If you have a love for animals but aren’t ready to take a step into the world of dietary change (aka becoming vegan or vegetarian) there is still hope! Here are 8 ways to advocate for our furry friends without becoming vegan.
1) Keep your products cruelty-free
Animal testing one of the epidemics heavily opposed by PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Animal testing is an issue in terms of the creation of products including baby care, body care, fragrance, cosmetics, hair care and more. PETA provides a list of companies that do and do not participate in animal testing, and you can find it here.
2) Watch where you buy your meat
Just because you don’t want to give up meat doesn’t mean you advocate for the sickening treatment of animals we see in those viral videos from factories around the world. In fact, according to John Ozersky on TIME magazine, it’s quite possible to eat meat and advocate for cruelty-free treatment, and it’s easier than ever. He suggests purchasing meat from small farms, and only by larger corporations who’ve proven themselves cruelty-free (he points out Whole Foods). Look for cage-free eggs and crate-free pork at your local supermarket as well.
3) Adopt an animal (or two)
Hold it! Adopting a new pet is completely different than “buying” one. The largest difference? Animal treatment. When purchasing an animal from a pet store, you’re really giving money to places like puppy mills, where they mass produce animals in appalling conditions. The reason for this is because pet stores are looking to make a profit, while adoption centers are most concerned with making sure animals turned into them or rescued by them (whether they were found, unwanted or abandoned) find healthy and happy homes. Also, as much as you’d think buying an animal from a pet store saves the animal from its life of cruelty, it doesn’t. Unfortunately, buying only helps out the breeders to breed new animals. Go adoption!
4) Be aware of your resources
There is an abundance of organizations that exist for one sole purpose- to help the animals! For a complete list of major organizations and people themselves, go here. However, here are a few you may or may not have heard of:
- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA )
- The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI)
- Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM)
- Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)
5) Donate
Contributors are often the most important piece of the puzzle in terms of keeping non-profit animal advocacy organizations running. On most organization websites, places to donate can easily be located on their main sites. For an example, see AWIs donation page here.
6) Volunteer
Volunteering is a great option whether you’re looking for hours or just love animals. A great place to look is your local Humane Society (if you’re in the US) or other animal shelters near you.
7) Get involved politically
Stay aware of your political leaders and their position on animal safety and rights advocacy. Even if you can’t vote, go out and support them, or even find a way to contact them. Humane Society has a website about passing laws for animals at state and federal levels, in fact, and it even includes specific individuals who they personally support.
8) Spread the word!
If you can do anything, it’s using your voice! Go out and tell the world that the animals need our help, and don’t let anyone shame you about how you support them. You can support animals and still eat meat. Find your local organization and help out, create a blog and write about how you feel, or do any of the things on this list to make a change, because every dollar, every hour, and every little bit of effort put in to make a difference goes an incredibly long way.
