Category: Practice
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Ten reasons to try more vegan living in 2024
As the new year approaches, it’s a great time to think about what sorts of positive changes might make 2024 better than 2023. On Friday I’ll be more specific about ways to insert more vegan options into your life. But today I am going to offer a few reasons worthy of consideration for anyone who…
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Change is possible: Warwick University students vote for campus eateries to go vegan by 2027
This story, “Where’s the beef?: vegan diet to be ‘imposed’ on Warwick University students after vote bans meat and dairy,” came across my inbox last week (thanks, Samantha!). What a reassuring relief to read that it is in the realm of possibility for students of a large institution to vote in favour of going completely…
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On being vegan in a sea of omnivores whom you love
I’ve just finished reading Ed Winters’s book, This Is Vegan Propaganda: And Other Lies the Meat Industry Tells You (Vermillion 2022). It’s a great book with really good info about the impact of animal agriculture (particularly factory farming) on the animals, the planet, and humans’ health (not just the claim that veganism is a nutritionally…
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The perverse tradition of “pardoning the turkey”
It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S. today (we had our Canadian Thanksgiving back in October). Frequently called “Turkey Day,” Thanksgiving is a day when the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates 46 million turkeys will be eaten. Another 22 million will find their way onto Christmas tables. Altogether, Americans consume an estimated 245 million (PETA) to 250…
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What’s wrong with non-human animal research?
Last week I had the pleasure of being an examiner for a truly brilliant PhD thesis by philosopher, Jess Du Toit, entitled, What Do We Owe the Other Animals in Health-Related Research. It’s a compelling and sustained philosophical analysis for what is wrong with the majority of health-related animal research and what major reforms would…
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The dark side of dairy
The dark side of dairy isn’t some secret underbelly of practice that we don’t know about. It’s obvious that the main reason mammals produce milk is as a source of nutrition for their babies. No recent pregnancy? No milk. So yes, in order for cows to lactate, they need to give birth. In order to…
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Discovering grapes as if for the first time
I’m not sure if it’s just me, but lately the grapes seem bigger, firmer (without being hard), and more tasty. Whether red or green, over the past few months I’ve had some absolutely delectable grapes that are the size of small plums. In case there are any people out there who are still “meh” about…
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Happy World Vegan Day / Month!
Happy World Vegan Day to one and all! Since November 1, 1994, this day has been set aside for vegans to celebrate. I got an email from Veganuary this morning that offered five things we can celebrate today: If you’re not vegan but have been thinking about it (or not), here are five things you…
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Unreflective carnivores, the marginal case argument, and making a difference
I’ve been reading around quite a bit as I prep to write a new paper. When I say “reading around,” I am referring mostly to philosophy papers on topics in food and animal ethics, mostly as they seem relevant to veganism, meat-eating, animal suffering, and possible moral requirements that facts about animal suffering might yield.…
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Friday Night Popcorn
If you think about it, the possibilities for vegan snacking are endless. So many favourite snacks like potato chips and pretzels are already vegan (assuming vegan seasonings of course). Lots of really good chocolate is vegan. And thankfully, popcorn is both vegan and easy to make. I like air popping, either in the microwave or…
Vegan Practically 