Bad things we do... and a few positives!

Ok, so I was wondering what everyday choices and actions people take that they view us unethical, immoral or undesirable. I think as vegans we are all constantly trying to improve ourselves and our impact on other beings and the world, so bringing our vices into a public forum could be motivational in changing those behaviours! Then finish it off with some positive things you always do and are proud of.

So here are mine...

I try and remember to take one with me, but every so often I forget and have to use plastic bags, which end up as receptacles for veg peelings :(
I'm not so good with recycling...I used to be, but now I have slipped since moving out of my flat with my ex.
I want to cut down on the amount of food I buy that has excessive packaging, and has been flown from miles away.
I want to support my local ethical non-profit shop more, buying more veg and vegan bits from there.

BUT...

I'm vegan, in diet and lifestyle
I try and cook nice food for other people, rather than carping on at them about why they should be more like me :lol:
I buy all my clothes other than undies from charity shops, or occasionally, fairtrade online stores
I have a long history of helping animals and peoply in distress, including skanky pigeon, many an earthworm, a sparrow, and a drug overdose victim.

Your go please :)

-I drive a 92 volvo station wagon everywhere because it's 120 degrees and I can't bear to walk
-since moving out here, I have not recycled ANYTHING
-I didn't know what sodium laurel/laureth sulfate was until like a month ago, and have been purchasing intense amounts of shampoos and whatnot with these products
-I still have a tube of Burt's Bees chapstick

-the wagon gets like 42 miles to the gallon
-I used to take the bus everywhere when I lived at the beach, or walk
-I'm vegan
-I haven't asked for a bag at any sort of store for years
-All of my preening products aren't tested on animals


How's that?

Nice job on the bag front Sarah! There's really no excuse for not having a fold up one in whatever bag you normally carry around, so that's something I should be able to fix easily!

SLS is nasty stuff indeed. Can't help what you don't know though!

^ Well you know what it is with the bags? I carry obscenely large purses around so most of the food usually fits in there anyway, and then I just keep an extra bag in the purse in case I need another. This way I can never forget, because I forget everything.

On Craftster.org, there are a lot of threads about people making their own grocery bags, and I think it's a great way to recycle old clothing or material. I wanna make my own but I'm shite with a needle and I'm afraid the bag will bust with heavy things in it.

good thread idea, saztats!also, my goods and bads are almost identical to yours apart from,

+I never use polythrne bags anymore..like Sarah, my 'handbag' is large anyways.

-I drive quite alot, though tis usualy because I have so much stuff to carry everywhere with me!

-
I still have a leather sofa and chair.
They were left by an ex lodger, he brought them when he moved in and the olde ones were absolutely ****ed for want of a nicer phrase.
I have no money for new ones, I amaware that they arent actually doing any harm,and I never sit on them at all!BUT, they are setting a bad example to anyone who comes to my house and knows Iam vegan, whether that person is vegan or not, probably especially if they are not?

+My living room is a mini rescue centre, alwyas got lhamsters/gerbils/rats or whatever which I always get from rescue centres who are overloaded, or pick up when I find out they are unwanted.
+I do my best to educate people about animal testing and point them in the direction of alternative products, seems people are more willing to swap brands of make up than go vegan diet wise? Less daunting I suppose or maybe they agree we are ok to eat animals but not test cosmetics on them?
+I often shop at farmers markets, and always pick markets and grocers over supermarkets.
+If I do go to the supermarket, I try to buy things that are in the reduced section, obviously for money reasons but also wastage reasons.
+I try my best not to buy food products it is possible tomake myself from scratch, thus saving on packaging.
-I am sure I do own some bits of make up still, that were animal tested or their ingredients were at some point,. I tend to aquire things like that from friends or save them for years, so I probably do.
+90% of my clothes are secod hand, or even third hand!Hand me downs or chairty shop

Great thread!

Negatives:

- Like SM, I have leather sofas in the living room from my pre-vegan days. They gross me out a bit now, but I have a "use it till it's worn out" ethic (my clothes are testament to that!) so they're staying until they fall apart in 60 years time or something.

- Wool carpets and some cosmetics... as above.

- I am useless at recycling. There's a recycling bank 5 mins walk away so I have no excuse. I *will* set up a system asap.

- I drive to my horse once a day which is another 20 mins fuel choking the environment (40 mins a day on weekends).

- My job means I have a computer and printer running for about 12-16 hours a day, using electric.

But on the positive side:

+ Vegan (of course)

+ Have been cutting down on fruit and veg flown in (apart from blueberries as they are such as good source of antioxidants - unfortunately they're from Poland at the moment).

+ Don't use supermarket carrier bags any more. Instead I have loads of jute bags in the car boot and I put all my shopping in those.

+ Never clothes shop. I still have some clothes that I bought 14 years ago!

+ Switch lights off behind me, switch off kettle before fully boiled (and only fill half full), etc.

I think if I can crack the recycling I'll feel the positives outweigh the negatives :)

recycling!I forgot to put abot that.
It is a pain in the arse to recycle around here.The recycle bins dontget collected very often and they are alwys getting messed around with by kids or trouble makers ..I dont have a garden so they have to live on the doorstep at the front.
I do my best to not buy thngs with a lot of packaging, and I reuse containers to keep food in, and anything cardboard gets given to the gerbils to chew up! little boxes that food items come in are given tothe furbabies to play with too. I try my best to not be wasteful, but recycling I havent got my head round yet, I tried and result was a messy street!Ah yes, and I smoke aswell.American spirit, so not tested on animals , but all in all not a very envirofriendly habit or a good example for a vegan to set.I only smoke when I drink on an evening, not even every evening, so not a lot.
However, this may sound like me justifying myself, but, this has actually gotten me some positive reactions?
E.G, a friend of mine said 'you know I never thought someone like you would be a vegan, you are such a drinking,smoking party girl!' -he went on to explain that he had an 'us' and 'them' view of vegans, and beleived they were set apart from society.He also stated that he knew it couldnt be so difficult to do because I was always happy and always partying!
I hope that makes sense. He isnt vegan or even vegetarian BUT, I never underestimate word of mouth. Someone mite be saying something negative about a vegan stereotype and he will defend them?KWIM?
Sorry for waffly post! [/COLOR]

That's a really good point sugarmouse, I've always felt from people's comments that non vegans view us as a segregated part of society, and seeing that anyone, with any interests or habits can be vegan helps a lot! And I love the sound of your living room full of rescues!!!

Est, nice one about the foreign veg...so many people don't even know where their food comes from!

Yeah I think the recycling issue is def one to tackle, I have a paper bin provided by the council, but not one for anything else. TBH it's not a big faff to take what I've used on a daily basis to some bins seeing as I walk about everywhere anyway. And I'm not citing this as fact, but I have heard some points of view about recycling that suggest it isn't as effective as we're lead to believe... In Sheffield it's burnt for fuel (mostly), but I've heard Michael Moore-esque rumours that it sometimes gets shipped to other countries (insubstantiated). Of course, this is no excuse not to!

As for leather sofas, I hate waste and understand why you keep them. I suppose if money is an issue, could see if any friends want the sofas as they are much in demand, and try making some massive beanbags! Not so good I guess if you have many elderly friends round lol...

my negatives............

sometimes i am wasteful
i use way too many electrical devices
i eat too much unnecessary junk food
i have gone back to drinking bottled water lately
i drink Coke


positives.........
i recycle everything i possibly can (including the water bottles!)
i drink Coke because it seems to stave off my migraines, so therefore i don't take Migraleve anymore
i don't smoke or drink
i have a vegan son so i am nurturing the future of veganism :D

Quote:

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saztats

That's a really good point sugarmouse, I've always felt from people's comments that non vegans view us as a segregated part of society, and seeing that anyone, with any interests or habits can be vegan helps a lot!


As for leather sofas, I hate waste and understand why you keep them. I suppose if money is an issue, could see if any friends want the sofas as they are much in demand, and try making some massive beanbags! Not so good I guess if you have many elderly friends round lol...

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Yes that's what I mean... its as if to lead an example that there is no excuse not to be vegan, no matter who you are or what you are into. I know alot of folk have a vegan stereotype in their head


That is interesting abotu recycling, i usally question everything but I wil lbe honest I have not looked into recycling much at all!but I will do now definitly!
As for my sofa/chair, when I live alone (which shouldnt be too long) and havea job (which should be at around the same time) they will definitly go! At the moment I cant realy do much about them, my housemate has a child who stays over a lot and his mother comes over a lot, along with my mother and grandmother, I dont have a dining table or anythign so the sofa/chair are the only places to sit realy?I always sit at the pc so it isnt a problem, even wheni am not on it I sit on the pc chair.
I wont just chuck them out either, I will make sure they are passed on as they are in pretty good condition...:)

Ok, I'll put it all out there, even my shameful secrets. I'm among friends right? :o
Negatives-
I bought leather climbing shoes a few months and use them regularly.
I'm a waitress in a chain restaurant
My friends will drive drunk and I'm too much of a coward to say anything because I know they'll be angry and will do it anyway :undecided:
I drive a lot bc I have to and don't maintain my car for best mileage

Positives-
I hardly ever buy drinks in plastic bottles unless I'm dying of thirst and there's no alternative and if I do I'll carry it around till I find a way to recycle it
I buy very little packaged foods
I buy local when I can
Reusable bags for food shopping
Refuse plastic bags for other shopping if I'm only buying a few things
Am working towards living in a place where I can get by without a car

btw i have seen programmes about recycling which suggest that the actual process of recycling is very damaging to the environment, and about how some things get shipped over to India........

personally i just find it hard to chuck everything in the bin though. We do have a programme of 'zero waste' here in orkney, even the vegetable oil is regularly collected from chippers, cafes, etc, and taken to another island where it's used as fuel, so i trust that my recycled items will be looked after!.

Negatives...

- I used to skip my meal... (lazy)
- My shopping bag is too small
- My computer is on, on average, 1/2 day.
- I take junk food once in a while
- I wouldn't want to lunch or dine with my friends...
- I am a nut-seed cracker

Positives...

- I don't drive
- I only use heater, not cooler, just fan
- I barely fall sick
- I use stairs

-I live 30 miles away from the closest town that has real stores to shop in.
-I drive a mid sized truck (I thought it would get better milage than a full sized, it doesn't)
-I recycle very little.
-I am a spender, not a saver
-I have a full sized freezer (for the hubbies meat) and 2 refrigerators (I so need to unplug the beer fridge).
-I never unplug anything, so I use more electricity than I should.

+I breastfeed :heart:
+I cloth diaper
+I burn wood to heat the house (hopefully the lesser evil).
+vegan
+I am very careful as to what I use to clean the house with, very few chemicals, mostly vinegar, lemon juice and elbow grease.
+I take my own bags to the stores.
+I do recycle all my metal.

I drive when I could walk.
I've started college and my health has gone downhill.
I keep forgetting to bring my economic bag with me when shopping.
I stopped picking up my hamster 'cos I was afraid of his biting.
I get very angry about things internally.

BUT
I am vegan! :D
I never knowingly cause harm to animals or humans.
I am patient with ignorant people.
I have managed to successful convince people of the horrible facts behind dairy/egg farming, and the meat trade.
I have turned people off Proctor and Gamble, even though they are not vegetarians.

Cool thread :-)
My bad stuff:
I don't always check wether cosmetics are tested on animals. (Although I always steal my cosmetics from places like evil tesco so I suppose it doesn't matter that much....)
I always use loads of chemicals for cleaning the house with. I'm trying to cut down on that though and find other ways of doing it.
I always always forget to bring my own bags to shops.
I buy most of my veg from tescos :-(

My good stuff:
I recycle everything I can, including carrier bags. (Although I know this isn't as good as just not using them in the first place!! Must work on this :-D)
I don't drive anywhere that is reasonable walking distance. Unless it's really really stormy and horrible.
Vegan, natch.
I always turn lights off whenever I leave a room.
I try not to waste water or put too much water in the kettle.
I try to educate people about veganism in a way that isn't preachy.

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cornishdreadhead

Cool thread :-)

I don't always check wether cosmetics are tested on animals. (Although I always steal my cosmetics from places like evil tesco so I suppose it doesn't matter that much....)


.

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I do that;)

Quote:

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sugarmouse

I do that;)

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High five :D

Negatives...

- I've eaten a LOT of Softmints since they became vegan, even though they're owned by Cadburys.
- I drink coffee only at coffee shops, never at home- and almost always in a take away cup. And 80% of this coffee is Costa.
- Throw away all veggie&fruit peelings because I dont have room for composter.
- I buy no organic clothes, just organic cotton pads etc.

Positives

+ Always take bags with me when shopping.
+ Only use my car to visit my boyfriend and family. I use bus and walk/ cycle whenever at home.
+ Recycle everything. Only throw away veggie peelings and non-recyclable plastic.
+ I buy a lot of things from charity shops.

I would like to change...

+ Grow a lot more veggies- starting with potatoes and tomatoes.
+ My coffee habits.