Intellectual Curiosity | augieportfolio

Intellectual Curiousity - From Augie Student to Augie Vegan

In the "About" section on Augustana's website, you'll find the following description: "Augustana's focus on creating a well-rounded experience for students has generated an environment of learning that goes beyond the classroom," and such a statement could not be more true. With the variety of classes that Augustana offers, it's not wonder Augie students are known for being well rounded, diligent, and dedicated students. When it comes to cultivating a long life engagement in intellectual growth, one class in particular that I took this year stands out as helping me achieve such a goal: my learning community course, Environmental Literature and Conservation.

This particular class was split up into two different courses, one composing of an environmental literature course, and the other of an environmental conservation course. Combined, these two courses aimed to make students understand the current environmental issues that we as a society, and ultimately the world, face, as well as what possible solutions there are for a better, cleaner, future. Among that, these courses challenged students to think of our world and our land as less than a commodity, and more as an integral part of ourselves-- that is to say, to think of nature as part of our lives, not just something we use at our convenience. The main problem these classes aimed to discuss was that in this current day and age, people have no relationship with the land around them, and therefore have no guilt or caution when abusing it or misusing its resources. To attempt to solve such deeply rooted issues within ourselves, we volunteered at one of the professor's farms once a week, and had a chance to grown fruits and vegetables, assist in caring for the farm animals, and perform several farm chores. This was also done at Augustana's own student run, sustainable garden, Augie Acres. Through working at each garden and farm, I realized the how important it is to understand that our food is not just what we pick up from the grocery store, but rather something that we need to have a relationship with. It definitely changed my perception of food, and I how I personally treat it.

One of the sections we discussed in our environmental conservation class was the current issue with conventional farming, and how factory farming meat is produced and distributed throughout our country and the world. Overall, it turns out that conventional farming methods are not only harming the environment on a worldwide scale, but also harming our health and crossing over several ethical boundaries of how animals are treated. This led me to think even more deeply about how I treat the food I'm privileged enough to eat, and my personal relationship to it. I began to take a personal interest in this particular issue, and with the influence from this class, I decided for my final project for the term I would change my diet to a completely vegan diet, and experience what it's like to not eat any animal products. Along with that, I would research every aspect of veganism and the benefits it has for my health, the environment, and my personal morals.

It’s been almost 5 months since the completion of my project and throughout that time, I have taken the personal interest that first sparked my curiosity about this topic and turned it into a complete lifestyle change, for the better. 5 months have passed, and I’m still keeping up with the vegan lifestyle, and at this point, I don’t see myself going back to eating meat or any animal products for that matter. Beyond the material that we read, studied and learned about in my class, I have made a connection with all aspects of veganism, and what they mean. Overall, a vegan lifestyle is not only beneficial for an individual’s health, but it’s also the only foolproof way that an individual can help the environment, and of course save animals from cruelty and death by not supporting the meat industry. This class gave me the foundation for learning about how much our planet’s environment is really struggling and how badly we’re polluting it, yet I’ve transformed on a personal level to feel partially responsible for that, simply by being a resident of this planet. Once I started learning about the positive impacts a vegan diet has on the planet, the other connections about veganism in terms of health and animal rights came into full force. Beyond just a vegan diet, I have committed not to wearing any leather, fur, or down feather coats, and overall have learned what it means to live a cruelty-free life. Below you’ll find a list of some of my favorite documentaries and short video that I believe to be a must-see by anyone, as they offer great insights into veganism and all it’s branches, as well as my favorite vegan recipes, and the powerpoint I used for my class project that offer some mind-blowing statistics on the overall benefits of a vegan diet.

Feel free to copy and paste this link in order to view my Prezi on Veganism

http://prezi.com/tyxfpvy8jn_7/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Below you'll aslo find a list of some of my favorite vegan recipes, as well as short clips and documentaries that are wroth watching (ordered in shortest to longest in length of time - the first two short videos linked are highly encouraged to watch!)

Short videos:

"The Scarecrow" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE

"Man" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGMYdalClU

"Glass Walls with Paul McCartney" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2UMp9fsAJo

"Plant Strong & Healthy Living" Ted Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAkEYcmCCCk

"101 Reasons to Go Vegan" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4HJcq8qHAY

"The Best Speech Ever" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4

Documentaries:

-Cowspiracy

-Vegucated

-Forks Over Knives

-Food Matters