Tayla McHardie

Freshman Hamilton, New Zealand Vegan

I became a vegan because of sustainability.

Since I've become vegan I feel more aware of how my choices as a consumer  impact those around me, and how I can create positive change.

My favorite food is banana ice cream.

 

Una Chaudhuri Professor of English, Drama, Environmental Studies Home is wherever there are friendly people, singing birds, and uncaged animals!" Vegetarian

I became vegan because of ethical and environmental reasons.

Since I've become vegetarian, I have wanted to take the next step and become vegan and am working on it.

I cannot live without spicy noodles with lots of of crunchy vegetables

 

October Li Freshman Dongying, China Vegetarian

I became a vegetarian because of environmental issues relating to animal agriculture.

Since I've become vegetarian I have fallen in love with the eggplant maki in the Marketplace.

My favorite food: fruits.

 

Mark Swislocki Associate Professor of History Hanover, U.S.A. Vegetarian

I can't offer a compelling enough answer to the question. Why do you eat meat? To do otherwise.

Since I've become vegetarian I feel a greater connection to animals and the natural world.

My favorite food is Liangpi noodles.

Lauren Clingan Junior Cape Cod, U.S.A. Vegan

I didn't want to support the mistreatment of animals in factory farms, during their lives or when they are killed.

Since I've become vegan I've become more in tune with my body, and more conscious about my decisions.

Currently my favorite food consists of gallo pinto, beans and rice cooked with onions and sweet chilli, with ripe plantains on the side.

David Darts Associate Dean of the Arts Abu Dhabi, UAE; New York, U.S.A. Vegan

I've been vegan since 1997 and vegetarian since the early ‘90s. I did it for my own health and the environment.

Since I've become vegan I have answered a lot of questions about my diet.

My favorite food is Ethiopian.

Dana AlHosani Sophomore Abu Dhabi, UAE Vegan

It has been very difficult for me to explain my reasons for going vegan to the people around me, especially my parents. I had just reached the point where I noticed that my eating habits were contradicting the my values. I strongly follow my religion and Islam is against mistreating animals; there's a story that portrays a woman’s neglect of her cat as a huge sin, and that was a turning point for me.

Since I’ve become a vegan, I have started considering the impact my decisions have on the environment and other beings, while also becoming more aware of what I put into my body and how I see the world. I have also seen a drastic change in my skin, hair and physical activity that I couldn't be any happier about. All in all, I have become happier, healthier and more at peace with myself.

My favorite foods are quinoa and grilled vegetables, as well as baked sweet potatoes with a green salad on the side. Vegan desserts are also a must.

Veronica Houk Senior New York, U.S.A. Vegan

I was born into a society that valorizes meat­-eating as normal, healthy and considerate, and the underlying values that support these assumptions are troubling. If we deem most practices that torture or kill another being as unacceptable, why do we accept slaughterhouses? I hope that in a few generations’ time, we’ll look back at factory farming and condemn the system as heinous, even unimaginable.

Since I’ve become vegan I’ve been welcomed into an incredibly compassionate, intelligent and brave community of animal activists.

Ask Will Young to make you Magic Oatmeal tomorrow morning.

Sneha Gyawali Freshman Kathmandu, Nepal Vegetarian

When I first turned vegetarian, I did it solely out of my love for animals. Now, however, it is also for the environment and a greener lifestyle.

Since I’ve become vegetarian I have become more conscious about my impact on the environment.

My favorite food is a roasted veggies and hummus wrap with a mixed berries smoothie.

 

Sima Shabaneh Research Assistant Hebron, Palestine Vegetarian

I believe that the factory farming industry is unsustainable and is one of the major contributors to the severe environmental issues we are facing today by polluting air, soil and water, increasing deforestation and reducing biodiversity. Factory farming is a multi-­billion dollar industry and the agribusiness and food lobby spends a lot of energy and money to keep the public uninformed and to keep regulations and safety as loose as possible.

Since I’ve become vegetarian, relatives and friends back home have taken it upon themselves to inform me about the harm I’ve been doing to my health by not eating meat or fish, and to raise pseudo-­evolutionary arguments about how our bodies evolved to consume meat and other animal products. Arab culture is big on meat, and many people believe that being vegetarian is unhealthy and inaccessible as a lifestyle.

My favorite food is okra.

Mallory Roberts

Assistant Professor of Physics California, U.S.A. Vegan

I am a vegan primarily for ethical reasons.

Since I’ve become vegan the Soviet Union collapsed.

The essentials to life are spaghetti and non-­dairy ice cream.

Louis Plottel Senior Vancouver, Canada Vegetarian

I became a vegetarian because it is better for the earth, better for animals and better for me.

Since I've become vegetarian I have never worried that my food choices are causing harm to another being.

I cannot live without tempeh, the little known super­food.

Haley Smith Alumni, Class of 2015 Vancouver, Canada Vegan

I became a vegan for my own health, the health of the planet and because animals are cool and smart and deserve to be alive.

Since I've become vegan my average daily consumption of fries has gone through the roof and I am not mad about it.

My favorite food is a bowl full of some kind of grain and any veggies I can scavenge, sauced up and always topped with avocado.

Claire Carroll NYUAD Arts Center Video Supervisor Abu Dhabi, UAE; Glasgow, Scotland Vegan

I was vegetarian for a while, but then I became lactose intolerant. I had been thinking about trying to go vegan and this was the push I needed. I don't agree with pumping animals full of growth hormone and antibiotics to get them to produce meat.

Since I’ve become vegan I have completed the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

I cannot live without nuts. I use them to make cake bases, energy balls and protein bars. You can smoosh them up and make cheesecakes with them too.

Casimir Kennett Swislocki Faculty Family Abu Dhabi, UAE Vegetarian

People eat fish? People eat chickens?

Since I've become vegetarian I have always been, I have not become.

My favorite food is Mac 'n' Cheese.