Meat Trashes the Planet, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
March 10, 2010

Contact:
Michael Lyubinsky 757-622-7382

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- In the wake of news reports that the City Council of Colorado Springs has decided to pull all the trash cans from public parks in an effort to reduce the city's ballooning budget, PETA has sent an urgent letter to Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera offering to pay to maintain the receptacles in the city's public parks in exchange for placing ads on them. The ads would read, "Meat Trashes the Planet. Go Vegan. PETA," and they would feature an image of one of PETA's bikini-clad "Lettuce Ladies."

"Our proposal would help keep Colorado Springs' beautiful parks from becoming litter dumps and would prompt residents to adopt a healthy, humane, and environmentally friendly vegan diet, so it's a win-win situation," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "No one has a bigger carbon footprint than the meat and dairy industries, so if you really want to go green, the best thing that you can do is go vegan."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA's letter to Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera follows.

March 10, 2010

The Honorable Lionel Rivera
Mayor of Colorado Springs
                                   
Via e-mail:

Dear Mayor Rivera,

I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 2 million members and supporters--including thousands across Colorado--regarding the recent report that Colorado Springs has removed the trash cans from its public parks because of a lack of funds. We would like to contribute some money to bring the trash cans back by paying to place an ad (attached) on them. The ads would read, "Meat Trashes the Planet. Go Vegan. PETA." This win-win situation would help keep litter in its place and remind those enjoying your city's natural beauty that the best way to stop trashing the planet--through overgrazing, deforestation, and the wasting of resources in meat and dairy production--is to go vegan.

Millions of people are making a concerted effort to decrease their carbon footprint by reducing the amount of packaging and other trash. But many people simply aren't aware that the most effective change that they can make is ditching meat and dairy products in favor of vegan meals. In a major U.N. study, Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, scientists conclude that raising animals for the table generates more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the cars, trucks, ships, SUVs, and planes in the world combined. The report also points out that animal farming is "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global."

In addition to trashing the planet, the meat and dairy industries cause untold amounts of animal suffering. Chickens, fish, cows, and pigs feel pain and fear, just as the animals we share our homes with do, yet they are abused in ways that would be illegal if dogs or cats were the victims. Chickens and turkeys have their throats cut while still conscious, piglets have their tails and testicles cut off without any painkillers, and mother cows have the calves they cherish taken away almost immediately after their birth so that the milk meant for them can be sold.

Getting PETA's ad placed on trash cans in your city's public parks would allow the city to restore this vital public service, spare the lives of countless animals, and help educate the public about the most effective way to "go green."

Please contact me to discuss our proposal. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President