Partners
The South African Vegan Society
The South African Vegan Society is the primary vegan outreach organisation in the country. Their goal is to promote the ethical, environmental and health advantages of a plant-based diet through online activity and resources, events, protests, product endorsements, products and literature. For more information visit http://www.vegansociety.co.za
Animal AntiCruelty League
The Animal Anti-Cruelty League has been protecting and caring for animals since 1956. It is South Africa’s second largest independent animal welfare organization, relying entirely on the generosity and goodwill of the animal-loving public for financial support. The AACL provides shelter for abandoned animals, promotes an efficient adoption programme, prosecutes animal cruelty cases, runs welfare [...]
Animal Rights Africa
Animal Rights Africa is an animal rights organisation with a primary objective To promote the philosophy of animal rights and ethical conservation in order to show that animals, plants and other natural phenomena such as wilderness areas, etc. have an inherent value, which is independent of any value which humans attach to them. For more [...]
Beauty Without Cruetly
Beauty Without Cruelty is an animal rights organisation with a primary objective to educate and inform the public about the exploitation, abuse and suffering of animals and to offer humane non-animal alternatives to replace cruel and harmful lifestyle choices. Through peaceful and lawful means, we expose and oppose all cruelty to animals and will lobby [...]
WESSA
WESSA (the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa) is a national environmental non-government organisation. WESSA focuses on the sustainable and equitable management of our natural resource base by building society’s environmental sensitivity and competence. More specifically WESSA’s mission is to promote public participation in caring for the Earth. For more information visit http://www.wessa.org.za/
Facts & Figures
- Compare the Carbon Footprint of a Vegan Burger to a Beef Burger
Did you know that if everyone in the world made a simple switch from a selected meat-based meal to meat analog meal saves a total of over 26 billion tons of CO2-eq
Find the relevant report in the NEWS section below- Based on German research, its been calculated
Based on German research, its been calculated that “A vegan driving an SUV is more ecofriendly than a meat-eater riding a bicycle.” The contribution to global warming is just part of the problem with livestock. The same Dutch study found that livestock occupy 80% of total human land in use. A colossal amount of water is spent maintaining pasture for grazing, which could be far more efficiently used to grow food crops. And according to the FAO report, livestock emissions produce 64% of all human-induced ammonia into the atmosphere, one of the main causes of acid rain, which damages crops, and is almost always blamed on industry and transport.
- Having meat free days
Having meat free days or going vegetarian has many health benefits:
REDUCE HEART DISEASE: Recent data from a Harvard University study found that replacing saturated fat-rich foods (eg. meat and full fat dairy) with foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fat (eg. vegetable oils, nuts and seeds) reduces the risk of heart disease by 19%.
FIGHT DIABETES: Research suggests that a higher consumption of red and processed meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
CURB OBESITY: People on low-meat or vegetarian diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices. A recent study from Imperial College London also found that reducing overall meat consumption can prevent long-term weight gain.
LIVE LONGER: Red and processed meat consumption is associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.
IMPROVE YOUR DIET. Consuming beans or peas results in higher intakes of fibre, protein, zinc, iron and magnesium and lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.
- By going vegetarian or having meat free days
By going vegetarian or having meat free days you will help:
- Avoid excessive CO2 production,
- Reduce methane/nitrous oxide production,
- Save large amounts of water,
- Avoid polluting our streams/rivers/oceans,
- Reduce destruction of topsoil & tropical rainforest,
- Reduce the destruction of wildlife habitats & endangered species,
- Reduce the use of antibiotics, growth promoters and chemicals
- Most of us eat more meat
Most of us eat more meat and other protein rich foods than we need to stay healthy.
In 2007 the World Cancer Research Fund report recommended limiting the consumption of red meats such as beef, pork ad lamb because of a ‘convincing’ link with colorectal cancer. Links have also been found between high meat diets and obesity and heart disease.
Remember also that climate change is a threat to our future health. As the world warms up it is likely that levels of air pollution, and thus allergies and respiratory diseases, will rise, as will the rate of infectious diseases
