Opinion piece: what has Veganuary taught me?
What is Veganuary & how did I find myself here?
In 2024, 25 million people worldwide participated in “Veganuary”, a pledge to try going vegan for January. The Veganuary campaign began in 2014, encouraging people to try veganism for a month, hoping many will be inspired to take it further. I was among the 25 million people, and January 2025 marked my fourth Veganuary.
I became interested in veganism - the practice of abstaining from using animal products and consuming animal-based foods - after learning about the environmental impact of animal agriculture and how unsustainable it is to feed a world of insatiable meat-eaters. The fact is that filling our plates with meat requires vast resources and results in substantial emissions of greenhouse gases. Firstly, animal agriculture demands disproportionally more land and water. The livestock sector is one of the major drivers of deforestation and is responsible for the immense loss of habitats and biodiversity, as forests are cut down to create farmland. Animal agriculture is also water intensive, using up 20-30% of freshwater globally. A study found that a vegan diet can reduce land use by 75% and water usage by 54%. Secondly, animal agriculture emits vast amounts of greenhouse gases, notably methane and nitrous oxide, with higher global warming potentials than CO2. Ruminant livestock such as cattle and sheep produce methane as a byproduct of their digestion which is released into the atmosphere when they burp. Additionally, manure from livestock can release nitrous oxide. This means that meat and dairy from these livestock carry higher carbon footprints than equivalent plant-based foods. On top of all this, animal agriculture is notorious for its energy inefficiency, and pollution of air, water and soil, not to mention disruptions to ocean ecosystems due to overfishing. All in all, from an environmental point of view, reducing our meat and dairy consumption is the way to go.
Whilst it is important to try to reduce our environmental impact in all possible ways, including advocating for systemic change and corporate responsibility, we can’t deny that what we choose to eat is one of the things we have the most control over. A study by Oxford researchers found that adopting a vegan diet could be the most impactful individual choice for the environment, reducing your carbon footprint by up to 73%. As an environmentalist, I knew I couldn’t ignore such a straightforward solution, so I signed up for Veganuary.
My experience of Veganuary & what it taught me
Over the last four Januarys, I have actively participated in the global experiment of veganism - exploring the ever-expanding vegan shelves in supermarkets, finding joy in delicious veggie dishes and embracing my Chinese heritage by eating lots and lots of tofu. My experience of Veganuary has been surprisingly good each time, as I got to try new recipes and restaurants but still had some classic comfort dishes to keep me grounded. As I become more experienced in navigating the vegan world, I feel now that a vegan label invites me, rather than excluding me.
When Veganuary ended and over the years of participation, my everyday diet slowly shifted to a plant-based diet: a dietary pattern that emphasises foods derived from plant sources coupled with low consumption of animal products. So, I did not become vegan, or a vegetarian! The truth is that almost impossible to be a perfect vegan overnight. So many of us view having meat in our diet as the norm, and veganism feels like a gigantic sacrifice, stripping away our usual pleasures. This has meant that many people reject the idea of veganism before they even get to understand it fully. From an environmental perspective, it would be fantastic if we could all go vegan overnight, but in reality, this would be an unsustainable (hard to maintain) choice for many people. Let me explain.
Socio-economic - choice is power
Not everyone has the privilege to make “greener” dietary choices. Although a vegan diet can be cheaper in the long term, the accessibility and affordability of healthy vegan alternatives to meat remain a notable barrier for some communities, especially those in low-income areas and food deserts. Despite this, many from such communities have shown that a vegan diet can be achieved on a budget and with little time. All this comes back to “choice”: if you have the luxury to choose, try to consider the environment and know that your “choice” has the power to influence the market and the wider social environment.
Cultural - seeing veganism through different cultural lenses
Even if the world can be fully vegan one day, it would hardly be the case that this “veganism” would look identical for everyone. Across the globe, human communities vary significantly in their geographical environment, culture, history and relationships to the food. In many cultures, like parts of India and Ethiopia, vegetarian and vegan foods are already prominent for religious reasons, with local ingredients and culinary practices. Other cultures, like Indigenous communities with a deep knowledge of the environments they inhabit and protect, may rely on animal products in their diet due to their geographics and traditional practices. However, most cultures have many foods that are “traditionally” vegan and with the rise of veganism, many of us have been prompted to reimagine some of our cultural dishes in this new light.
Health - prioritising well-being and practising compassion
It is possible to have a well-balanced vegan diet and get all the nutrients you need, but there are cases where a vegan diet may not be ideal for health reasons. This may include people with specific medical conditions, dietary requirements or allergies that limit their options for vegan ingredients or require animal products in their diet. It is also crucial to consider a person’s mental health and their pre-existing relationship with food. We should prioritise compassion and well-being when practising veganism or any diet driven by an external purpose, as over-restricting oneself and perfectionism may lead to burnout. Consult a health professional if you have concerns about your diet and remember your well-being is vital to ensure that you can continue making meaningful climate impacts.
Traditions and personal history - food is meaningful and emotional
Every Veganuary, I take two days off for Chinese New Year with my family. My mother makes dumplings with a meaty filling, and over other traditional dishes, we celebrate the past year and welcome the new spring. I know I am not the only one who finds it hard to negotiate family and tradition with veganism. For many around the world in the modern age, food is one of the only things that keep us connected to our cultures and personal histories. Sometimes, food is more than physical nourishment, it is emotional, like a familiar hug. These emotional foods sometimes contain animal products, and the mere thought of leaving these foods behind forever makes veganism seem impossible and out of touch. Moreover, these foods are important to us because they have an element of specialness and meaning - we have them only on special occasions with people we love. They make us feel better and remind us of our values. I navigate Veganuary knowing I will make up for the two days I missed in February, instead of throwing the whole thing out the window. While I may never eat a chicken nugget again, I don’t think I will ever say no to my mother’s home-cooked Zhajiang Mian, reminding me of all the things that come before us, making us who we are today.
Food waste - can we tackle both at the same time?
If we want to make the global food system more efficient and sustainable, we must also tackle what we choose not to eat and where they end up. Reducing food waste is vital for fighting climate change. About one-quarter of the food we produce is thrown away: given that food production accounts for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, food waste accounts for 6% of it. That is three times more than aviation. Whilst I am nowhere near being perfectly vegan, I do pride myself on wasting little food. Sometimes the dilemma is whether I should be responsible for stopping a food product from going to waste (AKA eating it), even if it is an animal product. More times than not, I would eat it, especially knowing that the food in question was really on the brink of going to waste. I recently found out that there’s actually a word for this - “freeganism” - an anti-consumerist idea which encompasses the rescuing of otherwise wasted food as an act of protest against animal exploitation and the flawed food system.
Closing thoughts - how should we think about food and the planet now?
I hope this exploration of veganism and my experience of Veganuary will encourage you to think more critically about veganism and how you can bring it into your environmental journey. While I think veganism may not be for everyone, I believe Veganuary is for everyone. No matter who you are and your perceptions about veganism, I think everyone would benefit from participating at least once. You might just stick with it, or you might enjoy it more than you think and decide to be more “vegan” than you were before. Either way, I challenge you to rethink the food choices you make and switch your default mindset to “plant-based”. With so much at stake, we need more people on board, doing plant-based imperfectly. Finally, I want to leave you with the label I give myself when I explain my sustainability-driven diet - “flexitarian”, it suits me perfectly and is a great conversation starter.
Written by: Ailin Bogers
Edited by: Gianna Hector
References
This is further discussed in:
Carrington, D. (2022) 'Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth,' The Guardian, 29 April. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth.
Carrington, D. (2023) 'Vegan diet massively cuts environmental damage, study shows,' The Guardian, 21 July. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/20/vegan-diet-cuts-environmental-damage-climate-heating-emissions-study.
Corthell, M. (2024) 'The complex reality: not all human beings can be vegan,' The Vegan’s Voice, 12 September. https://michaelcorthelll.substack.com/p/the-complex-reality-not-all-human-fc3.
Kai, B. (2023) rambling thoughts on veganism, people pleasing, finding balance, & accepting nuance in a black & white world — Brennan Kai.
Paul, P. (2023) ‘Keep Your Politics Out of My Arugula,’ The New York Times, 19 January. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/opinion/keep-your-politics-out-of-my-arugula.html?searchResultPosition=4
Petter, O. (2020) 'Veganism is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce our environmental impact on planet, study finds | The Independent,' The Independent, 24 September. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/veganism-environmental-impact-planet-reduced-plant-based-diet-humans-study-a8378631.html.
Rehberg, R. (2024) Veganuary 2024 Campaign Review. https://veganuary.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Campaign-Report-2024-UK.pdf.
Ritchie, H. (2020) Food waste is responsible for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions. https://ourworldindata.org/food-waste-emissions.
The Vegan Society (no date) Definition of veganism. https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism
Veganuary (2024) What we do | about us | Veganuary. https://veganuary.com/about/about-us/.
Environmental benefits of veganism: How does veganism help the environment? (2021). https://genv.org/environmental-benefits-of-veganism/.
WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (2021) Plant-based diets and their impact on health, sustainability and the environment: a review of the evidence, WHO Regional Office for Europe. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/349086/WHO-EURO-2021-4007-43766-61591-eng.pdf?sequence=1%26isAllowed=y.
Wittmeyer, A. P. Q. (2020) ‘I Admire Vegetarians. It’s a Choice I Won’t Ever Make,’ The New York Times, 15 February. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/15/opinion/sunday/vegetarian-vegan-meat.html?searchResultPosition=28