Some people like to poke fun at vegans, calling us “bleeding hearts” or “tree huggers.” What most of them fail to realize is that all kinds of people are vegan, and our reasons are important. Here are a few reasons you should never be ashamed about being vegan:

You’re sparing animals from a lifetime of suffering.

Farmed animals are easily the most abused animals on the planet. From the moment they are born, they are subjected to cruelties that few of us can even imagine, including extreme confinement and mutilations without painkillers. When we stop buying meat and other animal products, the demand decreases and in turn, farmers breed fewer animals.

You’re protecting the planet.

Arguably the most important environmental issue of our time, climate change threatens our very existence on the planet, and raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, planes, and other forms of transportation combined. But that’s just the beginning. Animal excrement and other agricultural runoff from large-scale farms has polluted nearly one-third of rivers in the U.S. By eating vegan foods, we withdraw our support of an industry that wastes and pollutes our precious resources.

You’re even helping wildlife, including endangered species.

Each year, thousands of wild animals, including bears, coyotes, and foxes, are killed because they’re considered a danger to livestock. In the U.S. alone, 2 million wild animals are killed each year. And according to the Center for Biological Diversity, reducing meat consumption is one of the best ways to save wildlife, including endangered species.

You’re taking a stand for workers.

Factory farm workers are exposed to countless workplace hazards, including injuries, respiratory illness, PTSD, and exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

You’re protecting the rainforest.

Raising animals for food (including land for grazing and growing feed crops) now uses over one-third of Earth’s landmass, and The World Bank reports that the majority of Amazon deforestation has been to clear land for cattle grazing and growing feed for farmed animals.

You’re creating a better world.

Factory farms, and the widespread problems they create, are simply out of step with the values of the majority of Americans. By eating vegan, we’re working toward a less violent, more compassionate (and sustainable) world.

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