Written by PETA
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 …
Written by Karin Bennett
As if Wednesday's historic vote by the Catalan parliament in Spain to ban bullfighting wasn't enough to make you scream "Olé," we've just heard that oh-so-iconic Spanish design house Adolfo Dominguez S.A. has not only signed on to shun fur, it has also agreed not to purchase or sell exotic skins, clothing made from down plucked from live birds, or wool from Australian sheep who have endured the painful mulesing mutilation—meaning that they've have chunks of flesh cut off their backsides.
Adolfo Dominguez's aggressive animal welfare policy places the company waaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of the ethical fashion curve. For our friends in Spain, this news might warrant a spending spree. For everyone else, why not treat yourself to some fashion-forward outfits from other helpful retailers such as Gap Inc., Timberland, H&M, Liz Claiborne, HUGO BOSS, and Perry Ellis International, who have all taken action by banning fur, exotic skins, and/or wool from mulesed sheep.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Joan Jett, our co-favorite legendary rock goddess (seriously, don't even try to make us choose between Joan and Chrissie), was notably impressed with Twilight star Kristen Stewart's portrayal of her in The Runaways, which chronicled Jett's early career with a pioneering grrl-rock band.
However, in her audio commentary on the DVD release of the movie, Joan does point out one faux pas—although it should be noted that the movie's costumer was to blame:
"To me this is kind of strange," says Jett as Stewart is shown running along a street, "because I never wore leather pants."
Joan Jett—never missing a chance to speak up for animals: Rock on!
Written by Jeff Mackey
Fashion fast-forward with the latest cruelty-free design: "Leather" made from green tea cultures! In a new process being developed by visionary designer Suzanne Lee, bacterial cultures are extracted from vats of green tea and then formed into eco-friendly cellulose sheets. Suzanne uses this "textile biomaterial" to make fashionable and cruelty-free jackets and dresses.
Unlike real leather—animal flesh coated in toxic preservatives such as formaldehyde and chromium to keep it from decomposing—BioCouture clothing is safe for animals and the environment. It isn't commercially available yet, but some of Lee's fresh and fabulous designs are on display at the Science Museum in London until early next year.
Via treehugger
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
Victoria's Secret is cleaning out the skeletons in its closet catalogue. Thanks to a new policy by parent company Limited Brands, Victoria's Secret and lingerie line La Senza will no longer sell exotic animal skins.
PETA's undercover video footage has detailed the cold-blooded suffering that's caused by the international exotic-skins trade, so it's no longer any secret that snakes, crocodiles, lizards, kangaroos, and other animals are cruelly killed for their skins.
All that pain for a python purse or a croc clutch? Get real! I'll stick with fashion accessories that have a killer look but don't kill. And you can too: Pledge to shed any exotic skins in your own closet today!
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
Move over, Smart car: There's an even smarter car in town. Unlike some so-called "green" carmakers that offer leather seats and trim, Wheego Electric Cars will not use a stitch of cow (or any other) hide in any of its models. That's why we go for Wheego, and we're awarding it our Proggy Award for the Best Green Car Company of 2010.
Including real leather in a car that's touted as "eco-friendly" is pretty fake (yes, we're talking to you, Smart car). Most leather is chrome-tanned, even though the Environmental Protection Agency classifies chromium as a hazardous waste. Studies have also found that groundwater near tanneries is tainted with everything from arsenic and lead to cyanide and PCBs and that human cancer rates are higher in those areas.
If you want to green your ride this Earth Day, why not give leather-free Wheego a spin?
Written by Paula Moore
"When I see people wearing fur, it makes me so sick. Especially when I see young singers doing it—that sickens me."
We suspect that leather-shunning, veggie-lovin' singer Leona Lewis was referring to at least one half of the gruesome twosome that's duking it out in today's installment of "Who Wore It Worse?"
The ditzy divorcée on the left is skinfully hag-tastic, while the one on the right—well, let's call her the "Barbadian Barbarian." (Try saying that one 10 times fast.)
See the faces behind these "Neanderthal Fashion No-No's," and then cast your vote in today's round of PETA's "Worst-Dressed" contest.
Poet Charles Baudelaire called the albatross "one of those big birds / which nonchalantly chaperone a ship / across the bitter fathoms of the sea," and Samuel Coleridge deemed the animal "a bird of good omen." (OK, no more 19th-century poetry references—I promise!) I wonder if those guys would be impressed to know that two female royal albatrosses in New Zealand have bonded as a mating pair and are caring for a chick together after the father disappeared.
Wildlife experts are definitely intrigued. Though lesbian albatrosses have also appeared in Hawaii, no one has ever seen a pair who successfully raised a baby together. We're loving this same-sex pair, and Tourism Dunedin is brainstorming a name for the chick with two mommies. I'm thinking Ellen or Portia. Do you have any suggestions?
Written by Logan Scherer
Between the Trollsen twits and cruel reality show "celetestants", I'm soooo ready to say, "Bye-bye, '09. Hello, 2010."
We at PETA are feeling optimistic about the New Year. But before we ring it in, let's have a look at 2009's low points and our predictions for 2010's animal-friendly hot topics and trends.
Now let's all raise our glasses to compassion for all!
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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