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Veganuary Saving a little piece of the world in January
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With the new year, ever-promised good intentions are booming again. Exercise more, stop smoking, the classics, basically. Among them, one direction becomes more and more popular: reduce our ecological footprint, do something good for our bodies and actively prove that animal welfare is really close to our hearts. Sounds like a huge undertaking? Not at all.
Last year we were already able to see: all this can be done with just one small change - eating vegan for 31 days. That is the idea behind Veganuary.
The name of the NGO is made up of the words "vegan" and "january". The campaign originates from Great Britain and asks people to eat vegan food for the month of January. Because not only since Fridays for Future do we know: We have to change something. This applies not only to politics, but also to each and every one of us.
According to researchers at Oxford University, the most effective single measure that average consumers can take, to do something positive against climate change, is a vegan diet. This is because it has a far less harmful effect on the environment than food of animal origin.
The production of meat and other animal-based foods has an enormous impact on the environment. Around 80 per cent of the world's farmland and one third of the world's water consumption is used for livestock farming, for example. For 17 percent of our calorie intake, 80 percent of the food industry's greenhouse gas emissions are poured out. This begs the question: all this for a steak?
Then there are the many food scandals of recent years. If we look at pictures from industrial factory farming: are we really surprised that more and more antibiotics are being fed? Countless animals are kept under cruellest conditions to serve us as a treat. Is that really worth the salami on a sandwich?
Being vegan, even if only for a month, is, according to racer Leilani Müller, "one of the easiest ways to make a positive change in the world." So basically there is no excuse not to participate in the programme: it is free and there is no obligation. You are accountable to none but yourself. It's like a 31-day sports challenge.
Veganuary helps you reach your goal. With lots of delicious recipes you'll still want to try in February, and useful tips on a vegan lifestyle. Additionally, you'll also find a variety of delicious vegan recipes on our site.
They're not the only ones that make the Challenge easier. You are in good company at Veganuary: Joaquin Phoenix, Jana Pallaske, Rezo, Ralf Möller, to name just a few personalities. They and many other well-known personalities support the campaign and have been eating vegan for a long time.
Veganuary's declared goal is indeed nothing less than a vegan world. To this end, the organisation has also been working with companies, restaurants and supermarkets since 2014 to constantly expand their vegan product range. After all, vegan alternatives make it much easier not to eat animal products in everyday life. And the number of vegan foods is increasing enormously.
Frozen pizza, vegan cold cuts, tasty alternatives to nuggets and even chicken meat can now even be found at discounters. Thanks in part to Veganuary. More than half a million people in 178 countries have already taken part in the programme, which is also making the food industry rethink.
And although it doesn't have to be forever, of course, Veganuary's work seems to be bearing fruit. An effect in the habits of consumers is noticeable, he says. The number of people living vegan quadrupled between 2014 and 2019 in the UK, where the movement originated, he said. "Around a third of the population is eating less meat or no meat at all."
More information, more knowledge and, ultimately, sheer habit are leading to a lower threshold for vegan eating. For the sake of the animal world, the environment, our own health. And who knows, maybe we'll just go through with it for the rest of the year. It's so much easier than many think!
For more information and to register for the Challenge, click here >>
