Mayor Johnson: Make Chicago Truly Green This St. Patrick’s Day by Going Vegan—and PETA Will Throw You an Irish Feast

For Immediate Release:
February 27, 2024

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Chicago – Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, PETA has a shamrockin’ idea for Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city officials: Make the entire month of March green by going vegan and encouraging other Chicagoans to do the same. In exchange, PETA is offering to host a delicious vegan St. Patrick’s feast complete with meat-free corned “beef” and lentil shepherd’s pie.

Johnson is clearly concerned about the climate catastrophe—as evidenced by the city’s recent lawsuit against five major oil companies—and PETA points out that animal agriculture is responsible for nearly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Going vegan would help make Chicago as green as its river, as well as sparing millions of animals a miserable life and a terrifying death. And since meat consumption is linked to cancer and heart disease—by far the two leading causes of death in the Windy City—vegan eating is the simplest way for residents to improve their health.

“Chicagoans don’t need the luck of the Irish to make this St. Patrick’s Day a happy and healthy one for themselves, other animals, and the planet. They just need to go vegan,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is ready with free vegan starter kits to help everyone make the switch.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.