Written by Michelle Kretzer
Educators in Flushing might be blushing today. Public School (P.S.) 244 in that Queens neighborhood in New York did something royally kind to animals by becoming the country's first all-vegetarian traditional public school, so PETA's humane-education division, TeachKind, is giving the school its Compassionate School Award.
For P.S. 244, going vegetarian was an easy decision because the school has incorporated healthy eating and living habits into its curricula for years. Other schools in the district are considering adopting meat-free menus, too, depending on the success of P.S. 244's program. And if the students' and parents' reactions are any indication, cruelty-free meals are a hit. As one 9-year-old charmingly put it, "It's much more healthier. It helps to make our bodies stronger."
If P.S. 244 has inspired you to make a school in your area kinder, check out TeachKind's plethora of free lesson plans and materials.
Written by Jeff Mackey
How delighted was PETA when musical sensation Ricky Martin announced that he's been enjoying vegetarian meals? So much so that we've sponsored a rescued chicken in his honor at Kindred Spirits Sanctuary—just in time for The Great American Meatout today, a day when everyone is encouraged to enjoy healthful and humane vegan foods.
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Of course, we encourage folks to do that year-round, and we're jubilant when people decide to make plant-based foods a regular part of their lives—even if they haven't recently been voted Broadway's Sexiest Man Alive or sold 60 million albums worldwide.
You, too, can pay tribute to animals and help alleviate their suffering by choosing healthful, humane vegan foods. Make every day a "meatout" and order a free vegan starter kit today!
Written by Alisa Mullins
These days, more and more hearty vegetarian meals are popping up at sports venues across the continent. So, after years of ranking the most vegetarian-friendly Major League Baseball parks and NFL stadiums, PETA has surveyed the top vegetarian-friendly NBA arenas, and the results are in:
1. STAPLES Center
Because Lob City is playing its best basketball in years, thanks to Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, Clippers fans may have more to cheer about this year than Lakers fans do. But fans of both teams have reason to celebrate the STAPLES Center's awesome vegetarian fare. With vegan sloppy Joes, a veggie burger, vegan sushi, a grilled veggie sandwich, and a hummus-and-pita plate, the STAPLES Center's vegetarian concessions are a slam dunk for fans, no matter which team they're rooting for.
2. Air Canada Centre
The NBA's only international team fittingly offers a menu with international flair. Fans in general seating can choose from a vegan burrito, a hummus-and-veggie wrap, a veggie dog topped with tomato and scallions, or a Bollywood veggie dog with potatoes, tamarind ketchup, papadum, and mint chutney. In premium areas, vegetable sushi and chilled Vietnamese summer rolls are on the menu. Fans flocking to see new arrival Rudy Gay won't be disappointed with his performance or with the food at halftime.
3. Wells Fargo Center
When Andrew Bynum will suit up for the Sixers remains a mystery, but one thing is certain: Fans looking for delicious, animal-friendly fare have come to the right place. Veggie dogs, two kinds of veggie burgers, and roasted butternut squash soup round out a starting lineup of vegetarian superstars that give Philly fans plenty to cheer about.
4. BMO Harris Bradley Center
Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis were All-Star snub victims, but vegetable-loving Bucks fans are welcomed with open arms at the BMO Harris Bradley Center's concession stands. They can choose from vegan tempeh sloppy Joes, hearty veggie burgers, traditional PB&J sandwiches, fresh fruit, and baked potatoes. Meanwhile, fans in premium areas can enjoy hot flatbread sandwiches made with marinated tofu, pesto, and chipotle Vegenaise. And we can't help but wonder if the vegan energy bars are what give Larry Sanders his impressive energy.
5. Oracle Arena
Second-year head coach Mark Jackson has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround for the rejuvenated Golden State Warriors. But fans crying foul because Stephen Curry was left out of the All-Star game certainly won't feel cheated when they sample the tasty vegetarian fare at Oracle Arena. A Vietnamese ginger-garlic tofu sandwich, tofu lettuce wraps, and Vietnamese noodle salad lead an All-Star lineup of healthy, animal-friendly snacks that are sure to have fans rebounding for more.
6. Rose Garden
Number six overall draft pick Damian Lillard is favored to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, so it's only fitting that Portland's Rose Garden has netted sixth place on PETA's list, thanks to a variety of options like veggie burgers, vegan protein shakes, vegetable sandwiches, a broccoli stir-fry with rice or noodles, and granola with berries, bananas, and vegan protein powder at concession stands—plus, stir-fried soy strips with pineapple and teriyaki sauce in the suites.
7. United Center
Derrick Rose may not be returning any time soon, but the delicious meat-free fare at the United Center gives Bulls fans plenty to smile about. A vegan tempeh sloppy Joe, a veggie burger, and a baked potato lead the charge.
8. AT&T Center
For yet another year, the Spurs find themselves with one of the best records in the NBA, and now they can tout another accomplishment: earning a spot on PETA's top 10 list. It's fitting that familiar favorites, including bean burritos and tacos, vegan apple turnovers, and, in premium areas, vegan sloppy Joes, would be found at the home of the veteran team.
9. Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Indiana's faithful should be proud, as suffocating defense and physical play have kept the Pacers in the mix in the East, even without leading scorer Danny Granger. Another source of pride? Bankers Life Fieldhouse's hearty vegan sloppy Joes, veggie burgers, and garden-fresh salads, which have animal-friendly fans swarming to the concession stands just as their Pacers swarm to the ball.
10. The Palace of Auburn Hills
We know that the days of violence at The Palace of Auburn Hills are behind us, so if you're a Pistons fan, why not indulge in some cruelty-free fare, including vegan sloppy Joes, fresh fruit, smoothies made with soy milk, and quinoa-and-lentil salads? Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond clearly have bright futures ahead of them, and Pistons fans can, too, thanks to healthy and delicious meat-free meals.
Bear in mind that we've just mentioned a small sampling of the vegetarian food being offered—and that these arenas are just the best of the best. Many other venues also offer a wide variety of vegetarian options, including honorable mention awardees Madison Square Garden (falafel, veggie sushi, edamame), Philips Arena (vegan sloppy Joes, pasta, baked potato), Time Warner Cable Arena (lentil veggie burger, grilled vegetable kebab, vegetarian panini), Sleep Train Arena (vegan sloppy Joes and veggie burgers), and Amway Center (vegan sloppy Joes and veggie burgers).
No matter which team gets your blood pumping, you can help make sure that you're around to cheer them on for many years to come by choosing healthy vegetarian snacks. To paraphrase vegan NBA champ John Salley, it's the best damn way to eat. Period.
It's fitting that Rosa Parks' birthday, February 4, has been designated the Day of Courage. Parks is, of course, famous for her work to end segregation and racism, beginning with her refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger and continuing with her leadership during the bus boycotts that followed. But Parks soon broadened her base to include others who needed to be freed from the yoke of oppression: animals. She was a vegetarian for more than 40 years.
In fact, many civil rights leaders, past and present, have maintained that as long as one form of prejudice exists, no form of prejudice can be completely eradicated, and thus, civil rights and animal rights are inextricably linked:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him that it is right."
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Alice Walker: "If I'm eating food I know was a creature in a cage, it brings up memories of segregation and the stories from my ancestors, of being in captivity and denied their personalities, their true beings. Animals were not made for us, or our use. They have their own use, which is just being who they are."
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Cesar Chavez: "Kindness and compassion towards all living beings is a mark of a civilized society. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeos are all cut from the same defective fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves."
The Rev. Al Sharpton: "So I say if KFC wants to take [African-Americans'] money, and use it to pay for sloppy practices that hurt animals, I say we send them a message that this is not going to happen. I'm calling on people to boycott KFC until they adopt animal welfare systems recommended by PETA."
Russell Simmons: "The more I opened myself up to the idea of the full scope of exactly what non-violence translates to, the less interested I became in consuming the energy associated with the flesh of an animal that only knew suffering in his/her life and pain and terror in its death. "
Rosa Parks did not just refuse to give up her seat on the bus. She refused to give up her humanity. She refused to accept oppression as "how things are." In honor of her, please encourage your friends and family to do away with the last of their personal prejudices by sharing the quotation above that speaks to you the most on your social-networking sites.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations just released preliminary data of America's most violent cities, and Flint, Michigan, had more reported crimes per capita than any other large city. Number two, Detroit, trailed by a wide margin. So to help Flint stop resembling scenes from The Godfather, PETA has made the city an offer it can't refuse—or at least it shouldn't. We offered to pay the cash-strapped city to display this banner across City Hall and other government buildings:
As we explained in our letter to Mayor Dayne Walling:
The violence inherent in producing meat, eggs, and milk today would shock all but the most hard-hearted person. Chickens and turkeys have their throats cut while they're still conscious, piglets are castrated without being given any painkillers, fish are suffocated or cut open while they're still alive on the decks of fishing boats, and calves are torn away from their mothers within hours of birth. Buying meat, dairy products, and eggs means paying for these practices to continue—effectively, hiring the hit man.
But eating vegan means making a conscious effort to be compassionate three times a day.
And because people who deliberately abuse animals often go on to commit violent acts against human beings, Flint might also help stem the flow of violence by advocating respect for animals—and encouraging citizens to report any suspected acts of cruelty.
Reducing violence in Flint means helping people to put down their weapons, starting with the steak knife.
Rosa Parks is remembered as one of the most fearless civil rights activists in history. So it's fitting that her birthday, February 4, has been deemed the National Day of Courage, when we are all encouraged to raise our voices against injustice.
The Henry Ford Museum in the Detroit area, where Parks spent the latter half of her life, plans to pay tribute to her with a day of special events. But the museum overlooked an important detail: Parks didn't harm animals for food. She was a vegetarian. And a celebration of her life and her legacy should be, too. So PETA raised our voices and asked the museum to honor all of Parks' convictions by serving vegetarian food.
Parks is, of course, best known for her work to end segregation and racism. But like her friend, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Parks soon broadened her base to advocate for all socially disadvantaged people. And she, like Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and his son, Dexter Scott King, went on to embrace other disadvantaged species. Believing that animals should also be free from being subjugated and abused, Parks became a vegetarian and King's widow and son both went vegan.
Not only did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her seat on the bus, she also refused to go along with the idea that it's OK to inflict suffering on others for her own ends. In honoring her legacy, we should do the same.
When Amar'e Stoudemire shot his anti-fur ad for PETA, he said, "I wouldn't want to see anything cruel happen to any animals just for fashion." Now the New York Knicks' star forward is showing that he doesn't want to see anything cruel happen to animals just for food, either. Amar'e says his new vegetarian diet is helping him stay healthy after he had to have a third surgery on his knees.
Amar'e didn't go vegetarian in time to make Shape's list of the 25 Sexiest Vegan and Vegetarian Celebrities, but there's always next year. The mag did give a shout-out to PETA's reigning Sexiest Male Vegetarian Celebrity, Woody Harrelson, as well as our buds Mickey Madden, Casey Affleck, Russell Brand, Steve-O, and Mac Danzig.
Maybe Chicago's Rahm Emanuel will make Shape's list next year. "America's Fittest Mayor" is endorsing Rip Esselstyn's vegan Engine 2 Diet.
And these sexy stars made PETA's list of our favorite animal tweethearts:
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
We know that there weren't any pigs on your table this Christmas, but were there pigs at it? At a festive Christmas party in Goa, India, not only were pigs at the table, they were also the guests of honor.
The Panjim Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) had intercepted a group of people who were illegally transporting about 100 pigs and who intended to slaughter and sell them for holiday meals. But PAWS rescued all the pigs and took them to safety at its shelter. So, since the pigs were no longer becoming the feast, PAWS and PETA India decided to throw them one instead.
The gleeful pigs happily munched on corn, spinach, strawberries, grapes, and other treats, while their proud rescuers doted on them. And as news cameras caught the pigs' mirthful antics, they also captured the not-so-subtle message that PETA India had prominently displayed at the table: a sign that implored, "Give Pigs the Gift of Life: Go Vegan."
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
Taken aback by the revelation that Ozzy Osbourne is dabbling with a vegan diet? Keep reading. The following list of famous vegetarians from the past and present is filled with more surprises than a paternity test on Maury:
As a comedian, actor, author, and musician, Steve Martin has a lot on his plate. But one thing you won't find on this "wild and crazy guy's" plate is meat. Which, of course, is the secret to having happy feet.
A pioneering feminist and suffragist who supported the 19th century animal welfare movement, Susan B. Anthony toasted both vegetarianism and women's rights at a banquet held by the first American Vegetarian Society. Anthony was also the first woman and only vegetarian to be immortalized on American currency.
For the love of Pete (Campbell), we wish that everyone would follow in the low-carbon footsteps of Mad Men's Vincent Kartheiser and ditch meat to help the environment.
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It's not only mad men who shun meat—wise guys fuhgeddabout flesh too. When asked about his favorite restaurant in Detroit, where he was filming a TV show, former Sopranos star Michael Imperioli named veggie hotspot Inn Season Café. "I'm a vegetarian, so [it's] like culinary nirvana for me."
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Fred Rogers was the man. Not only did the devout vegetarian teach kids about the joys of soy on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, he also took Burger King to task for parodying him in a commercial. After he criticized the ads for being "very confusing for children," Burger King apologized and pulled the commercial. Can you say "coolest neighbor ever"? I knew you could.
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Rosa Parks was the woman. The civil rights leader, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger ignited the end of segregation, advocated vegetarianism. Active in promoting peace and justice well into her 80s, Parks credited her vegetarian diet with helping her to maintain her health and stamina.
We hate to gossip, but a little bird who likes to tweet told us that Harvey Levin, the executive producer and host of hot celebrity gossip news show TMZ on TV is a vegetarian!
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And finally … stop, collaborate, and listen. Vanilla Ice is back with healthy intentions. High cholesterol grabbed a hold of him tightly. Now he feasts on veggies daily and nightly. Word to your mother (and to anyone who hasn't gone vegan yet).
At the same time as vegan star running back Arian Foster and the Texans are making my hometown proud on the field (Bayou City, represent!), PETA has announced its 2012 list of the Top Five Vegetarian-Friendly NFL Stadiums.
Football is played with a ball called a "pigskin" (often erroneously), but folks who are fans of both team sports and animals will find a growing variety of cruelty-free foods to enjoy on game day at arenas throughout the NFL. So even if your team is stuck in the basement this year, you can still score a victory for animals way up in the cheap seats by hitting up the concession stand for some vegan goodies!
© Levy Restaurants
Check out the Top Five Vegetarian-Friendly NFL Stadiums:
1. Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Eagles
As the Eagles battle for the top spot in the always-tough NFC East, Philly fans can take pride in the fact that Lincoln Financial Field tops PETA's list of vegetarian-friendly stadiums for the third year in a row, thanks to its awesome array of meat-free options, which include a mock-steak sandwich, a "chicken-steak" sandwich, a seitan brisket, and veggie burgers and dogs.
2. Gillette Stadium, New England Patriots
Pats fans have more mouthwatering vegetarian options than Tom Brady has offensive weapons. Gillette Stadium moved up from number four on PETA's list of vegetarian-friendly stadiums, thanks to its black-bean burger, grilled portobello mushroom burger, and grilled veggie flatbread wrap. Meanwhile, fans continue to devour the stadium's standby favorites—veggie dogs and veggie burgers.
3. O.co Coliseum, Oakland Raiders
Rookie head coach Dennis Allen may be experiencing some growing pains in Oakland, but Raider Nation has cause for celebration: O.co Coliseum made PETA's list of vegetarian-friendly stadiums for the fifth year in a row. With a veggie dog, black-bean burger, and veggie burrito leading the charge, fans of the Silver and Black can turn their health around by enjoying delicious, protein-packed vegetarian meals.
4. Georgia Dome, Atlanta Falcons
Matty Ice is playing like an MVP, but the MVP of the Georgia Dome's concession stands may be the mock-meat Sloppy Jane, made with peppers, onions, molasses, and brown-sugar barbecue sauce. Also available and fresh off the burner (no Michael Turner pun intended) are veggie dogs and veggie burgers, possibly the best duo since Roddy White and Julio Jones. You don't have to pose in a PETA ad as Tony Gonzalez did to enjoy these options.
5. Ford Field, Detroit Lions
The Lions may be dropping in the standings, but Ford Field has climbed in our rankings of the best meat-free fare. Outstanding dishes such as vegan sloppy Joes, hearty veggie burgers, hummus with vegetables, and fruit cups with chili lime salt dominate the concession stands here the same way that Megatron dominates on the field.
Scoring honorable mentions are the Kansas City Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium, the St. Louis Rams' Edward Jones Dome, the San Francisco 49ers' Candlestick Park, and the New York Jets' and New York Giants' MetLife Stadium.
With so many healthy and animal-friendly foods available almost everywhere you go, there's never been a better time to go vegan than right now!
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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