Los Angeles just followed San Francisco to become the largest city in the United States to ban the sale and manufacture of fur within the city. The unanimous city council vote setting a historic precedent for other cities to go fur-free. 

Animals farmed for fur live short, brutal lives. More than 50 million animals are killed for use in fashion every year, methods used to kill animals for their fur include gassing, electrocution, and neck breaking. Neither fur nor fur trim is a byproduct of the meat industry -- the fur trim market is an equal, if not greater, threat to animals than is the making of fur coats. Furthermore, the fur industry is a threat to our environment and wildlife, contributing to higher energy costs, pollution, land destruction, and reductions in populations of wild animals, including endangered and threatened species who may be accidentally trapped and killed. And fur farms are no more humane -- in fact, there are currently no federal laws providing protection for the millions of animals held in these factory-like farms and many European countries have banned or are in the process of phasing out some or all fur farming based largely on the understanding that it is impossible to raise fur-bearing animals in captive conditions that adequately ensure their welfare while maintaining financial viability.

To top that off, the city of Austin has short, mild winters and consequently little need for fur's warmth. Alternative options in fashion and activewear have made the practicality of fur a moot point, and considering Austin is working toward becoming a zero-waste city, and fur is an incredibly wasteful commodity, the sale of fur within the city appears antithetical to our values. 

Austin prides itself on being a leader of innovation and quality of life -- let's show we value the lives of animals and our environment by joining the movement to end the sale of fur.