Join them this January and help build a better future urges Veganuary
1st December, 2020
Veganuary, the global pledge to try vegan for 31 days, is today launching its 2021 campaign urging everyone to help build a better future by signing up to try vegan this January. This new year – more than any other – is the time for positive change!
More than one million people have already completed Veganuary’s one-month challenge since it began in 2014 and new statistics* compiled by Dr Helen Harwatt from Harvard University’s Animal Law and Policy program show that their collective impact has been huge:
- 103,840 tonnes of CO2eq saved, equivalent to driving around the world almost 15,000 times
- 405 tonnes of PO43-eq (eutrophication) saved, the same as 1,645 tonnes of sewage
- 6.2 million litres of water saved, the same as flushing the toilet almost half a million times
- Additionally, more than 3.4 million animals were saved according to the Vegan Society’s Veganalyser calculations
Check out our infographic based on this data.
These figures offer hope that together we can tackle the two biggest threats currently facing us: catastrophic climate breakdown and a global pandemic – both heavily linked to our consumption of animal products. 2021 is the year for positive action and Veganuary is urging everyone to embrace this opportunity to reshape the future and sign-up to try vegan at Veganuary.com.
Chris Packham, environmentalist and Veganuary Ambassador, echoes the charity’s call to action:
“Trashing the planet does none of us any good, as the coronavirus pandemic shows all too clearly. But we can emerge from this stronger and wiser, with a renewed commitment to protecting the environment, its inhabitants and our own futures. Being vegan is a great way to support the natural world and to live sustainably.”
Fellow Veganuary Ambassador Evanna Lynch agrees, saying:
“Most emerging infectious diseases come from animals, so when we cut down their habitats, cram them into factory farms, or imprison them in cages on fur farms, we are not only causing terrible harm to those we share the planet with, we are harming ourselves, too. The good news is we can change our relationship with animals and taking part in Veganuary 2021 is a great place to start!”
Veganuary’s 2021 campaign launch video featuring Evanna, Chris and other celebs sharing their reasons to try vegan is available now.
Download images of celebs backing Veganuary’s 2021 campaign.
More than 400,000 people from 192 countries took part in Veganuary last year, including rock legends Brian May and Meat Loaf. Now the charity is expanding its efforts by launching programmes in two new countries, Brazil and Argentina, and its first French language pledge – building on the campaigns already established in the UK, US, Germany and Chile.
The goal this year is a global total of 500,000 sign-ups through the Veganuary website alone!
Media contact
Toni Vernelli, International Head of Communications, Veganuary
T: 07505 866 548
Notes
*Figures are based on Veganuary participant data and take into account participants’ geographical location (country) and their pre-Veganuary diet. All of the numbers include imports and exports and also include the full food supply chain.
The calculations are extrapolated from the data in Poore & Nemecek (2018) Science. For further details see http://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987/ and a lecture about the paper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8miQs3mPGu8.
