Reasons to go Vegan!

Reasons not to wear animal products
Tuesday, January 8, 2008

OK, so you understand why fur could be offensive. But down and wool? New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance spokeswoman Allison Holoday explains why you might want to rethink wearing animal products.

* Leather: Contrary to popular belief, leather is not a byproduct of the meat industry, says Holoday. Instead, it's a lucrative industry all on its own, one that pollutes the environment with toxic tanning chemicals.

* Wool: Most of the wool used in clothing comes from New Zealand, where sheep farming practices are often cruel. Despite a four-season climate in that country, New Zealand farmers shear their sheep twice a year, so that many of them freeze during the winter. Many also engage in "mulsing," in which part of a sheep's buttocks is sliced off to rid it of a fly infestation.

* Down: Poultry raised for down are commonly raised in battery cages, where there is no room to turn around or even stand. The down, which comes from the breast area of each bird, is harvested with no administration of anesthesia while the animal is still alive.

* Silk: Silkworm pupae are boiled alive inside their cocoons in order to harvest the silk unbroken. According to NJARA, it takes 1,500 pupae to make 100 grams of silk yarn.