I recently came back to Long Island from living in an apartment up at college. I had a free range of vegetables, fruits and grains. I could make all the tempeh, vegan chocolate chip cookies, and cruelty-free recipes I desired. Well...as much as I could on a tight college-student grocery budget. But, alas, I go home to my Italian family that feels as though cheese is at the top of the food pyramid and that protein equates to meat solely. As my veganiversary is coming up in August, I wanted to touch upon some reasons why I became vegan.

Peter Singer wrote an essay called "Equality For Animals," that touched upon how the fundamental root of "equality," rest on "the principle of equal consideration of interests." He then suggested that "...having accepted the principle of equality as a sound moral basis for relations with others of our own species, we are also committed to accepting it as a sound moral basis for relations with those outside our own species - the nonhuman animals." Which sounds a little bizarre at first because we tend to separate humans from animals. We separate animals that are pets to those who are food, typically. We disregard the pain and the raw emotions that animals that we hunt can feel because they aren't a cute puppy at the pet store.

There are differences between animals and humans, obviously. But,does this justify killing them for sport or for the dinner table? This is a sliver of the phenomenon of "speciesm." Speciesm, in short, was first introduced by Peter Singer as "...a prejudice or bias in favour of the interests of members of one's own species and against those of members of other species." Simply put, it is the concept that "...being human is a good enough reason for human animals to have greater moral rights than non-human animals." Speciesm in practice includes using animals for; food,experiments for human products, or for entertainment purposes. This is just a quick summary of the essay, but Singer was one of the main influences in my decision to transition to veganism.

The essay was so poignant to me and truly made me think about how we treat animals so horribly. But, also, that we have this ability to numb ourselves to the reality behind what we are eating. We don't really think about the fact we are eating the shoulder of a bull, the leg of a chicken, or the milk from a mother cow. We don't compare it to eating the shoulder or leg of a human or drinking the milk from a human mothers breast. We disconnect from the fact animals are just as alive and deserve the right to live.

One of the other reasons I made the switch was because of the environmental benefits. Going vegan/vegetarian is one of the most effective ways to fight against climate change. According to a report published by the Worldwatch Institute, "...51 percent or more of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture." Also, the United Nations said that raising animals for food is “...one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global."

Climate change is largely caused by carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions, in addition to water vapor, and raising animals for food is one of the most significant sources of these emissions. Although burning fossil fuels is another large contributor to the increase of carbon dioxide,methane, and nitrous oxide emissions--animal agriculture is also a culprit. In addition, a 2013 Loma Linda University study found that vegans have a greenhouse-gas footprint that is 41.7 percent smaller than meat-eaters’ footprint and 13.9 percent smaller than vegetarians’ footprint.

My final reason for becoming vegan was because I've been lactose intolerant since I was a baby. So, I figured it was time for me to listen to my body and becoming vegan seemed to be the most ethical choice to make. Besides, it's been fun to alter recipes to make them vegan and I've saved money on groceries. The vegan lifestyle is by no means for everyone, but it was the best choice for me.

I know there is a debate that being vegan is a "first world luxury," but so is donating to charity, enjoying and supporting the arts, being choosy with the businesses you deal with/purchase from to choose free trade options alongside other things. It is our responsibility, one that comes with our privilege, to examine what we consume and the ethics behind it. Do your part where you can with your privilege in mind, always. We are lucky enough to have choice, so we should exercise it with the moral and ethical result in mind.

If interested in trying veganism, there are 30 Day Vegan pledges that will connect you to interactive and supportive communities. A tip from a fellow vegan, the transition was easier over the course of six months and moving from pescatarian, vegetarian, to vegan. If on a budget (because most of us are) here is a nifty link that helps manage your budget with a vegan diet. If you want to learn more just for kicks, the graphic below is linked to one of my favorite resources.

I've tried my best to remain silent about being vegan, but I have now failed. I welcome myself wholeheartedly to the vegan meme culture:

Veg on, folks,veg on! Or not, that's cool too!