Will Sexy ‘Go Vegan’ Ads Make a Splash in City Pool?

PETA Offers to Pay for Lifeguard Training Classes if Northside Swimming Pool Agrees to Display Cheeky Pro-Vegan Banner

For Immediate Release:
June 5, 2017

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

Amid reports that Youngstown may not be able to open its Northside Swimming Pool this summer because of a lack of lifeguards—possibly as a result of the high costs of certification classes—PETA sent a letter to Mayor John McNally this morning offering to contribute $1,000 for training classes for lifeguard applicants if the city agrees to display PETA’s pro-vegan ad at the pool.

The eye-catching ad shows a bikini-clad beauty near the water  and proclaims, “Dive Into a Vegan Lifestyle This Summer.” PETA (whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”) has also offered to dispatch its “Lettuce Ladies” to deliver vegan ice cream to the lifeguards to sweeten—and cool down—their workdays.

“Vegan meals are a fantastic way to save animals’ lives; reduce our risk of suffering from obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes; and help swimmers get that sought-after bikini body,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s cheeky ad could help keep Northside Swimming Pool full of trained lifeguards—and families full of delicious plant-based fare—all summer long.”

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA’s letter to Mayor John McNally follows.

June 5, 2017

The Honorable John A. McNally

Mayor of Youngstown

Dear Mayor McNally,

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide, including many across Ohio, in response to news reports that the Northside Swimming Pool may not open this year if the city does not find enough lifeguards. We’d like to propose a solution. We’ve designed a cheeky ad that reads, “Dive Into a Vegan Lifestyle This Summer,” and we’d like to offer $1,000 toward the cost of certification classes for lifeguard applicants if you agree to display it prominently at the pool. We’re sure that it will make a splash.

Our ad would encourage city residents and visitors alike to keep their health out of the deep end by trying vegan meals and lowering their risk of developing some of our nation’s top killers, including heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Encouraging residents to go vegan would also help them achieve their “summer swimsuit bodies.” On average, vegans are 10 to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters, and according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics—among other dietary experts—they’re far less prone to obesity.

Our ad would also remind swimmers that—when it comes to joy and suffering—we’re all in the same boat. Animals raised for food value their lives and love their families just as we do. Every person who goes vegan after seeing our ad can save more than 100 animals every year from factory farms—where cows are often dehorned and branded without any painkillers and chickens and turkeys are crammed into filthy, ammonia-filled sheds with tens of thousands of other birds, and their throats are sometimes slit while they’re still conscious.

Don’t let your citizens’ wishes to keep the pool open this summer go down the drain. In addition to offering the financial incentive for would-be lifeguards at the pool, we’d also send our lovely “Lettuce Ladies” to unveil the ad and sweeten up the lifeguards’ day by handing out delicious vegan ice cream. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Tracy Reiman

Executive Vice President