Story Archive

Woolly Thinking

“Sheep’s wool ... has been shown to be a product of extreme cruelty,” wrote Elisa Allen, the Manager of Special Projects for the U.K. division of PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Therefore, she argued, the town of Wool, Dorset, England, should change its name to “Vegan Wool.” If the villagers agreed, she said, she’d even give them “cruelty free” blankets, one for each of Wool’s — er... Vegan Wool’s — 2,000 households. While residents dismissed the idea as “silly” or “idiotic,” the proposal would be “discussed at the next council meeting,” said Cherry Brooks of the Dorset County Council, “which will be interesting.” Allen herself called it a “creative and fun way to reach the public with the facts.” One fact that might not have reached Allen when she put forward the idea: Wool wasn’t named for sheep’s wool in the first place. The name comes from welle, an old word for a spring. (AC/London Telegraph) ...So since water isn’t an animal product, it’s already vegan.