Hollywood nearly burned to the ground — yet the show must go on for the Oscars and its star-studded after-parties. But why are Oscar events still serving planet-destroying flesh and other animal-derived food? Hollywood needs an A-list food makeover: It should go vegan.

Raising animals for human consumption requires massive amounts of energy, land, water and food while emitting copious amounts of greenhouse gases. Animal agriculture contributes to the conditions that make wildfires more frequent and severe. In other words, foods like burgers and cheese are turning Tinseltown into a tinderbox.

Events like the Oscars wield enormous cultural influence and could set a much better example. In recent years, other major awards events have offered planet-friendly meals. The 77th annual Golden Globes, for example, served exclusively vegan foods, thereby making it a green event. And many Academy Award winners and nominees, such as Cynthia Erivo and Colman Domingo, have gone vegan, reducing each one’s annual carbon footprint by up to 2.1 tons.

Vegan Oscar parties would go beyond protecting the environment — they’d be about inclusivity and kindness, too. Vegan meals accommodate many dietary conditions, like lactose intolerance. Plus, they prevent many animals from suffering. Cows raised for dairy endure lives of forced impregnation, separation from their calves and slaughter. Pigs are confined to gestation and farrowing crates so small they can’t even turn around. They’re repeatedly impregnated until their bodies give out, and then they’re sent to slaughter.

Hollywood has made strides toward becoming kinder to animals over the years. Fur is dead, and many filmmakers now use CGI instead of live animals, sparing countless of them the stress and abuse of life on a set. The next page in Hollywood’s script should be to stop endorsing animal-derived foods.

Another reason Oscar events should embrace vegan menus is to honor the land that sustains the film industry. California is home to many animals, and untold numbers lost their lives in the recent fires. Endangered animals, like the California condor, have been burned alive or forced from their habitats, leaving their survival in question. Hundreds of companion animals, many suffering from burns, have been rescued by overwhelmed shelters.

Hollywood is built on storytelling. Imagine the message it would send if this year’s Oscar parties served only vegan fare: It would be a story about putting out flames, saving animals and making a difference. It’s not too late to rewrite the script. So here’s to a greener red carpet, a kinder menu and a future in which our celebrations don’t come at the planet’s expense. Come on, Oscars — let’s go vegan.

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Rebecca Libauskas is a climate research specialist for the PETA Foundation, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.

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