Emily Deschanel is one of those charitable celebrities that just keeps on giving! Through her work with organizations like Farm Sanctuary, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and PETA, Deschanel is winning hearts and minds, and changing the world in a big way!

It’s been a while since we chatted with Em and couldn’t think of a better celeb to feature during Vegetarian Awareness Month. Check out our exclusive interview with the talented actress below and find out just why we think she’s so grand!

Ecorazzi: How long have you been vegetarian/vegan?

Emily Deschanel: Vegan for 16 years, baby!!

E: What first inspired you to adopt this diet?

ED: The documentary and book “Diet For a New America.”

E: In three words tell me why you’re a vegetarian/vegan.

ED: Animals, earth, health – in that order.

E: What’s been the most rewarding part of going VEG?

ED: Feeling that my lifestyle is in line with my values and morals.

E: What’s been the most challenging?

ED: Traveling. I don’t have a problem in LA or New York, and a few other cities, but Europe can be a challenge. In Spain the “vegetarian restaurants” have meat!! It’s a great thing that now there are so many resources online to help you find places to eat all over the world.

E: What’s one tip you’d give for somebody who might be interested in transitioning to a more plant-based diet?

ED: I really believe in the Kathy Freston technique of doing things slowly and removing one thing from your diet at a time. Be kind to yourself. If you’re eating vegan most of the time, that’s a lot better than most people.

E: If you had the chance to meet one person who you’ve found specifically instrumental in the vegetarian community – dead or alive, past or present – who would it be and why?

ED: Well, I think I already met her. Rory Freedman. She reached so many people who would never have considered being vegan or vegetarian through her Skinny Bitch books. People picked up those books just wanting to lose weight, and they got educated about factory farming and the negative effects of animal products on our bodies, to the animals, and to the environment. She is such an animal rights hero!

E: In just a sentence, what/who is your favorite:

Food: Veggie soup (it’s getting colder in LA — soup keeps you warm.)
Restaurant: Madeleine Bistro in LA.
Book: The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen.
Product: Dr. Cow cheese.
Designer: Stella McCartney.
Celebrity: Alicia Silverstone (she was the original- gotta love her!).

A great big thank you to Emily Deschanel for taking the time to sit down with us for a chat. Don’t forget to check out Bones every Thursday at 8/7c on Fox. Happy Vegetarian Awareness Month!!

Actress Persia White and Dr. Neal Barnard are pictured here celebrating at PCRM’s “Art of Compassion” pre-gala bash.  Other famous faces in attendance included Kathy Freston, Emily Deschanel, Rory Freedman, Jennifer Coolidge, Marilu Henner and many more. The Art of Compassion gala will mark PCRM’s 25th anniversary and will take place on April 10th in California. Wanna know more? Visit PCRM.org/Gala2010 to get your tickets!

The video was created for the new Save A Tit campaign and sponsored by HerEnergy.

As many Ecorazzi readers know, besides animal production being hell for Planet Earth, it’s also not too grand for the animals. That’s why a slew of well-known stars donated their John Hancock to help reduce the cruelty.

Stars like Kim Basinger, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Maher, Bob Barker, Emily Deschanel, Fred Willard, Ginnifer Goodwin, James Cromwell, Kristen Bell, Mariel Hemingway and Valerie Harper all asked Governor Schwarzenegger to sign a bill that would end the cruel practice of amputating dairy cows’ tails.

The letter was written by our friends at Farm Sanctuary and sent to the Governor just two days ago.

Although both chambers of California legislature passed the bill to end tail docking in the dairy industry, it won’t become a law unless the governor sigs it.

Farm Sanctuary’s president and co-founder Gene Baur said: “With last November’s landslide passage of Prop 2, banning the three cruelest farm animal confinement systems in the state, Californians made it clear they will no longer tolerate cruel and unnecessary practices on factory farms. By putting an end to tail docking, Governor Schwarzenegger has the opportunity to continue this wave of compassion and send a humane message to the rest of the country.”

We agree and hope that the Governator makes the right choice!

Deschanel recently wrote a letter to California congressman Rep. Henry Waxman urging him to cosponsor the Town-Reichart Great Ape Protection Act, which was introduced in a House health subcommittee that is part of the Waxman-chaired Committee on Energy and Commerce.

This legislation would phase out “invasive scientific research” on chimpanzees and also release federally owned apes to chimpanzee sanctuaries. 

In the letter, Emily writes:

“This legislation would allow about 500 chimpanzees to live their remaining years in sanctuaries. They could form bonds with other chimpanzees, bask in the sunlight, and feel the grass and the earth. That’s the least we can do for chimpanzees, our species’ closest living relatives.”

Could this chick be any cooler? I ask you that! I ASK YOU THAT!!!

To read Em’s full letter to Rep. Henry Waxman, visit USNews.com!

I’m not gonna lie — vegan celebrities are probably on my mind a bit more than the average person. It just sort of comes with the job. 

I often find myself turning to friends in movies and whispering, “Pssst…notice in that scene how (insert vegan celebrity) didn’t really eat that sandwich. Yeah, it’s totally cause he’s VEG.”  Or I’ll see a well-known vegan artist on the cover of a magazine and manically skim the article for any words that start with the letter “v.” The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.   

Yesterday while walking home from a swanky event, I found myself trying to come up with the Top 5 Vegan Celebrities of 2009. Within a few minutes I made my picks and had already asked my Facebook friends (ps. why aren’t we Facebook friends?) to weigh in. And so, for your reading enjoyment, here are Ecorazzi’s Top 5 Vegan Celebrities of 2009!

Counting down…

5. Ginnifer Goodwin

There’s nothing I love more than a fresh-faced vegan who’s new to the scene and excited about the cause. Never afraid to share her thoughts on the issue, Ginnifer is constantly bringing up her herbivore ways.  While on Late Night with Conan O’Brian, Goodwin proudly declared,  “It’s amazing! I’m like on a vegan high! I don’t need drugs. There’s a party in my body. Every thing’s working appropriately.”  For her outspokenness, wisdom and PR skills, I proudly salute Ginnifer and offer her spot number five on our countdown. 

4. John Salley

John Salley proves that you don’t need animal protein to be a serious athlete. The famous NBA star has no problem throwing the word “vegan” around and recently took to the cameras to share  his thoughts with PETA . For his plant-based power, I knight Sir John Salley number four on our list of vegan celebs. 

3. Alicia Silverstone

Ah yes, the venerable veteran vegan!  Alicia Silverstone is well-known for inspiring the masses with  her compassionate views and being a steadfast warrior for the cause. Look for her new book — The Kind Diet – coming out this fall. Veganism never looked so good and for that we bow our heads and offer Alicia spot number three. 

2.  Emily Deschanel

Emily Deschanel is one of those glamorous vegans that prove the power of plant-based foods. A vegan of over 16 years and a supporter of many great animal organizations, Emily is a rock in the movement and angel for the animals. For all of these reasons, we give her a high-five and spot number two.

1. Ellen DeGeneres

If I could, I’d write a book called Why Ellen DeGeneres Is Cooler Than PB&J.  You see, Ellen has perhaps the most attractive trait any celebrity could posses: the ability to speak-up for the causes she believes in without turning people off. As a fresh-off-the-boat vegan, Ellen has embraced the lifestyle with pride and gusto and helped promote some of the greatest leaders in the movement.  To thank her for all your compassion and coolness, we offer Ellen the biggest slice of vegan cake we can find and the title of our NUMBER ONE Vegan Celebrity of 2009. 

Well there you have it — our effing list of awesomeness. Of course, there are plenty of other vegan celebrities out there who we think are super rad and we sincerely thank them for their activist skills. 

Who are your Top 5 Vegan Celebrities of 2009? Chime in and let us know!!

Want some hot, totally unprocessed gossip? Well look no further, Razzi readers — I have it for you!

News from out west just blew in about an awesome new series celebrating one of our very favorite things: charities and the celebrities who are obsessed with them!

The show is called Breaking Bread and is a 12-episode series of privately hosted dinner parties where celebrities get a chance to talk about their favorite cause.  The latest one touched on an issue that just so happens to be pretty near and dear to my heart: veganism! 

The dinner was hosted by GirlieGirlArmy general Chloé Jo Berman and featured Meredith Salenger, Corey and Susie Feldman, Persia White, John Joseph, Mickey Madden, Emily Deschanel, Marilu Henner, Mariel Hemingway, Gene Baur, Victoria Moran, Rory Freedman and Laban Pheidias. 

Sounds like a hell of a party, right?

No word yet and when the show will air, but you better believe we’re gonna promote the eff out of it when we get the details. So sit tight, keep munching on those tofu and veggies and stay tuned!

On a recent episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Bones star Emily Deschanel shares some of her all-time favorite things! 

When asked what site she couldn’t live without, Em says: 

“My favorite website that I can’t live without is GirlieGirlArmy.com because it has fashion and eco-fashion and a recipe every week. They send out a newsletter so you can find out what’s going on. That’s the one I love.”

What a coincidence — we love GirlieGirlArmy.com too!

Check out the video below and see what else Emily Deschanel loves!

This super hot, super smart, super talented VEGtastic actress is always proud to speak up for Mother Earth. 

In a new video inspired by Earth Day, Deschanel says: 

“There is no such thing as a meat-eating environmentalist. Now-a-days being green is very fashionable — especially in Hollywood. While I think it is terrific to recycle and drive a hybrid, you can have an even greater impact on the environment by making one simple choice: don’t eat meat.”

Why Emily, we couldn’t agree more!! 

Check out the video below and see Em’s video with your own two eyes!

With Earth Day literally hours away, celebrity and common folk alike are spending their days dreaming up the perfect way to celebrate Mama Earth’s favorite holiday. 

Over at GirlieGirlArmy.com, Chloe Jo Berman shares with her readers just how Skinny Bitch author Rory Freedman and Bones star Emily Deschanel would spend THEIR perfect day of earth.

Here’s a selection from the convo: 

Rory: First stop: trapeze school on the Santa Monica pier! It’s one version of man-made fun that doesn’t leave any carbon footprint. You swing around in the air confronting your fear of heights and bodily harm. It’s an amazing workout where you get to be outside, enjoy the fresh air, see the ocean, feel young, and get manhandled by hot guys. When we’re done playing Circus of the Stars, we can go stuff our faces at Golden Mean Cafe, the new vegan spot in Santa Monica that’s all the buzz.

Emily Deschanel: Ooh I can’t wait! I’ve been dying to do trapeze school, and I haven’t been to that restaurant yet!! You know we both love vegan food!!! 

I’m not sure about trapeze school, but I’ll totally meet you for dinner!

To read the whole interview visit GirlieGirlArmy.com and get your Earth on!