and use it!

3. Reduce the amount of prepared/packaged foods you consume. The age old excuse “I don’t have time to cook for myself” just doesn’t cut it. Everyone has the time. Plan it into your schedule.

4. Rescue items from the curb. Many people throw away usable items.  Remove the stigma attached to “garbage picking” and realize that if it’s left on the curb, it will end up in a landfill. Either keep it for yourself, or donate it. (ps. I’m not suggesting that you tear open people’s garbage bags to find treasures…)

5. Buy used items. Buying things new means that you have contributed to the packaging necessary to ship the item to the store. Bonus: Used items are usually cheaper, and just as good as the new items! 

The Fourth R

You know when you hear something that rings true, that makes you enthusiastically proclaim “YES!!!”? I had that moment the other day when my best friend pointed out that there are 4 R’s, not 3.

I would love to know the history of the 3 R’s. Was the intention for us to follow them in order? To me, that’s what makes the most sense. Their purpose is to minimize the amount of waste we are creating. However, we seem to put all of our focus on recycling. We’re doing our part right? But if the 3 R’s were meant to be followed in the order we recite them, why do we skip to step 3? It would make sense to, before recycling: 

1. Reduce consumption (select items you need, and go for those that have been produced sustainably, have less packaging, etc.) 

2. Reuse anything you have consumed to maximize the wasted resource (before tossing that glass jam jar in the recycle bin, turn it into a portable juice cup! Or save bread bags and bring them with you to the grocery store to use as produce bags. Be creative!), only then should we 

3. Recycle; when all other options have been exhausted, and there is nothing left to do. Here is where the fourth R comes into play;

Rethink! It’s so easy to go into auto-pilot and do things the way we’ve always done them. 

Stepping outside of yourself to contemplate exactly what you are doing, what impact you are truly making is challenging but necessary. Take into consideration that a factory produced the items you seek, and another factory processes all the recycling. Those 2 factories create an immense amount of greenhouse gasses, so let’s all work together to avoid supporting those factories! They are in it for money. C’est tout. They don’t care about us, or the environment. Just one simple, extra step will make all of the difference.

Rethink. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. 

Navigating as a Minority

Today, with my loving husband's pursuance, I have decided to start a blog. I have only read maybe 3 blog posts, ever. So this world is completely foreign to me. I'm not sure what to expect, as I am leaping into a new adventure. I have a 'voice' that I'm discovering how to use, and would be happy to have a few fellow voyagers to take this trip with. Here is a sneak peak of what to expect:

How am I feeling? That depends on if we’re talking about today or generally. Today I am feeling happy. It’s Friday, I slept well last night, I am calm and peaceful. Contradictory, lately I have been rustled. I’m not sure that’s an accurate word to describe what I mean. I just looked it up on an (probably unreliable) online dictionary. It didn’t confirm or deny this use. I will explain. Over the years I have become more aware of global issues, mainly to do with animal rights, environmental/sustainability needs, and social justice. To be honest, it is tearing me apart. The more I learn, the worse I feel about the current societal climate, globally. I have been slowly altering my lifestyle to reduce or eliminate my contribution to some of these issues. To the people around me, it’s “just the way Lydia is”. As though it’s easier for me than it is for others to make these life changes. Let me clarify; It has not, and is not, easy for me. I too grew up as a mass consumer, meat eating, milk drinking, and blissfully ignorant individual. I am a human, and therefore have nostalgia associated with many things that I have given up. No one wants to leave their cozy cocoon to enter a world that is not tailored or friendly to conscience people. I have to seek out vegan, ethical and sustainable products, or succumb to the norm and compromise on my values. I am, for the first time in my life, a minority. Does that sound easy? Some may argue that it’s my own choice, and so I have put myself in this ‘dilemma’. I think that’s an ironic, irresponsible and unreasonable view. I haven’t chosen to lead a difficult life; I have chosen to lead a life in line with my values. I am not at fault for the lack of compassion in our world. I can’t explain why others choose to ignore facts, and are okay continuously contributing to the suffering incurred to allow them to live their life as they are. I want to help people see the impact, and motivate them to start making changes. But I don’t know how. That is why I have been rustled. Isn’t that a great description? I feel like I have reached a whole new level. Having never navigated these waters, and not knowing where to find a map, I am lost. I have thought of a few bandaid solutions, but can’t be sure they will sustain me. Where should I look for my answers? Do you know? Who does the minority turn to? The other minorities who are as lost as you? Sigh.

I am open to hearing your stories, opinions, suggestions and support. Without them, I won't know to keep writing. :)