Date
August 3, 2006
Contact
Elliot M. Katz, DVM
(415) 388-9641, ext. 225
Kristie Phelps
(757) 423-0093
In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael
CA 94901
IDA is an international, California-based animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by defending their rights, welfare and habitats.
Moby to be Honored with IDA’s Guardian Award
Tribute Paid to Compassionate Musician at Animal Rights 2006 National Conference
San Rafael, Calif.—In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members worldwide, is proud to honor musician and prominent animal rights advocate Moby for his dedication to helping animals by bestowing upon him a Guardian Award.
The great-great-grandnephew of Moby Dick author Herman Melville, a vegan and self-proclaimed animal-lover, Moby has championed the cause of animals through music and advocacy since he first burst onto the charts with the hit dance single “Go” in the early 90s. One of his albums is entitled “Animal Rights,” and he writes essays on various social issues for each one. Appropriately, he will be honored with the award at the Animal Rights 2006 National Conference awards ceremony:
When: Sunday, August 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Where: Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel, 5000 Seminary Rd., Alexandria, Va. in the Plaza Ballroom
Moby has appeared in public service announcements (PSAs) about the cruelty of factory farming and other animal protection issues. He donated the use of his popular song “Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?” for use in the award-winning factory farming documentary Peaceable Kingdom, and opened a fashionable vegetarian tea shop called Teany in Manhattan, where he resides. Last year, based on Teany’s popularity, Moby published (with co-author Kelly Tisdale) Teany Book: Stories, Food, Romance, Cartoons and, of Course, Tea, a quirky scrapbook of all things vegan.
“Animals are sentient creatures with their own wills, and it seems wrong to force our will onto another creature just because we’re able to,” Moby wrote in his 1999 album, “Play.”
IDA’s Guardian Campaign celebrates the human-animal bond by encouraging adoption of the term “guardian” (rather than the outdated “owner”) to recognize and facilitate a deeper level of respect, compassion and responsibility toward animal companions.
“Moby embodies the true spirit of what it means to be an animal guardian,” says IDA President and Founder, Elliot M. Katz, DVM. “We are proud to present him with our Guardian Award and look forward to a fruitful partnership that will benefit our animal friends.”
The Animal Rights 2006 National Conference takes place August 10-14, 2006 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Virginia. The conference has been organized since 1981 by FARM, a national animal rights organization promoting a vegan lifestyle and respectful treatment of animals. It is the world’s largest and oldest animal rights conference. The Conference features 80 speakers representing 60 organizations from every faction of the animal protection movement. More than 100 sessions are scheduled, including keynote addresses, briefings on various forms of animal abuse, workshops on organizing and outreach skills, ideological ‘rap’ sessions, and campaign reports.
For more information, visit www.arconference.org. For more information on IDA’s Guardian Campaign, please visit www.GuardianCampaign.com.