My name is Olivia, and this is my blog – Sentient Soul.
‘Sentience is the capacity to feel, perceive, or experience subjectively.’
I created this blog as a platform to talk about things that spark interest inside my soul. Earth conservation, organic living, veganism, climate change, minimalism & self improvement are topics that nobody should ever stop being curious about. Why? because all help to improve your awareness of world issues and your own state of being.
For me, it all started when I watched a documentary called Racing Extinction. It blew my mind. It opened my eyes to the world’s evaporating wildlife, global warming and ocean acidification. Racing Extinction believes that as a species, we are rapidly approaching the next major extinction event. Basically, humans are destroying the planet by exploiting resources and neglecting our oceans, forests and delicate food chains. It’s graphic, gutsy and quite depressing. However, it’s a must see for everyone.
^ Director of Racing Extinction, Louie Psihoyos.
I started researching more and more into global warming and overall human impact. Then, for me, came the largest revelation I’ve ever had. According to popular documentary, Cowspiracy:
- Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation.
- Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, or 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.
- Emissions for agriculture projected to increase 80% by 2050.
Honestly, the list goes on. I didn’t have the faintest idea that animal agriculture contributed to global warming, let alone 18 percent.
Then, I found out that animal agriculture is responsible for 80-90% of US water consumption. Furthermore, 5% of water consumed in the US is by private homes. 55% of water consumed in the US is for animal agriculture.
Even though I live in Australia, these stats probably resemble the situation here as well. I couldn’t believe it. I felt like I’d been lied to my whole life. Growing up, we were told to take shorter showers, not to play in the sprinklers, and to use the flush on the toilet that didn’t waste as much water.
Nobody told me that roughly 15,000 litres of water are needed to produce 1 kilogram of beef. (source)
I sat there contemplating how much beef I’d eaten in my life. Turns out, an insane amount of water is needed to produce basically all meat and dairy products.
Some more facts to blow your mind:
- Eating one less burger a week is the equivalent of taking your car off the road for 515 kilometres.
- Skipping meat and cheese for one day a week with your family is the equivalent of taking your car off the road for five weeks – or reducing everyone’s daily showers by 3 minutes.
It’s absolute madness that more people don’t know about these facts. My conscience took a massive hit; I thought I didn’t contribute to global warming as much as other people did. Turns out, producing and eating meat and dairy is the Earth’s silent killer.
Anyway, back on to my research. I watched documentaries and YouTube videos, I read articles and blog posts, I searched and searched until I knew that I had all the facts straight. Thus began my journey leading a vegan lifestyle!
Eating a vegan diet halves your carbon footprint (compared to a meat/dairy eater), it reduces risk of diseases such as heart disease and obesity, and it saves animals from being needlessly tortured, murdered and exploited for profit.
I created this blog to talk about these issues, as well as Earth conservation, organic (cruelty free) living, wellness, minimalism & self improvement (as mentioned above).
I hope you’ll join me.
Liv x
