World Vegan Day: Why we celebrate the vegan lifestyle on November 1

Table of contents:

• The history of World Vegan Day
• How you can celebrate World Vegan Day
• Vegan: More than just a trend
• How to make your everyday life a little more vegan
• What you can do

The history of World Vegan Day

World Vegan Day was celebrated for the first time on November 1, 1994. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary of the Vegan Society. The Vegan Society was founded in 1944 by Donald Watson in Birmingham and was the first society of its kind. The term "vegan" for a purely plant-based diet also goes back to this society. The aim of the Vegan Society is to avoid all animal products and thus minimize suffering. There are now many vegan associations and societies and the vegan lifestyle is becoming more and more mainstream.

World Vegan Day is not only celebrated to offer like-minded people an opportunity to exchange ideas, but also to raise awareness. November 1st is used as an opportunity to draw attention to the topic of veganism, to provide information and to dispel prejudices. This is why many cities hold events such as bake sales, demonstrations and information events on World Vegan Day.

How you can celebrate World Vegan Day

Do you also want to actively participate in World Vegan Day and encourage others to rethink their consumer behavior? Then you can use the occasion to introduce the topic to your friends, work colleagues or family, for example. Invite them to a delicious vegan dinner, organize a brunch or bring vegan cake. You may also be able to convince them to go to a movie night. You can find a list of interesting documentaries about veganism at ProVeg or PETA ZWEI, for example. You can find more information about World Vegan Day and the planned activities at www.vegan-day.org/de/

Vegan: more than just a trend

More and more people are opting for a plant-based diet for ethical, health or environmental reasons. For many, it is about reducing suffering and doing their bit for the environment and animal welfare. You can find out why the vegan lifestyle is the most effective way to protect the environment in the blog post Vegan diet is the most effective way to protect the environment.

According to surveys by Veganz and Skopos, the number of vegans in Germany has doubled in the last four years. Of the seven European countries surveyed, Germany is at the top of the Veganz nutrition study: 3.2% of the German population is vegan and 4.4% vegetarian (as of June 2021). Going vegan has never been easier. At the same time, in times of climate crisis and pandemic, it is more important than ever to change our eating habits.

Vegan nutrition and shopping guide

In our blog you will find interesting facts about the vegan lifestyle and lots of practical tips, such as our shopping guide and nutrition guide.

How to make your everyday life a little more vegan

Many people find the transition to a vegan lifestyle difficult and associate it with effort or sacrifice. Fortunately, there is now so much information and a large selection of foods and substitute products that a change in diet is rather easy in practice and is perceived as an enrichment. If you want to try out a vegan diet, you can do so for a limited period of time. The Veganuary campaign in January - or any other month - is a good place to start.

Many people also gradually "veganize" their everyday life a little more. Be aware that you can make a big difference through your everyday actions - even with seemingly small steps. Not everything always has to be perfect. According to a calculation by Blue Horizon, for example, a 10% reduction in global demand for animal products would save an area of land the size of Germany, 2.7 billion trees and 8.6 billion m3 of water in 10 years.

If you think you can't achieve anything as an individual, you should read our blog post Vegan nutrition: Am I making a difference as an individual?

What you can do

1. Use plant-based milk alternatives instead of cow's milk
2. Choose a plant-based dish when eating out at a restaurant
3. It doesn't always have to be meat: try plant-based alternatives to burgers, minced meat & Co
4. Search for vegan recipes and discover the variety of plant-based foods
5. Try not to consume animal products every day
6. Only buy cosmetics that have not been tested on animals
7. Avoid clothing made from leather or wool

Sources:
www.vegansociety.com
www.veganz.de/blog/veganz-ernaehrungsstudie-2020/
www.petazwei.de/veganer-lifestyle/filme-dokus-netflix/
www.proveg.com/de/pflanzlicher-lebensstil/filme-und-buecher/vegane-filme/
blue horizon. Environmental impacts of animal and plant-based food. October 2020.
www.skopos-group.de/news/13-millionen-deutsche-leben-vegan.html