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!
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