Passionate young South Australian, and Animals Australia Unleashed member, Leah knew just what to do — be a voice for the animals. When Julia Gillard paid a visit to Aberfoyle Park High School in SA in February, Leah and her friends didn't pass up the opportunity to take their concerns about live export and factory farming straight to the top:

Impressed with the passion and commitment of these young Australians, Prime Minister Gillard said that "South Australia will be in good hands" when they are older. We couldn't agree more.

Leah and her friends recognised that it isn't just the government that can make positive change for animals — each of us as individuals can too! So they challenged the Prime Minister to go meat-free for two weeks. And she accepted!

This personal commitment by the PM to take animals off her plate for two weeks will save resources, and save animals' lives — as Albert Einstein (a meat-free genius himself) will now demonstrate:

If Julia Gillard follows through on her meat-free pledge, she will be very good company. Other respected public leaders including former US President Bill Clinton, former President of Slovenia Janez Drnovsek, television guru Ellen Degeneres, legendary musician Paul McCartney — along with important historical crusaders for social justice like Mahatma Gandhi and Rosa Parks — have all decided to make kind choices for animals, themselves, and the planet.

Take the meat-free challenge with the PM!

The PM has stepped up to the plate (pun intended), and you can too! Challenge yourself to go meat-free for two weeks (or more), and you'll be reducing your environmental impact and taking a strong stand against animal cruelty.

These 3 simple steps will set you up for your challenge and help you discover the delights of cruelty-free eating:

Get some handy tips on making the switch to meat-free here. Click here for loads of delicious cruelty-free recipe ideas. Get your friends in on the action! There's no better way to go meat-free than with a mate. This gives you support, and someone to share recipes with. Best of all, it doubles the impact for animals! (Or you might even like to start up a fundraising page for your meat-free challenge.)

Don't forget to leave a comment and share your meat-free experiences with us.