Vegetarian Good, Vegan Better! Bus Ad Blitz Urges Madison’s Conscientious Eaters to Take the Next Step

For Immediate Release:
September 28, 2026

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

Madison, Wis. –

Larger-than-life chickens are taking over Madison buses ahead of World Vegetarian Day (Oct. 1) with a message for vegetarians: hit the brakes on dairy and eggs, too! PETA has plastered 18 buses all over Madison, recently ranked among the nation’s most vegetarian- and vegan-friendly cities, with an earnest appeal from the “who” on the plate to eschew eggs and dairy, too.

“Ditching meat saves countless lives per year, one of which might be your own, but many vegetarians don’t realize how cows and hens used for milk and eggs are sent to slaughter too,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA urges everyone to grab our free vegan starter kit and make the simple switch to plant-based milks, cheeses, and vegan eggs, now widely available.”

PETA notes that cows form friendships and mother hens begin teaching calls to their chicks before they even hatch—yet in the egg and dairy industries, these animals are confined in filthy, crowded conditions and are violently killed once their production wanes. Female cows are forcibly impregnated and have their beloved calves stolen from them, while hens used for eggs—including in deceptively named “cage-free” systems—are typically crammed by the thousands into filthy sheds and subjected to painful beak mutilations, debilitating injuries, chronic stress, and terrifying deaths at a fraction of their natural lifespan.

Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, dramatically shrinks their food-related carbon footprint, and slashes their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a chicken is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.