Climate Change Reimagined: The Role of Veganism in the Environment

Story by Rachel Retchless | Photo Illustration & Design by Krista Kok

Ozone depletion. Soil degrada- tion. Loss of rainforests. Overuse of natural resources. These are just a few environmental issues occurring worldwide today. But what some may not know is how much of a contributor the food industry can be.

There are many different ways people can shrink their carbon footprint, from adopting a vegan diet to simply reducing the food and product waste they create.

If you ask vegans why they choose this lifestyle, you may find a vari- ety of different answers.

Lex Ford, senior Studio Art ma- jor and vegan of two years, says, “I knew that the [food] choices I was making weren’t very good and I had heard about how healthy a vegan lifestyle was, so that was my New Year’s resolution.”

Emma Madland, senior Graphic Design major and veg- an of almost three years, chose veganism for similar reasons. “I thought, ‘everyone eats animals; it’s just what you do.’ I thought it was healthy … so I started do- ing research and found out how much healthier it was to not eat those animal products.”

People may also choose veganism for moral or ethical reasons. “It was definitely an eth- ical choice. Health never really entered the picture for me until when I was raising my son,” ex- plains Arcelia Kent, creator of the Eburg Veg blog, activist for vegan option expansion in Ellensburg and vegan of 12 years.

No two vegans are the same — some may have chosen veganism to benefit their health while oth- ers were more concerned about the environmental impact. The food people eat can be represen- tative of not only one’s identity but also their personality. According to CWU’s first ever Sustainability Coordinator, Kathleen Klaniecki, “Food is so personal, and it’s tied to your upbringing, your culture, to emo- tions … our diets are so complex that … we have to be aware of all of that.”

The Environment One reason some have said that they made the switch to vegan- ism, whether due to new research or personal ethics, is because of the environmental impact of the livestock industry.

Of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, 14.5% come from the livestock industry, according to the Food and Agriculture Orga- nization of the United Nations. Klaniecki explains, “We have intensified our livestock produc- tion, increased the number of livestock and we have increased the demand … all of those are having incredible environmental impacts.”

One of the big issues caused by the livestock industry when it comes to greenhouse gases is methane, which is what is pro- duced by livestock, according to Klaniecki.

She adds that although car- bon dioxide is a much more prevalent greenhouse gas, meth- ane is more potent. According to the United States Environ- mental Protection Agency, it’s more than 25 times as potent, which means it’s more effective in trapping heat on earth and contributing to climate change. But what do methane emis- sions have to do with you and what you eat? The answer lies in what the livestock eat — literally. According to Klaniecki, the digestive process of animals cre- ates methane as they release the methane into the atmosphere.

She adds that if the demand and production of beef and other meat products decreases, that the emissions should too.

That’s right, cow flatulence is harmful to the environment. While you can’t just tell a cow to stop releasing that methane, going vegan can help lessen the damage to the environment they’re involuntarily causing.

Think about it; the less meat people are eating, the less of a demand there is for cows to be bred for use in the meat industry. In turn, this means less cows passing gas into the air, and therefore less methane. This is where a vegan lifestyle comes into play for those who choose it as a method to reduce their environmental impact. By choosing not to consume animals, vegans may be substantially decreasing their personal carbon footprint.

Overuse of resources like land and water also connect the animal product industries with impacts on the climate. Kent explains that sustaining a vegan diet for a day takes only about 300 gallons of water while sustaining a meat-eating diet takes approximately 4,000 gallons a day.

The volume of water for a meat-eating diet is much higher than a vegan diet because it takes a lot more resources to feed and keep livestock alive than it does to just grow plants to eat, explains Madland. “It takes so much to give these cows water, but also to water all the land so they have food to eat,” adds Ford.

There can also be direct benefits for people’s lives if the amount of water used is reduced. Kent says, “All of the food supply and the water we’re funneling through the animals to get to us, rather than consuming it directly … the water and calories are wasted by giving it to animals and giving them the grain instead of eating it ourselves.”

But why does water matter as a resource? According to the website for the Government of Saskatchewan, water conservation is important because it purifies and processes through the earth naturally, but isn’t recycling fast enough to sustain Earth’s growing populations.

Also, deforestation has been said to be an environmentally impactful part of livestock production. Klaniecki explains that deforestation, in this case, replaces carbon sinks, which decrease greenhouse gases coming from livestock.

“The crops we’re growing aren’t native, so it doesn’t have the same ecosystem as if you were growing native plants,” says Kent. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, changing ecosystems like this can potentially harm them.

Making a Difference Even if you aren’t interested in completely changing your eating habits anytime soon, there can still be many ways to positively impact the environment.

Klaniecki says, “Veganism is an option for those who feel that [lifestyle] best meets their dietary needs and their preferences, but I don’t think we all need to go vegan … I think there is a range of opportunity for people to reduce the climate impact of their diet that is just being more mindful.”

One way you can start is reducing your meat intake, even for just a day. Kent says, “I always recommend just picking a day, like meatless Mondays and just saying ‘I’m just going to do this once a week’, because that alone reduces your impact so much.”

Ford adds, “If people can just eat less meat, then that will even make a difference.”

There are ways you can help even if you don’t want to give up your morning sausage and egg breakfast sandwich.

Madland suggests reducing your waste as much as possible by not using single-use items and using reusable bags at the store. “I try to just not get stuff unless I really need it, and then if I need it, I try to find the best option available,” she says. “It’s kind of a case-by-case basis and [I’m] just trying to do my best.”

It’s not only those reusable grocery bags that can keep you from increasing your carbon footprint. Ford says that fast fashion is also contributing to the environment and how much clothing is in landfills as a result.

She recommends not shopping at stores notorious for producing mass amounts of low-quality clothing and to try out thrifting instead. Madland also suggests having clothing swaps with friends to freshen your wardrobe.

As a student, you may experience a buildup of uneaten food due to late night fast food runs or constant snacking. “Students should know that reducing food loss and food waste is a huge part of food climate impact,” Klaniecki explains.

Some other methods Klaniecki suggests to reduce your carbon footprint are walking instead of driving, eating locally grown foods and cutting your showers down. “One person changing drastically is so minimal compared to a large body of people changing minimally,” explains Kent.

There are so many ways you can make a positive impact on the environment anywhere from starting a vegan diet to just reducing your day-to-day waste.

Annual Number of AnimalsSlaughtered 1914 vs. 2014

141.62 Million 62.01 Billion

102.92 Million

172.96 Million 444.17 Million

300.07 Million

6.58 Billion 300.07 Million

330.90 Million 545.08 Million