You don’t have to have a bunch of money or free time to show your love for animals. If being an advocate for animal welfare is important to you, then here are 10 easy ways to implement these values into your everyday life.

Stop Wearing Fur, Leather, and Other Animal Materials

There are many animal-friendly fabric alternatives on the market these days. Opting for faux materials for fur, leather, silk, pearls, etc, is an easy switch to make.

If you’re worried about the quality or sustainability, check out these eco-friendly vegan leather brands changing the way we think about faux leather.

Sponsor a Rescued Animal

There are many programs that allow you to sponsor or “adopt” an animal. Like these programs from the World Wildlife Fund and Farm Sanctuary.

So, in exchange for a monetary donation, you can receive a bunch of goodies like an “adoption” certificate, stuffed animal, postcard, letter, etc, depending on the program.

These programs are great because you can help keep these organizations up and running, while also being able to get something in return (besides the good feeling of helping out the animals).

Research Zoos Before Visiting

Not all zoos are created equal. Some are exploitative and don’t give the animals proper care, while others do great work in helping rehabilitate sick animals and repopulate endangered species. So make sure to do your homework when deciding what zoos to support.

Check out this post from Stephanie Shuttler, a wildlife biologist, on how to choose an ethical zoo.

You could also choose to avoid zoos altogether and opt to visit an animal sanctuary instead. Just make sure that the sanctuary your visiting is ethical as well. Here’s a great post from the blog Hidden Lemur on how to spot shady animal sanctuaries.

Be Wary of Animal Tourism

Similarly, if you’re a traveler, be wary of tourist attractions that involve animals. Things like petting exotic tigers or swimming with dolphins are not in the best interests of the animals. A good rule of thumb is, if it involves you getting in the animal’s personal space, then you probably shouldn’t do it.

Related: Favorite Podcast Episodes on Conscious Travel

Support Your Local Animal Shelters

If you’re not quite ready to add a new furry member to your family, there are other amazing ways to show support to your local animal shelters. This could be in the form of a monetary donation, or a donation of your time like fostering an animal or volunteering in-house.

And if you someday do welcome a new furry friend into your home, choosing to adopt and not shop is a great way to lower the demand of breeders and pet shops.

Related: 5 Reasons Why You Should Adopt a Pet

Go Vegan (Duh!)

Most importantly, not eating animals is unequivocally the best way to show your support for animal welfare.

Whether you’re an omni, vegetarian, or something in-between and are thinking of making the switch, check out our vegan blog posts for beginners to help get you started. If you pride yourself on being an animal activist, then this is the necessary step to take in advocating for animal welfare.

Connect with Other Vegans Online

Create your own blog (like us!) and share your activism to the world, or utilize social media to connect with other like-minded people across the world. Or just start sharing about veganism with your followers today. Small tidbits here and there helps to normalize our cause to the public sphere.

Support Vegan Options at Non-Vegan Restaurants / Stores

By choosing the vegan option at a non-vegan restaurant, or buying a vegan product from a non-vegan brand shows the business that there is a market for vegan items. This in-turn helps expand more options for us and normalizes choosing the animal-free alternatives.

Buy Cruelty-Free Products

Surprisingly, in this day and age, brands still choose to test on animals. Animal testing can be found in many items including household products, makeup, bath products, and more.

This is one of the biggest ways to advocate for animal welfare. It can also be one of the most intensive, but it is very well worth it. To help make the switch, check out our cruelty-free blog posts for beginners.

To learn more about animal testing, check out this post.

Cook a Vegan Meal or Gift a Cruelty-Free Product

Bringing a vegan dish to a dinner party, or gifting a cruelty-free product, is a great way to show others that vegan food can be just as tasty and the products just as high-quality without the harm to animals.

A Final Note on Ways to Advocate for Animal Welfare

As you can see, there are many easy ways to advocate for animal welfare. Do you do any on this list already? Which from this list do you want to start doing? Share your thoughts and ideas in a comment below!