Vice President Harris: Go Vegan to Slash Emissions and We’ll Help, Says PETA

For Immediate Release:
December 16, 2021

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

Ahead of “Veganuary” (January) and because Vice President Kamala Harris just announced a new framework for the nation’s space policy that prioritizes the climate, has called climate change a “moment of crisis,” and reportedly tries to eat vegan before 6 p.m., PETA is pointing out that she can do more. Animal agriculture is responsible for more than a fifth of human-induced greenhouse-gas emissions, so PETA wants her to take part in a three-week 100% vegan challenge. In a letter sent to Harris’ office today, PETA offers to help her follow through with the Earth- and animal-saving challenge by sending her and her staff a copy of its free vegan starter kit, filled with recipes, tips, and more.

“The United Nations agrees with PETA that there’s no such thing as a meat- and dairy-eating environmentalist, so it only makes sense for Vice President Harris to lead by example and go all in on animal-free eating,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “We hope she’ll do right by animals and the planet and switch to delicious vegan meals full-time.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Note: PETA supports animal rights, opposes all forms of animal exploitation, and provides the public with information about those issues. The group does not directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office or any political party.

PETA’s letter to Harris follows.

December 16, 2021

Dear Madam Vice President:

Greetings from PETA! We applaud your efforts to eat vegan before 6 p.m. I’m writing with an idea that would allow you to serve as even more of a positive role model: Will you please eat vegan full-time for “Veganuary” and encourage others to join you? You’d be in great company with vegans Sen. Cory Booker, incoming New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Adam Schiff, former Vice President Al Gore, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and Ava DuVernay, among others.

It’s impossible to find real solutions to climate change without addressing animal agriculture, which, according to some estimates, is responsible for more greenhouse-gas emissions than the world’s entire transportation sector. If everyone ate vegan foods rather than animal-based ones, it would drastically reduce the impact of climate change. A study in the journal Nature Sustainability shows that shifting to plant-sourced foods would remove more than a decade of carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere.

Each person who goes vegan saves about 1,100 gallons of water, nearly 40 pounds of grain (as nowadays it’s mainly fed to animals raised for food), and 30 square feet of forested land each day. Going vegan also prevents nearly 200 animals every year from being treated like unfeeling “things” rather than as sentient beings—and vegans are at a far lower risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity than nonvegans are.

PETA appreciates the steps you’ve already taken to help animals, the environment, and future generations, and we hope you’ll lead by example on this critical issue by promoting vegan eating in Veganuary.

Vegan options are everywhere in Washington, from the Willard InterContinental hotel to Ben’s Chili Bowl. If you pledge to go vegan for Veganuary, PETA will supply all your staff members with a vegan starter kit so that they can join and support you. We’re also here to give you plenty of advice, tasty recipes, and encouragement along the way! Are you in? Thanks for everything that you do.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk

President