Whether you are Vegan or not, this documentary has changed lives and was a bit of a turning point back in 2014.
COWSPIRACY: The Sustainability Secret shocked many, as most people didn't associate the link between Climate Change, environmental degredation, the impact of animal agriculture and the food they had on their plate. Food is such a personal thing, it's their to nourish, keep us whole but is also integral to our social interactions and a key part of our memories. It's always been a much easier battle to get people to recycle or use their car less than it is to tell them to stop eating steak.
We believe that getting the many to make realistic smaller changes will have a far greater impact than the few making huge changes. So if you're struggling with the idea of going Vegan but want to do your part, why not try a Flexitarian or Climatarian diet with these simple steps:
- Go beyond Meatfree Mondays and try Vegetarian/Vegan for half the week. This will significantly reduce your consumption of meat but still give you a few days with a protein hit
- Eat more fish. Swap meat for sustainably sourced fish and seafood, particularly those high in Omega-3's. Look out for the MCS Sticker
- Stop eating Beef or red meat . Beef has the largest carbon footprint of any meat, removing this from your diet entirely could greatly reduce your impact
- Switch to an alternative milk. There are no excuses these days as the rise of various nut, rice, oat, hemp, and soy milks make alternatives to the white stuff so widely available. Like Beef, Cows have a hard time of it all-round and the Dairy industry is a huge contributor to greenhouse emissions. Be careful though as many of the nut milk alternatives are not as sustainable as you might think
- Go Vegan in your lifestyle - Everything from your Shampoo, Nail Polish to Shaving razor. Try to buy everyday items that are cruelty free and vegan; have not been tested on animals or do not contain animal ingredients. This is the element that even those following plant-based diets tend to forget.
I feel that there is so much more to say on the topic of Veganism, Cowspiracy, other eco-documentaries and how they have impacted my life personally, which might be best put in a blog post for another day. Watch this space!
In the meantime, go watch the film, it's currently available on Netflix and Amazon Prime in the UK (and I'm sure many other streaming services)
