Meat-Free Monday.

One of America's most famous vegetarians: Lisa Simpson.

What do Pierce Brosnan, Anthony Kiedis and Einstein have in common? (besides an "ie" or "ei" letter combination.)

You guessed it - they all choose to live meat-free, and not just on Mondays, either.

As of June 15th, 2009, "Meat Free Monday" was officially (re)launched in the UK and support has spread worldwide as the day has become more well-known.

The Independent, a UK-based newspaper, reveals: "The McCartneys have attracted support from across the worlds of showbusiness, science, business and the environment. The singer Chris Martin, Hollywood stars Kevin Spacey and Woody Harrelson, actress Joanna Lumley and Sir Richard Branson are advocating meat-free Mondays."

Support has also come from comedians Ricky Gervais, David Walliams and Matt Lucas, the poet Benjamin Zephaniah and Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman.

Another supporter, Sir David King, the Government's former chief scientist, said: "The carbon and water footprints associated with producing beef are about 20 times larger than maize (corn) production. Eating less meat will help the environment."'

Sadly, about 1/3 of the land mass of the entire planet is used for livestock or dairy production. Eating a veggie burger every week can reduce as much carbon monoxide emissions as driving a Prius! So think about it, for many different reasons.

The Meat Free Monday Song:

To further help spread the news that going meat-free is catching on, check out this partial list of well-known vegetarians and vegans, compiled by HappyCow.net (in alphabetical order):

Abraham Lincoln

Adam Carson of AFI

Alanis Morisette

Albert Einstein

Albert Schweitzer

Alicia Silverstone (vegan)

Allen Ginsburg

Andre 3000 Benjamin of Outkast

Anne Hathaway

Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Avril Lavigne

Ashley Judd

Barry White

Bill Walton (NBA)

Billy Idol

Brad Pitt

Brandon Boyd of Incubus

Buddha

Casey Affleck

Charles Darwin

Chris Evans (Fantastic 4)

Chris Martin of Coldplay

Christian Bale

Deepak Chopra

Diane Keaton

Dustin Hoffman

Ed Asner

Ellen (vegan)

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (same hometown as me)

Eric Roberts

Eric Stoltz

Erykah Badu

Fiona Apple (vegan)

Forest Whitaker

Franz Kafka

Gandhi

HG Wells

Henry David Thoreau

Jack Johnson

Jamie Kennedy

Jared Leto

JD Salinger

Jeff Beck

Jesus Christ

Jim Carrey

Joaquin Phoenix (vegan)

Joel of Good Charlotte

John Cleese

John Lennon

John Tesh

John Salley (NBA)

Johnny Cash (!)

Kelly Clarkson

Kevin Nealon

Kim Basinger

Kirk Hammet of Metallica

KRS-One (rapper)

Leo Tolstoy

Leonardo Da Vinci

Lisa Simpson (had to throw her in)

Mark Twain

Mary Tyler Moore

Michael Bolton ;)

Michael Franti of Spearhead

Michael Jackson

Mike Gordon of Phish

Moby (vegan)

Mr. Fred Rogers (!) - not surprising. can you imagine mr. rogers eating a steak? i can't.

Nelly

Nikola Tesla

Oliver Stone

Omar Epps

Paul McCartney

Peter Gabriel

Peter Max

Pierce Brosnan (James Bond)

Pink

Plato

Prince

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ricky Williams (NFL player)

Rivers Cuomo of Weezer

Robert Smith of The Cure

Rosa Parks

The RZA of Wu-Tang Clan

St. Francis d'Assisi

Samuel L. Jackson ("That IS a tasty veggie burger!")

Seal

Shania Twain

Sir Isaac Newton

Steve Vai

Steve-O

The Roots (yes, the entire band.)

Thom Yorke of Radiohead (vegan)

Thomas Edison

Toby Maguire

Todd Oldham

Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine

Tommy Lee of Motley Crue

Tony Gonzales (NFL player)

Vanna White

Vincent Van Gogh

Weird Al Yankovic (vegan!)

Willem Dafoe

Woody Harrelson (vegan)

Yoko Ono

Zooey Deschanel

I tried to select a nice cross-section for this abbreviated list, so that everyone could find someone they relate to, and think to themselves "Oh, if so-and-so can do it, I can too." etc. You can find an even more comprehensive list here, updated October 28, 2009 as of the writing of this post.

Go meat-free!