Santa Cruz, CA Celebrating First VegWeek

Santa Cruz, CA has become the latest city to hop on the VegWeek bandwagon, with Board of Supervisors Chair John Leopold issuing an official proclamation encouraging the city’s residents to adopt a veg diet this week. Among the reasons for going veg listed in Santa Cruz’s proclamation are the harmful environmental effects of meat production and the diet’s potential to prevent life-threatening medical conditions. The Northern California town is following in the footsteps of fellow Bay Area metropolis Oakland, which celebrated its inaugural VegWeek from April 15 to 21 with veg-friendly events, cooking demos, and restaurant specials. VegWeek was first launched in 2009 by Washington, DC-based nonprofit Compassion Over Killing in an effort to raise awareness about the many benefits of foregoing meat.