Cafe Phipps, one of the first "green" restaurants certified in Pittsburgh, announced last week that it has joined the Meat Free Monday and Meatless Monday movements.

Meatless Monday, a public health awareness program of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for a Livable Future, started in 2003 "to help reduce meat consumption by 15 percent to improve personal health and the health of the planet," according to its website, meatlessmonday.com.

Even celebrity chef-restaurateur and meat-lover Mario Batali is pushing meatballs aside once a week to embrace the Meatless Monday movement in all 14 of his restaurants across the U.S.

"The fact is, most people in the U.S. eat way more meat than is good for them or the planet," Mr. Batali explained on the website. "Asking everyone to go vegetarian or vegan isn't a realistic or attainable goal. But we can focus on a more plant-based diet."

Mr. Batali isn't the only celebrity encouraging people to avoid meat once a week. Last year, longtime vegan Paul McCartney started his Meat Free Monday campaign (supportmfm.org) to raise awareness of how meat production and consumption impact our environment.

Cafe Phipps, located at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland, encourages visitors to eliminate meat one day of the week by offering vegetarian and vegan specials -- salads, wraps, quiches and soups using vegetables from local farmers -- in addition to its regular menu. The cafe will continue to offer meat on Mondays and tofu as a meat or fish substitute daily.

"We want to emphasize that vegan and vegetarian options will be incorporated into our regular menu ... but we don't want to push people to stop eating meat just because [they] come in on a Monday," said Phipps spokeswoman Liz Fetchin.

Executive Director Richard Piacentini said Phipps is excited to "give people another opportunity to have a positive impact on the environment."

"It's an obvious parallel to preserve the earth that the plants [Phipps] displays come from," said Ms. Fetchin. "The production and manufacturing of meat contributes to carbon emission more than vehicles and transportation do. We're not telling everyone to go completely meat-free, but giving up meat once a week could help the environment."

According to Meatless Monday, it can help reduce your carbon footprint and save resources such as fresh water and fossil fuel. It can also reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

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