A New Planet Could Mean a Fresh Start and a Healthy, Compassionate Society, Says Group
For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2011
Contact:
Kristin Richards 202-483-7382
Hawthorne, Calif. -- PETA sent a letter today to Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Hawthorne, Calif.–based rocket producer SpaceX, urging him to give the human race a fresh start by making the future flights to the colony he envisions on Mars devoid of unhealthy and violently obtained meat, eggs, and dairy products and requiring that all travelers commit to maintaining a vegan diet once on the planet. In its letter, PETA points out that the Martian colony is an opportunity to make a kind civilization in which humans don't exploit other beings. And since the animal agriculture industry is toxic to human health and to the environment, an all-vegan civilization would ensure that the new Martian citizens would have long and healthy futures. Given that NASA scientists have recently announced that a spacecraft orbiting Mars detected signs of flowing saltwater on the planet—which might help sustain life—and considering the dire effects that raising and killing animals for food is having on Earth's environment, Musk's proposed colony may lie in the not-too-distant future.
"If Elon Musk's vision of a colony on Mars comes true, the last thing those people will need is the disease and destruction that results from eating animals," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Whether you're settling into your new Martian home or staying here on Earth, going vegan is the best way to ensure that you'll be able to enjoy the world around you for as long as possible."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
PETA's letter to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk follows.
August 8, 2011
Dear Mr. Musk:
I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 2 million members and supporters here on Earth with a suggestion. The opportunity to colonize Mars means a chance to make a fresh start, especially now that we've degraded our own planet by treating our fellow animals like disposable widgets, filled the air with pollution that will soon make the sky in Soylent Green look clear, and populated the Earth with so many humans that the premise of Logan's Run starts to look practical. We can get off on the right foot on our new biosphere by ensuring that SpaceX crafts traveling to Mars are stocked only with vegan food and that Mars' colonists commit to enjoying an animal-free diet once they've arrived.
Colonizing Mars can give us the opportunity to learn from our mistakes on one planet and create a just civilization on another. Ensuring that Mars is a vegan planet (rather than importing animal products from Earth or creating factory farms on our new home) would protect animals from the horrors that they endure in the meat, egg, and dairy industries. Here, animals are crammed by the thousands into filthy sheds and cages so small that many can't even turn around or spread their limbs, as described in the award-winning film Earthlings: http://www.Earthlings.com/earthlings/video-full.php. Treating nonhuman animals with respect could also set a good example for any other beings we might encounter who may find it fair game to treat us the way that we treat other forms of life—after all, as the famous science fiction story says, we're all made out of meat.
If Mars' new citizens take their old habits with them—and eat a fat- and cholesterol-laden diet of meat, eggs, and dairy products—they're at a higher risk of keeling over from heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. Vegans, on the other hand, have a lower risk of all these diseases, as well as enjoying lower BMIs and the hallmark lean and sexy vegan physique. Turning the "Red Planet" vegan could make it the "Red Hot Planet."
Thank you for considering making Mars the first compassionate, healthy, vegan planet that humans may one day call "home."
Very truly yours,
Ingrid E. Newkirk, President