PETA Offers to Take Sting Out of Balancing Budget by Placing Pro-Vegan Ads on Mauldin's Trash Bags

'Meat Trashes the Planet,' Says Group

For Immediate Release:
April 5, 2010

Contact:
Kristin Richards 202-483-7382     

Greenville, S.C. -- This morning, PETA sent a letter to Don Godbey, mayor of Mauldin, S.C., offering to pay to place an ad touting the environmental benefits of going vegan on trash bags that the city would require residents to use for garbage collection. PETA's request comes in advance of an April 6 hearing to address concerns over the city's plans to charge Mauldin residents for the bags as part of an attempt to balance the town's budget. The revenue from PETA's ads would allow the city to reduce or eliminate the fee. The ad would read, "Meat Trashes the Planet. Go Vegan. PETA." In the letter, PETA points out that in addition to causing immense animal suffering, factory farming is a leading cause of greenhouse-gas emissions, air and water pollution, environmental destruction, and wasted resources.

"Our proposal would help keep the people of Mauldin from having a new fee dumped on them while also encouraging them to adopt a healthy and humane vegan diet that won't trash the environment, so it's a win-win situation," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "The meat and dairy industries are the leading causes of climate change, so if you really want to go green, one of the best things that you can do is go vegan."

PETA's letter to Mayor Don Godbey follows. More information is available at PETA.org.

April 5, 2010

The Honorable Don Godbey
Mayor of Mauldin
                                   
Dear Mayor Godbey,

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 South Carolina--regarding the recent report that Mauldin is considering a budget-balancing proposal involving a charge of up to $2 per trash bag for garbage collection. We would like to contribute some money to help defray the cost to citizens by paying to place an ad on the city-distributed bags. The ad reads, "Meat Trashes the Planet. Go Vegan. PETA." This win-win situation would help keep litter in its place and meat on the animals who own it while reminding Mauldin residents that the best way to stop wasting the planet's resources--including water, land, and more--is to go vegan.

Millions of people are making a concerted effort to decrease their environmental footprint by recycling more, switching to hybrid cars, and using energy-efficient light bulbs. But these measures don't come close to undoing all the damage inflicted by the meat and dairy industries. The United Nations has concluded that raising animals for food is "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." A major report by the University of Chicago found that adopting a vegan diet has a greater impact in the fight against climate change than switching to a hybrid car. And a German study conducted in 2008 concluded that a meat-eater's diet is responsible for more than seven times as much greenhouse-gas emissions as a vegan's diet is.

In addition to trashing the planet (and human arteries), the meat and dairy industries cause enormous 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, fish are suffocated or cut open while still alive on the decks of fishing boats, and mother cows have their calves taken away almost immediately after their birth so that the milk meant for them can be sold.

Getting PETA's ad placed on Mauldin's trash bags would help the city continue to provide trash service without raising fees while sparing the lives of countless animals and reminding the public about the most effective way to "go green," clean their arteries, clean up fields and streams, and live a long life with a clear conscience. What can beat that?

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

Sincerely,
Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President