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A host of celebrities are calling on Brits to go vegan for 24 hours on World Vegan Day.
TV presenter Fearne Cotton, singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin, and fitness bloggers Zanna Van Dijk and Stephanie Moir are backing an initiative created by vegan charity Viva!.
Viva! created #GoVegan24 in a bid to highlight the environmental damage done by livestock farming, which the charity says is ‘at the heart of the climate crisis and destruction of nature’.
Livestock farming
According to Viva!, nature is ‘declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history’, with one million animal and plant species now threatened with extinction.
The charity adds: “Since 1980 more than half of the increase in agriculture has been at the expense of intact forests, with 70 per cent of agriculture-related to meat production.
“Fish are being exploited as never before, with some 33 per cent of fish harvested at unsustainable levels since 2015. The global meat and dairy trade is one of the foremost drivers in habitat destruction across the globe, with some of our most precious natural habitats being bulldozed to make way for beef cattle.”
In a bid to spread awareness, Viva! collaborated with PBN co-founder Robbie Lockie to make a video about this issue (below) which has been viewed almost half a million times on YouTube.
‘Benefits of veganism’
Speaking about the initiative, Ferne Cotton said: “For many people who find giving up animal-based products difficult, #GoVegan24 gives them a perfect way of exploring the benefits of veganism.”
Gabrielle Aplin, singer-songwriter who dominated the charts with ‘The Power of Love’ added: “I went vegan because I realised that eating animals affects everything — farmed and wild animals, the environment, health, poverty. We can each levy our consumer power to do our part for the world. #GoVegan24 is your first step on that journey.”
‘Threat from livestock farming’
“Our once-pristine natural world is disappearing before our very eyes. Wildlife is under huge threat from livestock farming and overfishing,” Viva! Director Juliet Gellatley said.
“We’re calling on people who might not have felt they can commit to going vegan full time to try it for 24 hours on World Vegan Day on 1 November. I’m certain they won’t be disappointed.”
