Vegan Ethics

Vegan ethics are the baseline and the #1 Core Value of Amazon Restore, Badass Fruiterrarist Land, and Finca Del Soul.

As the aim of all of these projects is to restore the land with forests of fruit and other native trees, the use of animals for food or other commodities is not compatible.

Livestock require large amounts of land for grazing, feeding, or shelter, where forests cannot grow.

Poultry destroy young trees, mulch, and beneficial topsoil including the diverse community of bacteria, fungi, earthworms, and other organisms that exist there and improve the health of the ecosystem.

Fish require ponds or other non-forest structures to house them, as well as feed that typically comes from deforested land and/or dead bodies of other animals and which adds substances to the soil that are harmful to the health of the environment. Removing fish from existing water sources creates an unnatural disruption in the natural balance of aquatic plants and animals that also play important roles in forest health.

Domesticated animals like dogs and cats kill, injure, and scare off native wildlife that are also crucial to the overall health and biodiversity of forests.

Hunting wild animals kills or frightens off the stewards of the forest, interfering with seed dispersal and disrupting the interspecies relationships that support a diverse forest ecosystem. This ecosystem is only as valuable as what it provides to those who depend on it; the beings who live there are inherently valuable. To rob any forest-dweller of life is to diminish the value and purpose of the forest.

Freedom

As freedom and respecting the freedom of others is another Core Value of our projects, the concept of controlling or exploiting other beings in any way would violate this very important principle.

Any farm animals that are killed or have anything they produce stolen from them (i.e. milk, eggs, honey, wool, silk, castoreum, et cetera) are not free and are therefore subject to the violation of the value of freedom.

Other domesticated animals like “pets” or “rescued” animals are also typically confined to limited spaces, which takes away their freedom to move where they wish.

Even if they aren’t held captive within finite cages, houses, fences, or other enclosures, they are lured to stay in certain areas by feeding them or giving them some other perceived benefit like shelter or affection that entices them to stay around. This is known as the “golden handcuffs” and creates dependency on humans while removing the dependent beings’ autonomy.

Whenever anyone is forced to do anything that they don’t consent to doing or don’t do voluntarily, they are being enslaved. Slavery is the direct opposite of freedom, and therefore any kind of slavery or control of any being would be a violation of the Core Values of freedom and vegan ethics and not consistent with the missions and visions of these projects.

With freedom comes respect; killing, harming, controlling, exploiting, baiting, or stealing from others are not respectful actions.

Those who are aligned with the values of freedom for both human and non-human beings as well as vegan ethics have the potential to be compatible with these projects.

Those who don’t hold freedom or vegan ethics as part of their own core values would be a threat to both the mission and vision of reforesting and helping to restore the Amazon Rainforest as well as to the people who are currently doing it.

If you can commit to these values and instill them in your very being so as not to compromise them under any circumstances, then we invite you to explore joining us at Amazon Restore, Badass Fruiterrarist Land, or Finca Del Soul.

If you don’t resonate with freedom or vegan ethics, we would encourage you to learn more and develop your understanding of these topics as a basic standard of human decency with the possibility of joining our projects in the future.