A life-size cow sculpture has been installed on London’s South Bank to highlight the environmental impact of the dairy industry.
The ‘Herding the Planet’ artwork made of recycled car parts has appeared on Riverside Grass ahead of the 50th World Environment Day on Monday.
Two other cow sculptures have been erected in Newcastle and Aberdeen to highlight the same message, one made of fast fashion clothing, and the other of water fixtures to symbolise water consumption.
The scultpures follow research that shows Brits are 2.5 times more likely to cut back on driving, twice as likely to use less water, and 1.5 times more likely to buy fewer new clothes to minimise their environmental impact, than reduce their dairy intake.
The installations are created by zero-waste artist Ptolemy Elrington and commissioned by Flora Plant, which produces a plant-based alternative to dairy butter.
The research by Flora Plant also showed nearly a third (29%) of Brits would not consider making changes to their diets for the sake of the planet, despite two thirds (65%) showing concern about the environmental impact of food production.
Flora Plant is encouraging Londoners to ‘skip the cow’ and consider making small changes to their diet which have a positive impact on the planet.
Perran Harvey, Flora Plant’s Senior Global Sustainability Lead, says: “We are here to show people there is a really easy way to reduce your environmental impact, which tastes just as good and is just as easy as turning off your taps.
“The hard truth is that industrial animal agriculture is harmful to our planet. Livestock farming is responsible for at least 14.5 per cent of the world’s annual greenhouse gas emissions and therefore we urgently need to reduce the world’s overreliance on dairy, in order to tackle climate change.”
The cow sculptures were unveiled on Wednesday morning, and will remain there until Thursday.
Zero-waste artist Ptolemy Elrington said: “Right now, the most pressing global issue is climate change, therefore it is all of our responsibilities to make people sit up and listen to the ways they can make a difference, by using art as well as news and action.”
