Why Is This Vancouver Island Native Stripping and Showering on a Sidewalk in Brazil?

While the world’s best athletes gear up to compete in the Rio Olympics, Vancouver Island native Emily Lavender will be out on the sidewalk outside the Olympic Village, stripping down and showering to highlight the massive amount of water wasted globally by the meat, dairy, and egg industries.

Nearly naked behind a banner that reads, “Save Water: Go Vegan! 1 lb. of Beef Equals 180 Showers,” Lavender and another PETA beauty will shower on a sidewalk in São Paulo on Tuesday, August 2, and in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, August 4—one day before the 2016 Olympic Games begin—to illustrate that going vegan is the best way to stop animal suffering and help the environment.

As a PETA campaign coordinator, Lavender is no stranger to provocative protests. She’s covered her naked body with little more than green paint to encourage people to “Go Green: Go Vegan.” She was even briefly detained by police for protesting at a steakhouse while wearing nothing but temporary tattoos that mimicked the markings on a butcher’s diagram (“breast,” “shank,” etc.).

Passion for defending animals has transformed Lavender, who was formerly a shy library page, into a gutsy advocate courageous enough to challenge even the Royal Family. During Queen Elizabeth’s and Prince William and Duchess Kate’s visits to Canada, Lavender followed the Royals across Canada in a bear costume as part of a campaign to stop the slaughter of Canadian black bears for The Queen’s Guards’ bearskin caps.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.