Here it is:
Fossil fuel is derived from an animal substance. Is it “vegan” to use these products?
that is a good question…we should see an increase in vegan unicyclists soon.
Hmmmmmm… I don’t know. I’m not a “real” vegan. I just don’t eat meat or use animal products that come from factory farms or other horrible places like that. But considering that a whole lotta vegans consider honey farming exploiting bees…
Does it matter that they’re already extinct?
I dunno… The only problem I have with it is the harm that fossil fuels do to living things.
Thats interesting, I donno. I’m vegetarian and would be vegan if, you know, pretty much EVERYTHING didn’t have some sort of dairy in it.
Anyway, I don’t think that fossil fuels count, because it has nothing to do with cruelty to animals…you’re not exploiting animal rights by using it. So no animals are being harmed.
That’s my take on it.
So you’re giving me a definition of veganism based on animal cruelty and exploitation: Is it possible to retrieve any other animal products that meet that criteria, besides fossil fuels?
*I’m also a vegetarian, but I think veganism can be outlandish.
I would say… Yes. But if a cow dies and you don’t really know what it died of you prolly wouldn’t think “Oh, yummy!”…
You aren’t eating it, so it’s still vegan.
I’m a level-5 vegan, I don’t eat anything with a shadow…
i tried being a vegan for about 1 month, i got hungry.
i am vegeterian when it is possible but my parents dont really support it.
i do enjoy the odd sausage though. God am i that bad a person??
I was a vegetarian for a whole year. Then stopped.
I met a guy who was a vegan just because he preferred the diet. No other reason. Had nothing to do with animal cruelty or anything like that.
So can vegans wear leather shoes and a nice fur coat? I don’t think that’s how most vegans see it.
Thanks for the quote Jessy Grass.
Given the nature of the ecosystem isn’t all food likely to be dependent on an animal product, either through the death of an animal and it’s reabsorption into the earth or the direct use of animal waste which likely implies animal exploitation, for fertilizer.
I’m a vegetarian. I know that the fact that I’m not a vegan means I am supporting the exploitation of animals to a greater extent than if I were; and believe me I hear it everyday from my kid who wont eat honey, by the way.
Quote from a Beef for dinner ad:
“We love vegetarians, More beef for us!”
Mmmm, Beef!
What about exploitation of the human animal?
If I were a vegan, would it be ethical for me to buy vegetables that were harvested by someone paid much less than me?
There is no such thing as a “true vegan”. It’s simply not possible to live in a modern consumeristic society and have your participation in such a society not affect non-human life forms.
…but to answer your question more directly, I don’t think it’s inherently non-vegan to use fossil fuels.
Think of this: plants grow in the dirt, and the dirt is composed to decomposed life forms (plant AND animal). Fossil fuels aren’t much different that this.
However: considering that automobile and bicycle tires contain stearic acid, which is made from animal fat, and even the asphalt on our roadways contains a binding agent derived from the fat of beef cattle, even unicycling could not be considered vegan.
Of course, all this is to get far away from the whole spirit of veganism which is to not participate in things that exploit animals. From my perspective, the best that can be done is to minimize our use of animal products. The “true vegan” simply does not exist.
And for that matter sweatshop clothing, diamonds, or any of the bastard industries.
Re-post:
Is it better to buy organic food that will likely travel a longer distance to your market or to buy local food that’s grown with chemical enhancement?