BETHESDA, Md. – Mayors of major cities, and even the governor of Delaware, have proclaimed March 20th “Meatout Day” in their domains, and urge residents to skip meat and “explore a nutritious and wholesome diet of vegetables, fresh fruits, and whole grains.”
Mayors from Tacoma, Wash. to Titusville, Fla. have all issued proclamations that a vegan diet protects our forests, grasslands and other wildlife habitats, and substantially reduces methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide emissions that produce global warming; conserves water and reduces pollution of our waterways and oceans by crop debris, fertilizers and pesticides; eliminates the inefficiency of converting plant-based foods into animal-based foods and helps preserve cultivable land, topsoil, water, energy, and other essential food production resources.
During Meatout, celebrated in all 50 states and several countries, thousands of people hold cooking demonstrations, meetups and potlucks, film screenings, or hand out samples of delicious vegan foods. Meatout is the world’s largest and longest-running grassroots diet education campaign, established in 1985 by Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM), a national nonprofit organization advocating the end of using animals for food.
A wholesome vegan diet promotes health and reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases that debilitate and kill millions annually. According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegan diet reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, and helps maintain a healthy weight.
Leading scientists and organizations endorse a plant-based diet for environmental reasons, and the United Nations says a vegan diet is “vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty, and the worst impacts of climate change.” Animal agriculture is the leading contributor of methane and nitrous oxide, two greenhouse gases that are far more powerful than carbon dioxide emissions. Plant-based diets also require less water and reduce pollution of waterways and oceans.
Last but not least, a plant-based diet would prevent the needless suffering and death of over 10 billion sentient animals each year in the U.S. alone.
An individual who commits to eating a vegan diet for just one day would spare the life of .5 animals, preserve 148 square feet of rainforest, and save 3,700 gallons of water.
Similar proclamations have been issued in the past by thousands of mayors and the governors of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
For more information, visit http://www.meatout.org.
About FARM
For more than 30 years, Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) has worked to end the use of animals for food through public education and grassroots activism. As FARM has grown, so has public awareness of farmed animal abuse and the benefits of veganism. In addition to its 10 Billion Lives Tour – the organization’s most ambitious undertaking yet – its grassroots initiatives include World Day for Farm Animals, Meatout, Compassionate Holidays, Vegan Earth Day, and more. FARM has been active since 1976 and was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit in 1981. FARM, recognized as one of the best charities in America by Independent Charities of America, is based in Bethesda, Md. and has volunteers in all 50 U.S. states and dozens of other countries. The organization is funded by contributions from individuals and foundations that care about animal rights, human health, and environmental integrity. For more information please visit http://www.farmusa.org.
