Even though your business sells vegan products, it doesn’t excuse you from going green in other ways. The environmental effects of veganism can positively affect your company, and it’s wise to take this impact to the next level. If you really want to impress your consumers, you have to go above and beyond to show your business’s commitment to the environment. So how do you begin to wow them and prove that you’re environmentally responsible in more ways that one?

If you own a vegan business, you know it’s not always smart to indulge in trends. In the last couple of years, companies have popped up around the country touting business models that have a lower environmental impact. A vegan diet, in-and-of-itself, is way more environmentally friendly than the average meat-inclusive western diet, as studies show. Even when compared to local diets, vegan diets have been shown to have a smaller impact (though some locavores would dispute this).

Today’s typical conscientious consumer cares less about finding cruelty-free vegan products and more about buying local. If this consumer’s goods come from nearby, he/she can throw other moral concerns out the window, basking in the glow of an “End of Suburbia,” anti-Wal-Mart disposition.

Approximately one month ago, Jordana Reim of Planet Verge challenged Dylan Mandel of The Lives of Famous Men to go vegan for 30 days. Becoming vegan has its ups and downs, but if a drummer traveling on the road with his band can do it, this lifestyle change might not be too hard after all. Mandel had some insightful advice for businesses as well as people interested in going vegan.

When it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, it’s a well known fact that one step you can take is to become a locavore (one who eats locally grown foods). However, in 2008, the findings of a research study published in Environmental Science Technology make a strong eco-case for vegan products. This study says, “Shifting less than one day per week’s worth of calories from red meat and dairy products to chicken, fish, eggs, or a vegetable-based diet achieves more GHG [greenhouse gas] reduction than buying all locally sourced food.” Food miles are significant, but production has an even larger impact. With this valuable information, you can increase your pool of local buyers by interesting them in your vegan products.

Vegan products or local products? Vegan business or local business? We want to know which you are supporting and why? Is VEGAN or LOCAL better for the earth? Or is it even a comparison that can be made? Why do you make the choice to buy/sell vegan products – and does the local factor make a difference to you? Weigh in with your thoughts…

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Click here for larger image

There is lots of controversy over which kinds of products rule. Is it more important to be vegan or local? Weigh in with your thoughts…

Even if you have been selling vegan products for years, there is always room for improvement. Updating or improving your product line provides your consumers with a fresh perspective, and there are several ways you can shed light on your products’ selling points.

As the years go by, vegan shopping, whether in stores or online, is becoming more and more convenient. When I first went vegan, it seemed nearly impossible to obtain nutritional information on foods or animal ingredients and testing information on merchandise.

Life is busy for Mary Wilmer and Terry Bradford as they pursue their creative passions. Not only have they spent the last 10 years working together in the music industry but they own and run a vegan business as well. In 2008, they started Bountiful Vegan, a vegan food manufacturing company and home of the Intention Cookie. Part vegan snack and part affirmation, it is the law of attraction in a cookie.

Mary recently spoke with Vegan Mainstream about her experiences as a vegan business owner, and about her hopes for the future:

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