Free Stuff Friday: Tickets To See Warped Tour's 15th Anniversary Show! September 4, 2009

Posted by Tiffany Wright at September 4, 2009 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 64 ) | TrackBack

As many of you know, Warped Tour's 15th Anniversary Celebration is taking place September 6 in LA, and we know not all of you can make it out there for the big event. That said, for ONE NIGHT ONLY—September 17, to be exact—464 movie theaters across the country will be showing the concert on the big screen. Performers will include 3OH!3, All-American Rejects, Katy Perry, Blink 182, Rise Against, and Ice-T. If you thought we'd be giving away free tix to the show, you're absolutely RIGHT! This week, we're giving away two pairs of tickets (good nationwide).

To enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets to the movie premiere of Warped Tour's 15th Anniversary Celebration on September 17, comment below with your favorite Warped Tour experience. Entries must be received by September 10. The two people with the most original comments will be chosen as our winners and notified by 11:00 a.m. on September 11.

Just so you know ... by commenting here, you're acknowledging that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy.

Also by commenting, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.

GOOD LUCK!

P.S. Be sure to click here to find out if this event is showing at a theatre near you.

Best Music Video Ever? Nice Work Streetlight Manifesto August 19, 2009

Posted by Pulin Modi at August 19, 2009 4:50 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 18 ) | TrackBack

What do you think of this video from the ska band Streetlight Manifesto? It's different than Rise Against's "Ready To Fall" video, but I like it just as much ... just in a different way ...

So who's your favorite animal in the video? I really like the camel, although gotta love the elephants and seals!



P.S. We want animals to be free from exploitation, but hope it's not all really going to go down like the video shows.

Rise Against, Cobra Starship, 10 For 10, and Rock the Bells! August 6, 2009

Posted by Marta at August 6, 2009 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Sad as it is to say, last week we had to say goodbye to the amazing Rise Against tour and all of the awesome bands on it. But not to anyone's surprise, the Rise guys showed their notorious support for peta2 and animals to the very end with shout outs and Joe, their bassist, even wearing one of our peta2 shirts on stage in Buffalo, NY!

As they headed out to do big things overseas, we left to start a more cozy, intimate trip across the US with infamous animal lovers, Cobra Starship. One of my favorite things about this band is how much they love their fans. They intentionally booked small venues for this tour so that they could be closer to their fans when on stage, and have time to talk to each and every one of them after the show. How sweet! It works out perfect for us as well. We can honestly say that we have had conversations with every single person at each show so far about the hideous product testing methods that major cosmetic and household product companies are still using to torture animals.


Even better: Our stickers go so well with Cobra Starship merch—it's like we planned it.


And I'm not the only one with news from the road—Paige has been up to some interesting things as well ...

This week we hit up a few more 10 for 10 shows and Rock the Bells in Vancouver (featuring rapper Murs). There has been an overwhelmingly great response to our McCruelty campaign, in which we are demanding that McDonald's suppliers end their malicious treatment of chickens. These very social birds are being tormented and hung from shackles while their throats are slit, all while conscious.

Billy and Alicia must have talked to thousands of people last week who agreed that cruelty to animals is wrong!




We're also welcoming back Daniel to our outreach team! He was just in South America with his band, Die Young.


Keep on the lookout for us this week on 10 for 10, Rock the Bells, Cobra Starship, and Warped Tour!!!

See you soon,

Heather and Paige

We LOVE People Who LOVE Animals! July 23, 2009

Posted by Marta at July 23, 2009 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

Greetings from the dirrrty south!

The Rise Against tour has been HOT since I last checked in, literally. I'm not gonna lie—super hot weather makes me want to stay in my air-conditioned apartment and eat vegan coconut ice cream in front of the tube all day, but there were much more important things to be done. I was more than impressed to meet a few AMAZING people this past week who felt the same way and came out to donate their time, despite the heat, for the sake of the adorable rats and mice still being tortured in cosmetic testing labs. In Dallas, TX, we had amazing peta2 Street Teamer Alex come out for the second time this summer to help.

In Austin, TX, we had a brand new volunteer, Ashley. With no previous experience, she got over 300 people to agree that Animal Testing Breaks Hearts and that huge cosmetic and household product corporations should switch to the more sophisticated and humane non-animal methods of testing their products.


Last but not least, for the last ten days, we've had amazing PETA intern, Hannah, out with us on the road. She chose the triple-digit temperatures over the air-conditioned office, and for that the animals will surely benefit. She has dominated everyday!


Whether it be one hour or one year, your time is worth one million carrots to a bunny rabbit who never has to see the inside of a product testing laboratory!

So what are you waiting for? Start spreading the word now!

-Heather

Rise Against Has Our Cookbook. Do You? July 7, 2009

Posted by Pulin Modi at July 7, 2009 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

Just wanted to take a second to share this picture of the guys from Rise Against with their very own copies of PETA's Vegan College Cookbook! I gave them copies, and while they were all pretty excited, Tim was especially thrilled as you can see. Ha!

Photo by Bree Kristel Clarke

We've got some more Rise Against stuff in the works coming up, and if you're going to any of their shows with Rancid this summer, make sure you check out the peta2 booth! We have some free stuff for you!

And if you have pictures of you with your copy of the cookbook, send them to us!



P.S. Can you find the Vegetarian hoodie in Rise Against's latest webisode?

Rise Against/Rancid Fans Want McDonald's to Get 'Ready To Fall'! June 18, 2009

Posted by Marta at June 18, 2009 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 7 ) | TrackBack

Amazing, perfect, and 'love at first sight' are just a few of the terms that come to mind as we come to the end of our first week of shows on this summer's Rise Against/Rancid Tour. It's like peta2's McCruelty campaign found its soul mate in this amazing punk-minded and Mohawk-sporting crowd. We started off outside of Denver, CO, at the beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Set inside of a mountain, it literally requires peoples to take a hike in order to see the show (and us). We were halfway up the slope and gave the concert goers a chance to cool their heels while they signed a petition to end the abuse to chickens that goes on in the slaughterhouses that supply to McDonald's restaurants. With delicious vegetarian restaurants available these days, what need do Denver residents have for cruelly produced McNasty, UnHappy Meals?

Next we visited Kansas City, MO. We love you Kansas City. You were so stoked on us, how could we not be stoked on you? We tested out our new signage and you came running to help end the cruel slaughter technique of slitting open a fully conscious bird's throat. Then onto Cleveland, OH, at the Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre, which has a gorgeous view of this down-for-animals city.


This week hasn't been all fun and games though—on the way to East St Louis, IL (I know, I had never heard of it either), we got a massive flat and were holed up at a rest stop for 5 1/2 hours waiting for assistance.


So, what do the road warriors do when life gives us lemons? We turn them into blueberries, stick them up our noses, and practice our talking points on Controlled Atmosphere Killing (CAK), the less cruel method of slaughter that uses an inert gas to render chickens unconscious before even leaving their crates in the slaughterhouses.


Well, we're off to Canada now to spread the word about the abusive slaughterhouses that McDonald's still buys from. Hopefully, our Canadian peta2 supporters can win another one for the chickens and convince McDonald's to follow the lead of KFCs in Canada!

With passion for action,
Heather and the rest of the infamous Road Warriors

Some Awesome Pics and Rise Against Contest Reminder April 27, 2009

Posted by Pulin Modi at April 27, 2009 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

We got some rad photos in from protests against the Canadian seal slaughter. They're great!

Demonstrations like these gets lots of attention for the cause, and it all helps build public opposition to the cruel seal slaughter while also pressuring the government.

Also, remember that the Rise Against petition contest for free tickets and a meet and greet with the band is still open! Get all the details here.

Additional Rules
No purchase necessary. Contest starts by March 13, 2009, and ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on May 22, 2009 ("contest closing"). To win, you must collect the most signatures on peta2's "Help Stop the Canadian Seal Slaughter!" petition in the city in which you are competing and submit it by contest closing for judging by the contest sponsor. Available to be won are eight pairs of tickets to attend a Rise Against concert—one pair in each destination of the band's Summer 2009 Canadian tour—namely, Vancouver, June 4; Edmonton, June 6; Calgary, June 7; Saskatoon, June 8; Quebec City, June 17; Montreal, June 18; Ottawa, June 19; and Toronto, July 31. Winners and their guests are solely responsible for the cost of any transportation, accommodation, food, beverage, or other costs incurred to attend the concert. Approximate retail value of each pair of tickets is $70. Open to legal residents of Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 13 years of age or older. If you are a minor according to the laws of your province of residence, you must provide the signed consent of your parent or legal guardian and attend the concert with them.

Star Street Teamers: Brendan and Ayden Elworthy April 8, 2009

Posted by Pulin Modi at April 8, 2009 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 13 ) | TrackBack

The Elworthy brothers, Brendan (sixteen years old) and Ayden (eight years old), are a force! I remember meeting them at a peta2 conference in Toronto where they were full of positivity and compassion. We've stayed in touch since then chatting about how to reach people at concerts and school, the Meat's Not Green campaign, and our love for bands like Rise Against and Silverstein. They're doing so much to help animals that we decided to give them an award for outstanding activism!

Here's an interview with both brothers to give you a sense of just how dedicated they are to creating a kinder world for us all.

Why are you vegetarian/vegan?
Brendan: I went vegetarian in grade 9 when my geography teacher did a unit on food. He talked about grain production, and how much of it goes into livestock, and that got me thinking, "Why isn't that food going to those who are in dire hunger?" After that I researched more on the topic and came across PETA's "Meet Your Meat". I decided that if vegetarianism was easy I would go vegan, and three months later that I turned vegan.

Ayden: I went vegetarian after my brother went. When he went vegan that got me thinking, but I kept eating my burgers. One night I overheard Brendan showing Mom "Meet Your Meat," and then I became vegetarian. It was just the sound that made me change, I didn't even see the graphic images.

What's your favorite part about peta2?
Brendan: I think I'd have to say the band interviews/contests. I also like the humour that peta2 brings to the animal rights movement—we need more humour in this movement.

Ayden: The stickers! It's fun to poster them everywhere, and they have a good message and they all look really cool. I use them to hang stuff up in my room.

Why do you feel animal rights is an important issue?
Brendan: I think it's an important issue because it's tied into so many other social justice movements. Also, animals suffer the most out of all the groups of those who are exploited, and more animals suffer than humans suffer. It's something like 27 billion animals suffer and die a year in North America alone.

Ayden: It's an important issue because it's not nice or humane to hurt animals.

Are you working on the campaign against the Canadian seal slaughter and if so, how?
Brendan: Yup, we're working to raise awareness about the hunt. We've done a couple videos against the seal hunt, wrote letters to the editor about the hunt, and sent letters to our members of Parliament about the proposed Canadian bill that would shut down the hunt (I got a letter back, but it was just BS claiming that the hunt is humane). We plan on getting signatures for a petition against the seal hunt as well.

Is your family supportive of your animal rights beliefs?
Brendan: Mom and Dad are, but our sister is less than supportive. It's cool that Mom and Dad do though, Dad cooks all vegan dinners and Mom came to a couple of our KFC protests, and they are both vegetarian now as well.

What are some animal rights activities that you and Ayden have done together?
Brendan: We love making videos, we've gone leafleting together, we've held/organized KFC protests, we've been part of circus protests, we like to make vegan food for other non-veggie people, we've tabled at events, collected petition signatures and we like to debate with other non-vegetarians about animal rights.

What's your average dinner like?
Brendan: Dad mostly cooks, and we'll usually have something like an Indian dinner with rice, naan bread, and lots of curry! We also love Lick's veggie burgers as well as tacos. We have them a lot!

Do you have any suggestions for other peta2 Street Teamers who want to get active for animals?
Brendan: Be persistent and positive. I've learned the hard way that more than 1/2 the things you do won't work or won't be effective, but we have to keep trying! Also, know the animal rights theory—lots of things become easier once you know your argument. There are plenty animal rights philosophy books out there, pick up a book and start reading! Opposingviews.com also has a section on Animal Rights, which I find quite interesting.

Ayden: Make your activism friendly, people will be more open to your message if you smile and give stickers! Go stickers!



Thanks so much to Brendan and Ayden! If you're inspired to do even more for animals, make sure you get active with the peta2 Street Team and keep checking our Take Charge page for the latest campaigns!

Farewell To The UK Rise Against Tour March 9, 2009

Posted by Marta at March 9, 2009 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

Sarah from peta2 UK wants to let you know how the rest of the Rise Against tour in the UK went!
-Marta

I am sad to say that the Rise Against tour for the UK is over! I have met some awesome Street Teamers along the way who've helped spread the word about why Meat's Not Green.

Check out the rest of my photos from the tour:

How awesome is this shirt! 'Vegetarian & proud of it!'


Wagamama's Saien Soba is so so good!


And check out this sweet tattoo of Nugget!!


A big thank you to all the Street Teamers who came out and helped educate our fellow Brits about why meat's not green.

If you'd like to get involved with opportunities like this, you need to be on the Street Team—so, please, go join already!

On Tour with Rise Against February 27, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at February 27, 2009 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBack

Sarah from peta2 UK has a guest blog since she's out on tour with Rise Against. Have you been out to any of the shows? I wish I was there, but I'll have to wait til they get to the US!
-Rachel

My tabling wizard and I, Andy, hit up a couple of dates with Rise Against this week, spreading the message about peta2's latest campaign Meat's Not Green.

First stop was Liverpool, where Street Teamer James came down to help hand out some leaflets at the beginning of the night to all those eager fans queuing to get through the doors.

Pat from Anti-Flag came and hung out by the table for a bit where he signed some Vegetarian Starter Kits for some very excited fans!


After Liverpool it was over to Leeds, where we stopped off at Little Tokyo for some amazing vegan food. Check out these 'Chickenless Legs' and some yummy spring rolls we had to eat ...



Next stop is Birmingham!



P.S. For all of your meat eating "environmentalist" friends, you should let them know about this article that talks about reducing greenhouse gas emissions.