Amongst more and more young people, the popularity of veganism has been growing for quite some time. As a diet based solely on plant-based products, it’s sometimes followed by prejudice and sometimes even mockery. But what is the real message the “salat-eaters” want to spread? This week we meet Viola Grundmann, a young and prospective woman who believes that veganism is the way we can change the world around us, our environment, but even more importantly, ourselves.
Can you introduce yourself briefly to our readers?
I’m Viola and I moved from Germany to Denmark three years ago to complete my studies. I became vegan at the age of 15, and I’ve been volunteering for various animal rights movements since. Now I work together with ‘Dyrenes Alliance’ and I believe in spreading awareness of veganism in a peaceful way — simply by showing the possibilities a plant-based diet has to offer.
Why did you choose to volunteer in Dyrenes Alliance specifically?
In the beginning, I felt very alone with my veganism in Denmark, as most people prefer a meat-based diet. I would get the occasional “are you just eating a salad” stare. Let’s say it was simply nice to have the possibility to talk to people who shared similar ethical values.
What was your personal motivation for starting a vegan diet?
Not a very good one, to be honest. I was 15 and I had literally nothing else to do during my summer holidays. At first, I just wanted to try it for a week. I did it and then I found myself looking at PETA’s website… Don’t get me wrong: I don’t want to be associated with them, but it was the only animal rights organization that I knew back then. I educated myself a little more and I stopped eating animal products altogether.
What was it like in the beginning?
The beginning of my veganism was quite unhealthy because I literally lived on pasta and tomato sauce. I got sick, obviously, because you can’t live on nothing but f*cking pasta. I knew I had to change something, but instead of turning back to vegetarianism, I decided to look up what a vegan diet was supposed to be like. And then it became fun because I like to set myself little challenges. I promised myself: “I’m going to eat something new every week.” A new fruit or vegetables or just something exotic or something that I’d never tried before. I incorporated things like quinoa in my diet and became aware of what my body really needed.
Would you say that this somehow changed your life in a way?
Yes, it did change my life. It made me more aligned with my ethical values. For my whole life, I’ve been very caring and in love with animals. It never aligned with my values to eat them. My mom had been vegetarian for 15 years before she got pregnant. And then when I was born, she was still vegetarian. When I was supposed to start eating solid food, I wouldn’t eat meat and our doctor then told her to start eating meat so I would do it too. That person really f*cked it up for me. I could have started my life vegetarian. Actually, I think that there were some studies done about how when you’re vegan or vegetarian during your pregnancy, your child is more drawn towards those meals.
Veganism made me very sad a lot of times too because it makes me realize how messed up this world is. If everyone were to become an ethical vegan, we would have way fewer problems. It would really change the way we interact with the planet, the animals and each other.
Do you think that this change can also take place in Aalborg?
Definitely. We have many youth organizations that are aware of the way we treat the planet. Veganism is a big part of being more sustainable. I think a lot of people are interested in that. Food is a part of sustainability and I think it’s a bit silly not to include that. Food is something we need every day… Also, I think that we should stop being so strict about being either vegan or not vegan. I think we should rather try our best at being sustainable. I also think we should look at it a little bit more in the way we look at zero waste. We call it zero waste, but what we basically mean is low waste — we’re trying to eliminate it whenever possible, but even when you buy vegetables at the farmers market, there might be a rubber band around it or something. But if we say ‘I will never ever buy that’ — it’s hard, you know? I think we should be a bit more open towards the idea that people are not able to change overnight. It’s more of a fluid thing. And we should support everyone on their journey.
Do you think that the youth here is more open to change?
Definitely. I think especially the international students. They’re always open to trying new things like tofu or goji berries… I like to bring snacks to school because it’s fun to hear people say: “Oh, I’ve never tried this. What is it like?”
We talked about you having a low impact on the environment at home. Can you tell me more about that?
I think that’s my goal in life. I just want to live a low-impact life. My aim is not to harm either the planet or the beautiful beings on it by anything I do.
Here in Denmark, everything is wrapped in plastic, so I go to the Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It also gives me a connection to the food and to the people who grew it.
I’m also part of a garden project in Nørresundby. It’s a couple of Syrian families and me. We all have a garden and a greenhouse, and this year was the first year that I had my own garden. It was very exciting, frustrating, but also beautiful to see how much effort goes into growing one single piece of vegetable or fruit. It’s immense and I think we don’t value food enough in general. Like I said before — food is such a massive part of our everyday life that I think we should value it more. We should put more focus on questions such as ‘What are we eating? Why are we eating it? Where is it coming from?’
I also think that bananas, for example, shouldn’t be as cheap as they are. I believe they should be way more expensive since they are coming from so far away. I think local food needs to be way more subsidized and lower in price. People buy what’s cheap, that’s not going to change. I’m very aware of that as a student, let’s be honest. But I want to be able to buy something that has been grown here.
What about other parts of our lives, for example travelling?
I like to bike everywhere, and I take the train when I go home. I don’t take the plane. I try to avoid plane journeys altogether. I found out, and I was highly upset about it, that just by taking one plane from Denmark to Thailand, which I had just done three months ago, produces as much CO2 as I would save my being vegan for 10 years. But that doesn’t mean I will never travel again. It means I am now aware of the impact I have on this planet and will take this into consideration before booking a 200kr flight to London for a long weekend.
Our concluding question for you: Do you have any message to the youth in Aalborg?
Be kind. Be open-minded towards new things. Don’t think that you know it all or that you found the right answer already. I found veganism, but I know that there are still so many things I don’t know about it. Coconuts, for example — sometimes monkeys are being used to harvest them, which means that coconuts aren’t vegan. There are so many things I haven’t yet started thinking about.
I think open-mindedness, in general, is very much missing in our world. I get it, it’s hard to change your mind because it’s comfortable to get set in something. But you know, you can always improve.
Basically, I think we should all aspire to do less harm in general, to the world, to other people, to our communities.
Interviews conducted by: Viktoriya Dimitrova
Article written by: Tereza Čechová
Edited by: Věra Dvořáková & Viktoriya Dimitrova
Interviewee: Viola Grundmann of Dyrenes Alliance
Photography: Tereza Čechová