A striking sculpture has appeared on Northumberland Street that's causing passers-by to do a double-take.
A life-size model of a cow has been placed on Newcastle's busy shopping street this week and stands outside of the TK Maxx and Moss Bros stores. Made entirely from recycled materials including clothing, the statue aims to raise awareness of the impact that intensive dairy production has on the environment.
The installation called "Herding The Planet,' has been commissioned by Flora Plant, a dairy-free alternative to butter, and created by artist Ptolemy Elrington.
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Flora Plant is encouraging Geordies who eat dairy butter more than eight times per week to consider making small changes to their diet that have a positive impact on the planet. It comes ahead of the 50th World Environment Day on June 5, with other life-size cow sculptures appearing in Aberdeen and London.
The three cows are made from reclaimed and recycled materials representing fast fashion, cars and water usage - three things Brits said they are more willing to cut back on than dairy in order to reduce their environmental impact, according to research by the brand.
Perran Harvey, Flora Plant’s senior global sustainability lead, said: “Given our research shows 63% of people believe more needs to be done to raise awareness of the impact dairy production has on the environment, 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.
“We’ve got no issues with dairy cows, we love cows! But the hard truth is that industrial animal agriculture is harmful to our planet.
"Livestock farming is responsible for at least 14.5% 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.”
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