WEBVTT

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The main focus for new Vegans should always be

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eliminating meat, dairy and eggs

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It is not always practical or financially possible to replace

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every non- Vegan product that has already been purchased

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The damage has already been done once the product is bought

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But once you deeply connect with Veganism,

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it often becomes uncomfortable to wear clothing made from animals

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And as clothing becomes old and worn out,

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you have a responsibility to replace all products with more ethical ones

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The main industries which use animals for clothing are the

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fur, leather, wool, down and silk industries

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Most animals used for fur live and die on fur farms

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Animals like mink, rabbits and foxes are kept in small cages

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which cause a lot of physical and emotional stress

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They're fed meat byproducts unfit for human consumption

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And they're killed in ways which protect their fur

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Some methods like neck breaking, poisoning and anal electricution are common

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While fur clothing is becoming less fashionable,

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fur trim coats and boots are still popular

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Although finding faux fur should be simple,

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it is often cheaper to produce real fur than faux fur

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So some companies lie about their materials

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meaning a product labelled as fake fur could still be made from an animal

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The easiest way to avoid fur is to buy clothing without any kind of fur or faux fur

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But if you do want to buy something,

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you can look on the Humane Society's list of certified faux fur companies

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And if you pull the hair back, you will see either a skin or fabric backing

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If you want to be certain about it once you've purchased it,

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cut a few pieces of hair off and burn it

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If it's real, it's smell like burnt human hair

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If it's fake, it'll smell of plastic

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If you find that it is real,

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you can take it back to the shop where you purchased it

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The fur industry has become a popular target for activists to critisise

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”Shame on you for supporting the fur industry!”

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But the leather industry's just as cruel

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People think that leather is merely a byproduct of the beef industry

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but there is such a demand for leather that the animals are killed specifically for their skin

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Most leather comes from India cows

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To transport them to a place where they can be legally murdered,

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cows are shoed and roped

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then they're forced to walk through the heat and dust without food or water

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Many animals collapse from the stress of this

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When they become weak ans slow, their tails are repeatedly pinched and broken

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in a sick attempt to get them moving

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Handlers are in such a hurry that they use nose ropes and twist their necks and tails

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They also use chili peppers and tobacco to keep the animals moving

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They rub the pepper directly in their eyes in order to get the animal back on their feet

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The men that load them into the trucks are often forceful and rough

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The new experience of travelling combined with

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a lack of food and water leads to severe nausea

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Half of the animals are already dead before they arrive at the slaughterhouse

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They're generally killed through hacking and sawing with a dull blade

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and are usually killed in full view of each other

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Leather can be sourced from many different animals including

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alligator, sheep, pigs and deer

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And there are many different names for different types of leather

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Like buckskin, suede and shell cordovan

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In spite of the incredible harm the leather industry causes,

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real leather has become a symbol of quality

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So clothing made from Vegan materials are often coated with tiny amounts of cow skin

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so that they can be labelled as real leather to increase sales in the market price

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Leather is probably the most common non- Vegan material

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found in all kinds of clothing like bags, shoes, belts,

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jackets and gloves

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Since leather is more expensive than syntehtical alternatives,

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products are usually labelled as real leather

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which is easy to spot and avoid

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Cheap products like shoes, bags and wallets are often

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made from pleather

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which is plastic leather

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There are also fake leather products made from PVC and

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high quality products made from materials like cork, kelp and microfibre

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There seems to be a myth that all faux eather products are inferioir to cow skin

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While cheap, poorly produced faux leather does break down quicker

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due to cheaper subtitute ingredients being used in the manifacturing process

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High quality leather alternatives are strong and durable

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and have a long lifespan

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Most clothing will have a clear label

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For shoes, look on the inside of the heel or the underside of the tongue

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There should be a stamp somewhere saying something like:

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”Leather upper” or ” All man made materials”

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Although sometimes there are just stickers with symbols

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If it's made textile, man made materials or other materials,

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they won't contain leather

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But don't be afraid to email companies or ask in shops

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Most people think that wool is just like a haircut for sheep

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so it can't be unethical

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But just like the fur and leather industries, the wool industry is driven by profit

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So the most efficient methods will always be used

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Sheep in the wool industry have been genetically modified to

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produce far more wool than they actually need

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This is a lot like breaking someone's leg and then giving them a wheelchair

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and expecting praise

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And regularly sheering causes nicks and cuts

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And in order to prevent the excess attraction of flies and

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a condition called ”flystrike”,

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the wool industry practicecs mulesing

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This is a cruel procedure in which part of a sheep's flesh is cut off

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of his or her hindquarters without anesthesia

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When sheep get older, they stop producing as much wool and

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they're sent off to slaughter as they're no longer

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seen as profitable

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Just like leather, wool is a very common material

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which is found in things like coats, jumpers, socks and hats

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You can buy alternative clothing using materials like rayon, cotton,

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hemp, linen and bamboo as well as synthetics like

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acrylic, nylon and microfibre

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Just make sure to check the label and avoid clothing containing

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any types of wool

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The down industry plucks feathers from geese and ducks

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which causes considerable pain and distress

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While their feathers are being torn out, their skin is often torn open

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because the workers are always instructed to be as quick as possible

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Buying down also supports the foie gras industry

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This produces profit by selling the feathers of the force fed ducks and geese

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Down feathers are found in coats, jackets and other insulated products

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But fortunately there are plenty of coats made of materials like cotton and polyester

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with synthetic insulation like primaloft and thinsulate

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So look on the label or item description for down for words like

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duck and goose

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And then look for alternative products

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In the silk industry billions of potentially sentient silkworms are

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steamed or gassed alive in their cocoons every year

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so that we can use their silk to make clothing

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Silk is found in clothing like dresses, scarves and underwear

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But there are plenty of alternatives made from materials

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like rayon, nylon, milkweed seed pod fibres,

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tencel, silk- cotton tree filaments,

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ceiba tree filaments, polyester and lyocell

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Also avoid the other silk containing materials which are listed below

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Most everyday clothing items are made from materials like polyester,

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cotton and acrylic and are Vegan

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For example, most t- shirts and trousers are made of cotton

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and a lot jumpers and hoodies are made from acrylic or polyester and cotton

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Although it might seem like an extra effort checking labels initially,

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you'll quickly get to know which products and materials are and aren't Vegan

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So eventually it'll be effortless

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But for some products like shoes and belts you might need to look online

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It's not widely known but a lot of shoes made from Vegan materials

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do contain animal based glues

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By emailing a company, you might be able to find out

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but in many cases not even the companies know what the glues are made of

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The good news is that synthetic glues are now replacing animal based glues

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So don't let this discourage you

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Just always do the best you can

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In the booklet below I've included link to all the best online stores

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for buying Vegan shoes and clothing

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It's important to mention that Vegans should always strive to

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buy the most ethical and environmentally sustainable clothing possible

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We're all accustomed to buying extremely cheap yet unethical products

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So buying Vegan, organic and fairtrade clothing can seem too

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expensive for most people

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The best way to overcome this is by buying secondhand Vegan

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clothing from charity shops

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And it's also a good idea to become a minimalist

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and only buy clothing that you really need

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This is the most ethical and environmentally sustainable way to live

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Some Vegans believe that second hand leather or wool products

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are acceptable to purchase

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While they do technically cause no extra harm to animals

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they do help promote the idea that animals should be commodified

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If you're not okay with wearing shoes made from abused and killed human skin,

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you shouldn't be wearing cow skin shoes either

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Just as with Vegan cometics,

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keep in my mind that many new Vegans choose to use up

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and wear out all non- Vegan products

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It's okay to do this

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Don't let arrogant people try to call you out for being inconsistent

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Remind them that Veganism is about eliminating animal products

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as far as possible and practicable

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Wearing out old clothing doesn't undermine your ethics

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As always, check out the booklet below which contains more

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detailed information and links to Vegan friendly shops

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I also have complete guides to Vegan food and Vegan cosmetics

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So check those out too

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And if you want to help support me in creating

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helpful resources like this one,

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which take weeks to make,

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please visit my Pateron page and consider donating

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And if you need help progressing to a Vegan lifestyle,

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email me or add me on Skype

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Thank you for watching