As Vegan As Possible (AVAP)

[Fluxx]

I am currently only 90% vegan, and 10% veggie. In the NY looking to go the whole way. It has been a long time coming, and something I have always wanted to do. But I have a question. Possibly many actually. The first being...How vegan are you? How far to you take the non consumption / use of animal based products?

For instance, I was thinking about something as simple as a laptop. A cooking tray. Or anything mass produced in a factory. The object I purchase may be vegan. But the machines that made the object, probably are not (factory lubricants contain animal by - products). Then I start over thinking. The house that I live in...made and built using non vegan tools / machinery. How far can I take it before it becomes ridiculous.

Also, I am on Warfain for life. If I don't take it, I die. But it is tested on animals. And that bugs me. Massively. Do I risk finding an alternative, that could kill me? Because if I continue to take this medication, I can not call myself vegan.

If I continue to live in my house...cook using my oven...use my laptop...I'm not really 100% vegan.

Basically...I want to find a way, in modern society, to 100% vegan, and non reliant on animal by - products. Either directly, or indirectly.

Am I crazy?

 

[Jamie in Chile]

It sounds like you are worrying too much. Perhaps you could focus more on the great and ethical decisions you've already taken, and be proud of that.

In an overcrowded world with limited resources and carbon emissions attached to every purchase, you would do more good buying ANY laptop and making it last 6 years than if you bought a new laptop every 2 years but bought the most ethical imaginable one.

If you really want to do more good:
--Look for non-vegan ways to be more ethical, like cutting your carbon emissions, plastic consumption, or carbon emissions.
--Giving money to carefully selected charities.
--Consume less product in general.
--Promote veganism to your friends and family.
--Reduce the foods making you 10% veggie.

All of this will do more good than trying to get from level 3 veganism to level 5 veganism which is marginal gains for the sake of personal purity.

That's my take on it.

And to answer your question, you seem to be well ahead of me. I only some of the time check if my bread is vegan, or if the cake I was offered was made with an egg. I've never checked if medicine was vegan.

 

[Sally]

I am as vegan as I can be, that includes non-food items. As meat, fish and dairy become less popular and products not tested on animals have increasing sales, then maybe the whole industry will shift away from using animals and it will just happen, that is the hope. Keep an eye on stuff as recipes change, sometimes vegan sometimes not, just keep reading the small print and spreading the word. Medicine is a difficult one and you just have to accept that we can't change the world overnight, but you can inquire about alternative medication if you like, if we don't raise the issue nobody else will, but don't worry too much, you can only do your best. At the Viva roadshow they said nobody can be 100% vegan as we cannot be all-knowing about everything in our lives, and will sometimes unwittingly use or consume something without realising.