5 New Year Resolutions to Help Animals

In 2019, we saw the climate crisis escalate and more people than ever chose to go vegan. Looking towards 2020, it’s time to challenge ourselves to take action on these issues and help create real change.

Go (or stay!) vegan

Now is the time to choose vegan for animals, the environment and your health. All the major supermarkets have a wide range of affordable vegan options, lots of restaurants have dedicated vegan menus and there is a wealth of information online. Living a more compassionate life has never been easier!

By choosing vegan, you could save 365 animals, 10,950 sq foot of forest, 7,300 lbs of CO₂, 401,500 gallons of water, 14,600 lbs of grain in 2020 alone! It’s the single biggest thing you can do as an individual to create change in the new year.

Get active

Getting involved in vegan activism is a great way to create change in 2020. Whether it’s coming along to Viva!’s street actions or joining your local group, there are plenty of ways to get active for the animals in 2020.

Animal activism allows us to break out of the vegan echo chamber and speak to people who would otherwise not consider veganism. We can talk to people about the impact they can have and help even more animals!

It can seem daunting if you’ve never done activism before, but there are plenty of ways to get involved to suit you. People are needed to hold screens, hand out leaflets or talk to the public, and there is plenty of support from organisers to help you get to grips with it all. You can sign up to Viva!’s Street Action Network here.

Adopt, don’t shop

If you’re looking for your new companion animal in 2020, adopting a rescue animal is a great way to help animals. There are thousands of cats, dogs, rabbits and more looking for homes after being abandoned or abused in the UK, so it’s much kinder to give one of these animals at a chance of a loving home rather than supporting the exploitative companion animal breeding industry.

Many people choose to buy a cute puppy or kitten, but this industry exploits the mother and takes their babies away at a young age for profit. There are thousands of animals needing a loving home or risk being ‘put down’ at no fault of their own, so adopt, don’t shop, this coming year!

Donate to animal sanctuaries

Animal sanctuaries often rely on donations to continue the important work they do. Rehoming animals from the farming industry is often expensive and requires a huge amount of care and upkeep.

Help these important places continue saving animals by committing to monthly donations if possible. This allows them to effectively budget for the year and continue saving animals from slaughter. 2019 saw numerous animal sanctuaries face financial issues, so it’s paramount we support these organisations in 2020.

Volunteer with a vegan organisation

If you’re not in a financial position to support a sanctuary, why not volunteer some of your time at an animal shelter, sanctuary or vegan organisation. These groups are always looking for extra hands to help take care of the animals and organise campaigns.

Volunteering your time gives the organisation more capacity to take on more work and help more animals. You’ll be directly helping animals they look after and you’ll gain valuable skills making a better advocate for animals. It’s win-win!

To find out more about how choosing vegan helps animals, you can visit viva.org.uk.