These three went meatless – here's why

The University of Arizona philosophy and religious studies major has been a vegan for the last three years. That means she doesn't eat animal products such as eggs, cheese or milk in addition to meat.

The Blue Willow is her favorite restaurant.

Kleinkauf is also the president of Students Organized for Animal Rights (SOAR). The student group has about a dozen members, who are all undergrads and vegetarians or vegans. The group recently petitioned for more vegetarian options on campus.

SOAR will host a meat-out at noon on Tuesday on the UA Mall, where they'll serve vegan hot dogs, meatball sandwiches and ice cream.

• Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson has been a vegan since 1985.

He gave up meat in an effort to be more heart healthy.

"It certainly is a diet that is healthy in a sense that you tend not to overeat, and it does create a certain discipline," he says.

Local restaurants will usually make Kicanas something vegan if there's nothing on the menu.

"I know at Skyline Country Club the chef there does a great job of making something for me if I ask," he says.

• Judy Burns, president of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, stopped eating meat in 1972.

"I just decided that I didn't want other people killing animals for me," says Burns, 60. "I felt if I was going to eat animals I was going to have to kill them myself and I knew I couldn't do that."

Burns does eat animal products like eggs and cheese.

"I'll eat eggs that aren't from free-range chickens, because they aren't ever, ever going to be a chicken," she says. "And I don't eat eggs that often. But cheese is a big part of my diet."

Burns doesn't mind cooking meat for her husband or for her children, none of whom are vegetarians. She says her meatless diet did influence her kids, who are now grown.

"They have an awareness of food that they wouldn't have if I weren't a vegetarian," she says.