22.04.2024

Go Vegan World launches Massive Campaign on the London Underground

Go Vegan World has launched a massive campaign on the London Underground helping to educate people about the injustice of the dairy industry and, by the same token, all human use of other animals.

Most people are not aware that for humans to have dairy products, cows are impregnated so that birth will trigger lactation. Most impregnation is via artificial insemination, with semen forcibly taken from bulls in what can only be considered as a very serious violation of the rights of both bulls and cows. After a nine month pregnancy, seven of which include being milked, the cows give birth and their calves are taken from them. Most males are killed at, or soon after, birth. Some are used as veal and others endure the torture of live export before being slaughtered. Females follow their mothers into the dairy industry where the cycle of exploitation begins again.

“The facts of dairy production are carefully hidden from the public so that demand for dairy products, which profits the industry, continues unhampered. It is the right of everyone to know how their consumer and lifestyle choices affect others. No one can make a moral or rational choice without access to accurate information. This ad serves the simple purpose of telling members of the public about one of the most poignant and hidden facts of dairy production”

– Sandra Higgins, Director of Go Vegan World.

Earth Day

The timely campaign launches on Earth Day when the topics of environmental destruction, loss of biodiversity, and climate change are in the public mind. These are issues we should consider every day. One of the most effective actions every individual can take, every day, to prevent catastrophe and live sustainably, is to be vegan and eat a plant based diet. Unfortunately, this is the most neglected area of public education that could empower people to take action to significantly reduce the harm to both the environment and non-human lives caused by human behaviour. Animal agriculture is a significant driver of climate change and environmental degradation. Conversely, living vegan, individual by individual, greatly ameliorates the damage and, moreover, changing how we eat is much more feasible for many of us than changing how we travel to work, or heat our homes and workplace.

In 2018, following a study¹ revealing that animal products provide just 18% of calories and 37% of protein, yet use the vast majority of farmland (83%) and produce 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions lead author Joseph Poore at the University of Oxford stated:

“A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car,” he said, as these only cut greenhouse gas emissions.”

– Joseph Poore

A recent study² at the University of Oxford revealed that a vegan diet results in a 75% reduction in emissions, water pollution and land use compared to non-vegan diets (those exceeding 100g animal flesh daily). Additionally, the study demonstrated that a vegan diet diminishes wildlife destruction by 66%, water use by 54% and methane emissions by 93.5% (Scarborough et al, 2023).

“Being vegan means acknowledging and securing for others the basic rights that we demand for ourselves: the right to live free of oppression, the right not to be owned, used or exploited by another; the right not to be harmed or killed; and the right to life.”

– Sandra Higgins, Director, Go Vegan World

Campaign Reach

The ads will appear at 54 London Underground stations and in 1100 tube carriages reaching a significant number of commuters.

The total population of London Adults is 10.8 million people, many of whom use the London Underground daily. It is estimated that the billboards will reach almost two million people, each of whom will see the ad an average of 3.64 times, meaning each ad will likely be seen over 7 million times. The ads will be in view for approximately 3 minutes each while people wait on the platform for their next train.

The Tube Car Panels will reach 1.86 million, each of who will see the ad on average 2.42 times meaning the ads will be seen over 4 million times. Ads will be in approximately every fourth carriage. Each ad will be in view for approximately 12 minutes for each commuter as they travel to their destinations which is a long time to think about what happens dairy cows and their calves in the dairy industry.

Unfortunately the London Underground does not permit Q codes on its ads, but there is a direct link on every ad to the Go Vegan World website where people can investigate the facts of animal use for themselves and download our free vegan guide.

References

Poore J, Nemecek T. (2018) Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science. 2018 Jun 1.

Scarborough, P., Clark, M., Cobiac, L. et al. Vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters in the UK show discrepant environmental impacts. Nat Food 4, 565–574 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00795-w

Ad Locations

The ads will appear at the following stations: