Why veganism?
The decision to go vegan is rooted in many reasons, ranging from ethical considerations for animal welfare to environmental sustainability, personal health, and global food security. By embracing a vegan lifestyle or even dipping a toe in with Meatless Mondays or flexitarian diets, we can all make a positive impact on the world by contributing to a more compassionate, sustainable, and equitable present and future. Whether it's for the animals, the environment, or personal well-being, adopting or even just exploring a vegan lifestyle is a powerful choice that has far-reaching benefits for both individuals and the world at large.
In the United States, it is no secret that we consume a lot! And, our purchasing and eating habits are now reflected in other parts of the world. We need corporations to make massive changes to our production, transportation, and waste systems as well as to wages and workplace conditions in order to create deep and lasting outcomes. However, we as consumers can collectively shift societal norms and make positive progress through small choices to consume more ethically.
Our Values
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Vegan for the Animals
Nearly all of the meat consumed in the United States is produced in factory farms. The harmful impacts of factory farming on animal welfare is well-documented and widely recognized impacts that a vegan lifestyle can help reduce. We are committed to sourcing from companies that are fully vegan and not subsidiaries of meat-producing companies in order to reduce animal cruelty. We support animal protection organizations, including those that re-home and rehabilitate animals rescued from backyard and factory farms. $5 from any Seedlings clothing item purchased is donated to Farm Sanctuary.
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Vegan for the Planet
Our planet is hurting. Climate change data shows that the meat industry significantly contributes to environmental degradation in a range of ways from deforestation to water contamination. A vegan lifestyle can help us use water and land resources more effectively and compassionately. We are committed to working with companies that are environmentally conscious and find ways to reduce their strain on our planet. We are committed to finding sustainable and low-impact solutions for our own operations.
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Vegan for Health
What we eat matters. Nutrition is linked to nearly all of the leading causes of death in the United States from cancer to heart disease, and factory farms can be a breeding ground for disease outbreaks. We could all use more plants in our diet, and humans can survive (and thrive!) on a plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle. We care about the ingredients that the products we procure are made with and want to provide alternative options for meat and dairy products that are less harsh on our bodies.
Stephanie
Founder & Owner
Stephanie has been vegan since 2015 and vegetarian/pescatarian since her early college days. In 2022, she received a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell. When Stephanie embraced a vegan lifestyle, cheese was THE hardest thing to give up. Now, though, there are so many delicious plant-based alternatives, and Stephanie wants others to delight in them, too. It’s true - vegan food can be just plain tasty! After starting recovery for eating disorders in 2012, Stephanie also wants to share an evolving, loving relationship with food.*
Stephanie is a mindful consumer who believes in voting with your dollars and using your purchasing-power for good. She envisions Seedlings as a way to invite others into the world of plant-based alternatives and give back to organizations that are doing good work. She is transferring years of broad, creative experience in education to make this dream a reality.
*If you or someone you know is affected by eating disorders, there are resources available. The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) is a good place to start. We do not advocate a plant-based diet as a means of weight loss or mitigating eating disorders.