Programs & Campaigns

BE "CRUELTY-FREE" AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

NEAVS Promotes Compassionate Living Among Delegates

(Boston, MA) July 23, 2004 -The New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) will hand out Cruelty-Free Living Kits during the Democratic National Convention (Boston, MA, July 26-29) to educate and inspire delegates about humane lifestyle choices, such as eating vegetarian foods and buying household and personal care products not tested on animals.

NEAVS staff and volunteers will hand out Cruelty-Free Living Kits on July 27th from noon-2:00 p.m.* These kits will include a list of vegetarian restaurants in the Boston area, a Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide to products not tested on animals, a "Legislative Ladder" bookmark listing 10 things government officials can do to help animals, and free samples of products not tested on animals. More than 30 companies donated nearly 5,000 items -- highlights include: chocolates, vegan gummi bears, boutique soaps, all natural insect repellents and sunscreens, facial creams and much more.

"By giving legislators information on how they can eat, shop, vote, and live cruelty-free, we are showing that it doesn't always take an 'act of congress' to make a difference in the world," said Theodora Capaldo, Ed.D., president of the 109-year-old animal protection group. "Simple choices that we make every day affect millions of animals' lives, as well as human health and the environment."

The Cruelty-Free Living Kits emphasize that such choices are in the hands of consumers. There is no law requiring companies to test cosmetics, personal care, or household products on animals. In fact, the European Union has already banned cosmetics testing on animals. NEAVS wants U.S. legislators to do the same.

Thanks to growing public awareness, animal-friendly choices have become increasingly mainstream, said Capaldo. "Almost every restaurant today, including some fast food chains, offers veggie burgers and other vegetarian options. And you can walk into most supermarkets and drugstores and find shampoo, toothpaste, and household cleaning products with the cruelty-free logo on them. If every consumer out there made just one compassionate lifestyle change, we could end a huge amount of animal cruelty and suffering right away."

NEAVS also plans to hand out Cruelty-Free Living Kits during the Republican National Convention in New York in August. The organization hopes legislators will sit up and take notice. "Animal advocates vote, and they pay attention to how their legislators vote," Capaldo added.

For more information, visit the NEAVS web site at www.neavs.org.

*Media: For location information call 617-413-0611

CONTACT: Jennifer Campbell
New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS)
333 Washington Street, Suite 850
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 523-6020
(617) 413-0611 - cell

About New England Anti-Vivisection Society:
The New England Anti-Vivisection Society, founded in 1895, works to replace animal experiments in laboratories and classrooms with ethically and scientifically responsible modern alternative research methods.

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