Will California Community’s ‘Kindness Pledge’ Include Going Vegan? PETA Makes Appeal to Silverwood to Think Big

For Immediate Release:
December 29, 2025

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

As Veganuary approaches—and the Inland Empire’s new Silverwood Community is asking residents to sign a Kindness Pledge to “foster empathy, acceptance, and tolerance” between neighbors—PETA sent a letter this morning to Silverwood General Manager John Ohanian requesting the addition of a line that encourages kindness to animals and the planet via vegan living. If he agrees, PETA will send a big vegan spread of hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, and cookies to the next Silverwood community event.

PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk points out that the land on which Silverwood was built was once a cattle ranch, so what better way to honor its transformation to human housing than by “extending empathy to the very animals who once lived there.” Newkirk also notes that promoting vegan eating—which requires significantly less water, land, and energy than animal-based meals—would be a boost to Silverwood’s sustainability goals.

“Kindness begins on our plates, so if Silverwood wants to foster a spirit of goodwill to all, it can be true to that goal by encouraging its residents to let animals live in peace, not in pieces,” says Newkirk. “PETA urges Silverwood to extend its Kindness Pledge to all by building a lasting foundation of compassion and sustainability.” 

On average, each person who goes vegan spares the lives of 200 animals annually, so if just one member of each of Silverwood’s 15,000 households made the switch, the community would save more than 3 million animals’ lives a year. Vegan eating also helps reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. 

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free vegan starter kits and Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Ohanian follows.

December 29, 2025

John Ohanian

General Manager

Silverwood Master Plan

Dear Mr. Ohanian,

Greetings! I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 10.4 million members and supporters globally, including over 700,000 in California—with a suggestion: As Veganuary approaches, would you please consider expanding the Silverwood Community Kindness Pledge to include this small but meaningful line: “We will do our part to be kind to animals, the planet, and our community through living vegan”? If you agree, PETA would be delighted to send vegan cocoa mix and cookies to the next Silverwood community event.

Every year, we learn more awe-inspiring facts about the rich emotional lives of the various other species who live on this planet with us. We know that all animals—including pigs, cows, and chickens—are intelligent, curious beings who feel joy, stress, love, grief, and fear just as we humans do. Cows, for example, have best friends, shed actual tears, enjoy listening to music, and learn from watching humans do things like open gate latches. They also mourn the loss of their loved ones. Pigs are known to bring food to disabled siblings and to decorate their living spaces with flowers and even to save humans from fires and drowning. Despite all this, humans slaughter more than 80 billion land animals each year.

At a time when vegan products are accessible as well as delicious—and as we witness the environmental toll of animal agriculture—Silverwood could inspire residents to choose animal-free food, clothing, and entertainment. Each vegan, on average, spares the lives of 200 animals a year, so, with over 15,000 homes in the community, if even just one person in each household adopted a vegan lifestyle, more than 3 million animals’ lives would be saved annually in Silverwood alone.

And what a boost to Silverwood’s sustainability goals it would be that vegan diets require significantly less water, land, and energy than animal-based ones. Of course, a vegan diet also promotes good health by reducing the risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

The land on which Silverwood now sits was once a cattle ranch. What a great way to honor its transformation by extending empathy to the very animals who once lived there. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to your response.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

Founder