Results from the survey

Throughout all my research and previous knowledge and experiences dealing with Veganism, I will say the results mirrored my prediction. People either knew what Veganism is or had no idea. I expected this because there is little information out there, especially with Vegan diet as a defense against environmental issues. And in regards to environmental issues I wanted to be shocked, but felt as if I expected, that people didn't really know that the food industries (meat, poultry, and dairy) had one of the largest impacts on the environment; Global warming.
I think this survey really helped me get a grasp on how people viewed my topic, and I think I can use that towards my research, that there just is not enough knowledge about the topic out there, and there is more to Vegans then just 'PETA' and animal rights.

Survey

I would appreciate if any of you reading or viewing my blog could do this quick survey, just some basics on Veganism and the environment. Thank you. 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TSVCTLM 

Arguments against Veganism? Do some people believe its not helping the environment? Why?

Every initial question has to have at least two answers. Regarding a topic that can hold a lot of questions, confusion, and controversy, it is easy to have a bias. I am a Vegetarian and aspiring Vegan, so that generally makes my opinion lead towards going that route in a way to help the environment. However, I needed to know the opposing opinions on this question.

I discovered throughout my findings that a lot of the arguments against Veganism were opinion based, or unrelated to the environment. So, to stay on point with my initial question, I wanted to express my opinion to why that is; not a lot of opposing arguments on Veganism and the Environment. The few arguments I did read about mainly said it'll be no different; the industry will continue to do what it does and you taking yourself out of the equation (so to speak) is just you not eating what they are providing.

I thought I would do a bit more research on this aspect of my question so it didn't hit a dead-end, nor did I want it to be irrelevant to my initial question...
I realized in my previous research that not only are you polluting while the livestock is being processed, but also has its being transported, and Local livestock is actually just as good as reducing or removing the amount of meat and dairy you eat. So what that means for Veganism and the environment, is that it is just one of the options in reducing your effects on the environment based on what you eat (or won't eat.)

What is Veganism?

Veganism is the avoidance of eating animals or any animal bi-products. This includes meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, honey, animal gelatin, and any other derivative of an animal. Vegetarian, a very similar lifestyle, just excludes meat, and a pescetarian diet excludes meat but allows the consumption of fish. Veganism is not only a diet change, but a lifestyle change... It has been referenced to as a "compassionate" lifestyle aimed towards benefiting animals (us humans included too.) 

My thoughts...

Well for starters, I love nature and our giant blue and green planet, and I intend on pursuing a career that will make a positive impact on Earth for years and years to come as an Environmental Science teacher!

My...Obsession for helping the earth, and all living creatures has been a pretty constant thing. However, I'm not alone. Especially in recent years loving the environment has become a fad, Eco-friendly products, new habits and diet changes, and overall more understanding that us humans haven't been treating our home very well. 

This is where my topic had risen, I am wanting to do research and find out how Veganism can help the environment? 

I have my own opinion on the topic (that I shall share later) but I'm going to start by covering what Veganism is, perhaps differences between other lifestyles (i.e. Vegetarianism), how it is going to help the environment, and why even do it! I'm also thinking about adding how beneficial it could be and how to go about it.

I'm going to search for some documentaries (because I know that there are many) and see what else I can discover, such as online articles off of Google Scholar.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2367646/#b37-ehp0116-000578 this article looks promising  I'm going to look into it more, and I realize I'm going to have to make sure I don't have a bias while looking into the research. https://www.ciwf.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2008/f/factory_farming_and_the_environment_1999.pdf this one appears long, but I could really use a good understanding of my topic, especially when starting out.