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We’ve been hearing it everywhere for years, from health gurus to documentaries to Medium articles — “stop eating meat.” But increasingly, reducing meat intake is less part of a special interest group and more the solution posited for several global problems we’re seeing right now — the burning rainforest, the dying earth, the billions of abused farm animals and increasingly polluted water resources across the United States, to name a few.
The sad thing is these situations aren’t hyperbolic, and the meat industry is directly linked to each of these problems. “Stop eating meat” can no longer be dismissed as a command from overzealous PETA members with their panties in a bunch. In fact, we probably should have been listening to them this whole time, at least when it comes to factory farming (don’t let PETA near your pets, though).
I’ve been interested in vegetarianism and veganism since 2012, when I saw the documentary, Food Inc., which problematizes factory farming, particularly in the United States. Due to various reasons, I haven’t been able to commit to quitting meat consistently.
84 percent of vegetarians and vegans return to eating meat within a year.
