Veganuary Research

Scott Harrand

Secondary Research

Major Resource: Veganuary

• Website: http://www.veganuary.com/• Summary: A website promoting the month-long event

“Veganuary”, which aims to encourage people to try becoming Vegan for a month. There is a wide range of information relating to Veganism on the website.

• Reliability: The campaign was launched in 2014, but the copyright for the concept and website has been reinstated for 2016, which means that it is still very current. Many articles feature sourced information and links to their sources throughout.

Veganuary, Website, Information, Myths, Food, Recipes, Guides, Queries, Explanation

Animal Hierarchy/Ethics (Which animals are considered okay to eat and

which ones aren’t?)

Cows

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_in_religion#cite_note-4

• Summary: How traditional cattle animals are perceived and treated based on religion, such as how cows are revered in Hinduism.

• Quote: “Milk cows are also called aghnya "that which may not be slaughtered".[4]”

• Source: V.M. Apte, Religion and Philosophy, The Vedic Age

Cows, religion, cultural, sacred, revered, morality, ethics

Dogs• Wikipedia:• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-139• Summary: How dogs are seen as acceptable to eat in certain

cultures and regions. • Quotes: • “However, Western, South Asian, African, and Middle Eastern

cultures, in general, regard consumption of dog meat as taboo.”

• “In Korea, the primary dog breed raised for meat, the nureongi (누렁이 ), differs from those breeds raised for pets that Koreans may keep in their homes.”

Dogs, pets, ethics, morality, mentality, Korea, Nureongi, society

Vegan Alternatives

Food• Vegan Pizza Recipe:• http://www.peta.org/living/food/make-vegan-pizza/• Vegan Chicken Nuggets: • http://www.frysvegetarian.co.uk/product/chicken-style-nuggets/• Vegetarian/Vegan Bacon:• http://www.peta.org/living/food/vegan-bacon-brands/• http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-vegetarian-bacon.htm• Tofu Article:

http://www.thekitchn.com/tofu-varieties-whats-the-difference-201345• Quote: "People think tofu is monochromatic, but it's not," says Nguyen.

"Whether you're eating tofu for health or culinary reasons, just explore."

Recipes, Alternatives, Pizza, Chicken Nuggets, Artificial, Tofu

Celebrity Vegans/Vegetarians

Emilie AutumnInterview: https://web.archive.org/web/20120527141740/http://www.peta2.com/OUTTHERE/o-EmilieAutumn.aspSummary: Singer Emilie Autumn’s reasons for becoming a vegan and her opinion on vegan issues. Quote: “I couldn't for the life of me understand how it was that I should eat a cow and yet not eat my horse or [eat] a chicken but not eat my dog”

Dog, Horse, Cow, Chicken, Emilie Autumn, Celebrity, Singer, Opinions, Interview

Articles on Veganism

Environment

Veganuary Environmental Impacts• Article:

http://www.veganuary.com/why/environmental-benefits/youll-protect-nature/

• Summary: The page highlights the environmental benefits of veganism, by putting the land used in the meat industry to other, more beneficial uses, and not having the need to destroy any more forests.

• Quote: “Agricultural scientists estimate that eating meat requires four-and-a-half times more land than is necessary for a vegan diet.”

• Reliability: The article makes use of sources throughout the page, with many pieces of information being annotated with a source (the references this information is sourced from being listed at the bottom of the page) which certainly makes the article seem much more reliable and accurate.

Environment, Land, Deforestation, Rainforest, Meat Industry, Issues, Scientific

Water Usage• Article page:

http://www.veganuary.com/why/environmental-benefits/youll-save-water/

• Summary: The article explains how excessive amounts of water are used as a part of the meat industry, and how a vegan diet will use significantly less. This image is featured as an infographic elaborating this point.

• Sources: http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report49-WaterFootprintSoy.pdf

• http://www.waterwise.org.uk/news.php/11/showers-vs.-baths-facts-figures-and-misconceptions

• Reliability: The sources for the information in the image date back to 2011 and 2014 respectively, and thus their information is each over a year old. It is unlikely that these statistics have change much in this time, but it is possible that more accurate research may have been taken in this time. However, the information having sources a tall allows it more credence and reliability.

Water, Environment, Industry, Infographic, Issues, Benefits

Farm Animal Population• Article:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/19/population-crisis-farm-animals-laying-waste-to-planet

• Summary: An article looking at farm animal population issue, and environmental factors as a result of it, contrasting it to the attention surrounding the human over-population issue.

• Quotes: “A recent paper in the journal Science of the Total Environment suggests that our consumption of meat is likely to be “the leading cause of modern species extinctions”.”

• Reliability: The article is fairly recent, with the date it was posted (19th of November, 2015) posted clearly on the article, making it close to two months old. The article has a variety of links to the sources of it’s information posted throughout the paragraphs. However, the article is also posted in the “Opinion” section of the Guardian website.

Farm, Animals, Environmental, Environment, Population, Extinction, Opinion, Issues

Protecting Wildlife• Article page:

http://www.veganuary.com/why/environmental-benefits/youll-save-wildlife/• Summary: The article explains how the meat industry has a serious negative

impact on the status of the world’s wildlife• Quote: “1 lb beef = 200 sq m of rainforest destroyed.” • Source:

http://www.rainforestconcern.org/rainforest_facts/why_are_they_being_destroyed/

• Reliability: The article features numerous sources, which annotate various segments of information, and therefore make the article much more trustworthy and credible. Most of the sources, however, were last assessed over a year ago, which may mean the information provided in them could be out of date and potentially inaccurate. The article seems to be fairly fact based and focuses on the information to state it’s point, rather than being too based in opinion and personal feeling.

Wildlife, Deforestation, Rainforest, Animals, Protection, Issues, Meat Industry

Veganism and Health

Nutrition• Link: http://www.veganuary.com/why/nutritional-benefits/• Summary: A page consisting of a vast variety of nutritional information, giving

advice on how to keep a healthy, nutritious lifestyle while following a vegan diet. The information is broken up into different sub-pages focusing on specific nutrients

• Quote: “It is worth noting that it is high-calorie and high-protein foods that give you that full feeling. Simply removing animal products from a standard diet could leave you with mostly low-calorie foods such as salads, vegetables, and fruit. Eating only these foods could quickly leave you feeling hungry and weak. Some people make this mistake and then feel that being vegan is a challenge.”

• Reliability: Most of the information seems to be accurate, but there are few sources used throughout the pages, and most of them seem to direct the reader to another section of the website to elaborate further on information provided. This helps to make information clearer and more understandable, but it lacks for actual outside sources that may make the information look more reliable.

Health, Vitamins, Calories, Diet, Issues, Concerns

Primary Research

Vox Pop Question 1: “If you became vegan, what would you find hardest to give up?”

Honey: http://beefreehonee.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81nuka_honey (Research more into Manuka) Lamb: http://vegweb.com/community/dine-n-dish/substitute-lamb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food)Chicken: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/vegetables-that-can-substitute-for-meat/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu http://www.frysvegetarian.co.uk/product/chicken-style-nuggets/Steak: http://www.chowhound.com/recipes/vegan-filet-mignon-13559Leather Shoes: http://www.drmartens.com/us/Men%252527s-Vegan-Boots-%252526-Shoes/VEGAN-1460/p/14045001Dairy:http://www.peta.org/living/food/dairy-replacements/ http://www.peta.org.uk/blog/10-vegan-cheeses-you-need-to-try-uk/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_milk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almond_milk Burger: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20706085_4,00.html http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/the-best-vegan-burger/Chocolate: http://vegantown.co.uk/chocolateMilkshake: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2011/04/10-vegan-shake-recipes.htmlPizza: http://www.peta.org/living/food/make-vegan-pizza/

Vox Pop Question 2: “What is your favourite animal?”

Sloth:http://www.veganuary.com /why/environmental-benefits/ youll-save-wildlife/Dog: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Nureongihttp://web.archive.org/web/20080321220309/http://www.hsicanada.ca/cat_dog_fur / Crocodile: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Crocodile_farm Monkey:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_testing_on_non- human_primates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BushmeatCat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Cat_meathttp://web.archive.org/web/20080321220309/http://www.hsicanada.ca/cat_dog_fur / Otter: http://www.exoticmeatmarkets.com/ ottermeat.html Tiger: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/380614/The-horrific-cruelty-of-China-s-tiger-farms-revealed-where-animals-are-turned-into- wine Fish: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Environmental_impact_of_fishing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Shark_meat Human: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/eat-for-the-planet-meat-and-the-environment / Rhino: https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/ poaching_statistics Lemur:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Bushmeat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemur# Threats_in_the_wild