Vegetarian Star

kentgoldman on Flickr

Like many considering vegetarianism, for Graham Hill, founder of the environmental website Treehugger, the thought of the “last burger” was similar to what some pets might think about a visit to the veterinarian for spaying/neutering.

Instead of ignoring the environmental problems of eating meat and continuing to do so, he struck a deal with himself that allowed him lighten his impact with deprivation.

From his speech at a recent TED conference:

“Either you’re a meat-eater or you’re a vegetarian and I guess I just wasn’t ready. Imagine: Your last burger. So, my common sense and my good intentions clashed with my taste buds and lead me to commit to doing it “later”. And later never came. Sound familiar? I wondered “Could there be a 3rd option?” And I found one, and I ‘ve been doing it for the last year and it works. It’s called Weekday Vegetarian. And the name says it all. Nothing with a face during the week and on the weekends, your call.”

Weekday vegetarianism may find you keeping your promise to yourself and the earth easier, given the fact meals during the week are usually for work. Taking time to plan ahead for your lunches may force you to try new items, improving both your cooking skills and repertoire.

The old standard PB & J every day works just as well.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro

Pescatarians rejoice, Trader’s Joe’s has announced it will shift to sustainable seafood purchases by the end of 2012.

The company says the decision was based on customer feedback regarding issues of food safety, taste and environmental concerns.

Trader Joe’s has agreed to the follow practices:

• Work with third-party, science-based organizations to establish definitions and parameters for addressing customer concerns about overfishing, destructive catch or production methods, and the importance of marine reserves.
• Remove “red-listed” seafood from their shelves. Trader Joe’s stopped selling Chilean sea bass in 2005, orange roughy in July of 2009, and red snapper in March of 2010.
• Provide accurate information on all seafood labels, including species’ Latin names, origin and catch or production method.
• Use their buying power to leverage change in the seafood industry.

The decision has been applauded by Greenpeace, which issued a statement on their website.

“We applaud Trader Joe’s commitment to creating a strong sustainable seafood policy. We are particularly happy to see Trader Joe’s acknowledge that we need marine reserves, and that species like Orange Roughy and Chilean sea bass are incompatible with a sustainable seafood operation. We know their customers will appreciate their recent statement of intent. After all, seafood consumers deserve access to transparent, accurate information about the products they choose,” said Senior Markets Campaigner Casson Trenor.”

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jon Stewart and Wife Tracey Stewart Adopt Horse
• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Elephants Retire To Sanctuary
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills

Livia Firth got involved in being green three years ago, and more recently she discovered Jonathan Safran Foer, author of the book, Eating Animals, that made her rethink her eating habits.

“I recently read an interview with Jonathan Safran Foer, who wrote the book, Eating Animals, about becoming a vegetarian,” Firth told Ecostiletto. “He pointed out that if you eat meat only one day less a week it’s the equivalent of taking five million cars off the road.”

Firth insists that anyone can make the most of their buying habits, regardless of their budget.

“Once you know these things it becomes less about what background and money you have—it’s about how you behave as a consumer.”

“Instead of buying an economy pack of chicken and eating that every day, eat pasta or vegetables and buy organic chicken once a week.”

Firth tries to buy local and organic whenever possible and has three veggie beds in her garden, something she’s been doing since childhood without attaching the label “green” to it.

“As Italians, the way we grew up was just that way—we cooked only fresh, locally produced food. It just came naturally.”

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro

Stella McCartney has designed two exclusive T-shirts advertising her Meat Free Monday campaign.

According to Contact Music, the shirts will be available at London Gap stores and will help raise money for the campaign founded by Stella, sister Mary and dad Sir Paul McCartney to lessen the impact of meat production and eating on the environment.

The T-shirts are made from organic cotton and come in two varieties–one featuring a superhero for a boy and Stella’s signature Intarsia leopard for a girl.

Stella, a vegetarian fashion designer, said that Meat Free Monday is “about us all taking control of the environment we live in for our kids and the generations to come. Whether you eat meat or not, you can be part of this decision to limit the meat industry destroying our planet’s resources.”

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro

Vegetarian Star on Twitter

Kim O’Donnell at Trueslant compiled some of the best vegetarian/meatless people, groups and organizations to follow on Twitter and yours truly is included as one to watch.

@vegetarianstar “Meatless news and updates with an eye on celebs and an appetite for gossip”

There are, of course, several other meatless Twitter users that are equally exciting, resourceful and important to follow.

Vegetarian Star has handpicked just a few from O’Donnel’s list you might want to consider.

@MeatlessMonday A public health education campaign in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University. Encourages a meat free day once a week for better human and environmental health.

@MeatFreeMonday A UK-based campaign, founded by Sir Paul McCartney and his daughters Stella and Mary that focuses on eating less meat for the environment.

@bryantterry Author of “Vegan Soul Kitchen,” Bryan Terry taught us to take the butter out of homemade biscuits and add plenty of greens to our diet.

@IsaChandra Vegan author Isa Chandra Moskowitz, who’s brought us books like “Vegan with a Vengeance” and “Vegan Cupcakes take over the World.” With menacing titles like these, it’s not very smart NOT to follow her.

@AliciaSilv Author of “The Kind Diet.” Actress Alicia Silverstone Tweets her thoughts, ideas, product recommendations and more.

@TheFlexitarian Can’t go veg all the way? New York chef, cooking instructor and award-winning author Peter Berley Twitters will keep you abreast on making it work the flexitarian way.

@biz Although not included on Trueslant’s list, who can forget that the co-founder of creative expression in 140 characters or less, Biz Stone, is also vegetarian.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro

Daryl Hannah lives in a solar powered home that she calls a “misfit circus” to abandoned and disabled animals.

Hannah’s use of natural energy to run her home is just one of several ways the vegetarian actress does her part to protect the environment.

Hannah arrived at a recent radio program in Santa Cruz with the 1979 Pontiac Trans Am she drove in Kill Bill, a sports car she has converted to run off 85% ethanol.

Federal regulations currently limit the amount of alcohol per gallon of gasoline to 10%.

The EPA is considering allowing states to increase this limit to 15%, but opponents argue that increasing the blend causes corrosion and overheating.

Although some doubt the benefits of ethanol to the environment, David Blume, an ecologist from the Santa Cruz area calls Hannah a “guru” and insists more education is needed.

“People just don’t know that alcohol fuel is a possibility,” Blume, who was later scheduled for a press conference encouraging the EPA to lift the restriction.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jaimie King Creates Vegan-Friendly Makeup Alchemy From ColourPop
• Meatless Mouthful–Stevie Wonder Says Vegan Helps His Good Looks And Planet
• Pamela Anderson Launches Vegan Shoes
• Pamela Anderson Does Sexy Vegan Cake Making For “Love “
• Nikki Reed Launches Freedom Of Animals Handbag Collection With Morgan Bogle

“This is a great way to clean up the air in our cities, get us off foreign oil and put money in our pockets”

—Ed Begley Jr., to Cloe Whittaker and Tyson Jerry, the Canadian pair who recently broke the Guinness Book of World Records for most miles traveled in a vegetable oil powered vehicle.

The duo met with Begley at his solar powered home in Los Angeles during their trip.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Meatless Mouthful–Stevie Wonder Says Vegan Helps His Good Looks And Planet
• Meatless Mouthful–Liam Hemsworth Gives Veggie Advice Like Dr. Spock (Video)
• Meatless Mouthful–Mayim Bialik Learns Lessons From The Cat
• Pamela Anderson Saves Water Alfred Hitchcock Way In PETA Ad
• Meatless Mouthful–Kate Mara Says “Yes” To Meat-Free Meals

Tyson Jerry and Cloe Walker. The duo made the Guinness Book of World Records for driving the most miles in a vegetable oil powered van.

Tyson Jerry and Cloe Whittaker are two twenty something Canadians that have just broke the Guinness Book of World Records in a very environmentally friendly way.

The pair are the only people to date to drive the most miles–23,697 miles–in a van powered by vegetable oil.

The journey started in mid November in British, S.C. and took them through 20 cities through North America.

Pre-arranged stops were made at restaurants to “fuel up” when needed.

The 1993 Delica Mitsubishi that carried them on their journey has been nicknamed appropriately “The Veggie Van.”

Possibly Related Posts:

• Meatless Mouthful–Stevie Wonder Says Vegan Helps His Good Looks And Planet
• Pamela Anderson Saves Water Alfred Hitchcock Way In PETA Ad
• Meatless Mouthful–James Cameron Says Change Diet, Change The World
• Mayim Bialik Celebrates Earth Day Every Day
• Christian Serratos Asks Electric Car Drivers To Go Vegetarian In PETA Ad