In 2018, scientists released what has been called the most comprehensive study ever of the harm farming does to the planet. The analysis was based on a dataset culled from close to 40,000 farms in 119 different countries. The dataset covers 40 food products, which make up about 90 percent of all the foods humans eat. Joseph Poore, lead scientist on the research concluded that, “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car because those actions only reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Since the mid ’90’s, Denman’s Vegan Community Potluck Series has hosted over a hundred gatherings in our cozy ‘Back Hall’. Today it serves as an example of direct community-based action on climate change. Our 100 percent plant-based smorgasbords have traditionally been followed by presentations on social justice, environmental issues, or the politics of food…from guest speakers, to slideshows and feature documentaries. Sometimes they double as fundraisers. On hiatus due to Covid 19 since our last potluck on International Women’s Day in May, so far this year the series has contributed funds to international tree planting, seed saving and plant-based school lunch programs, as well as legal support for Wet’suwet’en indigenous land defenders.
In 2018, scientists released what has been called the most comprehensive study ever of the harm farming does to the planet. The analysis was based on a dataset culled from close to 40,000 farms in 119 different countries. The dataset covers 40 food products, which make up about 90 percent of all the foods humans eat. Joseph Poore, lead scientist on the research concluded that, “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car because those actions only reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”