Up until a couple weeks ago, I hadn’t eaten meat in almost four years.

I wasn’t entirely meat-free. There are the occasional seafood po-boy and Gulf-caught fish. And I eat cheese and eggs and drink milk — on the conditions they come from safe, humane and local sources, if possible. I don’t support factory farming. Period. And for obvious reasons.

Last month, I cut all of those foods from my diet and committed to a vegan diet for a month. I wrote about that experience in this week’s Gambit. And judging by the comments and emails I’ve received about it, I did it wrong. Never mind that I consulted with a vegan dietitian, as well as Peter Singer, a vegan scholar if there ever was one, and my vegan friends, who have navigated the halls of New Orleans restaurant culture and could steer me in the right direction — and that was what I wanted to find out: can a vegan experience the restaurant culture in New Orleans the same way a non-vegan does, which is something people in New Orleans live to do and some would feel they can’t live without. I let a few others answer that in the article.

And I ate well. I won’t bore you with my month-long meal plan, but it was balanced, healthy, nutritious, and I surprised myself in the kitchen. Katelynn Phillips said it perfectly: “If you think about all the plant varieties in the world, there are thousands. And there’s really not that many meat options, so there is a ton of stuff you can eat … People are just used to the American diet.”

But I had cravings — omelets and grilled cheese sandwiches, mostly. (I settled for a cheese pizza — manchego on flatbread — at the end of the month.)

As the month went by, I opened up the conversation to both vegans and people who eat meat, like Scott Gold. I don’t personally agree with much of what Gold said (like the “sad, deprived existence” comment), but he echoed points made among many in the meat-eating community. I hoped his voice could lend some balance to the issue. It’s one thing to introduce why one should consider veganism, but it’s another to leave out the voice on the other side of the fence, which there clearly is, as Gold illustrates. After all, not only was I writing a personal experience, I had to produce a balanced story. I wasn’t eating meat, anyway, so whose team was I rooting for?

But when I went out to eat the weekend after I finished the month, I ordered a sandwich with bacon. I didn’t expect to order it, and I didn’t feel guilty about it. It wasn’t a decision I thought I was going to make, ever, but I did, and I’m in no rush to eat meat any time soon.

Perhaps that’s where I went wrong, according to some readers: I didn’t end the month deciding to become vegan full-time. Bottom line was, It wasn’t for me, at least right now. This was just one man’s attempt, not a vegan manifesto. At the very least I hope I started a conversation about veganism and hopefully readers will make better eating decisions because of it.

In a letter to Gambit, Derek Zimmer offers some (delicious) advice:

Buy a bag of kidney beans, a container of seasoning, and maybe a tub of Earth Balance spread, and treat yourself to some classic red beans and rice. Heck, grab a pound of soy-based sausage if you must! Top that off with a loaf of Leidenheimer’s French bread if you’re feelin’ real saucy, and that’s simply days of leftovers! Alternatively, touch a couple boxes of the ol’ Zatarain’s Jambalaya mix, add some chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, whatever (maybe more of that aformentioned mock sausage), and — tadaa! — you got yourself a delicious plant-based meal in 30 minutes! There’s also this thing our ancestors invented back in the day called a “roux” — basically you heat up oil, add flour, then water, which you then use to to make a cabbage, potato, bean, etc., stew! Oh, and ever heard of okra gumbo? Whew! What what a “sad, deprived existence” veganism in the Big Easy is! (Though certainly no where near as “sad” and “deprived” an existence as those of the animals inside factory farms!)

For more information, here are some New Orleans-related vegan and vegetarian groups and blogs:

www.pakupaku.info

www.nolaveggiefest.com

www.meetup.com/vegetarian-515

www.veganorleans.com

(Clarification: Recycling at City Hall and the Main Library is in-house only. Recyclables will not be accepted at those locations.)

As members of City Council try to squeeze the return of citywide recycling pickup into Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s budget, Landrieu announced a compromise: At the tail end of his first 100 days as the latest Hizzoner, Landrieu opened a city-provided recycling drop-off site at 2829 Elysian Fields Ave. Beginning Saturday, Aug. 14, Orleans Parish residents and small businesses can drop off recyclable materials between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. every Saturday.

Landrieu also announced the return of recycling at City Hall and at the city’s Main Library branch (219 Loyola Ave.)

“We heard citizens loud and clear asking for recycling again, and this is a first step in the right direction as we continue to research ways to grow the program,” Landrieu said in an Aug. 10 release.

This is a first for post-Katrina New Orleans, where, under the direction of former mayor Ray Nagin’s sanitation director Veronica White, recycling has been ruled out of the question due to budget constraints — but Landrieu announced the recycling return while managing a $67 million hole in the city’s budget.

Accepted materials include paper, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and containers, tin, steel and metal cans, and up to four tires. The program does not accept glass. Materials don’t have to be sorted, and residents must bring a driver’s license to prove residency in the parish.

ACT NOW (Artists Coming Together, Nurturing Our World) will present “ACT NOW for the Gulf,” a fundraising art auction to benefit the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program coordinated by the Audubon Nature Institute.

The event will take place at The Foundry, 333 St. Joseph St., on Friday, July 30, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. More than 30 regionally and nationally recognized artists have come together to donate works of art in an effort to do their part to help the wildlife affected by the Gulf oil spill.

The nonprofit organization Artists ACT NOW was formed in response to artists wanting to help in the wake of the BP Gulf oil catastrophe. ACT NOW teamed up with Audubon Nature Institute and the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program and began preparations for the first benefit art show, “ACT NOW for the Gulf.”

The rescue program has been designated as the primary responder for the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of all marine mammals (dolphins, whales and manatees) and sea turtles along the Louisiana coast.

“We’re eager to partner with Artists ACT NOW for this fundraiser,” says Ron Forman, President and CEO of Audubon Nature Institute. “Audubon is thankful for the generous support received from many organizations across the country to help the Gulf coast region.”

The mission of Artists ACT NOW is to draw from the talents and compassion of artists across the globe to provide aid and relief to anyone and anything in need as a result of man-made or natural catastrophes.

The event will feature donated works by artists with both regional and national recognition including: Aubrey Edwards, Charles Merrell, Doug Keese, Jason DuMouchel, Sean Friloux, Karen Ocker, Kristin Littwin Gile, Tim Trapolin, Chris Kirsch, Christopher Morrison Slave, Brian Bush, Anne Cicero and many more…

Food and drink vendors include The Bombay Club and Couchon Butcher and PJ’s Coffee. Live music will be provided by The New Orleans Moonshiners.

Tickets are $30.00 per person and can be purchased online at www.artistsactnow.org (click on ACT NOW for The Gulf) or at PJ’s Coffee at 5432 Magazine St.

A reason to go to Kenner: Target, retail behemoth and bastion of local recycling efforts, will soon have a 138,000-square foot location in the area’s Esplanade Mall. Simon Property Group sold the land to Target in a deal that closed July 1, and the store is projected to open in 2011. Now Kenner can have inexpensive and adorably packaged things, too.

Bike-sharing and rental company B-cycle is accepting votes to determine its next home. So far, New Orleans holds the No. 1 position with more than 16,000 votes. (Billings, Mont. is at second; Austin, Texas at third; Brooklyn, New York at fourth; and Helena, Mont. at fifth.) You can vote for “Who Wants it More” on its website by entering your ZIP code.

The company (a partnership with Humana, Trek Bicycle Corporation and Crispin Porter + Bogusky) launched its first installation — the first program of its kind in the U.S. — in Denver on April 22, with 500 bicycles available at 50 stations throughout the city. Next up are Chicago and San Antonio.

Customers can sign up for a membership — whether it’s just for a day or for a year — and a usage fee, typically broken up into 30 minute increments, with the first being free. Members can unlock any bike from any of its kiosks and return them at any of the kiosks, whenever — even when they’re closed. Membership cards are fitted with RFID chips and track a bicyclist’s distance, calories burned and carbon offsets. Here’s how it works:

And in City Park tomorrow, Saturday, July 10, Joy Ride Bike Rentals opens with a blessing of the fleet, beginning at 11 a.m. Bikes are available 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The bikes are from Globe’s Carmel line, lightweight cruiser-style bikes available in both men’s and women’s designs. Hourly rates are $8 for adults,$6 children. Daily rates are $30; $80 for three days; and $180 for five days.