Greenest way to live

Sticking to a vegan diet might sound difficult, especially with many popular dishes containing meat or other animal products. Yet in recent years, veganism has become one of the fastest-growing lifestyle trends in the world.
坚持纯素饮食或许听起来很难，尤其是许多常见菜肴中都有肉或者其他非素食。但近年来，纯素食主义成为了全球一大增长趋势最快的生活方式。

According to HuffPost, more than 3 million people in the United States are vegans. In the UK, about 542,000 people have chosen veganism over the past decade.
据《赫芬顿邮报》报道，美国有超过三百万人都是纯素食主义者。在过去的十年间，英国54.2万人选择了纯素食。

What is driving this growth in veganism? One reason may be that people want to protect the environment. Producing meat and dairy products is known to be stressful for the environment. According to a 2013 study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, global meat manufacturing causes about 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. This figure is higher than all the world’s cars, trains and planes combined.
为何纯素食主义如此受欢迎？原因之一或许是人们想要保护环境。众所周知，生产肉类和奶制品会给环境带来很大压力。据联合国粮食及农业组织2013年发布的一份研究显示，全球肉类加工产生的温室气体占全球温室气体排放量的18%。这一数值比全球所有的汽车、火车、飞机加起来的温室气体排放总量还要高。

According to BBC News, another reason is that many of today’s young people believe it’s wrong to kill animals for food.
据英国广播公司新闻频道报道，另一个原因在于，如今不少年轻人都认为捕杀动物为食的做法是错误的。

Jess Murray, 22, a student at University College London, said she chose to become vegan when she realized that eating animals is a choice people make, rather than something we must do to survive. “Becoming vegan was an ethical decision,” she told the Guardian.
现年22岁的杰茜·默里是英国伦敦大学学院的一名学生，她表示，自己选择素食是因为她意识到食用动物是人们的一种选择，而非生存的必要条件。“成为纯素食主义者是一项基于道德的决定，”她在接受《卫报》采访时如此表示。

For many people, veganism simply means eating no meat, cheese or eggs, but going animal-free also applies to fashion and manufacturing. For example, leather is used to make shoes and clothing. Every year more than a billion animals, from cows to horses to snakes, are killed to make leather products from their skins. Now, many brands are looking for other materials.
对于许多人而言，纯素食主义仅仅意味着不吃肉、奶酪或者鸡蛋，但采取无动物成分的做法同样适用于时尚业和制造业。比如，皮革是制作鞋履和服饰的材料。每年都有超过十亿的动物，如牛、马、蛇等等被宰杀，将其皮革用于皮制品。如今，许多品牌也在寻找其他材料。

The sports brand Puma, for example, has made shoes out of pineapple leaves. Tesla, the US car maker, is said to be removing animal-based leather from its seats. Earlier this year, US singer Lady Gaga created the vegan makeup brand Haus Laboratories. On the brand’s Instagram account, it says: “Cruelty-free and vegan, because we love animals and you.”
比如，运动品牌彪马生产出了以菠萝叶为原料制作的鞋子。美国汽车制造公司特斯拉表示，将不再使用动物皮革制成的座椅。今年早些时候，美国歌手嘎嘎小姐创办了纯素彩妆品牌“豪斯实验室”。该品牌的照片墙账号中写道：“无动物伤害，纯素食主义，因为我们爱着动物和你。”

So, if you’re interested in protecting animals and saving the environment, you might want to give veganism a try.
因此，如果你想要保护动物、拯救环境，不妨试一下纯素食主义吧。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高二773期