The New Year’s Eve ball has dropped, and the litter covering the streets of Times Square has disappeared – much to the relief of environmental activists all over NYC. It is now January, and the animal and environment lovers we all know – and are – are ready to turn their focus from the busy and admittedly stressful holidays to their goals for the new year. One goal that many ethical-minded consumers have this year is to start the process of going vegan.
Like one of my favorite eco-conscious stores, Blueland, wrote on their Instagram, becoming 100% animal-friendly and eco-conscious in every aspect of our lives is nearly impossible to do overnight. The pressure people who support ethical consumerism feel when trying to navigate how to go from living an average lifestyle to living one that is 100% ethically-minded is huge, and the amount of work and for that matter research required can be overwhelming. When I found out, after five years of buying grass-fed eggs in the grocery store, that the only label that indicates animals are not raised in cages is “pasture-raised”, I was shocked, frustrated, and honestly exhausted with how hard it was to lead a fully ethical consumerist lifestyle. This is why stores like Blueland impress upon people that you must start at the pace that is right for you, so you know you will not burn out and give up completely.
The very most ideal way to start the journey of becoming a fully ethical consumer is to switch from dairy-based food to plant-based alternatives, and possibly to begin to eat plant-based meat as well. However, if unable to due to budget, nutritional requirements, etc., you can absolutely still support ethical food supply chains in alternative ways. One of the most effective and easy ways that consumers can encourage ethical food supply chains if going entirely plant-based is not an option, is to buy dairy and meat products that are certified to have come from farms where the animals are pasture-raised.
The reason for this? There will always be people who eat actual dairy and meat, and demanding they stop won’t help the movement and is more likely to alienate them. By financially supporting farms that DO make the effort and take on the extra expense of keeping their farm animals pasture-raised, we enable an economy where nonvegans can still support ethical supply chains. The more financial support farms that raise their animals on pastures receive, the less factory farms will be able to continue to dominate the food market. An ideal national food supply chain will be one where people can easily choose between vegan options or pasture-raised options.
Remember, if you choose to buy food that comes from ethical farming, make sure that the animals are, specifically, pasture-raised – not “grass-fed” or even “free range”, both of which terms are deceiving, and not much better than full-on factory farming. When deciding which brands to buy use the Buycott app, which lets you scan the barcodes of items in the supermarkets. You receive immediate feedback from the app on whether the company that makes that product has an ethical supply chain. It also informs you about other different factors you can also consider such as ethical farming, whether child labor is used, and if their products have GMOs. Suppose you do not want to buy a product after their app has told you the company uses some type of unethical practices. In that case, you can opt, directly through the app, to send a message to the company’s higher-ups, that you will not support their company if they continue these practices.
For people in NYC who wish to begin the steps of making the food they eat completely or almost completely vegan, Riverdel is a local shop that offers more than 100 vegan alternative products. This includes plant-based versions of at least a dozen types of cheeses and various other vegan alternatives to products such as vegan caviar. All of the items sold are vegan versions of that item, meaning there are no dairy, eggs, meat, or other animal products used in the items. Shipping and delivery options are available on their site.
Beginning a vegan lifestyle from scratch can certainly be challenging, stressful, and, when we unknowingly slip up, disheartening. When your budget allows it, sticking to fully vegan shops like Riverdel makes it that much simpler. If they do not have a vegan version of a particular item of food that you love to eat, just contact them and ask them if they can add it! Riverdel can be contacted via Instagram @riverdelnyc or email at hello@riverdelcheese.com.
As the new year begins, and you start your journey to achieving this year’s goals, consider going vegan with your food choices as one of your goals. If you are feeling extra ambitious, you may even want to add, on top of that, transitioning your wardrobe to second-hand and vegan clothing and accessories as well. If your goals for the new year even go so far as wanting to have a completely sustainable lifestyle, that creates as little of a carbon footprint as possible, don’t be afraid to reach out to us, for tips on how to make this change, and references to companies, foundations and vegan lifestyle alternatives to get you started.
But remember: Begin your journey to full ethical consumerism as slowly as you need to. Take it one step at a time, because every little change makes a huge difference. A report was released saying that the ozone layer is actually beginning to close already, based just on the marginal changes our planet has made in being more eco-conscious. They predict the ozone layer will have completely repaired itself within 50 years if citizens continue to become increasingly eco-conscious. Costa Rica is now almost a fully carbon-neutral country, providing an example to the world that, if each of us as individuals works hard enough toward it, the planet CAN become carbon-neutral within 50 years.
So, Happy New Year!!! And remember: Every little change makes a huge difference.
XOXO,
Your Fashion Bestie
