Being a vegan is hard. It introduces you to a world of caring.
Before I became a vegan, I cared about the world, about animals, about the effects of my behaviors on the environment. But I never really cared - not like I do now. I didn't watch documentaries about slaughterhouses and the type of abuse that these animals go through, only to become food for someone else. I didn't realize the awful life these animals life - the females always being pregnant to produce milk, the young being ripped away to be slaughtered if they didn't fit up to the standard of a dairy cow (or any other 'food' animal, not just cows), how some of these animals are sexually abused by the workers before dying. I just knew that eating meat was wrong and if I wouldn't go out and personally kill an animal to eat it, why would I buy it at the store? But it goes much deeper than just that.
When you start looking into different sections of the world - how they use animals for different things - it starts to become sick.
Shark fining, leaving them for death after cutting off their fins for soup. Massive dolphin slaughters for sport - gathering them in a cove and killing thousands of them at a time. Animal testing - burning, mutilating, scarring, deforming every type of 'cute furry animal' that you might even have at home for a pet. Dog fights, dog baiting, bear fights, bear baiting, bull fights. The list goes on. Keeping dolphins, whales, and other animals in captivity for 'show' when they are known for self inflicting pain to the point of suicide. We force animals to commit suicide for show.
We destroy our oceans. We destroy our animals. We destroy our forests. We destroy our environment. For what? For food? For our beauty? For shoes? Fashion? Furniture? For nothing.
We live in a day and age where those that live a privileged life can afford to maintain a lifestyle free of cruelty to others. This includes more than just eating meat, dairy, eggs, etc. It pours into the rest of your life - looking at the tag to see what your shoes are made of, avoiding buying a car that has leather seats, not buying the nice suede sofa, buying mascara/shampoo/lotion that hasn't been tested on animals. You start to care about where your products came from. You care about their history and go the extra mile to make sure nothing was harmed in the process.
But sometimes it just doesn't feel like enough. From the comfort of my home, my privileged life, I can't possibly do enough. I can spread my knowledge, raise vegan children, buy safe shoes, avoid products that test on animals. But it doesn't stop the deaths. It doesn't stop the abuse. There are animals out there suffering for your right to live a 'free' lifestyle and not care where anything comes from. Why do we jail people that abuse cats and dogs but allow slaughterhouses to stay in business? If I eat cat then I am a freak and a murderer but if I eat a hamburger, I am normal. It isn't right and I can't grasp how it is 'normal' in today's society.
How am I supposed to look my daughter in the eye and tell her that all of this is happening in the world and I can't stop it? How can I possibly tell her that this is all we can do? This is all we can do.
I will leave you with this. A list of companies that test on animals. Please, whether you are a vegan for ethical reasons, health reasons, weight loss - Whatever. Please read this and make the decision to help save a life. Speak for someone that cannot speak for themselves. Attached is their addresses where you can write them as well.
Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight), P.O. Box 1625, Horsham, PA 19044-6625; 609-683-5900; 800-524-1328; www.armhammer.com
�Bic Corporation, 500 Bic Dr., Milford, CT 06460; 203-783-2000; www.bicworld.com
Chesebrough-Ponds (Fabergé, Ponds, Vaseline), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 800-743-8640; www.pondssquad.com
Church & Dwight (Aim, Arm & Hammer, Arrid, Brillo, Close-up, Lady’s Choice, Mentadent, Nair, Orange Glo International, Pearl Drops), P.O. Box 1625, Horsham, PA 19044-6625; 609-683-5900; 800-524-1328; www.churchdwight.com
Clairol (Aussie, Daily Defense, Herbal Essences, Infusium 23, Procter & Gamble), 1 Blachley Rd., Stamford, CT 06922; 800-252-4765; www.clairol.com
Clorox (ArmorAll, Formula 409, Fresh Step, Glad, Liquid Plumber, Pine-Sol, Soft Scrub, S.O.S., Tilex), 1221 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612; 510-271-7000; 800-227-1860; www.clorox.com
Colgate-Palmolive Co. (Hills Pet Nutrition, Mennen, Palmolive, SoftSoap, Speed Stick), 300 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022; 212-310-2000; 800-221-4607; www.colgate.com
Cover Girl (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.covergirl.com
Dial Corporation (Dry Idea, Purex, Renuzit, Right Guard, Soft & Dri), 15101 N. Scottsdale Rd., Ste. 5028, Scottsdale, AZ 85254-2199; 800-528-0849; www.dialcorp.com
Johnson & Johnson (Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Listerine, Lubriderm, Neutrogena, Rembrandt, ROC), 1 Johnson & Johnson Plz., New Brunswick, NJ 08933; 732-524-0400; 800-526-3967; www.jnj.com
Lever Bros. (Unilever), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260; 800-598-1223; www.unilever.com
L’Oréal (Biotherm, Cacharel, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Helena Rubinstein, Lancôme, Matrix Essentials, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Redken, Soft Sheen, Vichy), 575 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10017; 212-818-1500; www.loreal.com
Max Factor (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH
45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.maxfactor.com
Mead, 10 W. Second St., #1, Dayton, OH 45402; 937-495-6323; www.meadweb.com
Melaleuca, 3910 S. Yellowstone Hwy., Idaho Falls, ID 83402-6003; 208-522-0700; www.melaleuca.com
Mennen Co. (Colgate-Palmolive), 191 E. Hanover Ave., Morristown, NJ 07960-3151; 973-631-9000; www.colgate.com
New Dana Perfumes, 470 Oakhill Rd., Crestwood Industrial Park, Mountaintop, PA 18707; 800-822-8547
Noxell (Procter & Gamble), 11050 York Rd., Hunt Valley, MD 21030-2098; 410-785-7300; 800-572-3232; www.pg.com
Olay Co./Oil of Olay (Procter & Gamble), P.O. Box 599, Cincinnati, OH 45201; 800-543-1745; www.oilofolay.com
Oral-B (Procter & Gamble), 600 Clipper Dr., Belmont, CA 94002-4119; 415-598-5000; www.oralb.com
Pantene (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 800-945-7768; www.pantene.com
Physique (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 800-214-8957; www.physique.com
Playtex Products (Banana Boat), 300 Nyala Farms Rd., Westport, CT 06880; 203-341-4000; www.playtex.com
Procter & Gamble Co. (Clairol, Cover Girl, Crest, Gillette, Giorgio, Iams, Max Factor, Physique, Tide), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.pg.com
Reckitt Benckiser (Easy Off, Lysol, Mop & Glo, Old English, Resolve, Spray ’N Wash, Veet, Woolite), 399 Interpace Pkwy., Parsippany, NJ 07054; 973-633-3600; 800-333-3899; www.reckittbenckiser.com
Richardson-Vicks (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.pg.com
Schering-Plough (Bain de Soleil, Coppertone, Dr. Scholl’s), 2000 Galloping Hill Rd., Kenilworth, NJ 07033-0530; 800-842-4090; www.sch-plough.com
S.C. Johnson (Drano, Edge, Fantastik, Glade, OFF!, Oust, Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Skintimate, Windex, Ziploc), 1525 Howe St., Racine, WI 53403; 800-494-4855; www.scjohnson.com
SoftSoap Enterprises (Colgate-Palmolive), 300 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022; 800-221-4607; www.colgate.com
Suave (Unilever), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260; 800-782-8301; www.suave.com
Unilever (Axe, Dove, Lever Bros., Suave, Sunsilk), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260; 800-598-1223; www.unilever.com
For a full list of brands you CAN buy from without adding to this,
Keep the list, and refer to it next time YOU buy your beauty products.
Jess, I've been thinking a lot about trying to go vegan (even if it's only for a week), but I get overwhelmed because if animals aren't IN something that I want to eat or use, they were harmed to make it. I'd really love to hear about your transition to veganism. I'd also be interested in a post about your favorite vegan-approved products (health & beauty AND foods!) xox
ReplyDelete(P.S. this is Ella, aka head_vs_heart!)
This is actually a really great topic and I am going to make a post about it tonight! I get asked a lot about how to transition because it gets VERY overwhelming when you suddenly have to become conscious of every purchase you make. Even if you decide to not stay a vegan - being aware of what companies test/do not test on animals is something everyone can do and it saves so many lives.
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