I could have titled this, “Why not Vegan Yesteday?” but vegans get criticized for their tone, their lack of sensitivity and their self-righteousness.

I haven’t been a vegan for that long (5 years) and I often kick myself about that relatively short time of aligning my conscience with the fate of this planet. Having been an environmentalist for much longer, it amazes me now how long it took me to connect the dots from caring about this planet and caring about the animals.

Everyone’s story is different. Mine began with working on a vegan book (I am a publisher) and realizing how my author’s journey to becoming vegan opened my eyes.

When I talk about being vegan and about being a publisher, you can hear me here on Saturday and Sunday (6/10, 6/11), I am serious. The Sullivan Street Press website is a carbon-free site. We sell our books as both e-books and bound books that are Print on Demand. This means we are creating as small a carbon footprint as possible to be in this world of books.

But I digress.

My question at the top requires an answer. The planet needs your help. The planet is more than this geological rock we are all attached to. It consists of all that is in and on it. All that grows from it. All that has been here. It is a history machine full of billions of stories composed by all the life forms that have called this planet home. Most of that life no longer exists.

Our actions, human actions, have destroyed these species through both abuse and neglect. Our trajectory is heading towards the ultimate destruction of all life we need to survive.

One of the worst contributors to the death throes of our planet is industrialized agriculture. In particular, humans have taken to the brutal raising, genetic altering and slaughter of beef, pork, lamb, goat and turkeys, chicken, duck, goose as well as all life in the seas (fresh and saltwater). We are trying to to feed too many humans. Our planet will soon be exhausted. We have given it an unbearable burden and then destroyed those elements all life needs–clean air and water.

Give up consuming all animal products.  Find better ways to create books than destroying forests.

You can do this. You can save the planet.