Charity Director Responds to Climate Strikes – Vegan Now
Following the huge turnout at the nationwide climate strikes, vegan charity director Juliet Gellatley has published an urgent call for a global switch to vegan diets in The Telegraph. Viva! attended the climate strike in Bristol, emblazoned with “Vegan Now” to stress the connection between animal agriculture and the climate crisis.
Bristol-based charity Viva! is urgently calling for people to go vegan, following worldwide climate strikes. Juliet Gellatley writes in The Telegraph:
“Despite real progress, we remain a million miles away from where we need to be. Our collective failure to radically reduce our intake of meat and dairy products is having a ruinous effect on both animal welfare and our natural environment. From the exacerbation of runaway climate change to the withering of our most vulnerable species, livestock farming is driving forward the unprecedented destruction of our natural world.
“The 2020s are set to be a make or break decade for global nature. Together we must go vegan now or let our children’s children suffer the consequences. There is not a second to lose.”
The vegan charity are launching their ‘Vegan Now’ campaign this weekend at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, bringing together some of the most influential thought-leaders in environmentalism and veganism, including Michael Mansfield QC, Daniel Capurro (The Telegraph), Joseph Poore (Environmental Researcher, University of Oxford) and Kerry McCarthy MP, Labour MP for Bristol East.
Alongside the main press conference, campaigners will take to the streets to educate people on the urgency of the climate crisis and present veganism as the clear solution to our most pressing environmental issues. Vegan Now will focus on the climate emergency and habitat destruction as a result of intensive meat and dairy farming.
The launch will be complete with a 3D optical illusion which illustrates the impact that animal agriculture has on biodiversity.
Lex Rigby, Viva! Campaigns Manager said:
“Time is running out. The climate emergency and habitat destruction have become the most profound challenges of our age. If we don’t act now, we will pass the point of no return. Vegan Now aims to tackle these challenges head-on. Veganism is the clear solution to the climate crisis and so we are stressing the urgency in choosing a vegan diet, now. Our team will be there to answer any questions about veganism and to show the public how easy is to make the switch.”
EVENTS
- Sunday 22 September, Carousel Corner. Vegan Now Street Action, 2 – 5pm: https://www.facebook.com/events/2545483875545004/
- Monday 23 September, New Road. Vegan Now Street Action, 11.30 – 2pm: https://www.facebook.com/ev
- Monday 23 September, Kensington Street. Vegan Now Press Conference, 4 – 5pm: https://www.facebook.com/events/387284325277013/
We can provide photos on the day. For media interviews and opportunities, contact Roisin McAuley, PR & Marketing Manager on 0117 944 1000 or email roisin@viva.org.uk
- Viva! is a registered charity 1037486
- Viva! is an established animal and environmental campaigning charity that has been promoting veganism since 1994. Our street actions and events have helped thousands of people change to a kinder, healthier diet. All are welcome.
