The Palisadian-Post has partnered with locally founded environmental organization Resilient Palisades to deliver a “green tip” to our readers in each newspaper. This edition’s tip was written by Aleksandar Pavlović, president of Resilient Palisades and a member of the Vegan Solutions Team.
The Resilient Palisades Vegan Solutions Team hosted our largest and most attended Pali Veg Fest yet on Sunday, June 9. Held in the heart of our community, and serving a variety of plant-based foods and products, our event aimed to inform and support both practicing vegans and those interested in a vegan lifestyle for the betterment of the planet, animals and their personal health.
Adopting a vegan diet is a powerful step toward sustainability. Vegan food is made from 100% plants and excludes animal ingredients such as meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, dairy, eggs and other animal-derived products.
The animal agriculture industry is a leading cause of environmental degradation due to deforestation, wetland drainage, overgrazing and habitat loss in exchange for the development of carbon/methane-intensive livestock farms.
A 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report concluded that shifting diets from meat, dairy, fish and eggs to plant-based vegan foods would lead to a substantial reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Factory farming also causes immense animal suffering and raises ethical concerns. Choosing veganism allows individuals to stand against animal cruelty and promote a more compassionate world.
If you feel unsure of where to begin with a vegan diet, it’s OK to start small:
- Start with Meatless Mondays and gradually include more meatless meals into your routine. Be creative with your meal-prepping—there are countless recipes online that use a variety of plants in many different ways.
- Try non-dairy milk, spreads, cheeses and more. These products are sold at grocery stores like Ralphs, Vons, Gelson’s and Erewhon.
- Try eating vegan meals before dinner time. Incorporating mostly plant-based meals into your day is a significant way to cut down on our carbon footprint and makes it easier to gradually cut out animal products.
We are happy to say that the community’s enthusiastic response to Pali Veg Fest reflects growing awareness and acceptance of veganism in Pacific Palisades. Let’s carry the momentum from Pali Veg Fest forward, and make informed choices that benefit ourselves and our planet.
Find out about our next Veg Fest by joining Resilient Palisades on our website (resilientpalisades.org) and following us on Instagram and Facebook.
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