This Eastbourne man has given up flights, driving, and become vegan – here’s why

Ralph Marmont, 32, says he feels more content, healthy, and happy than ever after making the dramatic lifestyle change more than a decade ago.

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The former builder turned spiritual healer and part-time physio said, “I used to be rough and ready but I changed my mind and my outlook on life.

“Now my lifestyle is about creating as little damage to the environment as possible. There’s a hell of a lot of recycling. But mainly I have stopped flying because of the amount it’s affecting the world.

“We aren’t meant to be going on aeroplanes all the time. You can be more environmentally friendly.

“Now I’m trying to help people. My life’s better than it has been, it’s simpler and I’m satisfied with what I have.”

Ralph has been a vegan since about 2007 and says his diet is oriented around plant-based whole-foods, inspired in part by the book How Not to Die.

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“I feel a lot healthier. I recover a lot quicker when I exercise,” he said, “It’s for me and the world, for the future.”

The change in his life was prompted by an off-grid stint in Portugal, where he said he lived a ‘hippie’ lifestyle in the mountains for six months.

He said, “That’s when I realised I was eating all wrong and doing everything all wrong. It was like a spiritual awakening, I used to be full of anger and upset. So when I came back I decided to change my lifestyle and got into spirituality and veganism.”

Ralph, who also practises yoga, said, “I feel more content. It feels worthwhile. I know it’s a bit radical, but I’ve always been quite radical.”

Having sold his car, now he walks or catches the bus to get around.

Though he says he recommends the lifestyle, he said, “People are always going to eat meat. People are sometimes negative about vegans, I think animal rights activism is important, but they need to not push so hard, because people don’t listen any more.

“You’ve just got to let people know the information that’s out there and they can make their own decisions.”

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