All of you have calculated your emissions and you have surely discovered the unexpectedly high impact of some of your behaviors (eating meat, flying to a sunny destination, etc.) on your total footprints.
Are there any behaviors that you are really willing to change or to improve for the sake of the environment? What challenges do you encounter or think you will encounter while trying to change these things? What help, support, and insights from others would make your life easier with these new behaviors?
Let's discuss these issues and make our pledges here!
Now It's Time for Action >
Why We Must Fight Animal Testing
A year and a half ago, my sister and I made a promise that we would never use any products tested on animals ever again. According to NEAVS, a national animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the use of animals in research and testing, millions of animals are bred, used, and disposed as dangerous waste. The U.S. National Institutes of Health Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare has found that research animal facilities generates a significant amount of waste that is harmful to the environment.
It was discovered in 2012 that the NIH Division of Intramural Research Laboratories produce over 1.5 million pounds of animal bedding, excrement, and food waste. The food needed to sustain the animals bred for research contributes to the same environmental harms that are associated with agriculture.
The animals are being used to test chemical products—weather it is beauty products, household cleaners, or laundry detergent—and these chemicals are being disposed into our earth along with the animal carcasses. Laboratories are literally contaminating the earth with toxins that they use on the animals.
These animal testing laboratories also contribute to the pollution in our atmosphere. Incineration is a common form of disposal for our U.S. labs, especially at universities. The gaseous emissions that result from the incineration of animal carcasses and bedding include all the chemicals used in the testing.
Another environmental issue that animal testing affects is biodiversity. Currently, the estimate of lost species is 50 to 500 times higher than the natural rates indicated by the fossil record. When labs capture animals from the wild and taken to research facilities, they contribute to the shrinking biodiversity.
Lastly, NEAVS conducted a survey that shows how products that were tested on animals are more harmful to the environment then products that are not tested on animals. Cruelty-free products are more likely to be made with natural, vegan, and earth-friendly ingredients.
These are all the reasons why I am cruelty-free. I encourage everyone reading to consider supporting animal rights and the environment by not supporting companies that test their products on animals. You can start by picking up any product you have and checking for a little bunny icon on the back. Look up lists of cruelty-free companies. Download the app called “Bunny-Free” so you can scan items in the store to check if they are cruelty-free before purchasing them.