Texas A&M Agriculture Students Celebrate Earth Week by Pledging to Eat Vegan

University Partners With peta2 to Encourage Discussion of Sustainability and the Future of Food Production

For Immediate Release:
April 18, 2016

Contact:
Lakisha Ridley 202-483-7382

From April 18 to 22, Texas A&M University (TAMU)—known for its animal agriculture programs—will supply plant-based meals to students who have pledged to eat vegan for a week as part of a joint initiative by PETA’s youth outreach division, peta2; the school’s Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Training; and dining services provider Chartwells. The goals of the project are to expose students to vegan food and to spark conversation about sustainability among people who may have an impact on the future of agriculture.

Chartwells’ menu of nutrition-packed and crowd-pleasing vegan meals for the week includes sweet potato hash with grits, three-bean chili served with cornbread, and Korean tacos served with Asian slaw, tofu, and chipotle aioli. Dining halls will also provide a “roadmap” to help students identify the vegan fare on campus. “We look at this as a great opportunity to bring awareness about vegan dining and allow students to enjoy tasty dishes that they may not have thought they would enjoy,” says Courtney Bryant, director of marketing and guest service for Chartwells at TAMU.

“TAMU agriculture students, many of whom are headed for jobs in the animal agriculture industry post-graduation, are getting a taste of vegan food this week—some for the first time ever,” says peta2 Director of International Youth Outreach Ryan Huling. “peta2 is proud to team up with them because as the population grows, agriculturalists have the power to plant the seeds for a bright and sustainable future through vegan meals, and we hope our TAMU colleagues can lead that charge.”

peta2—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that the Worldwatch Institute has said that animal agriculture produces more than 51 percent of global greenhouse gases, and the United Nations has concluded that a global shift toward a vegan diet is vital if we are to combat the worst effects of climate change. One gallon of cow’s milk requires 1,000 gallons of water to produce, while 1 gallon of soy milk uses only 244 gallons of water—and it takes 18 times more land to produce a pound of chicken than to produce a pound of vegan chicken. A transition to a plant-based food system protects the planet, famers’ livelihoods, and countless animals from daily suffering and a terrifying death.

For more information, please visit peta2.com.