Vegan? What I could never give up, my big chick, a milkshake or a burger for 5 guys! These thoughts may be floating around in your mind and if you don't know what "vegan" means, you may just be thinking about stopping by chick~fil~a. Basically, a vegan does not consume any animal by-products. This includes meat, fish, dairy and poultry. Some go further and do not use products tested on animals and of course on fur or snake skin. You might think it's a crazy way to live, but once you learn how it reduces pollution, benefits your health, and helps tortured animals, you might become one yourself. Being vegan also reduces pollution in several ways. Having a vegan lifestyle will reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions. This gas production comes from cows and sheep which represent thirty-seven percent of the total methane. This is twenty-three times more than all human activity produces. This also reduces the amount of water wasted. It takes about 13,000 to 100,000 gallons of water to produce 2.2 pounds of beef, but only 1,000 to 2,000 gallons for 2.2 pounds of wheat. Another problem is that manure or manure-containing wastewater from factory farms causes extreme damage to river and stream ecosystems. Farm animals produce 130 times more feces than the entire human population of the United States. Unlike cities that have sewage systems, factory farms do not, which ends up polluting water, destroying topsoil, and contaminating the air we breathe. Additionally, meat production requires up to three times more resources than plant food production, leading to even more damage to the earth from pollution and global warming. Veganism is also extremely beneficial for...... middle of paper ......Increase egg production Chickens are starved to force them to lay eggs. As you can see, being vegan benefits animals, the environment, and your health. Being vegan for only part of the day is still very beneficial. The transition may be difficult at first, but soon it will become a part of you and you will feel relieved that you can go to bed knowing that no animal has endured pain that satisfies me for a few minutes. You will see your weight lose and your happiness grow. If you take blood tests before and after about a month of the vegan lifestyle, notice the sharp drop in the numbers. If you choose to embark on the journey to change your life starting from the inside out, your body will show it. It won't happen overnight, but change takes time and if you're just trying to change the lives of animals and other humans by reducing pollution.