When we look at the fashion trends through the years, we often notice leather, fur, feather covering our clothing pieces. But why is that? Why don't we just put an end to it? Now, we all know that thousands and thousands of years ago, in the Stone Age, people used to kill animals for food and use their fur to warms themselves. And that's completely fine since they had no alternatives and it was the only thing available at the time. But today, in the modern age, when we have countless choices available, we still choose clothes and footwear for which animals had to suffer. Especially the world's most popular fashion companies such as Gucci, Versace, Dolce&Gabanna, etc... There are videos out there that prove what kind of torture animals go through. In conclusion, we all wonder why do animals suddenly go extinct, we hear these controversial stories nearly every day, but we do nothing about it. At last, animals are the miracle creatures of nature and we must do everything to keep it that way.

There are some traditions (such as eating turkey on and around Thanksgiving or setting off fireworks around the 4th of July in America) that seem unlikely to go away in the long run without a really radical cultural shift, despite not being particularly safe for the environment. Should we focus on uprooting/boycotting these traditions, or focus first on changing our lifestyles in other areas since these only occur during certain seasons?

I think that as much as we would want or like to change these traditions, they won't go away. Humans don't like change, and traditions are definitely a thing that people don't want to change. I think that to change these traditions we would need a radical shift in thinking especiialy in the older generations.

Like the user 1877 i also don't think we will be able to change traditions. people are stubborn and if you try to change a tradition of theirs it will almost always be viewed as disrespectful. I think what we can do is look at our own traditions and see what we can change about them to make them more echo friendly.

I agree, I see a big pushback against any changes to deeply held traditions, especially those people have always grown up with. Do you think we should try viewing them as a Purge of sorts, so that people will indulge less normally, or leave them out of the conversation altogether?

Humans are generally not very keen on the idea of change. As user 1877 said, traditions are one of the things people are reluctant to change- they may even get aggressive about it. Traditions of certain cultures have been held for years. Changing or ceasing them will take a long time or might not happen at all. Most traditions that I know of are not particularly harmful to anyone or the environment. However, some traditions the op mentioned like setting off fireworks on occassions like the 4th of July in America can indeed result in negative impacts on our environment because fireworks are known to cause air pollution. For issues like this, we can always resort to looking for ways to replace fireworks with more eco-friendly solutions. Perhaps scientists can develop fireworks that do not leave harmful particles in the air or we can limit the number of fireworks being set off and sold so that we can reduce the pollution caused in the air. We can also watch fireworks being set off on television or on our devices instead to minimize the fireworks. Albeit it does not provide the same feeling as seeing fireworks right before our very eyes, it is a more sustainable method compared to the one we are familiar with. Thankfully, youth nowadays are more open to change, therefore the future of practicing our traditions in an eco-friendlier manner seems likely.

It will be difficult for us to change traditions and it would take effort from all of us and time to change, but we can do it. However, because traditions take up much less resources and have less of an impact when compared to our everyday practices and habits, we should focus on making small changes in our everyday lives, which will have a larger impact.
Here’s an article I found interesting:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/minori … uence.html

for me one thing I have been having a very hard time changing is my way of transportation. when I have the change to car pool or bike, I do try to take it, however there's not always that chance. When it comes to biking, if its not a nice day or I honestly just don't feel like I would have energy to get my bike out, I won't. I do chose to take the bus over driving a lot but I wouldn't be able to reduce how much I take the bus and skytrain to get around.

Yeah I get where you coming from. Like when you have the choice to do something that could help around you local area, but you cant reach it cause like transportation is one thing that we have to use to get from point a to point b. And changing the vehicle or path you'll tend to stay same way just looks different.

Yes, both of you have great points in this, but of course changing your habits does not mean to shift it all but to take little steps into doing something a bit different. So even though you can't or might not be able to bike everyday, having a day or so in a week can be more effective than you think! so keep it up!

I agree! It's so true that it's way easier to choose the more convenient option of car or public transportation. I think anything thing that we can do to help reduce our footprint and impact on the environment is great and we should strive towards that.

This world needs to start helping each other, we are all at risk of ruining this planet forever, we need more people to relize how much we are damaging this world, and there is no planet B.

I also have an issue with this, from not turning off lights when I leave a room or keeping my phone plugged in when it doesn’t need to be. Sometimes I just need a reminder to turn off my light or tv in my room.

We all have behaviors. We possibly can't stop ourselves from turning off the lights sometimes. However, I think the only way to change is for us to actually be more compassionate and dedicated to help support this cause. Although I am in Taiwan currently. We from the other side of the world also helps and tries to support this cause. I hope you guys can too.

Charging your phone when unneeded.

I think transportation is extremely important and that I would consider that off the table.

The prompt says what is something about your daily life that you would be unwilling to change. When you say transportation, it makes me think that you mean via car, not some sustainable method like public transportation or biking. Sorry if I misunderstood what you meant. While I agree it is essential to functioning/living in today's world, that doesn't mean there could be improvements to it. It might be hard to change methods of getting around, especially if you live in an area that doesn't have good public transportation or is sprawling, but carpooling could also help reduce your carbon footprint.

One thing that i struggle to limit myself with is definitely my electricity use. In this society especially, we rely on most of our entertainment, communication, and school and work resources online. Especially with our current world situation, i think i speak for a lot of us when i say i find myself turning to my phone or laptop quite a bit to spend free time or just to occupy myself. Although i do hope we can move more towards using solar energy/more eco friendly energy sources in general, i think its quite hard to cut down on my energy use at the moment.

I agree. Like you mentioned, my electricity usage has also gone up with our current situation. Most of my homework/learning happens online, and I have found myself spending free time on a device instead of spending time outdoors or meeting friends. Although personally limiting the usage of electricity is off the table. I am willing to charge my devices for less time (instead of all night) and completely turn it off when it is not used. I hope to slowly limit my time spent on energy sources and reduce my carbon footprint.

I agree. Before COVID, the majority of my time was spent going out either to go out with friends or to go to sports or any extracurricular activities. Now, we need to be extra careful when doing these activities, so I do spend a lot of time on the computer or my phone; sometimes for school and sometimes to catch up with some friends online. It is hard but I am trying to get better at not being on my phone/technology if I'm not doing homework or something productive.

I agree wholeheartedly. Before the coronavirus my electricity usage was low but now it is increased significantly. Now I need to use it for schoolwork/class and for playing videogames. But I try to reduce my carbon footprint by removing my charger when I am not using it and turning off my lights when I am not in the room.

I agree. Before covid, I was just starting to think about how much electricity I used and now it's even worse. All my work is online and I find myself grabbing my device a lot more. Then whenever I finish doing my homework I usually go straight to another device because I feel like there is nothing else to do (coming from someone with a very short attention span). Obviously there are other things but I still need to find something that interests me.

I also agree. I do not have many hobbies or I struggle to stick to any, so electronics such as my phone and laptop are what I use daily to cure boredom. I also have trouble when it comes to sleeping because I need for a show to be on in order for me to fall asleep, which I use my laptop for. I am trying to find hobbies to stick to but it is so hard, especially when my laptop is something I am already used to.

i’m a person who loooves to eat meats and candies, and lately i’ve been tryna stop and eat healthier. i’ve tried going vegan, which was a fail, and vegetarian was also hard. what are
other ways i can help the planet by consuming less food?

Just try to limit yourself. Instead of going 100% vegan or vegetarian, you could eat, for example, one meal a week containing beef or other animal products. Set limits for yourself, and over time you can become more used to this lifestyle, and do it more often.

I agree that it’s hard to stop eating meats because we’ve grown up eating them and it’s hard to stop. It’s kind of like a little addiction, when we stop we just want more and more. So if you want to stop eating meat go slowly into it.

I agree it’s harder to eat better. Bacon is good so is steak shrimp and all sea food. But going vegetarian just doesn’t seem like it would taste good, 400 McDonald’s burgers can come from 1 single cow. It seems hard to give up a tender burger for a veggie patty.

I try to only eat one or less meal with red meat a week. This is great for me because I still get to have that one meal of something I really like. As a substitute I eat a lot of chicken and fish, which are much better for you and the environment. I also try to eat lots of beans because they are a great substitute for meat and personally I love them.

Yes it’s hard to limit your consumption of meat especially because it provides protein, but maybe try and find other meals that would give you the same nutrients? But I agree, you should move slowly into this because it could be a difficult change.

yes I 100% agree. healthy foods that are both better for you and the environment are really expensive making it hard for people who don't have much money.

I think that it is really hard to change everything in your life and become vegan. It is important to eat healthy for your body, but in terms of the environment, I think it is all about limiting the amount of animal products we consume. The main problem is the fact big companies such as McDonald's kills millions of animals a year. This is not healthy whatsoever, not to mention the gross substances they dip their meat in. It is important to buy from local, healthy sources that treat their animals with care and have smaller farms. An overload of cows, for example, can create a lot of greenhouse gases that are toxic to the violent. In my experience, I eat animal products on some occasions, but from local, organic farms that create a smaller carbon footprints. We have to support the companies that are treating their animals right, to make a difference.

You probably should not try that hard. The change of food habits can be really difficult so you should change it slowly and gradually. Or in another way, you can conceive it not as the change of your habits but as a solution for the climat issues (change of behavior). Becoming vegan is not only a way to eat healthier. By reducing our meat consommation, we reduce the emission of CO2 because we need the producer of meat to produce less meat. That is to say, changing your food habits is an opportunity for you to contribute to the changes our world is undergoing. It is probably not the advise that will change your life, but what you have to understand is that change is only a state of mind and therefore you are the only one who can set this change up.

I agree with all the above replies, changes make a difference, but when it comes to changing habits it may be harder. Going vegan is a very big challenge that not everyone can easily overcome but there are substitutes to this option, maybe more accessible, more doable for you. Even if it’s not a change as drastic as veganism, you could try gradually reducing your meat, and at the same time try to eat vegetarian food until you find what really works for you. It makes it also easier to make these changes if you bring your friends along through the process, so that you can all support each other. I also think that what stops us from eating differently is we fear what’s unfamiliar and we mostly focus on the negative aspects of the outcome. However once we look at the bigger picture we realise it only takes hope to make a difference, little by little!

It is a little hard to eat better. One thing that will cut down your carbon footprint is going vegetarian. I have started going vegetarian once a week which is a lot better for the planet. If this is too hard for you, you should at least try cutting down on eating less red meat.

It is definetly hard to completely go vegan or vegetarian, however not only does the change help the planet but also your health. I would suggest to at least cut red meat down and try to eat as much plant/homegrown meals as possible.

Personally for me I dont think that not eating red meat is possible or at least something I would be willing to do. However, there are other ways you can help like deciding not to eat processed foods from big companies for instance McDonald's who produces 22 million metric tons of greenhouse gas a year just on their meet.

It's definitely hard to go vegan/vegetarian. I myself was a meat eater not too long ago. Going vegetarian, in my opinion is quite a bit easier than going vegan. While going vegan would be ideal for the planet, it becomes quite the hassle to sustain a completely vegan diet; especially as young people, who may not have other vegan eaters in the family. I went vegetarian a while ago, and it was hard at first, but it gets a lot better. It really helps reduce your carbon footprint, and in my opinion, it's worth it. The trick to going vegetarian is to do it slowly, if you find it super difficult to stop eating meat, maybe just try to gradually consume less meat over time. Anything you can do do consume less meat will reduce your carbon footprint. Another thing you could look at is your dairy consumption. Milk is something that can be quite a bit easier to cut out of your diet than meat. There are many options to replace milk, such as almond or oat milk. I personally prefer oat milk, but anything you can do to consume less dairy will also help reduce your carbon footprint. Overall, i suggest you try to gradually reduce your meat and dairy consumption instead of cutting it out for good, it can be a lot easier that way.

It really is challenging to change our meat-based diets to those that omit the meat, especially if we have been raised in a household that mainly consumes meat-incorporating meals or have grown accustomed to eating such. It is important to begin small and slowly work our way up. Think of a sub-goal that ultimately leads to cutting off meat from your diet entirely. Think of one that seems achievable for yourself (like beginning with reducing the meat-based meals you eat in a week) because we all know that rapid developments are difficult to keep up with. Luckily, we now have plant-based alternatives for food like chicken nuggets. It also helps motivate yourself if you think about the outcome that can result in changing your diet: it will affect not only the environment positively, but your own health as well. Methane production from cow waste and the depletion of resources like crops and grains from raising livestock contributes to the large carbon and water footprint of meat food products like hamburger patties. Thus the reduction of meat from your diet helps the planet greatly. At the end of the day, it will result in beneficial outcomes. I also think that discipline and determination are values that are necessary to have if we are striving to change- this does not only include the change in diet but applies to all kinds of change in general. Successfully transitioning to a plant-based diet from a meat-based one requires a change in self first like user Terahnui mentioned.

I agree that it is harder to eat better. Despite the challenge, it is worth it, not only for your own health, but for the health of the planet. However, not everyone has the resources to eat 'healthy'. Organic and ethical produce is expensive, and people already struggling to put food on the table cannot afford to be selective about the effect their food has on the environment. It is an issue of equity. It is not the fault of struggling communities that they contribute to climate change, but rather corporate influence over the food market. Companies that distribute cheap produce know that their products are cost competitive, and they are aware that their low prices trap low-income citizens. If their interests aligned more with those of the planet, their consumers would not be forced to choose between eating 'unhealthy' or not at all, and a major factor preventing the mitigation of the climate crisis would be overcome.

you don’t have to be fully vegan u can do meatless monday or have a schedule of when u can or can’t eat meat and that will do u part in helping the earth

Yeah, I agree, I deal with the same thing but there's been a few things that have contributing to getting off eating so much. I don't think I could very give up all meat, but you can start by cutting out red meats and like beef and such. Cows and pigs id say is the biggest one too stay away from. I do like to have one cheat day a week where I can eat whatever I want. So slow you're meat consumption in general and eat other types of meals, and if you feel you need meat it should bee fish or turkey, or something similar.

I can relate with you. It can be hard especially if you have adults who cook food for you. I know that if I tried to go vegetarian or vegan it would be really hard. I think you just have to try your best. Maybe try only eating meat/animal products on certain days or slowly taking them out of your diet. There are also different plant based food items that taste a lot like meat.

For my current carbon footprint, I noticed the calculator calculated that my meat consumption is very high. Just recently, I recorded the meals I consume each day for the entire week and what I saw on my record sheet is that I always had meat at least one meal each day. This has made me think about my eating habits for future and now I have made a goal for the entire year to reduce my meat consumption by 50%. Which means I will be consuming meat half the time and mostly eating vegetable or plant-based food. I hope to complete this goal and later transform it to my normal meal plan. What is your plan to for the Off the Table topic.

Hi Eldrick, I have also noticed that my meat consumption on my carbon footprint calculator is very high as well. This has also made me want to change my eating habits. Although I currently don't have a plan because I don't have much control over what I eat, I will urge my parents to buy less meat. I will also try to avoid eating as much meat when I go out to eat. My goal is to reduce my meat consumption by 25% for this year.

Hey Eldrick c thank you for pointing this out, i agree 100% about cutting down on meats by 50%. As Leo pointed out he will be eating less meat too. Because of you guys i also will trying my best not to eat meat products as much as i do. It will take time and discipline but i think together we will do it!

What's up Eldrick. It's great to see you trying to change up your meat consumption by trying to reduce the amount of meat you eat a week by eating more vegetables and plant-based foods which is amazing especially with the project we are working on and is a great way to help the animal agriculture use and livestock.

That is a great idea Eldrick. I've been tracking what I eat every day since the beginning of the month and I also notice that I usually eat meat at least once a day. I think this is why my food category in the carbon footprint calculator was higher than I expected. Since I usually make my own meals, cutting down the amount of meat I consume will be easier than if my parents cook for me. I don't think I can go fully vegetarian or vegan but I will also be cutting down my meat consumption.

Hello Eldrick C, I agree with what you are saying and I also found that when I tracked the amount of meat I was consuming it was quite a lot. My parents have most of the control over what I eat but, I will look for better options that I can have instead of meat. I don't think I can completely cut meat out of my diet but, I am going to try to cut down on eating meat. This looks like a great way to help reduce carbon emissions coming from the livestock industry.

Nice idea Eldrick, I think that cutting down on meat consumption is something I need to start on as when I used the calculator I too noticed that it was quite high. Since my family consuming quite a lot of meat each week, I'm going to start asking them to buy less meat. I also dont think I could go vegan or vegetarian but I can definitely cut down my meat consumption.

having really short showers

This is a continuation to my other reply because for some reason it cut off. As I was saying, I think it would be quite difficult to dramatically shorten the amount of time I shower for. I will definitely try to be more cautious, however showering is something I do daily. Showers often calm me down wether its for an anxiety attack or other stress related things. I also find that showering clears my mind and helps me focus (on school related work). Showers are a necessity to humans in many ways.

We need to find ways to make organic food cheaper. Many people could benefit from going vegan or vegetarian but they can’t just because it’s too expensive to. Right now I think that going vegan has to be off the table because we can’t offer it to everybody but if we found a way to do it so everybody could afford  it then it would work out.

The demand for organic food has gone up almost 5% since 1997 which makes sense. I agree that many people could benefit from having a more plant-based diet and the planet would also benefit, but there isn't as much cropland for organic foods. Many people like to eat fast foods which supports the meat industry quite heavily, meaning that things like meat are in higher demand than things like organic foods. The meat industry is horrible for our planet in more ways than one so everyone going for a more plant-based diet could change a lot and hopefully help our world.

One thing that I believe is "off the table" for personal change is my modes of transportation. I will continue to use my car for short distance trips and airplanes for long distance trips. I believe that using a bike or traveling less doesn't work in todays world unless under stressed conditions. As time goes on, we are going to have to travel longer and longer distances. Therefore, I believe that transportation is one thing that I can't change for the better of the world.