Vegetarian Personal Project

I became a vegetarian a little over a year ago. I made the decision impulsively so I didn’t think I would last longer than a week, but I learned to love the lifestyle. Changing my diet made me feel so much healthier because I substituted the meat I was eating with vegetables and other nutritious foods. When I started my journey I didn’t know much about the inhumane practices of factory farms and the damage it causes our environment. Overtime, I watched documentaries such as Food Inc and Cowspiracy that expose the unethical and environmentally destructive activities of the meat industry. I also read articles that focus on this issue and its global impact, which expanded my understanding and made me even more passionate about the cause. Some of my friends commented that even if I stopped eating meat the problem won’t go away because everyone else will be eating meat. Ghandi once said that “you must be the change you wish to see in the world,” this quote in addition to other factors inspired me to stick to the lifestyle.

It is predicted that the global consumption of beef, poultry, pork and other livestock will double by 2020. This not only hurts the animals, but also contributes to water and air pollution as well as environmental degradation.  With so much at risk, it is imperative that more people are introduced to a more sustainable vegetarian diet. For my personal project I hope to do more research on the meat industry, share my experience with other vegetarians and inform non-vegetarians of the benefits of the lifestyle and the health risk and other consequences that come with consuming meat.

Citations

Brooks, Cassandra. “Meat’s Environmental Impact.” Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. July 25, 2016. Accessed September 24, 2018. https://woods.stanford.edu/news-events/news/meats-environmental-impact.