Do you think a vegan should own a car?

Question

I personally walk everywhere I go because the transportation industry both directly and indirectly kills animals. Directly with things like leather seats and indirectly with things like polution.

I realize this is debatable, but to me, a true vegan would not own a car. That is like being a vegan and still eating meat.

Phillip B, you are a true vegan and therefore I will award you with best answer. We can all learn from Philip B.

Answer 1

Of the members of my local vegetarian society (southern UK), I'd guess that car ownership is about 33%. Those that do, don't tend to have new ones, and also use public transport when it meets their journey needs and only have the car as back-up.

Personally, I'm vegan and have never owned a car. (Owned a small motorcycle prior to becoming vegan.) I cycle, bus, train, taxi or get lifts from car owners. For me it's part of being vegan to have a smaller "carbon footprint". Cost wise, I might spend about the same as if I owned a car, but I've opted out. If I changed job and needed a car to do more then just home to work commute then I'd buy one, but it would have a small, low-emission engine.

Answer 2

I don't own a car. Where I live I am close to many places I can walk to for the majority of my needs. If necessary, I use public transportation and about once a week or every 2 weeks I borrow a car from family members. The years when I do go out of town I rent a car (compact) rather than fly or take a train since they use more fuel. Bicycle is another good mode of transportation.

In all honesty though, I have rarely owned cars in my life time, even before I decided to become a vegetarian. I've also always been into recycling (this is one reason for borrowing a car so I can take my stuff to the centers). It is impossible to be the perfect vegetarian or be perfectly green because of the way the world is set up. Still, we should keep up with our efforts because they do matter and time will show that to be true.

Answer 3

Only if you take it to the extreme and say that a vegan should not wear leather either. But in the real world you might then have to say that a vegan should not travel in any vehicle with leather seats, never use buses nor trains etc which rather limits the range of travel somewhat. I do agree with the other answer that these are really unrelated, vegan or vegetarian is all about eating and doing without a car is a whole different matter. We all pollute to an extent by our very existence and even killing oneself would have an environmental impact so only possible solution is to have never been born and its a bit late for that isnt it?

Answer 4

In my opinion, becoming a "total" vegan is impossible. There are everyday things that cause pollution weather we avoid it or not. Some things cannot be avoided like someone just said - you own a computer and they are meat eaters, and we support them . . . . well he is exactly right. The only thing you can really be "total" of as beign a vegan is not eating meat and not contributing to the cause of animals becoming extinct like not buying fur coats, protesting testing labs, etc. It is your choice of weather or not to own a car. They have vehicles that are energy efficient and do not cause as much pollution as others - on the other hand - Do you work? If yes, you somehow support the indirectly killing of animals. Focus on the "direct" ways of killing animals - this is what you do not want to contribute to.

Answer 5

I don't believe so if they are true to the vegan cult values. "Free Range Mike", the egg sucking "vegetarian", uses a ludicrous computer analogy. In this day and age there are no suitable substitutes for computers. It's a fact of life unless you are a hermit and even then I know one who has a laptop.

But an automobile is different there are "substitutes". Bicycles and walking for instance. A vegan cult member might even stretch it a bit and use public transportation. One can plan to move close to work even if it isn't ideal you have to sometimes be inconvenienced for your beliefs.

Animal carts in some places are great. I don't think that anyone treats their animals more ethically and humanely than the Amish. It is a wholistic symbiotic relationship that show reverence for the life and well-being of the animal. Vegan cult members could use animal carts.

Most of the vegan cult are "convenient" vegans. If it doesn't put them out too much they are "vegan". Now this statement is sure to produce a plethora of martyr's comments of how they suffer for the "vegan god".

They don't need cars--if they are true to their beliefs.

Answer 6

i suppose it depends more on where you live and your situation.

i am not a vegan (on my way!) and i own a car. i am a single parent with a young child at home and extremely unreliable public transport system where i live. i drive as little as possible, trying to do as many of my errands as i can on foot. and when i do drive, i try to carpool.

i do not now, nor will i ever, own a car with leather interior. aside from the impracticality of it and the nasty smell, it's needless and inhumane.

i'm actually hoping to trade in my car within the next two years (i work a damn-near minimum wage job and as a single parent, there's really not any "disposobale" income in my household) for a hybrid vehicle soon.

i'm sure this topic will be debated in great length, whether here or on other boards. i don't feel that there is any one "right" or "wrong" answer, just a smattering of opinions...

old hombre - vegans DON'T wear leather
SYJ - animals are raised specifically to become leather and/or fur. it's not like a cow dies and Farmer Joe says, "wow, now i have a meal and a jacket."

Answer 7

You use a computer ?

Isn't the guy who sold you your PC a meat-eater ?

Therefore you contributed to the meat industry by providing him with a wage with which to purchase meat.

Also, your PC was transported somehow, was that vegan friendly ?

See, its not as simple as you make out

People do thier best to meet thier moral standards, thats all that should be asked.

You could have asked a more open question. Yours sounds like you are saying you are better than those that use a car because using one is just like "still eating meat"....

.....exactly the sterotypical attitude that vegans get accused of in this forum. many of us V&V try to dispell it but you have just set the reputation back 6 months.

You walk "everywhere". Are you really sure ? Or is it just that your current lifestyle allows you to walk most places. It would be pretty impossible to walk "everywhere" in life, you might be lucky enough to have everything ( food, furniture, clothes, plants, vegetable seeds ) within a couple of miles, most people are not.

can we assume you grow everything and make everything at home from materials you have grown. Because if you buy stuff that has been transported that just like being a vegan and still eating meat when you consider the impact you've had on the transport system.

You just registered yesterday, your very first answer was to ignore the question and criticise someone for incorrect spelling...way too cynical too early....

and judging by your additional comments to "Why do meateaters hate vegans?" I have this sickening feeling your middle name is Ashley

Answer 8

i think its up to a vegan to use a car or not as much as it is a choice for anyone. i think having leather seats would be hypocritical for a vegan, but owning a car - what really doe that have to do with not using or eating animal products? do vegans have to use candles instead of electricity? of course not! personally i think you are confusing the idea of being vegan with being eco friendly, the two usually go hand in hand, most vegans probably care more about the environment than the average meat eater, ut that doesn't mean they are one and the same. we should all try to stop using our cars as much as is possible, vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters alike, not so much to save the animals, but to save the world we all (us and the animals) live in.

Answer 9

While it is true that most vegans are also environmentally friendly consumers, it is not necessarily a requirement. Obviously, the most eco-friendly scenario would be not using cars at all, only eating food we grow ourselves, not using electricity or air conditioning, etc, etc, etc. Most of these things, however, are not generally practical in today's society.

I applaud every little effort people make to be more animal- and eco-friendly, but I think you do a disservice to both causes when you chastise the people who are trying for not doing enough.

Also, in terms of how "un-vegan" something is, it is absolutely ridiculous to compare driving a car to eating meat.

Answer 10

You have to draw the line somewhere and I think you have over-stepped it. Some animals die natural deaths or are put to sleep for various reasons and their hide could become the car leather seats etc. If they went by horse and cart what about the horse tackle? If a bike the seat? Shoes. List goes on. Let the vegan be happy with their own decision.