Millennials’ guide to getting educated on veganism

On Sept. 2, 2017, millennials march in the streets of Miami protesting in support of animal rights.

Nelida Insua-Coelho/Contributing Writer

If there’s one cause that has benefited from social media and the technological revolution, it’s veganism. Undercover videos, access to recipes and research is now accessible to anyone with Internet connection. It is no secret the environment is rapidly deteriorating. We are consuming the Earth’s resources at an accelerated rate, not letting nature replenish itself. The world is at our fingertips, and our generation has more possibilities than previous generations. Technology has been instrumental in how far we have advanced.

From the moment I decided to go pescatarian shortly before switching to veganism, people in the animal rights movement helped not only by providing the information I needed to quit consuming fish but to stay vegan. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and WordPress play key roles in providing the world with information on veganized dishes from different cultures. Staying on top of events that happen in the community helped me meet people with the same passion and lifestyle.

Making the choice to adopt a plant-based lifestyle should not be taken lightly. The transition affects not only our bodies by ingesting them with plant-based nutrition but our way of being and our social life. Being knowledgeable of atrocities happening to the planet and animals, knowing of  alternatives and seeing how other people are not interested in making the change is exhausting. Not everyone thinks the same, not everyone progresses at the same rate.

But change is happening.

“Millennials have a rebellious spirit and to ask ‘why?’ This thirst for knowledge with the advancements in social media with a revolutionist spirit, is exposing the truth to all errors GenX were not aware of. Millennials believe in equality for all. GenX believes in equality for the select few,” said senior international relations major, Robert Castillo.

The Internet is an accessible tool that has helped the vegan movement reach areas that weren’t accessible before. The Internet also provides the public with undercover videos of animals in captivity, factory farms, zoos and circuses. Animal rights and environmental rights organizations inform their audience with updates on cases and status of treatment of rescued animals. People know what corporations are doing to better the environment or how they are destroying and violating it. All of this information is at our fingertips, and it needs to become public knowledge.

“After the industrial revolution the rates of pollution and poverty have exacerbated immensely. And now the impacts are showing all over the globe, especially on the lower income developing countries,” said sophomore sustainability and environment major, Brielle Murch. “We are polluting and not efficiently distributing our water supplies throughout the people. We have been making a lot of amazing changes, but vegan is the  most impactful change one individual can decide to do. Not only does it reduce the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change directly, it conserves our precious water supply, energy supply, land area and offers more space to grow more productive food forests providing more people with healthy food.”

In times of doubt or exhaustion when I’ve almost cheated on veganism, the Internet has comforted me with videos of rescued animals, what people are doing to ensure that we have a future, and also people that have gone through the same as me. Books, journals and articles both print and online can be found in university libraries and public ones. Facebook and Instagram provide live videos, being able to tune in with people in action.

Podcaster and animal rights activist Colleen Patrick-Goudreu is my go-to for information on recipes and inspiration. The internet has let people like Colleen publish their work on sites such as Soundcloud, do Facebook Live videos for followers and live updates on Twitter. Being able to access their work helps people transition successfully, not harming their health and keeping a healthy mindset.

The importance of Facebook in staying in touch with fellow activists and people in the vegan community is vital. Knowing people that inspire change every day is key to staying active as a vegan. It is important to know valid information to live life to the fullest and make the world a safer place by improving our habits, ensuring a vibrant future for everyone including animals.

“La Broccolina” airs Saturdays from 1-2 p.m. only on The Roar, 95.3 FM Miami/88.1 FM in Kendall and Homestead. For more information you can find “La Broccolina” on Facebook and Instagram by searching @labroccolina. 

The views and opinions expressed in “La Broccolina” do not reflect that of FIU Student Media’s editorial team.

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