Go Vegan this Earth Day
This Friday, across the globe, individuals and organisations are celebrating the planet and encouraging the uptake of environmental protection, as part of Earth Day 2022.
After a worrying start to the year, with stark warnings about the imperative to act on the climate crisis before it’s too late, it’s important to realise that we all have a role to play in deciding the future of our planet. This year’s Earth Day theme is Invest In Our Planet, calling on everyone – from businesses, governments and citizens – to work together and focus on the solutions to the climate emergency.
At Viva! we agree with the many experts who say that a vegan diet is the most effective way to combat the climate crisis and reduce our impact on the Earth. The diet that is best for the planet is also good for your health and lowers the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.
That’s why this Earth Day we are asking you to invest in the planet and yourself by going vegan.
If everybody goes vegan, we will…
- Reduce farmland use by over 75 per cent1Poore J and Nemecek T. 2018. Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science. 360, 987-992. and still have enough for everyone to eat without having to cut down another single tree2Erb KH, Lauk C, Kastner T et al. 2016. Exploring the biophysical option space for feeding the world without deforestation. Nature Communications. 7, 11382. . This would free up crucial land for carbon storage, essential for climate crisis mitigation, and reduce the pressures on the world’s wildlife and biodiversity, essential for humanity’s survival
- Reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds3Springmann M, Godfray HC, Rayner M et al. 2016. Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113 (15) 4146-4151.
- Alleviate water pressure
- Vastly lower air pollution of which animal agriculture is the single biggest cause of in Europe4Bauer SE, K Tsigaridis and R Miller. 2016. Significant atmospheric aerosol pollution caused by world food cultivation. Geophysical. Research Letters. 43, 5394-5400.
It’s not just the planet that you are benefiting by going vegan – it’s also your overall health. A vegan diet not only prevents but can also reverse many diseases, with vegans living longer, healthier lives. Vegans tends to have a healthier diet than any other diet group with a lower risk of all the major killer diseases.
In fact, a study5Springmann M, Godfray HC, Rayner M et al. 2016. Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113 (15) 4146-4151. by The Oxford Martin Programme found that a global dietary change towards a healthier more plant-based diet has the potential to save eight million lives by 2050!
By going vegan, you are investing in a better future for yourself, the planet, humanity and the billions of farmed animals who suffer needlessly each year. And contrary to misguided opinions, it doesn’t cost the earth – in fact it’s very easy to be vegan on a budget. Many of the healthy staples that make up a vegan diet, such as tinned beans, pulses and vegetables, are the cheapest foods available.
But how can you get started?
It really couldn’t be simpler!
Take our V7 programme – a brilliant way to test the waters of veganism. To support you on your vegan journey to better your health and lessen your impact on the planet, Viva! offers a free vegan meal plan for a week. By signing up you will receive daily emails providing you with mouth-watering meal plans for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, alongside nutritional advice and top vegan tips.
After you have completed V7 the support doesn’t stop – graduate on to our free 30-day vegan meal plan or explore the hundreds of recipes available on the Vegan Recipe Club website, with options to suit all abilities.
You can make a difference this Earth Day, and every day after – go vegan for yours and the planet’s health.
About the author
Jasmine Clark
Jasmine joined Viva! in 2022 as our Environment Campaigner. She previously worked in communications and project work for small environmental non-profits and has an interdisciplinary knowledge of environmental and sustainability issues, from both her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and her masters in Environment, Culture and Society. Jasmine will be heading up our environment campaigns and raising awareness of the impact that livestock farming is having on our planet. When not working Jasmine loves being outside, especially anything to do with water, falling off her bike and attempting to work out new ways to cook up vegetables.
