Hip-Hop Mogul Russell Simmons to D.C. Bus Riders: ‘Get on Board—Go Vegan!’

For Immediate Release:
December 30, 2013

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Washington — PETA has teamed up with longtime supporter Russell Simmons to plaster Washington buses with a brand-new ad campaign encouraging anyone who is tempted to get healthy, help animals, or “go green” in 2014 to “get on board—go vegan!” The ads, available here, will run throughout January.

PETA and veteran vegan and softhearted environmentalist Simmons are setting out to counter the fast-food industry’s constant marketing to low-income areas. “I grew up in Hollis, Queens and always make it my job to never forget where I came from,” Simmons says. “I am particularly saddened that in urban communities the cheapest, most accessible food is fast food, which is also the most likely to increase the risk of developing various diseases and illnesses.”

That’s one reason why Simmons promotes vegan choices: On average, vegans and vegetarians are significantly leaner than meat-eaters are, and the consumption of meat and other animal-derived products has been conclusively linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Vegan meals are also an excellent choice for people who get digestive problems from cow’s milk, a condition that 70 percent of African-Americans suffer from.

Simmons also eats vegan to prevent animal suffering. “The more I learned about factory farming and the cruelty animals raised for food must endure before they are led (or dragged) to slaughter,” he says, “the more I realized that I could not, in good conscience, be a contributor to such violence.” An avid environmentalist, he adds, “The impact on the Earth from eating meat is mind-blowing. … Meat consumption is poisoning and depleting our potable water, land and pure, clean air.”

Simmons, who was named PETA’s Person of the Year in 2012, is part of a long list of celebrities—including his niece Angela Simmons as well as Joaquin Phoenix, Tia Mowry, and Paul McCartney—who have teamed up with PETA to promote vegetarian and vegan eating.

For more information and healthy vegan recipes, please visit PETA.org.

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