A super sobering 4,000-page report (that is not really news to some of us) about global warming was just released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It concludes that human activity is unequivocally responsible for rising temperatures and we have - at best - five years to slow the worst effects of climate change. It may not sound like much, but the human activity responsible for the 1.1°C increase in temperature has already led to increased floods and droughts, rising sea levels, heatwaves, melting glaciers (and so much more) and it is only going to get worse. The poorest people are going to suffer the most, too. I don't know about you, but I just want to shut down when I read these dire forecasts. It is so overwhelming and it can feel like we are shouting into the void sometimes.
But here's the thing: We'e not shouting into the void. We created Vegan Street because we believed we could do something to create positive change. Every day, we have more followers on our Facebook page -- despite Facebook's best efforts to discourage viewing of it -- and these people are exposed to accessible vegan recipes, education and so much more.
I have had people tell me that our recipes have helped to get them and loved ones to take animals out of their diets and move away from contributing to the climate crisis and more toward being climate protectors. Researchers at Oxford University found that meat and dairy industries are responsible for 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions; if individuals removed animal products from their diets, they would reduce their carbon footprint by 73 percent. Further, if meat and dairy production were to end, global farmland use would be reduced by 75 percent.
We have big plans for getting the vegan message seen and utilized by more and more people. We are here, creating content every day that many people use and share, including our frequently updated Guide for New Vegans, available for free on VeganStreet.com. But in order to make the vegan message more visible to more of the people who really need to see it, we need to make ourselves more visible. This means investing in new tools that help us maximize SEO, social media analytics, and other ways to build our reach. Help us get this message of compassion, sustainability, justice and a vote for a better future out there. All dollars donated will be used to better leverage what we are already creating every day.
Thank you for considering! All donations are appreciated.