It’s called “Cowspiracy” and it’s a documentary that’s been convincing people to adopt a vegan lifestyle throughout the country. The documentary had its Bloomington premier Tuesday evening in the Monroe County Public Library.
The screening was organized by BloomingVEG, a Bloomington-based social and advocacy group for local vegans, vegetarians and anyone else who enjoys a good vegetable.
“It’s more inconvenient than an ‘Inconvenient Truth’ because you eat three times a day, so it’s a huge transition,” Jessika Griffin, a BloomingVEG volunteer, said. “We’re not aggressively trying to make anyone vegan, but we’re here to help people who are open to it.”
Many of the film’s claims are startling. Among them: the fact that an area the size of one football field is cleared from the rainforests every second, 1,000 gallons of water are needed to make just one gallon of milk, a meat-eating person requires 18 times more land-use to generate food and animal rights and environmental activists are considered the number one domestic threat ?by the FBI.
Facts and figures weren’t the only things making the audience cringe. Scenes of dead bears, wolves and cows drew sighs from the crowd. When the camera zoomed in on a duck being slaughtered, there ?were gasps.
“I became a vegan for the ?animals,” Alexa Neidigh, another volunteer, said. “I didn’t consider the environmental impacts, so this just makes me happier with my decision.”
Animals weren’t the only creatures fearing for their lives during the film; the filmmakers also suggested that they were in danger. They told the sad story of a nun who was shot for protesting the conversion of rainforests into ?pasturing fields.
They pointed out that even organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Green Peace don’t address this issue for fear of upsetting an industry as giant as meat production. The controversy the men stirred up during the interview process alone was enough for one of their funders to call and withdraw her company’s ?financial support.
“There are really so many strong forces against this idea that I’m afraid it might be hard for it to have the desired effect,” said Debra Shaw, a Bloomington resident who attended the screening. “I hope its ideas will spread, but it will take a lot of courage to go against such entrenched interests.”
Because its critiques of major environmental organizations have kept the film out of many activist’s discussions, its influence has already changed the lifestyles of at least two Bloomington residents.
“It’s really impressive to see the displays of how much water is used for meat and dairy and how much methane is produced,” Shaw said. “I’ll probably start easing into becoming a vegan and try to start the conversation with others around me.”
Mark Saunders, a doctoral student in the IU School of Public Health, started his life as a vegan as soon as the credits rolled.
“I don’t know if I can do it, but I’m going to start trying right now,” Saunders said. “This has helped me realize that it’s a good idea and that it’s possible to be vegan and maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
He said he is hoping to use the film to convince his girlfriend to join him.
BloomingVEG has donated the DVD of the documentary to the library. Also, in honor of Earth Day, the film will be available for just one dollar online for one week starting today.
