Unintended, but good, consequences

One reason I became vegan was to contribute less to the global machine that perpetuates the destruction of the planet, namely factory farming. I didn't think of myself as being wasteful before, but now I'm very conscious of my environmental impact when it comes to things other than food. Going vegan has brought these issues to the top of my mind. First, I noticed it in clothing. While shopping, I realized I couldn't buy wool or leather anymore. Now, I do all I can to avoid using plastics. Here are some things I now do my best to avoid: Anything made of plastic. And there's a lot of it. Bottled water, cutting boards, packaging, shopping bags, kitchen utensils and on and on.

The Onion just published a hilarious, yet sadly true, article on the subject of bottled water plastic waste: "How Bad For The Environment Can Throwing Away One Plastic Bottle Be?" 30 Million People Wonder.

© 2010, Onion, Inc.

I don't want to be part of this system. Living in the modern world, especially the U.S., doesn't make it any easier with the constant bombardment of conveniences and socially acceptable environmentally destructive behaviors. But as the article above points out, what we choose to do in our daily lives, no matter how small, add up to make a big difference. This means the choices we make of what to eat, when and what to drive and what we consume in general, matter. Being vegan has given me an awareness to these things I didn't focus on heavily in the past. Unintended consequences can be good, sometimes.

+1 again for veganism.