PETA Will Throw a BBQ for Billionaire’s Utopia—if It’s Vegan

For Immediate Release:
September 10, 2021

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Former Walmart executive Marc Lore has announced plans to create a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive city called “Telosa,” so PETA sent him a letter this afternoon pointing out that given all we know about the climate crisis—animal agriculture is responsible for nearly one-fifth of all greenhouse-gas emissions—and the cruelty involved in factory farming and slaughter, such a city would need to be vegan. If Lore concedes, PETA will provide 50,000 vegan starter kits for the city’s inaugural residents and cater a vegan BBQ in a Telosa park.

“There’s no utopia if fridges are full of animals’ body parts from an environmentally devastating industry,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA hopes to celebrate a truly sustainable city with a vegan BBQ blowout.”

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.

PETA’s letter to Lore follows.

September 10, 2021

Marc Lore

Founding Member

City of Telosa

Dear Mr. Lore:

I’m writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 9 million members and supporters worldwide to congratulate you on your vision for a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive city. Since the United Nations has stated that a global shift toward vegan eating is vital if we are to combat the worst effects of climate change, we trust that you will consider the profoundly negative effects that animal-based agriculture, including dairy farming, has on the environment (in addition to animals and human health) and make Telosa an all-vegan city. We’d be happy to help by sending a copy of our free vegan starter kit for every resident of the city and hosting a celebratory vegan barbecue in one of the city’s parks.

I’m sure you realize that the link between climate change and animal agriculture has been extensively documented. An analysis of the food system’s impact on the environment has determined that massive reductions in meat consumption and cutting dairy consumption by 60% in Western countries are essential to avoid dangerous climate change. Globally, the average person will also need to eat 75% less beef, 90% less pork, and half the number of eggs. In fact, meat production has such a devastating effect on all aspects of our environment that the Union of Concerned Scientists lists it as the second-biggest environmental hazard facing the Earth, and a University of Oxford study found that eliminating animal products can reduce a person’s food carbon footprint by 73%. As vegan climate activist Greta Thunberg says, livestock production is “stealing” her generation’s future.

The Amazon is burning and the jungle is being razed to grow soy in order to feed animals for consumption in the U.S. When land anywhere is used to raise animals instead of crops, precious water and soil are lost, trees are cut down to clear land for grazing or factory-farm sheds, and untreated animal waste pollutes rivers and streams. Simply put, the production of meat, dairy, and eggs is unsustainable. It’s 18 times more efficient to produce plant-based chicken than to raise flesh-and-blood chickens. Thankfully, we also have access to an endless variety of healthy as well as eco- and animal-friendly vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes.

A city can’t truly be considered a utopia if animals are being slaughtered for its food consumption. As H.G. Wells once wrote, “In all the round world of Utopia there is no meat. There used to be. But now we cannot stand the thought of slaughter-houses.” At a time when the top three killers in the U.S. are heart disease, cancer, and strokes—all linked to eating meat—an all-vegan city would be a cause for massive celebration. We wish you well and thank you for your consideration.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

President