Singer-actress Geneva Cruz has once again posed unclothed for the latest ad campaign of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia.

In the “Go Natural. Go Vegan.” ad, shot by renowned photographer Niccolo Cosme, the sexy performer is seen with only a handful of tomatoes to cover her bosom.

Cruz, who began her crusade for a meat-free diet at 15, said in a statement, “Being vegan is not about the diet. It’s really about my love for all creatures.”

She emphasized that aside from helping save “countless animals every year,” vegans also lead healthier lives. “The consumption of animal-derived foods has been linked not only to heart disease and cancer but also [to] multiple sclerosis and osteoporosis,” she said.

Cruz became vegan after shooting a shampoo commercial in Palawan years ago.

“All the animals [there] were just roaming free. All I had to do was feed one of them and say, ‘Natural!’ We kept doing that, take after take… I couldn’t support the meat industry anymore. Not after that,” she recalled.

The theater actress, declared as the Philippines’ Sexiest Vegetarian in 2009, is among a handful of local stars who openly support PETA, along with actresses Chin-Chin Gutierrez, Yasmien Kurdi, Alicia Mayer, and ex-couple Borgy Manotoc and Ornusa Cadness.

Other famous vegetarians include Natalie Portman, Pamela Anderson, Olivia Wilde, Russell Brand, Leona Lewis, Hayden Panettiere, and Sir Paul McCartney.

PETA has slammed the meat industry for its “immeasurable cruelty” towards animals. The organization likewise pointed its fingers to animal grazing as responsible for some environmental hazards.

“[It] has been responsible for loss of topsoil and eventual desertification in many parts of the world. The animals destroy the land’s protective vegetation. Then wind removes the soil and converts formerly productive rangeland into desert.

“Forest lands in China and South America are being destroyed to clear space for grazing or to grow food for farmed animals,” a part of PETA’s statement read.

A vegan diet can also help lessen the effects of climate change, PETA added.

Source:
article by Rowena Joy A. Sanchez
Manila Bulletin
April 6, 2011

SINGER Geneva Cruz, during her birthday celebration last April 2, stripped down for an alluring new ad for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Asia.

A long time vegan, Geneva posed in a vegetable garden clutching an armful of tomatoes.

Cruz was just 15 when she decided to stop eating animals’ meat. Now a staunch vegan, she said that vegan is not about the diet but rather about love for all creatures.

Animals raised and killed for food endure immeasurable cruelty and are denied everything that is natural and important to them. On factory farms, cows, pigs, and chickens are kept in crowded, filthy enclosures, which are often so small that the animals are unable to lie down comfortably. Many animals are forced to stand amid their own urine and feces.

Cows are routinely branded, dehorned, and castrated without being given any painkillers. Same with pigs that are castrated and their tails and teeth are cut or broken off. Chickens are drugged and bred to grow so rapidly that they become crippled from supporting the weight of their own massive upper bodies. Birds’ throats are cut while they are still conscious, and many birds are scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

In addition to being cruelty-free, a diet that excludes meat, eggs, and dairy products can lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, obesity, and acne in adults as well as allergies, ear infections, and juvenile-onset diabetes in children.

Ninety percent of Filipinos are lactose-intolerant, and avoiding dairy pro-ducts can help people’s bodies work more efficiently. A healthy vegan diet can also help anyone stay slim.

“In addition to saving countless animals every year, the health benefits of a vegan diet are countless, whereas the consumption of animal-derived foods has been linked to not only heart disease and cancer but also multiple sclerosis and osteoporosis,” Cruz said.

Meat and dairy production also contaminates water and soil with animal waste. Worldwide, farmed animals produce 13 billion metric tons of excrement a year. Each day, animal agriculture consumes 2.5 trillion liters of water – enough for every person in the world to take eight showers.

Animal grazing has been responsible for loss of topsoil and eventual desertification in many parts of the world. The animals destroy the land’s protective vegetation. Then wind removes the soil and converts formerly productive rangeland into desert. Forest lands in China and South America are being destroyed to clear space for grazing or to grow food for farmed animals.

“Geneva Cruz knows that going vegan is the best and simplest thing that people can do for animals, the environment, and their own health,” said Jason, Baker, PETA Asia Director.

Cruz joins a host of international stars like Pamela Anderson, Natalie Portman, Sir Paul McCartney, Maggie Q, and Barbie Hsu who have kicked the meat habit.

Source:
People’s Journal article
April 6, 2011

Tags: Geneva Cruz, PETA