question for the vegans... do you make it about more than your diet?

do you buy vegan products for everything? makeup, toothpaste, shampoo, soaps, clothes, shoes, cleaning products, etc. do you check everything you buy to make sure it's animal product free and wasn't tested on animals?

i do, and the majority of the vegans that i know do too, but i'm just throwing this out there.

also, how do you feel about second hand leather? would you ever accept a gift if it was leather?

I'm not vegan, but I've always wondered about this stuff too. My husband is a blue collar vegan, and torn about wearing leather and steel toed boots for safety.

i'm trying to only puchase vegan products, but i think the important thing is to find vegan alternatives for what you can and buy the ones that you can afford and have access to

i think anyone who is a true friend would respect my veganism and therefore wouldn't give me anything made from animal products. People i'm not close to probably wouldn't notice if i donated the non-vegan gift to goodwill or gave it to a non-vegan friend =)

if it were a family antique or something passed down that might be a different story though

it's difficult to decide how far to take veganism. i've read a book called "vegan freak" that explores the issue at length, and it's a pretty big conundrum. for example, tires contain animal byproducts. a lot of pills come in gelatin capsules (there are vegan vitamins available, but what about perscription meds?). at some point complete veganism becomes-- not impossible-- but maybe unlivable.

acarr, so are you suggesting that since you can't live as a total vegan because of the things like the tires on your car that you shouldn't even try?

csthomas,  is your husband against second hand leather? with the amazing amount of vegan shoes available i'm surprised someone didn't make a vegan steel toed work boot yet... i know my ex bought vegan combat boots, and that was in like 2000.

Sketchers makes a steel toed work shoe, but not a boot.  I had a pair at work for when I needed to go out into the warehouse. 

i used to have vegan steel toedboots when i was woking in a warehouse a few years ago. they werent specificaly sold as vegn, they ere just very very cheap lol. they are out there, they just take a bit of hunting for. im a vegetarian, but i dont wear leather, or consume gelatin (or other by products such as rennet). ive always found my doctors to be helpful when i need medications, i just say i dont eat gelatin, and would it be possible to have either tablets or vegan friendly capsules.

im abit unsure at the moment though, because i have a lot of problemswith my feet, they are a very odd shape, as i was born with extra big toes. when they were removed, te bones in one foot were knocked askew, and ive had a lot of surgery to try and correct it. i basicaly have a permanantly broken big toe now, with a lot metal floating around in my foot. im debating getting some leather shoes as they would be a lot more comfortable (especially as now ive forsaken painkillers-too many sideeffects lol). but i dont expect any support in that on here

i read vegan freak! the same week i became vegan, i liked that book

just do what you can, that's the important thing. the less the people rely on animal products, the better. don't give up the whole idea of being vegan/vegetarian because you have some medications that come in gelatin capsules. celluloid which is used to make films is made from animal by-products, and honey- i'm not gonna stop watching movies, but, taking that into consideration, i am more picky any choosey about the movies i see now

i buy vegan as much as i can, the main thing is i'm not eating animal products or buying animal-tested products

i sign petitions online opposing animal-testing/cruelty. I do what i can with the resources available to me, and that's all you can really be expected to do at any given time (and that goes for everything really). As I have more and learn more, i do more =)

I'm working on it, but not there yet. I'll choose vegan over non-vegan alternatives whenever reasonably possible, but sometimes it's so expensive or so difficult (involving lots of driving, and fuel wasting) that IMHO it's not worth it.

jainasolo, have you considered ordering online? i have been vegan in small towns and in big cities, so i've often had situations where i could readily find what i need and situations where there was no way in HELL i was going to find anything vegan. i've often relied on ordering online from www.foodfightgrocery.com, www.veganessentials.com, www.veganstore.com, and www.alternativeoutfitters.com. most places have pretty reasonable shipping, especially if you save up and do a big order. veganessentials often does free shipping when you order over ___ around the holidays.

platypipearson, i wouldn't knock you for leather. would you ever consider second hand leather since you seem morally opposed to it?

clairelaine, my motorcycle boots are sketchers, hehe. they were on clearance for $15 at a TJ MAXX two winters ago. i was so psyched to see that they were vegan.

kindoflikesarah, of course i'm not suggesting because complete veganism is impractical it shouldn't be attempted. i'm just saying that in the society in which we live, where animal byproducts are not only cheap and readily available, but often in products with no disclaimer on the label, each person has to decide how far they can or want to take veganism. i'm simply saying it's a difficult question to answer.

I'm a dietary vegan only, and even that isn't set in stone.

I avoid meat, eggs and dairy for my health rather than from an ethical concern. I care about ethics, too, but not so much that I will buy all vegan consumables.

Vegan doesn't necessarily mean ideal. There are so many variables to consider. For instance, synthetic vegan fibers can be bad for the environment (i.e. petroleum production and then slow degrading of the disposed product). Vegan cotton clothing produced in sweatshops is bad for the health and society of human workers.  Vegan products by a major manufacturer are bad for the economy because they line the pockets of corporate executives and the expense of the workers.

You have to choose your battles and/or draw a line somewhere. Being vegan is a good one, but it isn't the only one.

I eat 100% Vegan, and I am probably 80% Vegan in all other aspects. My clothes, shoes, and other objects I have or purchas (including my car, dogfood... all that) are not all Vegan... yet. My ideal is to slowly swap out everything created from expliotation and death, animal or human, to become truely Vegan, and even that is, I can safely say, impossible.

Like everyone is saying, veganism is not and can never ever be 100%(unless you live in the woods, naked, in a tree and eat leaves). It's sick and sad to realize that, and every Vegan has to draw the line somewhere. Whether it be at the killing of pesky ants in our own kitchens, or not purchasing spinach that was farmed in a certain area where the machines to collect the vegetable kill the rabbits that live there (a stretch, but it's true of agriculture). Either way, all vegans should just be happy with that they're doing, the lives they save and suffering they cease by not consuming animals and their products and taking the care to avoid supporting companies that exploit or kill them (including the exploitation of people!!). Rejoice! Yay! ^_^

Veganism, for me anyway, is definitely a way of life and not just a diet. I do as much research as possible and go out of my way to avoid any and all animal products. Of course living in the world and society that we live in, there are hidden animal products all over the place and I'm positive I haven't sucessfully missed every single one, though I try my best. If I know about it, then I make it a point to omit using it. I've pretty much found a groove where I know the things that I like and use frequently and stick to them...If I want to try something new, I make sure it's vegan first and not tested on animals of course. <3

As for leather, I don't wear it or buy it...However the company I work for has a subcompany that makes shoes out of leather, so I guess I am somehow, unfortunately, supporting the leather industry. It's pretty tough to escape it completely, but I make every effort that I can...it's worth it to me.

I've got things that I owned before going Vegetarian. I'm not vegan but I don't think that animal hide is Vegetarian either. However I feel it is wasteful to throw these things away and if they are useful I can't feel bad about the past so I've kept them.  I do eliminate make-up and what ever make-up i do buy i make sure is Vegan. Labels unless they are on food are not regulated except those by the vegan society so it is next to impossible to really be sure.  akakibbles is right the only way to be 100% vegan is if you live by yourself naked and walk everywhere.

i buy vegan food.
but usually i get soap, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner from my mom's house because she stock piles the stuff and i am poor. but when i do buy that stuff (which is rare) i but vegan fair trade stuff.

clothes i hardly ever buy. but usually they come from a second hand store. i don't feel bad about buying, say, leather boots, from a second hand store if those are the only ones that are decent and my size (i have really small feet. like 5's or something like that. my shoes are always a tad too big.) because i don't see it as consuming something. nothing new needed to be produced. i am instead recycling something. saving money, material, energy. (and my feet from the cold.)

even if i had the money though i would rather recycle than to buy an expensive pair of shoes that are vegan. i guess i might be 'cooler' if i could say my shoes were vegan. but i'd rather pay 5 bucks for someone's old pair and not contribute to production of another pair of shoes that really didn't need to be made .

It's almost impossible to be 100% vegan in every aspect. I don't find it difficult to eat a 100% vegan diet, but as to the use of non-food items I think its about intent. I avoid purchasing, or even using, those that are not vegan but I research my choices and unless it truly isn't feasible I choose vegan. Most us don't have the time, money or access to product/company info or the products themselves to always make vegan choices. However, by educating ourselves and making the best choices as often as possible I think we have a positive impact and bit by bit increase the demand for such items (which will in turn increase supply and availability).

Being vegan isn't just about your diet, it's a lifestyle. Vegan: Refers to a vegetarian who eats no animal products or animal by-products (dairy, eggs) and uses no animal products (fur, silk, wool) or skin. I'm not nitpicky about others though. As long as people try to cut out as many animal products as possible, I'm happy.

 It can be hard to be 100% vegan, but if there is an alternative, buy it.  I do not buy anything that contains animal products or that has been tested on animals. I buy used tires. As far as prescriptions go, I do not take them. If it came down to needing some sort of health care, I would seek alternative methods, and I highly doubt I'd ever take anything a regular Dr. prescribes. Concerning leather, I don't wear it, but recycled leather is completely fine for a vegan to use. The damage is already done.

I am also a dietary vegan.  Although, I am more aware of what is in the things I buy nowadays.  I still have leather shoes/bags. Use soaps and stuff with animal products in it.  I usually don't consider myself a vegan, just a pure vegetarian.   This isn't to say that I'm not feeling for the animals, I of course do, but my financial circumstance will not allow me to toss all my 'animal products' and start from scratch.

I am almost completly dietry vegan but for health reasons I was advised not to give up eggs and youghurt for another two years.

I would love to make veganism my way of life but I am still living at home with my parents so it is not possible as out of a family of six only me and my younger sister are veggie and she has no intension of ever going vegan:(

I dont know if ye know Leona Lewis (Xfactor winner) but she is a strict vegetarian and plans to bring out a line in designer vegan and high-street vegan shoes, bags and clothes.

 I was also wondering as some of ye mentioned second hand leather I probably sound stupid but does this just mean buying it from a second hand shop or does in under go some prosess.

Oh and I agree also it is impossible to be 100% vegan unless you live naked in a forest and eat leaves. unless the leaves house animals then it is still not 100%!!!