The vegan lifestyle is also about sustainability

By: Gloria Stovall

I hope and pray you are thriving, taking time to reflect on the positive and good things in your life, enjoying the vegan lifestyle or considering going vegan. I am doing well as the Good Lord has been so good to me, and I am so blessed and thankful for His grace in my life. I have been concocting some of the most scrumptious and yummy vegan meals, particularly, one of my favorites, is my vegan tortillas sautéed in organic coconut and olive oil with Beyond Beef, raw onion and a dash of mustard.

Is your lifestyle sustainable? When one hears the word sustainability, words such as recycling, living green, and saving trees may come to mind. While I agree those words perfectly and completely blend into the definition of sustainability, I also believe that living a vegan lifestyle with the lowest carbon footprint is the definition of sustainability, to me personally.  An example of my definition of sustainability is illustrated in my daily life and, while I am not flawless at living a sustainable lifestyle as there is a lot of room for improvement, I honestly try my best!  For example, I have been living a vegan lifestyle for 16 years, use environmentally friendly garbage bags, do not purchase plasticware, mostly use reusable grocery bags, no longer own a vehicle, walk and utilize public transportation, and primarily purchase sustainable labeled and endorsed products. I also cook the majority of my vegan meals using sustainable cooking oils and rarely eat out, I use minimal electricity and I only drink filtered water instead of buying bottled water, etc.

A major sustainability issue I am passionate about is plastic pollution as the extensive overuse of plastic is not only adversely impacting the entire planet, including but not limited to forests, wildlife, marine life, waterways, lakes, rivers and the seas; but also people, as microplastics have permanently eased their way into prescriptions, supplements, the food chain, various foods including baby food, pet food and even healthy plant-based foods (Microplastics | Consumer Healthcare Products Association, n.d.)

This is a crucial sustainability issue as plastic pollution is a global problem and has both consequential and detrimental impacts on climate change as it alters the natural processes, our social well-being, the health of humans and animals, the environment, the economy and food production (Plastic Pollution, 2024).  I personally believe that in this day and age, especially with the extraordinary advancements in technology and so forth, there is absolutely no reason for the overuse of plastic, as there are numerous alternatives to using plastic; but unfortunately, money talks and plastic is inexpensive to both produce and purchase compared to the alternatives. 

Thank you always for following my blog and I apologize for the hiatus, if you will, as I have been working and going to school, but I genuinely miss writing in my vegan blog, so I will be managing my time more effectively and efficiently. If you have any comments or questions concerning the vegan lifestyle, please reach out to me as I love hearing from you! I will be in touch soon…. Have a blessed week!

References

Microplastics | Consumer Healthcare Products Association. (n.d.). https://www.chpa.org/public-policy-regulatory/state-local-government-affairs/sustainability-issues-states/microplastics

Plastic pollution. (2024, August 29). UNEP – UN Environment Programme. https://www.unep.org/plastic-pollution#:~:text=Plastic%20pollution%20can%20alter%20habitats,t%20exist%20in%20a%20vacuum.