Would you buy wool products such as hats sweaters, scarves & gloves?!
Should I or any body else be concerned about using wool products? I feel like I supported people who would normally have little other means of making a living. What are your thoughts on this matter?
Answers: I eat vegan and do not buy products in which animals were killed, such as leather. But this winter however I bought a fairly traded wool hat from Nepal. An animal was not killed so I could wear its hair.
Should I or any body else be concerned about using wool products? I feel like I supported people who would normally have little other means of making a living. What are your thoughts on this matter?
Oh boy. Do I feel you pain on this one.
I was given a set of fair trade alpaca gloves and a berette for Christmas. It was purchased from a place that supports women. The tags explained it all. It sounded very good.
Normally a vegan would not use anything that cause the exploitation of an animal. Wool from Australia is horrible. But I don't imagine they butcher animals in Nepal to make smoother wool.
I've learned a lot of compassion for the struggle each vegan must face from reading Sarah Kramer's cook books. She is so full of humor and love.
Basically each vegan must write their own code of conduct based on what their consciousness dictates. Don't give in to the fanatics who spout freedom for all while trying to tell you how to live.
Pax et bonum.
From what I've seen, wool has only been cruel to the sheep in isolated incidents. Certainly when there is pressure on massive sheep farms to get them all sheared and to make a certain quantity of wool the animal's welfare may be put on the back burner - they might be abused, mistreated, etc. in the name of profit. But I think that fair trade, local wool from Nepal is probably no big deal. I think that mass market stuff, like a wool sweater hanging in a Wal Mart, is probably where the cruelty might come from - when it comes to very local farms, it's probably not cruel.
Though another aspect of being vegan for some is to not support exploitation of animals for profit in any way - and wool still falls under that category.
Though respectfully sheep don't need to have their wool sheared, in essence they have evolved that way for a reason and it's only been very recently in time (in comparison to how long sheep have been around) that man had gotten involved and started shearing sheep and transporting them all over the world. Originally sheep were in a climate where the shaggy, thick wool was an asset. Globalization allows for sheep to now exist alongside humans in climates where it's probably hot and uncomfortable for them with all that shaggy wool. But in essence they don't need to be sheared.
The jury is still out for me about wool, I don't use it because I am allergic to wool... when I was in the Army (A school especially) they only offered these raggedy green wool blankets and thin cotton sheets and because I broke out from the wool I was constantly cold in my cotton sheets. So either way I don't use wool products.
I was thinking the same thing you are. I have recently become a vegan, and my approach is to use up all the animal stuff I have. When I buy new stuff, it will be non animal by-product.
Avioding wool I think is harder than avioding leather. But technically wool is a animal by product, so i am not going to buy that. - Just my opinion.
I am not vegan so I don't have to deal with this dilemma.
But it's freaking 89 degrees F where I am and I would not survive a day, not to mention look extremely foolish if I bought/wore wool clothing such as hats,sweaters scarves and gloves
These are Moral judgements you have to make for yourself.
I have in the past bought handmade wool things from artists(weavers) & I still wear them. If this in the eyes of "Them/They" makes me less Vegan it's not my problem. I watch out for my own life & expect others to do the same.
LOL I guess that means I don't "Play well with others."
Blessed be,
NO!! not with that in there
Never!!!