Help Fight Animal Testing
Here at Shared Planet, we are dedicated to helping end animal testing worldwide. Our founder, Aashna Sharma, started Shared Planet with the vision of a world where animal cruelty, animal testing, and animal extinction due to human causes no longer exists. To help fight for the end of animal testing, all of Shared Planet’s products are cruelty-free and vegan. We partner with three organizations working tirelessly to protect endangered animals, and with every purchase of yours, we donate 10% of proceeds to these partners.
Animal testing and animal experimentation has been a secretive business from the start. Though we now know more than we once did about what is going on behind closed laboratory doors, organizations fighting against animal cruelty have found that there is a lot more to be unveiled. When most people think of animal testing, they envision mice or rats in cages. This image is cruel enough, but what people may not be aware of is that experiments are done on all kinds of animals: puppies, kittens, bunnies, pigs, monkeys, reptiles, birds, fish, ferrets, and more.
The unfortunate and unnecessary reality for laboratory animals is that the majority of them die. This is due to the ingestion of toxins, vivisection (cutting into a live being), chemical injections, inhumane living conditions, and more. If animals don’t die after experimentation, they are often killed when they are no longer necessary. Studies have found that over 95% of drugs that are tested on animals fail in human trials anyway, and 90% of animals trapped in laboratories have been excluded from the Animal Welfare Act, an act that was created to protect animals from harsh testing environments in the first place.
The good news is that information about the abhorrent living conditions and harsh treatment of animals in testing facilities is becoming common knowledge, and people aren’t here for it. Every year we see more companies committing to becoming cruelty-free, and many nonprofits have taken up the fight against this practice.
So, how can you help fight animal testing? Check out these 5 simple steps that can have a major impact:
1. Buy certified cruelty-free products
It can be tempting to grab a $2.00 mascara from the checkout aisle at the pharmacy, but often cheap cosmetics and healthcare products test on animals. Make the pledge to yourself and our world’s animals to buy cruelty-free products all the time, even if you’re in a hurry.
2. Look for the Leaping Bunny logo
The Leaping Bunny Logo certifies that a product is cruelty-free in all sense of the term. If you aren’t sure and there’s no logo, leave that product on the shelf.
3. Download the cruelty-free app
Leaping Bunny created an app that makes it easy for you to be sure the product you’re about to purchase is certified cruelty-free. Download it here.
4. Eat Vegan
We’ve shared many ways eating vegan is good for you, the animals, and the world. The biggest reason? No animals are harmed or killed in the making of your meal! Need recipe ideas? Veganuary has got you covered.
5. Support a nonprofit
If you want to do more in the fight against animal testing, you can always support others who are already in the thick of it! Check out Cruelty Free International, the Center for Alternative to Animal Testing (CAAT), PETA, or Rise for Animals and volunteer or donate today!
Maggie Blehar is a Philadelphia based writer/educator with a Bachelor’s in English and a Master’s in Education. She has been plant-based since 2011 and is always in search of ethical companies to support. She loves traveling, walking her dog, painting, meditation, working for social justice, digging deeper into her zodiac sign, and exploring the Philly vegan scene with friends. Some of her favorite organizations are: Don’t Eat the Homies, Farm Sanctuary, CHNGE, Gentle Barn, and the Equal Justice Initiative. You can find out more about her at www.maggieblehar.com.