San Diego City Council and Mayor Declare 'Veg Week'

Aim is to prevent animal cruelty, protect environment, and improve health

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The bi-partisan city council and mayor of America's Finest City have unanimously signed a proclamation declaring October 2 to be the start of "San Diego Veg Week." The Animal Protection and Rescue League (www.APRL.org) is asking San Diegans to go veg for the week to prevent animal cruelty, protect the environment, and improve their health.

The proclamation can be viewed at www.sdvegweek.com, which also includes info on events taking place throughout the week and vegetarian discounts being offered at various restaurants. Councilmember Todd Gloria, who sponsored the proclamation, is pledging to go veg for the week, as are Assemblymembers Lori Saldana and Pedro Nava.

"October 2nd is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who was vegetarian as part of his belief in nonviolence," states the proclamation. "Other great social justice leaders, such as Cesar Chavez, Coretta Scott King, and Dexter Scott King, chose to be vegan to promote compassion to animals."

The proclamation also refers to the landslide victory of last election's Proposition 2, in which California voters outlawed some of the cruelest factory farm confinement practices; reports from the United Nations that "a global shift towards a plant-based diet is vital to save the world from hunger, energy shortages, and the worst impacts of climate change;" and statements from the American Dietetic Association recognizing plant-based diets as a way to avoid heart disease and cancer.

"For the past several weeks, we have been signing people up outside of supermarkets and at street festivals to pledge to go veg for the week," states APRL campaigns coordinator Sara Goldsmith. "For last year's Veg Week, over 500 new people took the pledge, and we will exceed that number this year."

President Bill Clinton also recently announced that he is following a largely plant-based diet to improve his health.

"For individuals concerned about preventing animal cruelty, protecting the environment, or improving their health, the number one thing they can do is reduce or eliminate animal products from their diet," states Bryan Pease, Esq., co-founder and board chair of APRL. "Veg Week offers a fun, supportive environment for doing that and trying out new foods."

All of the events taking place Oct. 2-9 are posted at www.sdvegweek.com, and they include nutrition lectures by medical doctors, cooking demonstrations, meetups over vegan pizza, and a vegan ice-cream social.

SOURCE Animal Protection & Rescue League