Naked ‘Mother Earth’ Has Earth Day Message for ‘Feeding the Planet’ Summit: Go Vegan!

Bodypainted PETA Member Will Offer Simple Solution: Healthy, Eco-Friendly, Plant-Based Meals

For Immediate Release:
April 22, 2015

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Covered only with bodypaint representing the Earth’s oceans and continents, PETA’s nearly naked “Mother Earth” will greet attendees at George Washington University’s Feeding the Planet summit on Thursday, the day after Earth Day. As conference attendees prepare to discuss how climate change, food, and agriculture intersect, PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—will point out that a global shift toward vegan meals, as recommended by the United Nations, would help the environment and help end world hunger faster than any other solution.

Where:           Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21^st St. N.W. (near the intersection of 21^st and H streets N.W.), Washington

When:             Thursday, April 23, 12 p.m.

“We can’t keep ignoring the facts—the meat industry is guzzling water while California dries up, feeding grain to livestock while humans go hungry, and pumping greenhouse gasses into our air,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s Earth Day message is this: If you care about animals, the environment, or world hunger, the only choice is to go vegan.”

In addition to being a major producer of the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change, the meat industry feeds an enormous amount of grain to livestock—more than 70 percent of the grain and cereals grown in the U.S. is fed to farmed animals—instead of growing crops to feed hungry humans directly. It takes about 1,500 gallons of water to produce just 1 pound of beef, and of course, the meat industry is responsible for the daily suffering and terrifying deaths of billions of animals every year.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.