On Eating Locally and Veganism

Apologies in advance for the long post--I am going to step up on my vegan soapbox for a minute. If you are interested in ideas for eating locally and further minimizing your carbon footprint as a vegan, just skip ahead to the bottom of this post.

I recently finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's memoir, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" in which she and her family eat only locally grown food for an entire year. Of course, it helps that she is an avid gardener with farming in her blood, and that the family moved that year from Arizona to their farm in the southern Appalachians. They were able to grow almost all of their food and source what they couldn't grow from other local farms. It was an inspiring and illuminating read. Despite the fact that it was sometimes exhausting just to think about all the work that must be done in order to make this happen (not just the planting, watering and weeding, but also harvesting and processing--not to mention all the planning that went into it), it was truly wonderful to read about the family's metamorphosis and their new connection to the old ways of life--living in true harmony with the seasons, and experiencing the satisfaction that comes with self-sufficiency.

Reading this book motivated me to re-examine my vegan ways. Kingsolver herself was once vegetarian (though it became clear in the book that her main objection was CAFO meat, that is, meat produced in factory farms or "confined animal feeding operations"), but began eating meat again when free-range meat became more available. On their farm, they kept chickens and turkeys, and the eggs and meat they obtained from these were an important part of their local diet. After reading the book, I have nothing but respect for what she did--her animals were treated to a wonderful, natural life that most poultry in this country does not have, and when it came time to slaughter them (or "harvest," as she preferred), it was done in a humane, respectful way. Unfortunately, most animals raised for meat in this country are subjected to a miserable life before meeting their deaths, and the meat we buy in the stores has barely any resemblance to an animal that once lived, enabling us to ignore all that happened to bring that to us. Part of the reason I became vegan was that I didn't want to ignore this any longer. Unlike Kingsolver, however, I don't have a desire to start eating meat again, so while I'm happy that alternatives like free-range meat now exist, I am happy eating a plant-based diet.

But what about eggs and milk? Although I don't have much of an ethical objection to eggs from chickens that are lovingly cared for (the chickens will lay eggs regardless, and unfertilized eggs would never develop into baby chicks), I personally have no desire to eat them. As for milk, I think many people don't realize that cows don't just produce milk on their own: they have to get pregnant, have a calf, then be separated from that calf so that we can drink their milk--and this process is repeated many times during their short lives before they are sent to slaughter. Regardless how you feel about the sentience of nonhuman animals, it is well-established that mothers are fiercely protective of their young and do not want to be separated from them. Perhaps some small farms and dairies practice more humane methods, but I would rather not contribute to this process.

Although she made some good points, many of Kingsolver's arguments against vegetarianism were a little bizarre. For example, she states: "I'm unimpressed by arguments that condemn animal harvest while ignoring, wholesale, the animal killing that underwrites vegetal foods. Uncountable deaths by pesticide and habitat removal--the beetles and bunnies that die collaterally for our bread and veggie-burgers--are lives plumb wasted." Yes, that is rather sad--but I don't appreciate her insinuation that vegans are hypocrites because we don't care or think about these bugs and bunnies. Every vegan knows that, try as we might, some animals will be harmed as collateral damage of the items we consume--the goal is to minimize that as much as we can by making informed choices about what we eat and buy.

One other odd argument: she notes that, if our culture had evolved as vegan, we wouldn't have all the literature and nursery rhymes involving domesticated farm animals. Can you imagine how terrible that would be? A world without the Three Little Pigs? I shudder to even think about it. Seriously, though, she notes this to make a point that civilization as we know it would not have come into existence without carnivory. However, I think of veganism (that is, "secular" veganism that is not associated with a religion) as being a modern phenomenon, arising as a response to the unspeakable cruelties faced by animals raised in today's factory farm system. I personally have nothing against subsistence hunting and fishing, and therefore have no qualms about the food traditions of other cultures where meat is prized, where the animals are properly respected and no part of a sacrificed animal is left to waste. But our current rate of meat consumption is simply unsustainable, and our system of raising animals produces staggering amounts of waste.

Still, I can understand the place that foods such as eggs and butter have in farm life. It may seem at odds to the "natural" values we embrace to use such products as faux meats and margarine, but there are lots of good products out there nowadays that contain quality ingredients (thank you, Earth Balance, for making non-hydrogenated margarine a staple of vegan households!). And, I don't live on a farm (yet...), so these products are readily available. That being said, I wholeheartedly embrace the DIY/self-sufficient ethos, and feel that being vegan gives me so much more of an "excuse" to make most of our food from scratch--it would be much easier to just pick up pre-packaged meals if I wasn't vegan.

Overall, I felt that Kingsolver was excessively focused on one component of global warming--the fossil fuels used in transport--to the exclusion of other very important issues in environmentalism, such as the high carbon footprint of the meat industry, water use, etc. That being said, she brought up some very good points about the energy needed to transport food across the country (and the world). And, despite the drawbacks I've listed here, this eloquent book was quite provacative and definitely worth a read. While I don't think I could ever become a full locavore (a life without tea, olive oil, avocados, citrus, and spices would not be worth living!), there are some choices that we vegans can make to reduce our carbon footprint even more. 1. Buy local produce in season. We've all heard this one by now! Shop farmers markets. Sign up for a local CSA. Look at labels in the store and try to buy items produced in your own state. Avoid tomatoes and strawberries in the dead of winter (they won't taste very good anyway). Decrease consumption of tropical fruits (yes, that includes bananas).

2. Think beyond produce. Look for locally-produced tofu, tempeh, flour, dried beans, and other staples. Make your own seitan-based faux meats--recipes abound on the internet (check out VeganDad's blog for lots of good ideas).

3. Purchase non-dairy milks and other products sold in aseptic packages, rather than those that require refrigeration. Think of all that energy it takes to keep the product cool as it trucks across the country!

4. Minimize use of pre-packaged frozen products (for the same reasons as above). Make your own instead! Here is a great recipe for burritos to make in a big batch and stockpile in your freezer when you need a quick meal. Or, even easier, double dinner recipes for soups, stews and other easily freezable items, and set aside a portion for a rainy day.

5. Enjoy your food! Do what works for you, and make changes you can live with, but don't stress too much if you can't always be "perfect." This isn't a contest for who eats the most purely or ethically or who has the smallest carbon footprint. Food is more than nourishment for the body; it nourishes our whole selves, and not enjoying what you're eating can deprive you of one of life's greatest joys. That's something that Barbara Kingsolver and I would agree on!