“A dog looked at me and said, ‘Ziggy, Why Can’t We Trust Man?’” That is a line from the title song of Ziggy Marley’s latest album, Dragonfly.

Ziggy Marley is one of those people who has the fame and now is doing something with it. He recently starred in a print ad for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, he’s started his own nonprofit to help children, his songs speak of not just wishing for more love, but taking action, changing things, making a difference.

Be inspired. The simplicity of his ideas remind us why we are vegan and why we care.

PETA2: First of all, I saw the ad that you did for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine about being vegetarian.

Ziggy: Oh yeah, yeah.

PETA2: Are you vegetarian as part of the Rastafarian religion?

Ziggy: No, its part of my religion, Ziggy religion.

PETA2: Tell me why you choose not to eat animals.

Ziggy: One day, I just decided not to. I think that all life is sacred. I am just trying to keep preaching by not eating meat and things. I think my body is more pure, more clean, and more open to spiritual ideas.

PETA2: A lot of your songs talk about no war and no violence, and vegetarianism goes along with that?

Ziggy: Yeah, yeah, it means the same idea, that I don’t eat meat. You should only eat what you need. You can change your whole physiological makeup, you know, and you become almost dirty, dirty, you know, from what you eat. You know, the more red meat and blood we eat, the more bloodthirsty we get, the more violent we get. The more vegetarian food that we eat, the more peace is taken into us.

PETA2: So another question about vegetarianism: It seems to me that vegetarianism has gotten more popular and more accepted over the years—do you think that’s true, and do you see that all over the world?

Ziggy: Definitely. People are becoming more aware of what is good for their bodies, you know? Money corrupts that industry now. We have so many, like, injections and so many things being done to the animals that they get these diseases. Mad cow disease, the birds’ avian flu, or whatever, and we start realizing that the animals that they are using are not raised naturally—they are chemically modified, so when they eat it, it’s really not good for them. So I think people are becoming more self-conscious.

PETA2: Yeah, I think so, too, and so it’s easier now, right, to eat vegetarian?

Ziggy: Yeah, but I want to know why it’s more expensive in some ways. It seems like they make the foods that aren’t good for you more accessible and cheaper, and then the things that are good for you they make it hard to get, you know? In some ways, I think that corporations still wish to corrupt the people’s bodies with junk and make it easier to get junk. And then when someone wants to go vegetarian, oh, no—it’s too expensive to eat that food. You know what I’m saying? So the corporations set it up that way so that people can’t afford straight organic food, so they must buy the chemically manipulated food. So chemical companies get more business, agriculture gets more business, the pharmaceutical companies get more drugs to sell.

PETA2: Tell me about your charity, “Urge.”

Ziggy: Urge, Urge—Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment. It’s not really a big business—it’s a small business. We’re trying to raise a little money, to do what we can do, otherwise we are without hope for people. Some people have a way to create funds, rather than what I make. We have food to give, we have individuals to help, we have whatever fills a need.



PETA2: And you specifically help children?

Ziggy: Yeah, mon, children are important.

PETA2: I also saw the information on the new tour you guys are putting together—it’s the “Rock, Roots, and Reggae” Tour. You know how Lollapalooza has a message? They are really trying to help the environment and be more environmentally friendly. Is there a message or a theme behind this tour that you guys are putting together this summer?

Ziggy: Well, ours is the love, you know? Love. Love everything. Love the animals and love the human being. Love the earth and the trees. And all things that need love. I think love is the theme.

PETA2: Very cool. That’s fantastic. That sounds amazing.

Ziggy: Yeah, mon. Yeah, it should be.

PETA2: Yeah. So I understand you are familiar with PETA?

Ziggy: Yeah, just a little bit.

PETA2: What do you think of what you know of PETA?

Ziggy: I think it’s a good movement. You know? The animals are beings that have feelings like me. They are like my brothers and my sisters, you know, it’s like I am just another being, and they are just like another being. For me, it’s just a good movement and a movement that realizes that all the creatures of the Earth are important.

PETA2: What would your advice be to your young fans who are listening and considering going vegetarian? What would you say?

Ziggy: I would say it’s a good movement. It is definitely something to give them more joy out of life. To give ya more joy with your life, try vegetarianism.

PETA2: Great. Thank you so much.

Ziggy: All right. Thank you.