Starting point. I've been working on becoming vegan for several years now. It's been a slow but positive and rewarding change in my life, my health, my attitude. I believe if everyone became vegan the entire world would bloom. Of course, it's not likely to happen any time soon. Sad but true. Getting my own husband to become vegan/vegetarian would be the equivalent of single-handedly reversing the effects of global warming! The only one I can change is me. So January is the month to begin one small change toward moving even farther forward in my journey to being completely vegan.
Now, I'm sure there is a hand raised out there with the question of, "Why is it taking you so long to convert?" attached to it. It's a good question and I have a number of reasons.
1) It's a really big switch, even from being vegetarian. Veganism is more than not eating meat. It's about eliminating ALL animal products/by products from not only your diet but from your life as well. It's about becoming educated. It involves learning what and where all that stuff is (manufacturers are sneaky) and finding an alternative. Even with internet accessibility to lots of alternatives, acquiring them is not always simple and easy. While there are as many approaches to being vegan is as there are people on the planet, for me it also means being eco-conscious. Yep, tree-huggin', dirt-worshipin', savin' the planet all rolled into one big enchilada. It means being aware of the impact you have in everything you do.
2) So, again, it's a really big switch. Think about all those things you've used/loved/consumed all of your life and suddenly not having any of it. When I started out I was overwhelmed. The more I learned, the more I felt the need to go through every single thing in my house and throw it all away. My shoes were nearly all leather. My health/beauty care products were animal-tested and had horrible chemicals in them. Cleaning products were equally as toxic. My carpet, my art supplies, my knitting and quilting stuff, my books, my light bulbs, my cat food, my Jeep, my brand new wool/cashmere Land's End pea coat ... ALL BAD, BAD, BAD! I'm not wealthy. I couldn't just chuck it all in the trash and buy everything new. And trashing it was BAD, too! Starting from scratch was (is) completely and totally unrealistic. I had to stop, breathe, and form a reasonable, practical plan.
3) Health. Priority one. Learning about diet, vitamins, minerals. Many people who become vegetarian forget there is more to it than just eating tofu and vegetables. They end up suffering a host of health problems and go running off to the doctor - who is inevitably going to convince them to start eating "normal" again. It's important to know what replaces what in a vegetarian diet. Where do you get your protein if you aren't eating steak and eggs? What about vitamin B12 (again, found primarily in meat, eggs and dairy products)? How much do you need of everything? No one book or website gives you a 100% run-down. And what if you don't like tofu? It takes time to learn what you need, how much you need, and where to get it in a way you will still enjoy it.
4) My husband is a carnivore. He's a person who doesn't give much thought to just how those paper towels got from Point A (manufacturer) to Point B (kitchen counter). He focuses on the convenience of having them. Period. I'm not saying he's totally oblivious, but he moves through life like most people do. If you want a cheeseburger, you don't think about how it started out as a living, breathing, feeling, thinking cow - you just go to your favorite burger joint, order it, eat it, and then go about your merry business. Learning to compromise what I want vs. what he wants has been a challenge. Some things have been easy to switch (he loves the Kiss My Face shaving lotion) but others, sadly, will probably never change (he loves cheeseburgers). This means that no matter how much it makes me cringe I still have to buy stuff I don't want to.
5) The great art of compromise. Not only does my husband's way of life conflict with mine, I sometimes conflict with myself. Example: I am an artist. The bulk of my art supplies are not eco-friendly. I know every time I buy a tube of paint I'm buying a 'bad' product. There are places you have to learn where you will drawn your line in the sand and where you won't. I may be okay with using fabric bags instead of plastic at the grocery store, but I'm not giving up my art ... and I'm not going to try making my own yellow ocher or Prussian blue paint. I'm not going to try making my own paper. I'm not going to make paintbrushes. I'll leave all that up to somebody else. Sand = Line.
There is compromise in other things as well. Some from simple cost factor - organic is expensive, and accessibility - I live in a small town with limited options. Internet shopping is not an option if the shipping cost is outrageous, which is often the case. Driving an hour or more to shop in a larger city isn't always practical either. Part of being earth-friendly means being aware of not only what I buy, but where I buy things. I personally think Wal-Mart is evil on many levels, but if that's the only place I can buy the toothpaste my husband likes then that's what I have to do.
6) Living with or living without? Think about the things you just don't want to give up for any reason. Everybody has something they just don't want to let go of, stop using, or live without. Over the years I've been switching to a vegan lifestyle I've come across a few things that I just refuse to let go of. Some are personal, some are emotional, some are practical, some are simply because I am human and I'm not perfect. My art supplies are one example, as I said. Another is my jeans. Okay, I hear the WTF???????'s in the crowd. For years and years and years I have worn Levi jeans. What can I say? They 'fit' me. I've debated the issue from all angles and perspectives. I know they are "bad". I know all the reasons why I should NOT wear Levi's and y'all, that's something I just have to suck up and live with. I'm not comfortable with my other options and that's okay. If I come across them used on ebay or in a thrift store, in my size, and in good condition, that's wonderful ... but if I have to buy them new, then I will and I won't apologize for it. I won't give up my Levi jeans.
So what, after all this long list of reasons, is the point? What "One Small Change" is up for January?
Trash.
Yeah, trash. I've been a plastic bottle (husband is a coke drinker) and can recycler for a long time now. But I haven't been very diligent about other recyclable materials. I want to start with paper products. Like everyone, I get junk mail (though I've reduced that by quite a bit), there are those paper towels, cereal boxes, product packaging, etc. that fills up a trash bag quicker than you might think. I'm going to clean out the bottom of my pantry and set up better recycling system - adding bin to include paper stuff. That is the first step and I'll do it today.
Now, the next question is what to do with all that paper stuff? Some of it would be perfectly safe to burn or compost, some not. I'll have to find out more about that aspect but it shouldn't be too difficult. What has this to do with stepping up the vegan thing? The change is ultimately taking less trash to the landfill and lowering my impact of polluting the environment = in my book that's a really good vegan thing.
Namaste, y'all ...
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