5 ideas for aligning your ethics with your work when you can’t quit your day job

When people are motivated by their ethics to go vegan, it often follows that they start to think about how they can incorporate their lifestyle into their work. Lots of people have dreams of quitting their “day job” to start a vegan restaurant, or a vegan clothing line. Or they may decide to start a new career, studying to become a health coach or cooking instructor so they can share what they have learned with others. After all, vegans are one of the most passionate groups of people you are ever going to come across, and most of us are eager to share that passion with anyone who will listen!

But for some of us that 180-degree switch may not be possible. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate more veganism into your working life; in fact there are ways to have far-reaching impact in a non-vegan workplace. Here are five ideas to get you started:

1. Lead by example, and be open (but not pushy) about your vegan lifestyle at work so that people feel comfortable asking you questions.
2. Be a voice in your workplace for ethically-sourced products - everything from office supplies to donations your company may make within your community. Speaking up and suggesting changes to the way things are done are a great way to raise awareness and show leadership in your workplace.
3. This is not rocket science, but remember the power of good food, and make an effort to bring in some tasty vegan treats to share once in a while. The likelihood is that some of your colleagues may have pre-conceived notions about how all vegan food tastes like cardboard...and it’s your job to squash those notions!
4. If you’re in the position of hiring outsourced help, make that extra effort to source vegan workers if you can. Graphic designers, webmasters, bookkeepers, cleaning staff - they’re all out there, and you will be supporting the vegan movement in a very important way if you go out of your way to find and employ other vegans.
5. Put yourself out there as a vegan [whatever you do] to let others know more about where you are coming from and what you care about. For example, if you are a financial advisor and you let others know that you are ethically motivated and willing to help them find ethical solutions, you will be putting your current expertise to great use, and helping the vegan movement to grow too.

Don’t let the feeling that you have to change everything to change anything stop you from getting started. Every step we take to make a difference has the impact of a stone thrown into a pool...the ripple effect is inevitable!