Peta2, the youth division of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) teamed up with the Student Association for Vegan and Vegetarian Youth (SAVVY) this Monday, April 21 and Tuesday, April 22 to portray the environment of a factory farm with the “Glass Wall” exhibit.
Peta2 set up a 20 by 30 foot tent made to look like a barn from the outside on the Wilson Commons Quadrangle as a part of a national college tour. A video about the meat industry, titled “Face Your Food,” and narrated by “Game of Thrones” actor and PETA pal Peter Dinklage, played inside the tent.
Students were also given vegan starter kits, pamphlets with info graphics about being vegan or vegetarian, and vegan food samples.
Another option, once inside the tent, was going inside a gestation crate to mimic the feeling of a confined space that animals are subjected to.
“We wanted to do something a little bit more interactive,” College Campaign Coordinator for peta2 Kenneth Montville said.
According to SAVVY President Simone Arnold, over 260 people went through the tent on Monday.
“Sasha, the head of the crew, said this was one of their best stops in a while,” Arnold said.
The exhibit was based on Paul McCartney’s famous quotation, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.”
“We live in a country were the animal agricultural industry is dependent upon our ignorance as consumers,” Arnold said.
Arnold said that the tent sparked some good conversation. An army veteran and some professors stopped by and shared their positive responses.
Montville said the project has had an overall positive response in the last two years, even in heavily agriculture-oriented schools.
“This is where they’re coming out of their homes for the first time […] they’re creating their own view of the world and what factories and what companies they want to support,” Montville said in reference to peta2’s collaboration with colleges.
According to Arnold, the negative feedback received from the exhibit was a result of students’ discomfort with going inside. She spoke of one person on Tuesday who “was fairly negative.”
“They argued that since consuming meat is the norm, then it must be okay,” Arnold said. “Overall, I don’t think the experience was terribly negative for anyone who went inside. Many found it to be informative.”
The “Glass Walls” exhibit has been to over 70 campuses since its creation, and will be retiring next month. The tour is made up of a tour administrator and several crew members. Montville emphasized that because peta2 is a youth outreach group, its staff are all very young.
“We want to connect students with their peers and create a conversation that college students can relate to,” Montville said.
Speaking to PETA’s overall mission, Montville said, “a few people going vegan absolutely makes a difference.”
According to a 2004 survey from ARAMARK, the food service that works the dining facilities at UR, 25 percent of college students reported that having vegan options was important to them.
Arnold said SAVVY will likely be hosting another exhibit by peta2 in the future.
McAdams is a member of the class of 2017
