Exciting Announcement:
In December 2023, GenV, a worldwide non-profit organization committed to enlightening individuals about the environmental, ethical, personal, and public health advantages of embracing a plant-based way of life, made the decision to put forward the Vegan Organic Network (VON) as a nominee for the esteemed Earthshot Prize. The Earthshot Prize constitutes a global challenge structured around five Earthshots, which are ambitious objectives for 2030 aimed at resolving our most pressing environmental issues. The winners stand to receive one million pounds. Our application has been officially submitted, and we are eagerly anticipating the announcement of the results, scheduled for October 2024!
This is the first year that the Earthshot Prize has embraced the cause of veganism by incorporating it into their awards. We’re thrilled that two of the judges hail from GenV, underlining Earthshot’s awareness of the need to move to a vegan way of living in order to solve the environmental crisis.
The Earthshot Prize is dedicated to identifying and fostering solutions that will mend our planet. It comprises five crucial categories:
- Protect and Restore Nature
- Clean our Air
- Revive our Oceans
- Build a Waste-Free World
- Fix our Climate
VON has been entered under the Protect and Restore Nature category.
Earthshot provides us with a remarkable opportunity to showcase VON’s groundbreaking work to a wider audience. It allows us to demonstrate how we offer tangible solutions to the environmental crisis that humanity has caused.
Here’s a way you can help us achieve our goal:
We encourage you to become a part of our Earthshot Prize application by getting involved with and promoting VON’s Vegan Organic World Map. This map, together with VON’s certified Stockfree Organic standards and our educational initiatives, plays a crucial role in our application. The more people, farms, and projects that join the map, the better our chances of success will be.
Excerpts from the Vegan Organic Network Earthshot Application 2024
Short description of solution/initiative
We educate farmers and consumers worldwide about proven plant-based organic growing solutions to regenerate soil, improve biodiversity and create just, healthy and sustainable food systems.
If your solution operates in multiple countries/continents, please explain the operations
We actively network with likeminded organisations and individuals worldwide, exchanging knowledge and best practices. We have a diverse membership base spanning the globe, and our biannual publication, Growing Green International (GGI), features contributions from individuals worldwide, sharing experiences in veganic farming. Our newsletter has subscribers from various countries, providing updates and educational content. The VON World Map initiative connects veganic growing initiatives globally, enabling people and organisations worldwide to join and share their projects.
Please describe what the solution does in non-expert language
- VON educates and supports farmers seeking to transition from animal agriculture and harmful arable and horticultural practices to climate friendly and sustainable vegan organic growing methods.
- We also educate and encourage consumers to transition from eating animal-based products to consuming more healthy, sustainable and environmentally friendly plant-based foods.
- We produce and provide access to free online learning resources as well as publishing articles, books and a magazine about veganic growing and its associated benefits for humans, animals and the planet.
- VON have recently created a Global Map enabling veganic gardeners and farmers to register and network with like-minded individuals and organisations. This Map will also provide a means of monitoring the interest and growth in the veganic food production and consumption sector.
- We have many outreach programmes which include holding and attending local, national and international events and conferences as well as providing hands-on assistance to growers.
- We conducted an educational initiative in schools aimed at promoting awareness of the decimating impact of animal agriculture on wildlife.
- We raise and donate funds to support veganic growing initiatives at home and abroad.
Describe the specific problem that the solution addresses using non-expert language
The solution addresses the harmful impact of our current farming and food production practices on the planet. Right now, the way we grow food is causing significant damage to the environment.
- The production of chemical fertilisers and pesticides for farming consumes a lot of energy, and when these chemicals are used, they harm the environment. They pollute our air, water, and soil, and are responsible for killing off many different plants and animals, which reduces biodiversity. Global chemical fertiliser production uses around 1.8% of all energy and releases around 1.8% of all global emissions (Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit)
- The food that’s grown using these methods is often linked to health problems like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. So, the problem also impacts our health and well-being.
- Animal farming takes up a huge amount of land and produces a lot of waste. This industry is a major cause of problems like ocean dead zones, where nothing can live due to pollution, and it contributes to river pollution, deforestation, and the loss of wildlife.
The problem exists because, for a long time, we’ve been relying on these harmful farming practices to produce food quickly and in large quantities. People have become used to these methods, and many may not be aware of the damage they cause to the planet and to our health. The Vegan Organic Network’s solution seeks to change this by promoting a more nature-friendly and healthy way of growing food.
Please provide an overview of the origin story of the solution
The Vegan Organic Network (VON) originated in 1996 with founder, the renowned campaigner David Graham (1932-2023) and a dedicated group of ethical vegans, including farmers, academics, and gardeners. They shared a common goal: to end the suffering of farmed and wild animals and combat agricultural practices that harmed the environment. Their journey began when they realised it was important to demonstrate how to grow plants without relying on animal inputs or harmful agrochemicals like Zyklon B, linked to World War II death camps. Driven by their commitment to ethical and sustainable practices, they championed veganic farming as a compassionate and eco-friendly agricultural approach. VON’s approach, known as Veganic, Biocyclic-Vegan, Natural Agriculture, Stockfree Organic, and Vegan Permaculture, centres on a common principle: creating a nonviolent world where physical wars and systemic violence, including hunger, oppression, and ecological devastation, are eliminated.