When the Vegan Society gleefully awarded 'green' energy company Ecotricity their Vegan Trademark, eyebrows were raised.
How can electricity be 'vegan'? many asked. According to the Vegan Society, they decided to endorse Ecotricity due to that company's "ability to evidence that 100% of the energy they generate and purchase comes from a combination of onshore and offshore wind and hydro – none of which use animals or animal by-products at any point in the production process." That's quite a claim given that some of the world's most endangered animals and birds are at risk of extinction due directly to the impact of lethal wind turbines. Perhaps not so 'animal-free' then. Ecotricity are trying to appeal to vegan consumers, a growing market sector, by using graphic imagery in advertisements that show ground meat pouring from electricity sockets, warning that other electricity providers use animal by-products in the process of producing electricity. They also offer to make a donation to the Vegan Society for every new customer that signs up with them for their "animal free, 100% green, ethical energy". Aside from the catastrophic environmental damage that wind farm development causes, for a respected vegan organisation to publicly endorse a method of energy production that is known to kill wildlife is, to my mind, both unethical and inappropriate. Worldwide, huge numbers of rare birds and bats are massacred by wind turbines each and every year. At least one red list species, the Great Indian Bustard, is likely to become extinct within a very short time, due to the direct impact of wind farms in India. Only 150 birds are thought to survive. Wind farms, constructed within the Bustards' territory, have butchered some of the last remaining individuals on the planet. It's a shameful reflection on a shameful industry. Closer to home, some of our rarest sea birds such as Puffins and Kittiwakes are likely to suffer due to the ever proliferating offshore wind farms. Scottish Wild Cats, already in steep population decline, are the latest potential casualty from expanding wind farm development in Scotland's Clashindarroch Forest. I could go on. Suffice it to say that wind farms are killing some of the rarest creatures on the planet. I would ask the Vegan Society to reconsider its decision to endorse an electricity supplier that claims to be 'animal-free', one that at the same time proudly flaunts its wind farm credentials. Wind energy kills wildlife. Support it and you become part of that problem. I urge everyone, including vegans, to think twice before backing wind energy. How can it possibly promise to be animal-free when turbine blades kill hundreds of thousands of birds each year? Please do some research, it will certainly give you food for thought.....and it might not be as 'vegan' as you think.....
7 Comments
Mary
8/8/2018 04:16:48 pm
Jason well said another brilliant blog...
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GPC
8/8/2018 07:29:16 pm
The Vegan Society has fallen prey to the phony “feel good” claims of the wind industry.
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Debbie Macmillan
8/8/2018 11:16:30 pm
Disgusted at this news and hope they withdraw their trademark!
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Anthony Mills
9/8/2018 11:22:31 am
Why is it then that the RSPB have employed Ecotricity to install a windmill generator at their nature reserve HQ site in Bedfordshire? Clearly in the UK at least they believe the benefit outweighs any cost to their environment .
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9/8/2018 11:50:40 am
You'd have to ask the RSPB to answer that question Anthony.... but judging by the interview they gave on BBC Radio this morning, they appear to be quite selective over which species of bird they actually strive to protect (it doesn't include crows apparently) and they are losing alot of supporters through this policy....
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Michael
15/2/2019 09:32:27 pm
Just a quick word on hydro. One of the planets most damaging industrial processes as it does lead to direct local or total extinction of species. Examples are, destruction of spawning grounds for migratory fish, RED LIST Atlantic Salmon (Leading to collapse of Freshwater Pearl Mussel) Eel, Lampreys etc.
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