Bengaluru, Karnataka : Wearing a sexy cheerleader outfit made completely of lettuce leaves and holding a sign that reads, “Score for Animals: Go Vegan”, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s gorgeous Lettuce Lady will cheer outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for compassionate vegan eating on the eve of the Indian Premiere League (IPL) Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders match. Her point? That no matter which team in the league you root for, joining the vegan “team” is the best way to beat animal abuse, health problems and environmental destruction.
When: Monday, 9 April, 12 noon sharp
Where: Near the Gandhi statue, outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, MG Road, Bengaluru
“Meat and dairy products are murder on animals, and they’re killing our health and the Earth”, says PETA India nutritionist Bhuvaneshwari Gupta. “Everyone who goes vegan scores for animals and wins better health for themselves and the planet!”
Raising animals for food is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide and the single-largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide emissions. A recent United Nations report concluded that a global shift towards a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change. Senior UN Food and Agriculture Organisation official Henning Steinfeld concluded that the meat industry is “one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems”, including water pollution and land degradation. The official handbook for Live Earth, the anti–global-warming concerts that Al Gore helped organise, states that not eating meat is the “single most effective thing you can do” to help reduce the effects of climate change. In addition, raising animals for food uses vast quantities of water, placing a serious strain on our water supply.
Consumption of meat and other animal products has been conclusively linked to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity. And the meat industry is responsible for the daily suffering and terrifying deaths of billions of animals each year.