Go Vegan

All beings have an inherent right to exist in peace, free from oppression, violence, or any kind of deliberate harm. To trespass on the freedom of these beings, to subject them to slavery, or to cause them unnecessary and undeserved harm (i.e. not in self-defence) is a violation of their rights.

Veganism is the ethical position in which we don’t exploit, control, domesticate, confine, steal from, experiment on, or inflict any kind of violence against peaceful beings, or support anyone who does.

Being vegan entails not eating, drinking, wearing, or in any way using products that were made by or from animals, as all animals are exploited, controlled, domesticated, confined, and usually subjected to other violence in order to steal the flesh or excrements from their bodies.

To respect other beings from a vegan ethic involves not consuming any flesh (beef, pork, chicken, fish, et cetera), sea“food”, dairy (milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ghee, et cetera), eggs, honey, collagen/gelatin (made from animal bones, skin, and connective tissue), or other so-called “food” made from animals. This includes things like breads, pastries, pastas, ice creams, candies, fortified cereals, or any other products that are produced using any substances derived from animals.

Being vegan also entails not using products made from or tested on animals, which can include cosmetics, home and garden care products, dietary supplements, medications or vaccines, or clothing materials like leather, fur, wool, silk, down, et cetera.

Every tiny amount of animal in anything that we consume is a result of exploitation, violence, slavery, oppression, and theft.

Vegan ethics would also not be consistent with supporting anything like zoos, safaris, aquariums, circuses, “pet stores”, animal shows or contests, hunting, trapping, fishing, “culling”, or “organic” agriculture using animal-based fertilisers; riding horses; swimming with confined dolphins or other sea animals; or anything that involves confining or controlling animals.

Truly being vegan also means not domesticating animals or keeping them in captivity. Keeping “pets” or “rescues” gives people the illusion that they are helping animals by caring for them and providing food, shelter, and protection, but these actions create dependency on humans, remove animals’ autonomy, and impose human-selected conditions on animals who cannot consent.

Aside from the ethical issues of cruelty to animals, being vegan is also much friendlier to the environment. As explained on our Vegan Ethics page, animal agriculture is extremely harmful to the natural world, so supporting this industry is a direct assault on the environment that sustains life on Earth. Humans’ exploitation of other animals has had such a devastating effect that many species have already gone extinct as a result, and the majority of species in the world – humans included – will soon also face extinction if these practices continue. This world simply cannot sustain a carnist population.

In terms of respecting the rights and freedom of others, and in terms of doing our part to save the Amazon Rainforest and every other threatened ecosystem, going vegan is the single most important thing that we can do.

Additionally, since not-yet-existing children cannot consent to existence, it follows that procreation is also unethical. Considering that the vast majority of children grow up to oppress and exploit others, procreation is also overwhelmingly detrimental to the Earth’s already overexploited ecosystems such as the Amazon Rainforest. Abstinence from the creation of new humans is a major step toward ecological sustainability and the reduction of oppression.

You can click here to learn more about what else we can do to help save our forests – the most important resources on Earth.

On behalf of all the plants, animals, and other lifeforms in this majestic land, we thank you for your interest in doing your part to create a more sustainable world while helping to save the Amazon Rainforest and all who depend on it.

“If we don’t do something now, it may be too late if we ever do…”