Oluwapelumi Akintoye Ilo, Grade 12
UWC Maastricht
Before attending UWC, I was like many other people. I ate all kinds of meats and didn’t really think twice about it. From chicken to beef to goat and even rabbit, I ate it all. To say that I was a well-versed meat connoisseur would be a bit of an exaggeration, but I can say that I enjoyed meat thoroughly. This is why my decision to become a vegetarian was slightly peculiar to people who know me.
At the start of DP1 in UWC Maastricht at the end of August, I met someone that completely changed my perception of food, thus my decision to become a vegetarian. As a nervous DP1, it was refreshing to see someone that was so confident and friendly, not only around other DP1s but with DP2s as well. We were grouped together for a hike through some hills and farmland near the school campus and began talking during our intro week. After a few minutes, he revealed that he was a vegetarian. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it; I ignored it and continued with the conversation normally, but he was very vocal about it. My curiosity enveloped me, and I just had to inquire, “why are you a vegetarian?” Prior to meeting this boy, I only knew people who didn’t eat certain meats for religious reasons, but I hadn’t met anyone that opted out of all meats voluntarily. I knew people like this existed, but to see one life in the flesh was almost surreal.
My initial assumption was that he would just nag on and on about empathy and animals, but to my surprise, he didn’t. He started with the climate, which completely blew me away. I had no idea that the decision to eat or not eat meat could affect the environment. The carbon footprint of the meat industry is so large that it is bigger than that of the airline industry. So realistically, if you wanted to reduce your carbon footprint, you would rather give up meat than give up flying. He also said that the forest fires in the amazon are caused by people trying to do intensive monoculture to feed cows, which people eat. So even if you’re not causing the damage yourself, eating meat makes you part of the process. All in all, his argument was about how much cleaner his conscience was on an environmental standpoint rather than on a “care for the animals” standpoint, which is still valid regardless. This view on vegetarianism was completely new to me, and since I am very eager about becoming more environmentally friendly and aware, I was convinced. However, I wasn’t going to just give up meat on the spot, so I gave myself a deadline. On the first of January 2020, I would officially become a vegetarian.
On the first day of my vegetarian journey, I was at a party and surprise, surprise, there were all sorts of juicy meats surrounded all around me, but I had to stay strong. I knew that if I resisted the urge on a day when temptation was at its peak, I would be able to stay away from meat perpetually. In the following months of succeeding in my decision, I have not missed meat once. I not only feel much healthier, but I am constantly reminded of my carbon footprint. I live in Nigeria, where it isn’t too easy to be environmentally friendly -like most parts of the world. Using bicycles instead of cars is not a viable option (there are no bike lanes); solar panels are too expensive, and plastic is such a large convenience that it is seen as odd when you choose to opt-out of using it. That’s why being a vegetarian is such an attractive proposition for people who want to be more environmentally friendly.
Since becoming a vegetarian, I have tried to convince almost everyone I know to join me in the crusade. I constantly badger people about all the benefits of being a vegetarian. Although many people reject making the switch, I do not waver, and I’m more persistent than ever to have people join my culinary expedition, to the point where a family member of mine gifted me a vegetarian cookbook, so I can broaden my horizons.
It’s still crazy to think that a throwaway conversation during a walk through some hills made me change so much as a person and strangely enough 9 months later, not only do I not miss meat at all, I am very enthusiastic about discovering and cooking new vegetarian dishes because I understand that helping the environment is much more important than my own personal taste.
At the start of DP1 in UWC Maastricht at the end of August, I met someone that completely changed my perception of food, thus my decision to become a vegetarian. As a nervous DP1, it was refreshing to see someone that was so confident and friendly, not only around other DP1s but with DP2s as well. We were grouped together for a hike through some hills and farmland near the school campus and began talking during our intro week. After a few minutes, he revealed that he was a vegetarian. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it; I ignored it and continued with the conversation normally, but he was very vocal about it. My curiosity enveloped me, and I just had to inquire, “why are you a vegetarian?” Prior to meeting this boy, I only knew people who didn’t eat certain meats for religious reasons, but I hadn’t met anyone that opted out of all meats voluntarily. I knew people like this existed, but to see one life in the flesh was almost surreal.
My initial assumption was that he would just nag on and on about empathy and animals, but to my surprise, he didn’t. He started with the climate, which completely blew me away. I had no idea that the decision to eat or not eat meat could affect the environment. The carbon footprint of the meat industry is so large that it is bigger than that of the airline industry. So realistically, if you wanted to reduce your carbon footprint, you would rather give up meat than give up flying. He also said that the forest fires in the amazon are caused by people trying to do intensive monoculture to feed cows, which people eat. So even if you’re not causing the damage yourself, eating meat makes you part of the process. All in all, his argument was about how much cleaner his conscience was on an environmental standpoint rather than on a “care for the animals” standpoint, which is still valid regardless. This view on vegetarianism was completely new to me, and since I am very eager about becoming more environmentally friendly and aware, I was convinced. However, I wasn’t going to just give up meat on the spot, so I gave myself a deadline. On the first of January 2020, I would officially become a vegetarian.
On the first day of my vegetarian journey, I was at a party and surprise, surprise, there were all sorts of juicy meats surrounded all around me, but I had to stay strong. I knew that if I resisted the urge on a day when temptation was at its peak, I would be able to stay away from meat perpetually. In the following months of succeeding in my decision, I have not missed meat once. I not only feel much healthier, but I am constantly reminded of my carbon footprint. I live in Nigeria, where it isn’t too easy to be environmentally friendly -like most parts of the world. Using bicycles instead of cars is not a viable option (there are no bike lanes); solar panels are too expensive, and plastic is such a large convenience that it is seen as odd when you choose to opt-out of using it. That’s why being a vegetarian is such an attractive proposition for people who want to be more environmentally friendly.
Since becoming a vegetarian, I have tried to convince almost everyone I know to join me in the crusade. I constantly badger people about all the benefits of being a vegetarian. Although many people reject making the switch, I do not waver, and I’m more persistent than ever to have people join my culinary expedition, to the point where a family member of mine gifted me a vegetarian cookbook, so I can broaden my horizons.
It’s still crazy to think that a throwaway conversation during a walk through some hills made me change so much as a person and strangely enough 9 months later, not only do I not miss meat at all, I am very enthusiastic about discovering and cooking new vegetarian dishes because I understand that helping the environment is much more important than my own personal taste.
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