By Noelle Merveilleux, VRG Intern

Plenty of people wonder why a person is vegan. Luckily enough I got the chance to talk with a few other interns at The Vegetarian Resource Group about what led them to veganism.

To start, one of the interns named Sundari expressed that she finds herself having to clarify the differences between vegetarianism and veganism. There are some key differences between the two. For those that may not know, a vegetarian may consume dairy, eggs, or possibly honey while abstaining from meat while vegans refrain from animal product use and consumption altogether and as far as possible.

Accordingly, Nadely, another intern for the VRG, says that she is vegan primarily out of concern for the environment and animal suffering. Additionally, another person had said that he is vegan because he is concerned about three things: his impact on the environment, animal abuse and suffering, and his health.

Well, what about myself? I hold many of the same sentiments shared by my fellow interns and vegans alike. I’m glad that the environment can support a vegan lifestyle and that following a plant-based diet can be beneficial for health. However, animals are my main focus for veganism. The animals we consider commodities like cows, pigs, chickens, fish, and more are creatures that do value their lives, even if they can’t verbally express that. Because of this, it became obvious to me that as a vegan, I would be in line with this belief. I tell people that I know, who ask me why I’m vegan, that I can lead a healthy and productive life without using these animals as food, clothing, or entertainment, and can advocate for further pro-animal changes down the line. I know I’m only one person and can only do so much, but I hope that in the future, we will have collectively replaced the general view that these animals are commodities to be exploited for our sake with one that gives them agency over their lives to live for their sake.

Here’s what another student said when people asked her about her vegan diet.

https://www.vrg.org/blog/2016/10/18/what-do-i-say-when-people-ask-about-my-veganvegetarian-diet/