Vegan of the month

In 1994, the U.K.-based Vegan Society named November 1 as World Vegan Day, and soon after, other groups decided that all of November should be World Vegan Month.

While a diet completely free of all animal products is a bit much for many of us, it's pretty simple to cut back on meat meals. Which really does cut back on your carbon footprint.

The difference between being vegan and a meat-eater is like swapping a regular car for a hybrid, according to a researcher quoted by Salon. And that kind of change adds up.

The "compassionate cook" Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is a vegan activist who shares her recipes and inspirations on her website and especially in a regular podcast called Vegetarian Food for Thought.

Tune in for a thought-provoking episode about Thanksgiving FOR the birds.

Learn everything you every wanted to know (and more) about tofu.

Get a look inside what it means to be vegan or vegetarian, and see how you can make a few changes in that direction. Maybe you could try it for a month... .