Our Thoughts on a Plant Powered World
November 1st is marked as "World Vegan Day" which is an international celebration of veganism, established on November 1, 1994 by Louise Wallis to commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Vegan Society. This year, The Vegan Society will be at the COP26 Climate Conference continuing their long campaign for the shift from animal-based agriculture to plant-based agriculture to positively impact the environment and help build a world that is sustainable and fair for all.
Today, we know more than ever before about how our food choices impact our personal health and the health of the planet. We’re inspired to do our part and make it easier for our customers to make a better choice and with more excitement than ever around Veganism and Plant-Based Diets, we’re happy to see people recognizing the good they can do through what they eat.
We often hear people say “I could never be vegan or give up X animal product”, which may be true, but doesn’t every journey begin with a small step? So much of our personal identity is wrapped up in the foods we eat and confronting our habits, culture and personal history can be a daunting task. Eating is not binary; you don’t have to commit to an unrealistic shift in your lifestyle tomorrow, but you can begin to try something new and enact change. It’s okay to admit that it may be difficult, and you may not be perfect (who is?). You can start by orienting yourself towards action and finding the low hanging fruit to make incremental changes. Maybe that’s trying “Meatless Monday”, swapping your half and half to a plant-based creamer or pledging to try going vegan for a week with Plate Up for the Planet. Once you’re used to that, you could aim to make every third dinner “meatless”, or you could switch to a plant-based ice cream instead of regular dairy. We’re lucky to see more amazing options appearing every day in the grocery stores and restaurants to make those changes easier.
There is growing consensus that intensive animal agriculture and conventional monocrop cultivation significantly contribute to many of the environmental issues we face today. The reality is we must begin to take a critical look at how our food choices are impacting the world around us. We cannot sit on our hands and wait for those industries to make large scale changes to ensure that our planet is habitable for our children and grandchildren. Every purchase we make is a vote with our dollar and withdrawing financial support from places that aren’t trying is a relatively easy step that can drive real, lasting change.
There is also plenty of evidence to support the notion that eating a predominantly plant-based or vegan diet can lead to positive health outcomes. It’s inspiring to see more professional athletes realizing the power of plants to support their training and lifestyle. Understanding that what we eat impacts how we feel and how we perform each day can be incredibly powerful for our long-term wellbeing. We also understand that delicious food can bring people happiness and that includes indulgences. By using sustainable and nutritious plant-based champs like hemp and oats we hope to create delicious, better for you ice cream that bring you joyous moments throughout your life in the way that good food can.
Whether we’re healing our bodies, our food systems or our world, the team at Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots is thinking differently and deliciously shaking things up. We believe that the choices we make as companies and consumers can be small steps towards larger changes to make the world a better place.
Thinking of enacting change? Here are some resources that inspire us:
World Vegan Month- The Vegan Society
We Are the Weather - Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast