Is Bill Nye The ‘Science Guy’ Becoming Bill Nye The ‘Vegan Guy’?

Bill Nye the “Science Guy”, known by all, loved by all, but could he actually be Bill Nye the “Vegan Guy”?

During an episode of Big Think earlier this year, a young, Scottish girl had some important questions for Nye about animal agriculture, the environment and veganism. It seems that the issue of greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture wasn’t new to Nye and he claimed that his diet was becoming increasingly vegetarian. Nye acknowledged in the video that committing to a fully plant-based diet ‘might be tricky for a lot of people, however seems like a good idea.’

‘Check in with me in a few months’ he says, ‘in the next little while I may be all the way over [to a plant-based diet].’ He even reprimands himself asking himself ‘Why aren’t you now Bill?’ and answers with ‘That’s a great question…I’m working on it.’ So has Bill been working on it?

Two months later Bill Nye took part in an ‘ask me anything’ on reddit. When asked his thoughts on promoting a vegan diet to reduce humans’ impact on climate change, the science guy replied ‘Plant-based diets are the future.’ He even said he was ‘look[ing] forward to the emergence of new plant-based dishes.’ Does that mean he’s vegan, or at least trying to be?

It’s well known that Bill Nye is passionate about encouraging people to reduce their personal impact on climate change and the link between animal agriculture and the environment is well documented. As the population grows, and the world’s appetite for animal products increases, the issue is only set to get worse. As someone concerned with climate change it would make sense that Nye would aim to adopt a vegan diet eventually.

In a promotional video for National Geographic in 2015, Nye included eating less meat in his list of things people can do to help slow down climate change. Perhaps, as Nye said of other people, he is finding moving to a plant-based diet ‘a bit tricky’. Hopefully as more vegan products become widely available, Nye will be encouraged to go fully plant-based before the year is out.

Veganism, or plant-based diets, are taken much more seriously when people can see that the nutritional and environmental impacts are backed up by scientific research. If Nye sees that there is a link between animal agriculture and climate change, and as a result switches to a plant-based diet, he could become an important mascot in the movement.

For now we will have to wait and see, and ‘check in’ with him again in a few months, before we give him the title of Bill Nye the “Vegan Guy”.

Image credit: LA Times | Bill Nye