My Vegan Journey: A Meaningful Choice for Millennials, Part 2 of 2

The Millennials are intent on leaving a constructive footprint, and many have demonstrated this by consciously opting for a fully plant-based lifestyle. “So, the biggest impact was actually the switch from omnivore to vegetarian. Then I really felt physical changes, that you had more energy, because just the meat, that really used up my energy for two, three hours after the meal and you felt low.”

“Well, often people argue that it is very expensive to live vegan. If you buy a lot of meat substitutes, it certainly is. However, there are also a lot of other vegetables, legumes, in a huge variety. So you do not necessarily have to spend a lot of money on it [for that/necessarily].”

“And I care very much about addressing racism or homophobia or all of these other oppressions that other people face on this planet. And to me, that's kind of an extension of the same thing with animal rights. [It] is like I see every being as someone who wants to live their life and be free and be free from harm. And so, showing that, as animal rights activists, as vegans, we do genuinely care about everyone on this planet, I think is really important.”

The millennials truly realize that being vegan is not just about personal preferences, but it is also about saving our planet, all humans, and all co-inhabitants. “It must also be said that, according to the latest studies, livestock industry is responsible for 30% of greenhouse gases or the land use for soy as animal-people feed, which then also results in the deforestation of rainforests. And the waste of resources, in terms of water and land, for animal-people feed instead of feeding the world's population which is also not getting any smaller.”

“I think our government needs to stop subsidizing animal agriculture and all of the money that they're giving to these huge corporations like Smithfield and Tyson, if they were to fund providing plant-based food, healthy plant-based food to people, supporting farms and transitioning to growing things like broccoli or apples or whatever it is that is suitable for that climate, I think we would see a lot more people being able to shift their diet and being able to change the way that our entire food system works.”