Going Vegan Is One of the Best Ways to Conserve Resources and Protect the Environment, Says Group
For Immediate Release:
August 18, 2011
Contact:
Adam Miller 202-483-7382
Mount Sinai, N.Y. -- PETA has sent a letter to Chris Heil, assistant principal of Mount Sinai High School—as well as the Mount Sinai School District's official "energy cop"—with a proposal: Place our "Meat's Not Green" locker ad in the school and PETA will serve the school's entire student body and staff a fabulous vegan lunch. The ad—which features a green-feathered chicken and reads, "Meat's Not Green. Save the Planet. Go Vegan!"—could encourage students to kick the meat and dairy habits and to start protecting the environment every time that they sit down to eat. Heil is known for patrolling the district's schools and leaving notes to remind students and staff to turn off lights and perform other energy-saving initiatives. The district has saved $350,000 since the program began and is now spending 30 percent less on energy costs compared to its 2007 levels. PETA points out that in addition to causing immense animal suffering, raising animals for food is a leading cause of greenhouse-gas emissions and other forms of environmental destruction and that it wastes huge amounts of water and energy.
"The meat and dairy industries consume energy like there's no tomorrow, and they're as toxic for the environment as they are destructive to our health and to animals' well-being," says PETA executive vice president and mother Tracy Reiman. "Experts agree that one of the best ways to go 'green' is to go vegan."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
PETA's letter to Chris Heil, assistant principal of Mount Sinai High School, follows.
August 18, 2011
Dear Mr. Heil:
I'm writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 2 million members and supporters, including thousands across New York. We applaud your energy-conservation efforts, and we'd like to offer a creative idea to help Mount Sinai High School do even more to protect the environment while saving money. In exchange for a free vegan lunch (featuring protein-packed veggie dogs and delicious Boca Chik'n Nuggets) hosted by PETA for students and staff, will Mount Sinai High School agree to put up PETA's "Meat's Not Green" locker ad in the school?
Reminding students and faculty to turn off electronics when not in use is a great start! Our ad would let students know that an even more effective action that all of us can take to save energy and combat climate change is adopting a plant-based diet. According to a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it takes more than 10 times as much fossil fuel to produce animal protein as it takes to produce the very same amount of plant protein. Researchers at the University of Chicago have determined that switching to a vegan diet is 50 percent more effective in countering climate change than switching from a standard American car to a hybrid. In fact, according to the United Nations, animal agriculture is "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global."
As a parent, I know the importance of making sure that kids eat nutritious foods, which is why I feed my child a vegan diet. Vegan teens can easily get all the protein and other nutrients that they need without the artery-clogging cholesterol and saturated animal fats found in meat and dairy products. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock, America's leading authority on child care, wrote, "Children who grow up getting their nutrition from plant foods rather than meats have a tremendous health advantage. They are less likely to develop weight problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer." And every student who goes vegan after seeing our locker ad will save more than 100 animals per year from the cruelty of factory farming, transportation, and slaughter.
Our offer is a win-win situation for animals, your students, the school, and the planet. Please contact me to arrange the details and to plan the lunch. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President