WASHINGTON -- Raising animals for food is a major source of greenhouse gases and pollution, so a vegetarian diet can help the planet, News4's Wendy Rieger reported.

At Java Green Cafe on 19th Street in downtown D.C., customers consume what taste like platters of shrimp salad, barbecued beef and turkey wraps, but it is all vegetarian. Owner D.J. Kim started with an organic restaurant and decided to go vegetarian with the menu four years ago.

Java Green has received a lot of awards from vegetarian magazines and was recently voted the best vegetarian restaurant in the metropolitan area by the vegetarian group Compassion over Killing.

Kim is Korean, so he blends Korean spices and chilis with mock meats made of soy protein to create an exotic, mostly vegan menu that could fool a die hard carnivore.

Vegetarians argue in favor of their diet as a way to control global warming and to stop animal cruelty.

The United Nations report on climate change said that livestock produces more greenhouse gases than cars, pollutes water with waste runoff often filled with hormones and antibiotics, and contributes to deforestation so that animals can have grazing lands.

Plants aren't just on the menu at Java Green, they're also in the utensils. Kim uses only corn, potato or sugarcane fiber for his disposable plastics to make them biodegradable.

Kim said he also buys wind power and contributes 2 percent of his sales to eco-charities promoting fair trade.

Literature in the cafe offers diners a chance to learn more about vegetarianism and offers advice to the curious.

More Information:

• Java Green
• VegDC.com