Actor and Activist Wears Nothing but Bodypaint in New PETA Billboard
For Immediate Release:
January 24, 2013
Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382
Los Angeles -- The topic of climate change was front and center in President Barack Obama's second inaugural address on Monday, and Maggie Q is challenging concerned citizens to fight one of the leading causes of climate change—factory farming—by baring her body for an edgy new PETA billboard in Los Angeles that reads, "Fight Climate Change With Diet Change. Go Veg." The new ad, which features the Nikita star naked and painted like the Earth, was shot by top celebrity photographer Frank Ockenfels 3. A high-resolution version is available here, and the billboard will remain in Los Angeles on the Sunset Strip at La Cienega for one month, starting today.
"There's so many issues tied to the meat industry. I mean, social, environmental, humanitarian—all of them," Maggie Q explains in an exclusive PETA interview. "I know that when I'm eating that I'm not hurting the planet, I'm not hurting other people on this planet, I'm not hurting animals, … and I'm not hurting nature."
What makes vegan meals so "green"? The meat industry is a leading cause of the greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to climate change. According to the United Nations, a global shift toward a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change, and researchers at the University of Chicago concluded that switching from a standard American diet to a vegan diet is more effective than switching from a standard American car to a hybrid.
Not only does going vegan help the environment, it can also give your health a boost, as vegans are less prone to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, and obesity than meat-eaters are. And, of course, it saves animals from extreme suffering on factory farms, in slaughterhouses, and on the decks of fishing boats.
Maggie Q is part of a growing list of celebrities—including Alicia Silverstone, Casey Affleck, Paul McCartney, Joaquin Phoenix, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Nealon, Lisa Edelstein,Emily Deschanel—who have teamed up with PETA to promote vegetarian and vegan eating.
A broadcast-quality version of Maggie Q's interview can be downloaded here. For more information, please visit PETA.org.