Lucky members of the public will have the chance to score a free vegan ice cream this Sunday.
Anyone willing to take a quiz about the environmental impacts of the dairy industry will be rewarded with a free scoop of vegan ice cream thanks to an event by Animal Rebellion Bristol, an offshoot of XR calling for a transition to a plant-based food system.
The offer is part of an outreach event near the Cenotaph to promote the national Animal Rebellion campaign “Stop the Supply of Dairy”, which demands that the government stop subsidising the dairy industry and commit to a plant-based food system.
The activists will also have an eye-catching installation and to raise awareness of the harmfulness of the dairy industry.
Animal Rebellion Bristol activist Pamela said: ‘Everything we are told about dairy is a lie. It’s not natural, it’s not healthy and humans don’t need to drink it.’
‘I used to love dairy products. Cheese, clotted cream, cream cakes, so-called “healthy” yoghurt and even though I was an investigative journalist, it completely passed me by that cows need to be pregnant to produce milk. Now the only feelings I get about dairy is revulsion and sadness. It’s really just liquid meat,’ she added.
Read more: An introduction to vegan activism with Pamela Nova
Research by the Climate Change Committee shows that animal agriculture is responsible for ten percent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, one of the biggest sectoral emitters. Eighty five percent of agricultural land is given to animal agriculture but meat and dairy only account for one third of our calories and just under one half of our protein intake.
Producing one litre of cow’s milk uses 12 times more land and 13 times more water than one litre of oat milk. It also produces three times the greenhouse gases.
The Committee conclude that the single most effective way of reducing animal agriculture’s impact on the environment is through diet change, from meat and dairy to plant-based food.
Animal Rebellion Bristol will also be joining XR Bristol on Saturday, July 30, for the latter’s day of protest against airport expansion and for free and fair public transport.
Feature image: Animal Rebellion Bristol