Moby gained attention in the early 1990s with his electronic dance music work, which experimented with the techno and breakbeat hardcore genres, and has since sold 20 million albums worldwide.

But Moby (Richard Melville Hall) is also a devoted vegan. A big supporter of Mercy for Animals, Moby announced he will be  starting a vegan festival with Mercy for Animals on October 23rd at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, with all proceeds going to the Mercy for Animals Foundation.

Moby has been a vegan since his late teens and has often spoken about his decision to avoid all meat and animal products. Moby became a vegan so he “could eat and live in accordance with my beliefs that animals have their own lives, that they’re entitled to their own lives and that contributing to animal suffering is something that I don’t want to be a part of.”

To help others experience the benefits of a plant-based diet, he recently opened a vegan restaurant in Silver Lake, California, called Little Pine, and now he’s been recognized with an environmental award from the Environmental Media Association (EMA).  Debbie Levin, President of the EMA, says, “It’s simply amazing what he’s been able to accomplish. From starting his own nonprofit, to advocating on Capitol Hill for net neutrality, to opening his own 100 per cent organic vegan restaurant, Moby uses his talent to bring good to the world. We’re proud to present him with the EMA Missions in Music Award.” The non-profit EMA was co-founded by TV writer and producer Norman Lear in 1989 to encourage green production and raise the public’s awareness of environmental causes.