As a huge fan of Bones, I was giddy to learn that Emily Deschanel is an environmentalist who puts her money where her mouth is—literally—by eating a vegan diet.

We couldn't think of a better person to feature smack-dab in the middle of "Meat's Not Green" Week than Emily and, luckily, she was able to take time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions.

Here Emily is in her own words:

Do you have any animal companions? I don't have any animal companions right now. My amazing dog Snookie passed away a year ago. She was 17 years old. I miss her. She was super sweet and smart. I'm not ready for another animal in my life right now, especially because I wouldn't have the time to take proper care of them (we work 16- to 17-hour days). I look forward to the day I can bring another animal into my home. They enrich our lives so much! Of course, I would adopt!

What made you decide to go vegan? In high school, a teacher screened the documentary "Diet for a New America" based on the book of the same name. It exposes the dirty business of factory farms: the cruelty that the animals experience, the dangers of a meat-based diet to your health, and the devastating environmental impact. I decided to go vegetarian on the spot with the intention to go completely vegan when I was ready. It took me two years. I've never looked back.

What are some of your favorite vegetarian foods? I love anything Dave Anderson makes at Madeleine Bistro in Los Angeles, and I love the food at Candle 79 in New York City. I'm obsessed with cookies from Sun Flour Bakery.

I don't really cook for myself right now since my schedule is insane. I look forward to the day I can pick up my Veganomicon cookbook and go to town!! I also indulge in raw chocolate on a daily basis.

If you could make people wake up to one issue involving animals or one particular form of cruelty to animals, what would it be and what would you wish for? In my experience, the issue that is avoided the most is [raising] animals for food, specifically factory farms. Nothing makes me more upset than when someone says they don't want to know about the horrors going on. Ten billion animals every year in North America have to live and die in horrible ways; the least we can do is hear about it. I have hope, though. More and more people are going veg and vegan. Look at the popularity of Skinny Bitch and PETA as an organization and how they have changed people's minds about animals and food. It is so much better than it was almost 16 years ago when I made the switch to being vegan.

Looking for a little more Deschanel? Check out her vegetarian testimonial and then click here to learn more about meat's impact on the environment.

Written by Shawna Flavell

It seems like anywhere Mike Ness goes, he leaves his mark. As the frontman for Social Distortion, he's one of the most influential men in punk rock. As a solo artist, he's blazing a trail on the alterna-country scene. However, while Mike has made a huge impact on the music world, his impact on good ol' Mother Earth is smaller than most people's. That's because Mike knows that meat's not green and that by keeping animals off his plate he's doing the single most effective thing anyone can do to reduce his or her carbon footprint.

Mike Ness is the most recent celebrity to sit down with PETA for a "Meat's Not Green" photo shoot, and he even took the time to answer a few questions about why he's doing his part to make the world a better place. Check out his video below and then head over and check out the ad.

Written by Shawna Flavell

Some people just need to have things spelled out for them before they catch on. At this very moment, the seal slaughter is staining the ice floes of Canada blood red, despite all the not-so-subtle hints that we've been dropping to let Canada know that allowing a massacre to take place on its territory is an intolerable embarrassment. So, we've launched a billboard campaign across Canada to grab attention in a way that people can't miss.

The first billboard was unveiled in Mississauga, Ontario, by some kindhearted people and an all-too-adorable seal. I don't think that anyone who sees this while driving down the highway can fail to get the message:

Written by Shawna Flavell

After our recent demonstration in New Haven to let residents know that Yale is spending millions of taxpayer dollars torturing monkeys, the university wasn't exactly ready to throw open its doors and give guided tours to people who wanted to find out more. Well, Yale's secretive vivisectors may have been a bit surprised on their drive to work when they saw our massive new billboard near their facilities calling on anyone who witnesses cruelty in the university's labs to blow the whistle:

Whistleblowers have been instrumental in revealing neglect, carelessness, and cruelty in laboratories across the nation. This has led to countless victories for animals—so we're always eager to hear from people with the inside scoop.

Even if you don't work in a laboratory, you can blow the whistle on animal abusers. Whistleblowers have revealed details of Ringling's abuse of animals, shed light on beatings of animals on movie sets, and given us behind-the-scenes information on the horse-racing industry. Wherever you see animals abused—whether at a race track, pet shop, circus, carnival, or in your own neighborhood—speak up and let us know about it!

Written by Liz Graffeo

Lately, we've been stepping up our campaign to convince Lowe's to stop selling glue traps. In addition to our notorious "sexy mice" demos, we've designed a brand-new billboard, and today we're contacting officials in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Charlotte, North Carolina, to request prominent placement of the ad in their cities. We all know that the real villain here is Lowe's, but we hope that these billboards will educate the public about the cruelty of glue traps and convince people to use only humane methods of managing mice. Check out the billboard below:

Oh, and if you have any creative ideas about how we can target Lowe's next, leave a comment and let us know!

Written by Liz Graffeo

Nebraska has a unique new "safe haven" law. Most states have laws that allow panicked parents to leave their infants in safety—better to surrender a baby to a hospital or police station than to leave him or her in a dumpster (or worse)—but Nebraska's law doesn't place an age limit on surrendered children.

Since this law went into effect three months ago, a total of 18 children—many from out of state—have been abandoned at hospitals and police stations in Nebraska. The children, whose ages range from 20 months to 17 years, include a 13-year-old boy from Michigan whose mother drove more than 12 hours last week to leave him at a Nebraska hospital.

This is obviously an upsetting situation, and the law is already under fire across the nation. And although we at PETA are also upset by the lack of responsibility demonstrated by this level of abandonment, we're not surprised. After all, 25,000 unwanted animals are abandoned at animal shelters in Douglas and Sarpy counties in Nebraska each year.

And think about it: The dogs and cats who end up in animal shelters are the lucky ones. There are countless others who end up abandoned on the streets—neglected, starving, and sometimes abused, with no "safe haven" at all.

This is why PETA has created a billboard that stresses the importance of taking care of all who depend on us—animals and children alike.

Dogs and cats can live for 16 years or longer—almost the same amount of time, you might note, that responsible parents spend raising a child. Bringing an animal into your home is a lifetime commitment—and as PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch says, "Children and animals deserve better than to be dumped on a doorstep when they become inconvenient."

To learn how to provide better care for your animal companions or to find out how spaying and neutering keeps dogs and cats out of animal shelters, please visit HelpingAnimals.com.

Written by Amanda Schinke

Say it ain't so! Last week, we told you about our brand-new 'Got Autism?' billboard, which was intended to give the drivers of Newark, New Jersey, a little food for thought. The billboard drew a connection between milk consumption and autism in children. This week, the advertising company that was hosting our billboard has pulled the plug and the billboard has been removed.

It's pretty safe to assume that the ad is not being removed due to a lack of attention! Just the opposite—our message has garnered tons of feedback, including support from parents of autistic children who have seen noticeable improvements after removing dairy from their child's diet.

We wanted to share the thoughts of a few individuals regarding this campaign:

Thanks for the continued support of the campaign! Even though the billboard has come down, the message is still loud and clear.

Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky

Maybe you remember this phrase from your childhood: "Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire."

Well, does that apply to Giorgio Armani, or did he hit his head—causing him to have a drastic about-face? Because the Armani who was once swearing off fur is now dressing babies in it just one short year later. Note to Armani: Rabbits are furry animals no different from dogs, cats, foxes, and minks.

So, shoppers who were on their way into his flagship store in Milan were treated to a glimpse of how Armani looks to us now that he apparently can't break his rabbit habit. PETA Europe posted this rather pointed portrayal of Pinocchio Armani just outside the store:

Because, seriously, what kind of person learns about the cruelty of the fur industry, pledges to be fur-free, and then decides to kill animals for "fashion" anyway? You tell us.

Written by Amanda Schinke

The Pretenders are hosting a party, and you're invited—a listening party, that is! Their new album, Break Up the Concrete, comes out today, and they're so excited for everyone to hear it that they're putting it up on their Web site in its entirety! So before you head over to your favorite music vendor, you can check out the Pretenders' new album online with Windows Media Player or QuickTime.

And hey, if you want to win your very own hard copy of Break Up the Concrete—or even a signed Fender Telecaster guitar—you can enter to do that as well!

Rock on, Chrissie and the Pretenders! We love your new album, and we know the rest of the world will too!

Written by Amanda Schinke

By now, you might have heard about Timothy Wayne Shepherd, the 28-year-old man who confessed last year to killing his ex-girlfriend and who is also charged with dismembering and barbecuing her—no, really.

While this story is shocking and terrible, it sounds awfully familiar. Oh, that's right! Last week on the PETA Files, we posted an entry all about barbecuing humans! It was a demonstration to get people to wake up and "meet their meat." In our demo, a woman had her body painted like charred flesh and lay on a mock grill while passersby gawked—forced to make the connection that those tightly wrapped, clean-looking meat packages in the grocery store once were living, breathing beings who felt pain when they were slaughtered.

In our case, the demo was thought-provoking and symbolic (flesh is flesh). In Timothy's case … it might have been a bit too real.

We're writing to the prison where Shepherd is being held. If he is convicted of the murder, he will receive a sentence presumably intended to prevent him from taking any more lives. Well, we certainly agree with this sentiment—and that's why we're asking Shepherd's jailers to stop the cycle of senseless killing by putting him on an all-vegetarian diet. We can never bring back the young woman who was the victim of Shepherd's crime, but we can try to prevent him from causing any more painful deaths.

Written by Amanda Schinke