Earthling Ed’s YouTube Channel Just Might Make You Want to Go Vegan

If you're looking for inspiration and entertainment in equal parts and want to watch someone who is an expert guide to the topic "Why going vegan benefits the environment, animals and your body," then I highly recommend spending a few of your commuter subway rides watching Earthling Ed's YouTube channel. With the impending Thanksgiving holiday gatherings upon us, what better way to arm yourself with information so you have the perfect comeback when your Uncle Al gets angry when you say "No Thank You" to trying a bite of his mystery meat casserole.

Ed Winters, known to his fans as Earthing Ed, is well-known for his impromptu 'Debate a Vegan' video series, where he starts a dialogue by standing in front of a camera, mic in hand, and interviewing passerby, asking what their justification for not being vegan is.

No location for his series is out of bounds: He visits college campuses, including Harvard, pops up at political rallies and doesn't shy away from places a vegan activist like himself risks getting into a brawl. When he shows up at a Dairy farm or a Texas rodeo you worry for his personal safety. He even appeared on the BBC to debate a butcher.

If you're looking for a starting point, Ed's 'You Will Never Look at Your Life in the Same Way Again' speech breaks down his main arguments for subscribing to the vegan lifestyle. Scroll down into the comments, and you'll find dozens of commenters thanking him and revealing to him that his video was their main motivation to go fully vegan.

His debate style is so effective because he asks a simple question of carnivores: Is your enjoyment of meat more important than the life of an animal? Either they answer that it is, and expose their own value system, or they agree with him that it isn't but then have to grapple with the hypocrisy of their choices in their approach to eating. Either way, the viewer watches and think: Score 10 points to Ed.

But Ed isn't holding a gun to anyone's head and forcing them to adopt this lifestyle: He believes that education is the best way to spread the word and change minds, instead of employing more forceful tactics. He invites all criticism and responds to it in a calm, measured way, backed up by statistics and other compelling facts. He applauds any effort, however small, for consumers to reduce their meat and dairy intakes. Whether watching his videos inspires you to go fully vegan or to just cut back on the amount of meat you eat, even the smallest of change makes a difference to the animals, environment and your personal health.