Integritus Prime

Recently thanks to my advisory board member and intrepid creator of the Angry Vegan Sock Puppet, Kamal Prasad, I attended Seed the Commons’ panel on veganic farming and climate change. Veganic means vegan and organic, and as an agricultural approach, it uses plant-based materials and animals too, but without commodifying them. So, the animals can be on a farm, performing their usual functions, and live happily without the threat of slaughter.

I learned that within the climate change and agriculture discourse, regenerative agriculture, which is pro-grazing, is leading the charge as a climate mitigation strategy. This is misleading at best, and dangerous at worst, because animal agriculture is one of the top contributors of greenhouse gas emissions globally.

The goal for the veganic movement is to expand and raise awareness about veganics as a truly sustainable agricultural option in the fight against climate change.

While listening to the esteemed panelists, I came up with and later voiced two ideas about how to strengthen the veganics movement. Both ideas involve expanding beyond the veganics movement to partner with similar and complementary movements. I’ll share them with you here:

1. Connect veganic farmers with vegan startups. Vegan startups are the most funded right now because of the burgeoning demand from consumers to improve their health, and the increasing perils of eating meat. Vegan meat products require plant-based ingredients such as corn and peas that veganic farmers could supply, and the startups could assist with collecting and analyzing data on agricultural production, efficiency, and other metrics. I bet there are folks out there who could investigate the viability of such partnerships and perhaps even start some.
2. Connect the veganic movement with the biomimicry movement. Biomimicry is the science of emulating nature. Veganics is by nature biomimetic, and also a form of what I call social biomimicry: human practices (like indigenous practices) that are in harmony with nature. There are Bioneers conferences around the country where permaculturists, indigenous groups, youth groups, entrepreneurs, academics, and others gather to learn from and support each other. Veganics is similar to permaculture (sustainable and self-sufficient agricultural practices), and joining with the Bioneers conference would be a great way to expand the veganics movement by building more partnerships.

What do you think of these ideas? Do you have more ideas for how to spread the accurate message that veganic agriculture is our best bet as we craft a vision for a stable climate? Share them with me.

One of my favorite slides from the veganics and climate change panel in San Francisco, on leadership from an indigenous perspective. Photo by yours truly.