Written by PETA
… by going vegan. Sure, we at PETA sing the praises of electric cars, but hybrid car owners who load bags of revolting meat and dairy products into their trunks need to start humming a different tune.
That's why PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman has written a letter to James Hunt, chief of Boston's Environmental and Energy Services, offering to buy space on the city's planned electric-car charging stations for PETA's "Meat's Not Green" ads.
The raising of billions of animals to become meat-lovers' main courses is a main contributor to environmental destruction—it's a leading source of greenhouse-gas emissions and causes water pollution and topsoil erosion. The meat industry runs on enormous amounts of fossil fuel and water—and the denials of those who ignore the fact that each package of meat represents immense, intense animal suffering.
Will PETA's ads grace electric-car charging stations in Boston? We'll keep you updated.
Written by Karin Bennett
Leilani Münter is fast, hot, and compassionate. She recently revealed to readers of The Huffington Post that her love for animals inspired her to go vegetarian years ago.
Now we know why this red-hot racecar enthusiast went vegetarian—and why sexy actor Michael Dorn went vegan (unlike his Star Trek character, Worf, a spaceship-steering, raw meat–eating Klingon).
We're still wondering: What drives you to be a comely and conscious cook?
Not long ago, we told you that celebrity chef Mario Batali was introducing special "Meatless Mondays" options at all of his 14 restaurants. Well, thanks to Freep.com, we get to meat meet up with Mario for a progress report: He says that he feels better as his diet becomes increasingly veggie-heavy. And he predicts that environmental concerns will prompt others to embrace a vegetarian diet. Oh—and he reveals that his own vegetarian cookbook is in the works.
Could Batali be channeling vegan chef Tal Ronnen? I'd love to think so, but one thing's for certain: Both Chef Mario and Chef Tal are inspiring countless flesh-loving foodies to think outside the T-bone.
It's so hot in the city, you'd think I'd be making another batch of lemonade—but I've got a hankering for some Internet Soup. It's been a while since the last batch, so dig in!
Oof! I don't know about you, but I'm full after all that soup—and guac. This Special K needs a siesta. Until next time …
For those of you who grew up in more recent decades, "acid rain" is not the name of a death-metal band. In the 70s and 80s, sulfur dioxide emitted by power plants was turning rain into sulfuric acid, threatening fish, trees, and, yes, even statues. After the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) got the power plants to clean up their act, we thought we had the problem licked for the great outdoors. But if you lick something outdoors now, your tongue might dissolve. Acid rain has returned in a new form—nitric acid—caused by nitrogen oxide emissions. And the number one source of these emissions? Intensive factory farms.
So now we can add the resurgence of acid rain to the long list of environmental disasters caused in large part by using animals for food. It remains to be seen whether the EPA will step in again to address the problem, but fortunately we don't have to wait for them to get involved—after all, what better way to fight the disastrous effects of factory farming than by going vegan?
Written by Jeff Mackey
I have good news and, well, not-so-good news. The good news is that as a result of a lawsuit filed by environmental groups, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to pay closer attention to all the factory-farm manure that often spills into our waterways.
The not-so-good news is that the EPA plans to rely on factory farms to provide the data that the agency needs—every five years. The farms will be expected to disclose, among other things, information about their manure-storage facilities and how the "excess manure" is disposed of. In other words, the EPA is letting the fox guard the henhouse.
It's good that the EPA is doing something. But I have more faith in people like Goldman Environmental Prize–winner Lynn Henning, who gathers water samples and uses aerial photography to help hold factory farms accountable for mucking up our rivers and streams. Her efforts can really make a difference—and so can you by reminding people that farms cater to consumers. If there were no demand for flesh, eggs, or milk, then there would be no problem. So here's to a different kind of report: our success in encouraging people to help preserve America's waterways by going vegan.
Try passing out a copy of our vegetarian/vegan starter kit at your nearest stream!
Written by Heather Moore
Thanks to the efforts of PETA India and Maneka Gandhi—the daughter-in-law of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and a staunch animal rights proponent—India's Central Board of School Education has banned leather shoes from school uniforms.
Leather shoes are seen as a vestige of British colonial rule, under which they were introduced as a requirement for Indian school uniforms. But in addition to the obvious cruelty to cows, leather shoes are unsuited to India's hot, humid climate, and leather manufacturing also takes a tremendous toll on the environment. Leather shoes in school uniforms will be replaced with comfortable, environmentally friendly, and easy-to-clean canvas plimsolls (no, not those Plimsouls).
PETA's campaign against Indian leather started a decade ago when PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk traveled to India to investigate the transport of cows to slaughterhouses. Since then, dozens of international retailers have agreed to stop purchasing Indian leather, costing the industry millions in lost revenue. Find out more about Ingrid's investigation here.
Written by Alisa Mullins
As if she's not busy enough getting ready to release her fifth studio album, We Are Born, Australian songbird and vegetarian Sia Furler (and her adorable puppy, Pantera) still found time to pose in a lively new PETA Australia ad urging people to help end the dog and cat overpopulation crisis by spaying and neutering their animal companions. In the ad, which launched in Australia, Sia is calling on her fans around the world to spread the word about the homeless animal crisis and how simple surgery can help curb the number of animals who must be euthanized each year for lack of good homes.
Sia is smoking hot—she's receiving critical acclaims for her contribution to the writing of Christina Aguilera's new album, Bionic, and her work with U.K. bands Zero 7 and Massive Attack. And she'll be touring with Lilith Fair this summer.
In the last few weeks, a trio of my favorite celebs have spoken up for animals! Sia joins Cloris Leachman and Glee's Jane Lynch in calling for an end to the senseless deaths of so many animals.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Knowing that we adore animal-friendly cartoons and that we're often quick to embrace the bizarre, you can be sure that we're dancing in the hallways here at PETA HQ over news that artist Dan Piraro, the compassionate genius behind "Bizarro," won the highly coveted Cartoonist of the Year award at the Reuben Awards this weekend.
Bizarro has taken on a slew of animal rights topics, including cruel cat labs, horse-drawn carriages, the caging of birds,and betrayals of "man's best friend." And imagine how thrilled we were to receive this shout-out!
Seriously, you could spend an afternoon looking and laughing at Dan Piraro's many pro-animal "cartoomentaries" (that's cartoon + commentary = cartoomentaries)—or you could get your daily dose delivered right to your iPhone. I'd say doing both would be time well spent, but before you do either, use the comments section below to tell us which Bizarro cartoon is your all-time fave.
When I was a little girl, I dreamed about growing up to be a rock star. Or maybe a veterinarian. Or a roller derby queen.
I didn't dream about anally electrocuting animals on fur farms, but apparently Brooke Shields did. The aging actor recently paid a visit (or should that be "was paid for a visit"?) to Kopenhagen Fur's workshop to create her very own mink coat, and she said it was "a little girl's dream."
We understand that when some actors' careers begin to fade, they'll do just about anything to stay in the limelight, including appearing in eyelash-growth commercials and starring in short-lived TV shows. But Brooke, did you really want the world to remember you as a "fur pimp" who stares agog at rows of animal skins?
Brooke says that she will wear her fur coat "when I follow my children to school, when I drink coffee, and when I sleep." Hmm, I think if you need fur to keep you warm at night, you've got problems.
What do you think?
Written by Paula Moore
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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