The Vegan Information Community: A Case Study

All semester we have discussed how our actions impact our environment and what we can do to limit this impact, or to make our impact more “green.” From smart green homes, to rain barrels, to smart cars, there are many different ways that we can improve our environment and lessen our ecological footprint. One of the biggest ways to do this is by reducing the amount of meat that we consume.

“Information Literacy: It’s Become a Priority in an Era of Fake News” written by Shannon Najmabadi’s states how critical it is today to be able recognize the truth as lies have become a widespread as they are featured in many sources. Shannon recognizing this predicament is supported by a report by the Stanford University presenting the nerving truth that students are unable to find credible resources. Shannon therefor defines information literacy as the ability to find, evaluate, and use information as an important technique that needs more focus so people know how to gather honest sources. In support of Shannon she uses the lack of information literacy being taught, the change trying to be made, and her call for action as her hope for others

“Against Meat” by Jonathon Safran Foer (2009, New York Times Magazine) is intended to educate current non-vegetarians on what vegetarianism is, the benefits of it in terms of health and animal rights, and also the struggles of consistently being a vegetarian. Although Foer does not specifically express what a vegetarian is we can assume he is going off the generally known definition of a person who does not consume the meat of an animal, as oppose to a vegan who does not consume any animal products at all. According to an article about vegetarian Americans, 5% or 16 million Americans classify themselves as vegetarian in 2015, compared to the 1% back in 2009, making vegetarianism a growing trend throughout the US (Raw Food World). Foer proves his opinion on vegetarianism by backing it up with facts from the USDA and his own personal experiences with his babysitter, growing up struggling with being a vegetarian that loves meat, and the decision to marry and raise his child vegetarian. Foer does, however, have a few gaps in his argument about nutrition, the costs associated with vegetarianism, and the lack of a definition of vegetarian.

A 1969 study estimates the average processed food item has to travel 1,300 miles to reach its final destination, whether it is a grocery store or restaurant (Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 448). A great number of fuel is needed to process, package, and transport the meat from the farm to its next location. This amount of fuel is hurtful to the environment. While it is likely that the results from the study have changed in the past years, it is estimated that it takes even more energy now to deal with meat, since more meat is being transported from these factory

To improve their articles support, the writers for Vegan Outreach should rely mainly on logos to back up their claim that animal consumption is morally wrong and that they should switch to a less cruel alternatives to source food. Although the authors do originally provide evidence throughout the text, their argument is poorly constructed. For example, in one case Vegan Outreach used a statistic without indicating from where they attained the statistic “...[b]y avoiding the meat of chickens, turkeys, and pigs, you can prevent the suffering of more than two thousand of these animals during your lifetime!” (11). The initial issue with Vegan Outreach’s document is that it fails to reference their work, the second issue is that it does little to reference the sample statistics of other animals, which makes their application of logos unreliable. In addition, this example statistic is not their

Thesis statement: There should be meat free alternatives and more awareness of the benefits of choosing a vegetarian lifestyle as eating less meat is better for an individual’s health and the environmental.

In 2011, American filmmaker, Marisa Miller Wolfson, made a 76-minute documentary titled, ‘Vegucated.’ Wolfson, a practicing vegan, cites her research on foods and especially animal-based foods as her rationale for opting to go vegan. Notably, upon going vegan, she became healthier, lost weight, and even felt happier because she was no longer contributing to the inhuman treatment of animals. In her quest to become a vegan, Wolfson made the film after moving to New York City. Her concurrent idea in the film is the effects of animal diets versus the effects of vegan diets. Evidently, through its participants, the film illustrates that avoidance of animal products results to weight loss and

“Meats, Dairies, and Eggs, Oh Why” (2014) is an argumentative essay written by Rebecca Dent that explains the benefits of eating a plant-based diet and advocates for the better treatment of the animals affected by the meat industry. Dent supports her assertions by discussing the negative health effects of an omnivorous diet, addressing reasons some might be hesitant to convert to a plant-based diet, describing the advantages of substituting meat for vegetables for both the consumers and the animals, and finally, by including expert opinions and statistical facts. Dent’s purpose for this essay is to highlight the benefits of vegetarianism in order to convince readers to convert to a plant-based diet. The intended audience for this argument is those who currently eat an omnivorous diet so that they would assess and change their eating habits.

My family and I have been a vegetarian for 2 years. Trader Joe's and The Whole Foods store have been a life saver for me, more expensive, However still more convenient than growing your own food and prepping it. Sometimes I’ll visit the Local Farmers market. Like Clemons or what use to Moms and Pops off Michigan. I have many options; still I have to be aware of where my food comes from and what is in it. I work hard for my family just as much as the next consumer; who wants their hard working dollars’ worth. Our families and loved ones that are being affected by what the FDA approve; an official that Americans trusts.

Everybody loves food! Have you ever met somebody who doesn’t? But when it comes to the foods we eat, we don’t like to ask questions. When you stop and think about it, most of us don’t even consider where our food comes from, much less how it’s made. Meat and dairy products are food staples that are consumed on a regular basis throughout the world. There are many people out there who have chosen to live vegetarian lifestyles because they support animal rights and detest the idea of mercilessly slaughtering animals for food. However, there is a dark secret lurking in the bloody shadows of the dairy machine, one that the food industry doesn’t want you to know. If we could look beyond the dreamy landscapes and happy cows plastered on every milk carton and cheese block to the reality of dairy farming, we would be shocked and horrified at what goes into obtaining a glass of milk. If we really knew what happened on egg farms, we would cringe at the inhumanity of the process. The truth is, even though you may not eat meat, your consumption of dairy products could still be driving the animal-abusing, commercialized, factory of efficiency and monetization that is the dairy business – a business that is taking living, breathing animals and turning them into simply expendable resources. The truth is if you want to be one hundred percent certain that you are living animal-friendly, you must commit yourself to a vegan diet.

About a year ago, I made the choice to transition into a vegan lifestyle, initially based on ethics. Since then, I’ve learned about the heavy burden the meat and dairy industry has on the environment, which not only affects me but everyone around the world. But before that transition, I intuitively had a predisposed idea that animals were being killed for the people’s taste buds, yet

The focus will now shift from vegetarianism in the 1970’s to Veganism in the 2000’s. Unlike the 1970 era, not all of the articles I found spoke highly of an animal-free diet. In April of 2007, Nina Planck published an article called “Death By Veganism.” The article told the story of Crown Shakur, a six-month old baby who died of malnutrition, weighing less than four pounds. His parents had him on a completely Vegan diet. Planck bashes the parents and the entire Vegan community, deeming a vegan pregnancy irresponsible. A month later, in the “Letter to the Editor” section, three readers wrote strong responses to Planck’s article, all claiming that it wasn’t the Vegan diet that killed the child, it was lack of breast milk in his diet. About five years later, in April of 2012, an article called “The Challenges of Going Vegan” by Tara Parker-Pope was published.

As different crazes and fads are appearing each day, we have come to expect them to simply fade away as the hype passes. However, veganism has stood the test of time in our fad society and is still increasing in popularity. Originally only thought to be a religious lifestyle, many people from different walks of life are becoming vegans. However, this poses many questions and sparks heated debates, mainly from omnivorous people who believe that veganism is against life’s natural order. Vegans, then, argue against an omnivorous lifestyle by bringing up facts about humans’ biological makeup and how humans are, contrary to popular belief, herbivorous by nature, not omnivorous. While both sides present good arguments to some, the veganism lifestyle contains more benefits and less harmful cons than an omnivorous lifestyle.

51 percent of global greenhouse emissions are caused by animal agriculture. According to the United Nations, a global shift toward a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change (Peta.org). A study was conducted educating subjects on the adverse environmental effects of animal agriculture. A pre and post test through Google Forms was administered to study the effect of this education on the subject’s likelihood of eating meat. A matched pairs T Test was used to analyze the collected data. 23 percent of subjects demonstrated a significant decrease in their likelihood of consuming meat. Therefore, it can be concluded that minimal education on the harmful environmental effects of the livestock industry will decrease subjects likelihood of consuming meat.

It is no question that an adequate and nutritious diet is required for a high quality of life. With the world’s population on the rise, parts of the world not having access to a proper diet, it is necessary that something be done to further prevent world hunger. There is not enough room on the earth to sustain the world. Not only that, there are concerns over the environmental impacts that the meat industry will have on it. Artificial meat is a relatively new technology with the potential to be able to match and possibly replace regular meat in the distant future. The benefits could be monumental. Artificial meat would use significantly less land, the environmental impact would be minimized, and people would no longer have to breed and