Horror film set duo on vegan mission
TOM EARNSHAW
AHUSBAND and wife have committed their household to being wholly vegan after discovering their shock at the environmental impact of the meat industry.
Erinn and Yann Batard, of Oswaldtwistle, made the decision to go vegan three years ago after watching Simon Amstell’s 2017 mockumentary, Carnage.
The film is set in 2067 where the UK is vegan, but older generations are suffering the guilt of a past dominated by producing and eating meat.
Erinn, 31, said: “It looks at how disgusting eating meat was - and I thought about it and it really opened my eyes. Once you realise it’s difficult to stop making the comparison in my mind.
“We would eat whatever we wanted - but I have always been conscious about the environment.
“We are very positive about recycling, all our beans and pasta are sourced from shops that are packaging free stores - mainly TurtleBee in Great Harwood and their new shop in Padiham.”
The couple spent around a week emptying their cupboards before turning to a completely vegan lifestyle.
As well as animal welfare, the realisation of the carbon footprint associated with the meat industry made it an easy decision for the couple.
Erinn said: “I do all the cooking in our house, so Yann had no choice really.
“But he is also very positive about protecting the envrionment.
“For Yann it was different as he is French, and there is a very heavy meat and cheese culture in France.
“But he became very positive about it alongside me.
“It was an easy transition. A lot of people say it is difficult but I disagree. I had an advantage because of the cooking; I used it as an opportunity to look at all the new amazing recipes. Everyone gets in a rut when it comes to cooking the same thing over and over again.”
Erinn did admit that it got difficult when out of the house, but put it down to society’s reliance on produce that is not environmentally friendly.
Regarding what people can do to lessen their carbon footprint, Erinn said: “I would stop eating red meat because those animals take the longest to grow up before being slaughtered. They consume the most carbon in the meat trade.”
The World Resources Institute and Smithsonian Magazine reports that producing beef uses 20 times the land and emits 20 times the emissions as growing beans, per gram of protein, and requires more than 10 times more resources than producing chicken.
Erinn said the best step would then be to replace it with a vegan alternative.
She said: “We are aiming for zero waste but it is very hard. I’m regularly on the phone to supermarkets after they say packaging is recyclable but then certain bits of it aren’t.”
The couple are also expecting a child in a few months, with the little one also being brought into the same lifestyle.
“I simply don’t have any other food in the house,” said Erinn, “but not to the point where I would not offer vaccinations and medicines because health is important. I am the same with my health. We cannot do everything at once; it’s a process.”