News Releases

PETA'S GORGEOUS 'LETTUCE LADY' TO BRING VEGETARIAN MESSAGE TO HANOI

Clad in an Exotic Gown Made of Lettuce Leaves, Beauty Will Ask Passersby to 'Save the Planet—Go Vegetarian'

For Immediate Release:

August 14, 2012

Hanoi — Appearing in a spectacular full-length gown made of lettuce leaves and holding a sign that reads, "Save the Planet. Go Vegetarian," a stunning People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia supporter will urge passersby to go vegetarian.

Date:   Wednesday, August 15

Time:  2:30 p.m. sharp

Place:  At the globe statue, 300 meters south of where Dinh Tien Hoang splits into Hang Duong (the location is across from AB Bank), Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

PETA wants to draw attention to the suffering of billions of animals who are raised and killed for food. In addition, the consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products is a leading contributor to climate change, resource depletion, pollution, and even world hunger.

Waste, antibiotics, and pesticides from factory farms and slaughterhouses contaminate water sources. Farmed animals produce 13 billion metric tons of excrement a year—that's 48 times as much as the world's human population produces. Much of the world's water supply is quietly being diverted to animal agriculture—even desert nations in Africa and the Middle East are pouring what little water they have into meat production. Each day, animal agriculture consumes a shocking 2.5 trillion liters of water—enough for everyone in the world to take eight showers.

Meat production also wastes food that could be used to feed people. It takes up to 16 kilograms of grain to produce just 1 kilogram of meat, and animals raised for food consume nearly 1 billion metric tons of human-edible food every year. That's enough to feed about half the world's population. By raising animals for food, we're condemning people around the world to starvation.

More than half a billion animals are slaughtered for food in Vietnam every year. Most animals raised for food are confined to filthy, crowded enclosures and denied everything that is natural and important to them. On factory farms and in slaughterhouses, chickens and turkeys have their throats cut while they're still conscious, piglets are castrated and have their tails cut off without being given painkillers, and cows are hung upside down and often skinned while they're still alive and able to feel pain.

"We're asking people to turn over a new leaf and go vegetarian," says Jason Baker, PETA Asia’s vice-president of international operations. "With so many delicious alternatives to meat readily available, it's easier than ever to enjoy great food without causing animal suffering."

For more information, please visit PETAAsiaPacific.com.

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