Join a Non-Violent Revolution and Change the World
A large-scale positive revolution can take place but it needs a commitment from you to act!
Over the past 10 years, the number of vegans in the UK has tripled, our awareness of oil-based plastic is headline news and buying products from the high street is no longer our number one leisure activity. But where’s the evidence?
Local businesses are responding to customers’ demands by putting systems and processes in place to retain their custom. For example, look at the dairy-, sugar-, meat- and gluten-free choices on menus in cafes and restaurants compared to five years ago.
The public are clearly making great strides in reducing their use of plastic following David Attenborough’s plea on Blue Planet. Small groups are popping up across the UK to raise locals awareness of their single use plastic–free choices. But, are people becoming more ‘conscious in their consumerism’?
According to Deloitte’s report ‘Leisure sector grows to £117 billion as UK consumers prefer pleasure to shopping’ (1). People prefer to spend their leisure time on the high streets but no longer buy products. Instead, they enjoy their time eating out, going to the theatre, bowling, betting and gaming.
Sadly, these ‘experience seekers’ may not be conscious consumerists. They may be gratifying an emotional need to feel or be ‘happy’ rather than considering the impact of their actions on others. However, it is a different story for those who are including more plant-based meals in their diet. They could be making a dramatic and positive impact on our environment (2).
If, according to a recent article in the Science journal (3), we moved from our current consumption of meat and dairy to a diet that excluded animal products – we would have a
- 76% reduction in food land use by 3.1 (2.8-3.3) billion 19 hectares (including a 19% reduction in arable land)
- 49% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 6.6 (5.5-7.4) billion metric tons of CO2eq
- 49% reduction in eutrophication (i.e. excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to run-off from the land that can cause a dense growth of plant life)
This is incredible! We all could make an amazing difference to the environment by becoming vegans. In addition, we could also make another positive impact on the global environment by not using single use plastic.
Over the past three years, there has been an 80% reduction in people buying a single use shopping bag since the 5p charge per bag was introduced (4). This is the good news but the bad news is that it is estimated 500 million tonnes of plastic will be produced by 2025 and a projected 619 million tonnes by 2030 to meet global consumer demand (5).
Forgetfulness and inconvenience are often given as reasons for relying on (single use) plastic. So, as it can be seen with moving towards a plant-based diet, with a little bit of consciousness, we can all make a positive difference and create a non-violent ‘consumer-driven’ revolution that will ensure our world (and our wildlife) is safe in our hands for future generations to enjoy.
References:
- https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/press-releases/articles/leisure-sector-grows-to-117-billion.html
- http://josephpoore.com/Science%20360%206392%20987%20-%20Accepted%20Manuscript.pdf
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth
- https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/plastic-bag-uk-seas-seabed-waste-pollution-ocean-reduce-environment-a8288526.html
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/05/the-planet-is-on-edge-of-a-global-plastic-calamity