Veganism: the "grey areas"

It's World Vegan Month and I've not posted much at all - apologies about that! Today, though, I actually want to talk about some difficult grey areas which can happen when you're passionate about veganism as well as the environment. On the whole, veganism is a HUGELY environmentally friendly thing, but I'd love to chat about these points with you all and see where you stand on them. These are three divisive topics amongst the plant based community so please keep it judgment free!

 💚 Secondhand leather: while I would never choose to buy new leather, and dislike the idea of wearing an animal, when it comes to shoes I feel it's significantly better for the environment to reuse old items than buy something new (often made of plastic) because it says it's vegan. There are wonderful biodegradable vegan shoes out there but they can be expensive and when you live on a budget that's not always an option.

 💚 Honey: hayfever sufferers may know the medicinal benefits of local honey there's a huge difference between the honey industry and local, organic bee keepers. Keeping bees with care can help protect these important pollinators which in turn helps the environment by improving biodiversity.  Also, what's better, given the choice: ethically sourced reusable beeswax wrap, or single use plastic cling film?

 💚 Backyard chickens, when kept as loved family members/pets, are a WORLD away from the egg industry. Some chickens, when allowed, will naturally eat the eggs they lay as a good source of protein. Others will discard their eggs. In those situations there seems to be no ethical reason not to use or pass on unwanted eggs for consumption rather than waste them (they are, after all, chicken periods, so still-fertile chickens will naturally produce them!)

Personally, I'd love to rescue some chickens one day to keep as pets! I've always wanted some since I was little, and the idea of keeping older hens as an alternative to their fate in the egg industry seems a lovely idea. (I'm not sure how Moshi would feel about that, mind you!) I'd love to know your opinions on these topics, although please keep it judgment free!