While at a happy hour with my work colleagues, I ordered a veggie pizza. They laughed loudly and joked “you’re not some vegetarian are you?” I responded, “Well I don’t eat meat.” They were all visibly shocked and asked “Really? Do you hate us if we eat meat?” I said, “No, of course not. That’s not what it’s about for me.” We all moved on from the subject and had a good time. Later, one colleague told me that another made the comment, “She’s not like any other Vegetarian I know.”
Something is wrong with this picture. Let’s unpack that in this article.
The Sustainability of Traditional Veganism and Zero Waste Lifestyles
Cue the fight music… I’m about to get a lot of flack for this, but I’m just going to say it. I think the Vegan and Zero Waste movements are unsustainable for most people. I think the ideals these movements portray (being a “perfect” Vegan or living a “perfectly” Zero Waste lifestyle) are isolationist, and frankly, they are hindering progress towards environmental and animal rights causes.
I Was A “Perfect” Vegan… But Life Happened
Let me give a little bit of background. I went fully vegan for 8 months, beginning in December 2019. I did not cheat and I followed the lifestyle strictly. It took an enormous amount of effort and self-control, but I felt like I was doing the right thing. This was my personal protest to factory farming and all of the harm it causes to the environment by way of greenhouse gas emissions (hello 80 million tons of methane per year produced by cows alone) and to the absolutely inhumane conditions in which these poor animals live out their entire, very short lives.
The more I learned, the more disgusted I became with factory farming and the easier it became to stick to my newfound lifestyle. It was relatively easy to stick to when I was in school full-time and everyone who surrounded me was supportive of me. For all intents and purposes, I was a “perfect” Vegan for 8 months.
Flash forward 8 months later and I found myself in a predicament… It was very late after a long day of hiking 11 miles with 1800 ft elevation gain in Washington state, and let me tell you, this Texas girl was out of her element. I was so tired and hungry and the only restaurant open for miles was Applebee’s.
Applebee’s has basically no vegan meal options, you guys. You’re lucky to find any vegetarian options there. So I made a decision… I ate some fried mozzarella sticks for dinner and broke my plant-based diet and my vegan lifestyle. I felt so guilty.
Flash forward a few more months and I began working my full-time job in the outskirts of Houston, TX. The culture there is not exactly pro-Vegan so restaurant options are limited. I found myself in situations where coworkers wanted to go out to each lunch and there were not Vegan options. I had two choices… I could skip that meal and make a scene or I could choose a Vegetarian option.
I opted for the latter. I found myself in this situation again and again. It was and still is impossible for me to eat plant-based 100% of the time without isolating myself from my coworkers and hindering my ability to build rapport with them. As I’m sure you all know, rapport with coworkers is essential to do well in your job when it is team-oriented.
So here’s the issue. Life circumstances change and make it really hard to be a “perfect” vegan. Sometimes they are situational like my Applebee’s adventure, but sometimes they are not so temporary. Like all things in life, you can only be “perfect” for so long.
So in my situation, I choose to be Vegan when I can (and yes I am referring to the entire lifestyle… a plant-based diet, cruelty-free products, etc.) and to simply try my best when I can’t. I shouldn’t feel guilty for this or like I’m hiding a dirty little secret. I’m still doing more than if I denounced the lifestyle altogether. The same applies for living zero waste. As long as you are putting in effort, you’re still creating an overall net positive effect!
Exclusivity in the Vegan and Zero Waste Movements
Right now, both of these movements are seen as “extremist,” which most people view in a negative light. I’d argue that Veganism has an even stronger negative stigma associated with it than the Zero Waste movement. Militant Vegans and Environmentalists have made a name for themselves, and the general population thinks all people who subscribe to these belief systems are intolerant of lifestyles that differ from their own.
I get it… Vegans for animal rights, you have a reason to be angry. You think it is wrong to abuse animals and raise them for slaughter because they are sentient beings just like humans. I agree with you and empathize with your cause.
Environmentalists (aka Vegans for the planet and/or Zero Waste advocates), the world is in a very bad situation regarding climate change AND plastic waste because people in the past haven’t valued people over profits and we absolutely have to make some drastic changes to our lifestyles to fix things. You have a right to push for progress. I agree with you and I empathize.
However, we have to stop trying to force people into these movements through guilt and anger. At their core, both movements are about compassion. We need to practice what we preach and show people compassion when they do not empathize with our driving causes.
Rather than meeting them with anger, we need to truly hear them out and debate their viewpoints respectfully. Showing compassion is the only way to truly grow our movements and reach the end goals we are striving for. It’s time to stop saying “you can only be a part of our movement if ______.” We’ve got to start being more inclusive of people who can’t commit to embodying the die-hard “perfect” ideals we strive for.
Compassion’s Role in Driving Progress
Let’s circle back to my coworkers’ responses to me saying I didn’t eat meat. They all thought I would judge them for not making the same choices as me. When I assured them I wouldn’t, at least one coworker felt that I was unlike any Vegetarian they had ever met. That’s not okay guys.
People have our reasons for all of the choices we make. When it comes to eating meat and flippantly creating waste without a second thought, there are a whole host of reasons. Some common reasons are as follows:
- The person does not believe the thing that they are doing is wrong.
- The person is uneducated on the fact that the thing they are doing causes harm.
- The person believes they should do things differently but has done the thing their entire life and it is habit. Habits are hard to break.
- The person does not have the time, money, or resources to change what they are doing. Some may be able to make small changes but cannot commit to a full lifestyle change.
The first three reasons require active conversations with people who think differently in order to result in any positive change. How could we ever convince a person who does not believe in climate change that they should not only believe in it, but they should stop eating meat to help combat its effects, without conversation?
The fact of the matter is, people do not want to have conversations with anyone who will judge them or refuse to hear and understand their perspective. Showing compassion is how we open the door for more constructive discussions about subjects like these.
The fourth reason is a reality for many and we need to acknowledge this. It is not fair to hold every person to the same standards because each person’s capabilities are different.
Creating a culture that encourages convenience Veganism and Zero Waste living is not only the right thing to do, but it is the key to seeing results unlike we have ever seen before. Currently, 3% of the US population is Vegan. Imagine if 10% of the population felt inspired by a Vegan in their life and decided to give up meat twice a week to help that cause. That would be a tremendous hit to demand for meat.
Similarly, imagine the same amount of people were also very inspired by someone they know who lives a Zero Waste lifestyle and started using renewable bags and reusable water bottles. This would drive some serious positive results. Let’s normalize and embrace being Vegan and Zero Waste when it is convenient for each individual, rather than not doing it at all.
Environmentalists: Keep Doing Your Best
If you are an environmentalist who is still learning and working towards your goals, keep going! Don’t give up if you slip up and don’t feel bad if you can’t maintain these “perfect” lifestyle ideals. We need more people to feel free to make steps towards positive change at their convenience. It shouldn’t be stressful or a source of guilt if you slip up. It’s okay if you start using a shampoo bar but are not willing to give up liquid conditioner. It’s okay if you stop eating meat on weekdays but cheat on the weekends.
Thank you for your efforts because they all add up to a much larger positive impact than if only the “perfect” people tried. Do not ever feel like you are not doing enough. Anything you are able to do helps, no matter how small.