A change of habit

It was her experiences in Australia that prompted Alex Gatto to become vegan. She was on a work program, and being hosted by farmers, when she saw calves being branded. “I heard the screaming and could smell the burning flesh,” she recalled. “It took experiencing things first hand to make me realize things were wrong.”

She stopped eating animal products in December 2015, and is now president of the Dal AC Veg Club.

“There are a lot of different opinions on campus, and there’s always some negativity with social change, but there are a surprising number of vegetarian students and faculty,” she said.

“A lot of people have the idea that vegans are anti-farmer. We’re not, we just want more of them to be into more compassionate and sustainable types of agriculture.”

Gatto said there’s no food she misses, and becoming vegan has helped her discover a love of cooking she’s never had before.