PETA made sure that grocery shoppers didn't wind up in a pickle when the eco-friendly ban on plastic bags went into effect in Oakland, California. A convivial carrot and personable pickle offered shoppers at one grocery store free tote bags that were greener than a cucumber salad.

That's because not only did the bags help shoppers stop contributing to plastic-bag pollution, they also illustrated how much the meat industry pollutes the air, water, and soil. Inside their new bags, shoppers found a DVD of Paul McCartney's meat industry exposé "Glass Walls" and a vegetarian/vegan starter kit.

Many shoppers told the pair of produce that they were trying to be greener or were thinking about going vegan. And the green goodies were such a hit that employees came out of the store to ask if they could take some inside because customers were asking for them.

If you didn't get one of the totes, don't go out of your gourd. Pick up a vegetarian/vegan starter kit, a "Glass Walls" DVD, and a PETA bunny tote to help you be healthier and more Earth-friendly, and make your friends go green with envy. 

We know that there weren't any pigs on your table this Christmas, but were there pigs at it? At a festive Christmas party in Goa, India, not only were pigs at the table, they were also the guests of honor.

The Panjim Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) had intercepted a group of people who were illegally transporting about 100 pigs and who intended to slaughter and sell them for holiday meals. But PAWS rescued all the pigs and took them to safety at its shelter. So, since the pigs were no longer becoming the feast, PAWS and PETA India decided to throw them one instead.

The gleeful pigs happily munched on corn, spinach, strawberries, grapes, and other treats, while their proud rescuers doted on them. And as news cameras caught the pigs' mirthful antics, they also captured the not-so-subtle message that PETA India had prominently displayed at the table: a sign that implored, "Give Pigs the Gift of Life: Go Vegan."

Vegan Anne Hathaway's footwear at the Les Miserables premiere was the talk of Tinseltown this week. The 2013 Golden Globe nominee asked Tom Ford to design the custom leather-free boots that made her daring look.

Word on the street is that Anne is also a huge fan of cruelty-free Stella McCartney heels. And she's not alone: Stores are reporting "extreme demand" for the designer's luxurious leather-free accessories.

Vegan Carrie Underwood is in extreme demand, too. She just scooped up Female Artist of the Year honors at the American Country Awards, and she's always a favorite when it comes to animal issues. In her recent interview with Self magazine, Carrie said, "My veganism is based on a concern about where my food is coming from. In my perfect world, I'd have webcams wherever food is processed so I'd know how clean it is. … I'll never eat meat again, because I look and feel better without it."

Rob Thomas has continued to use his voice to make sure homeless animals' voices are heard by urging his legions of Twitter followers always to adopt and never buy animals. And several of his fellow celebrities followed suit with animal-friendly posts of their own:


Our late friend Michael Clarke Duncan's last film, In the Hive, opens this weekend in select theaters. Check for showings near you to see "Big Mike"—who was such a big voice for animal protection—grace the big screen one final time.

At the same time as vegan star running back Arian Foster and the Texans are making my hometown proud on the field (Bayou City, represent!), PETA has announced its 2012 list of the Top Five Vegetarian-Friendly NFL Stadiums.

Football is played with a ball called a "pigskin" (often erroneously), but folks who are fans of both team sports and animals will find a growing variety of cruelty-free foods to enjoy on game day at arenas throughout the NFL. So even if your team is stuck in the basement this year, you can still score a victory for animals way up in the cheap seats by hitting up the concession stand for some vegan goodies!

© Levy Restaurants

Check out the Top Five Vegetarian-Friendly NFL Stadiums:

1. Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Eagles

As the Eagles battle for the top spot in the always-tough NFC East, Philly fans can take pride in the fact that Lincoln Financial Field tops PETA's list of vegetarian-friendly stadiums for the third year in a row, thanks to its awesome array of meat-free options, which include a mock-steak sandwich, a "chicken-steak" sandwich, a seitan brisket, and veggie burgers and dogs.

2. Gillette Stadium, New England Patriots

Pats fans have more mouthwatering vegetarian options than Tom Brady has offensive weapons. Gillette Stadium moved up from number four on PETA's list of vegetarian-friendly stadiums, thanks to its black-bean burger, grilled portobello mushroom burger, and grilled veggie flatbread wrap. Meanwhile, fans continue to devour the stadium's standby favorites—veggie dogs and veggie burgers.

3. O.co Coliseum, Oakland Raiders

Rookie head coach Dennis Allen may be experiencing some growing pains in Oakland, but Raider Nation has cause for celebration: O.co Coliseum made PETA's list of vegetarian-friendly stadiums for the fifth year in a row. With a veggie dog, black-bean burger, and veggie burrito leading the charge, fans of the Silver and Black can turn their health around by enjoying delicious, protein-packed vegetarian meals.

4. Georgia Dome, Atlanta Falcons

Matty Ice is playing like an MVP, but the MVP of the Georgia Dome's concession stands may be the mock-meat Sloppy Jane, made with peppers, onions, molasses, and brown-sugar barbecue sauce. Also available and fresh off the burner (no Michael Turner pun intended) are veggie dogs and veggie burgers, possibly the best duo since Roddy White and Julio Jones. You don't have to pose in a PETA ad as Tony Gonzalez did to enjoy these options.

5. Ford Field, Detroit Lions

The Lions may be dropping in the standings, but Ford Field has climbed in our rankings of the best meat-free fare. Outstanding dishes such as vegan sloppy Joes, hearty veggie burgers, hummus with vegetables, and fruit cups with chili lime salt dominate the concession stands here the same way that Megatron dominates on the field.

Scoring honorable mentions are the Kansas City Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium, the St. Louis Rams' Edward Jones Dome, the San Francisco 49ers' Candlestick Park, and the New York Jets' and New York Giants' MetLife Stadium.

With so many healthy and animal-friendly foods available almost everywhere you go, there's never been a better time to go vegan than right now!

Every day, I think about how lucky I am to have been born a human being. By the time you finish reading this post, 1,463 turkeys and 44,294 chickens will have had their throats slit, many of the 619 pigs who were slaughtered will have been scalded to death, and 217 cows are killed, many while still conscious. And that's just in the United States.

By the end of the day, 104,273 cows, 297,392 pigs, 702,383 turkeys, and 21,261,534 chickens will have been killed in the U.S. to satisfy an old eating habit.

On factory farms and in slaughterhouses, today is no different from any other. But animal ambassadors know today as World Farm Animals Day, a day when we honor the lives of animals slaughtered for food. We commemorate World Farm Animals Day on October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the influential political leader and ardent vegetarian whose lifetime of advocating for an end to violence toward people and animals prompted social-reform movements around the world.

But as we remember the animals who were killed for their flesh this year, a moment of silence won't help end the suffering. Animals don't need us to be silent—they need us to speak up. Please repost this image to your Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages to remind everyone you know that just one vegan saves about 100 animals every year from suffering on factory farms or fishing boats and dying painfully in a slaughterhouse:

yann|wikimedia

Do you know folks who eat turkey breasts? What about terrier breasts?

A new billboard that PETA is working to place near public schools in Ottawa; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, asks children to consider why they call one animal "family" and another "dinner":

Turkey: ©iStockphoto.com/James Steidl | Dog: ©iStockphoto.com/Eric Isselee

Like dogs, turkeys are highly curious and love to scout out new sights and smells. And like dogs, turkeys are highly social animals who enjoy the company of humans and even like to have their feathers stroked. They are also devoted parents, and in nature, chicks stay with their mothers for a full year.

But on factory farms, turkeys spend nearly their entire lives crammed into stinking, windowless sheds. The only human touch they experience is when workers chop off parts of their beaks and toes and the males' snoods without any pain relief. Turkey eggs are hatched in an incubator, and the chicks never see their mothers. They are less than a year old when they are shipped to the slaughterhouse, where workers slam their legs into shackles and drag them through a "stunning tank" that immobilizes but doesn't kill them and a blade slits their throats.

As Thanksgiving approaches, please repost the image of this poignant billboard and ask your friends this: If you wouldn't pay someone to torment and kill your dog, why pay people to torment and kill a turkey?

Rosh Hashanah marks the new year for people and animals in the Hebrew calendar. So what better time for Jews to turn over a new leaf—one that will benefit themselves and animals, too? A kale leaf, perhaps, or arugula? Here's one "leif" that helps animals: Jewish comedian Carol Leifer hilariously explains why she went vegan:

Ready to help your Jewish friends resolve to turn over a new leaf for the New Year? Forward them the link to PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit. 

Happy New Year!

The Baltimore Comic-Con got a comedic confluence of heroism when a Mr. T look-alike jumped in with PETA's superheroes to fight for truth, justice, and the vegan way. The gals were busy posing for pictures with delighted comic book fans and flying through a stash of vegetarian/vegan starter kits as fast as their caped arms could go when Mr. T jumped in with them and declared, "Drink your soy milk, fool!"

I'm betting that anyone who saw PETA's "Glass Walls" or Mr. T's Rocky III was quick to oblige.

Sure, during an election year, the candidates themselves take up residence under a microscope. But here's something that you might not have known about Democratic National Convention speakers Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama. 

You probably knew that Broccoli Bill went vegan, since he's fond of telling people how much better he looks and feels. And maybe you heard Wolf Blitzer report that Bill hadn't lost his pizzazz—he'd just lost his pizza! But did you know that he was PETA's Person of the Year in 2010?

© StarmaxInc.com

Yep, the vegan in chief won for saving animals' lives and proving that even former hamburger fanatics can thrive on a vegan diet. As Bill himself wrote to PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk, "I've been feeling great since I adopted my plant-based diet!"

Speaking of saving animals' lives, did you know that we have a FLOTUS who doesn't wear fur? 

iStockPhoto.com/EdStock

Michelle Obama's celebrated style always earns accolades from the fashion community and from people who care about animals.

Whether you're a donkey or an elephant, everyone can elect to help animals by not eating them or wearing them. 

P.S. Did you also know that Matthew Scully, vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's speechwriter and the author of Dominion, is a vegetarian?

PETA promotes and educates the public on the benefits of a vegan diet. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.

When people weren't talking about Hurricane Isaac this week, they were buzzing about the Republican National Convention. We're never ones to miss a chance to get animal issues into the spotlight, so PETA dispatched its famous pigs to the Big Guava, where they're calling for a federal excise tax on meat.

Why? Well, there are "sin taxes" on cigarettes, alcohol, and gasoline. Why shouldn't there be one on meat, which is as harmful to our health as tobacco and alcohol are—and even more so to the environment? Putting a tax on meat would save countless lives—and not just those of animals.

What You Can Do

To keep meat from, well, taxing the Earth, animals, and your body, go vegan. If you're already lean and green, spread the word by getting your own "Tax Meat" swag.

PETA promotes and educates the public on the benefits of a vegan diet. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.