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A Tucson-area religious leader has joined the likes of Wolfgang Puck, Yahoo Inc. and Gourmet magazine as a recipient of a national award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The Rev. Susan Manker-Seale of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Northwest Tucson on Friday was named the "most progressive religious leader" in PETA's fifth annual Proggy Awards.

"I'm not even a member of PETA," Manker-Seale said, responding to the news Friday afternoon. "I'm just trying to support the ministries of the people in my congregation as well as my own, trying to change these habits I grew up with and that society has shaped our lives around."

Manker-Seale, who has led her local congregation for nearly 12 years, promotes sustainable living through everything from recycling to water conservation to holding vegan cooking classes. (A vegan is a strict vegetarian who abstains from all animal products, including milk and eggs.)

Manker-Seale also promotes vegetarianism by posting the menu of Lovin' Spoonfuls, a local vegetarian restaurant, on her church's walls and having the restaurant cater events.

"I'm delighted she got this honor. I am just so thankful she's my minister," congregation member Marion Erickson said. "I can count on her for support for animal rights and environmental issues at any time.

"She talks about being 'green' all the time in her sermons and services," Erickson continued. "She wrote a service for children for Christmas Eve, and the whole idea was environmental and animal rights, where the little child is giving up meat one meal a day."

Manker-Seale, 51, said she is trying to be a vegetarian but has lapses. Still, she believes that more people should be paying attention to what she calls the damaging effects of the meat industry, even if it means giving up some but not all of the meat they typically consume.

Animal-welfare groups have recently begun promoting a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report that says the livestock business generates more greenhouse-gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined.

PETA contends that going vegan is 50 percent more effective at fighting global warming than switching from a standard car to a hybrid vehicle. In addition to abstaining from eating animal byproducts, a vegan typically wears no animal products, such as fur and leather.

"My daughter has been vegetarian for years," Manker-Seale said. "I lasted exactly a year and my iron went low, so I decided to eat meat for a while. I'm trying to get back off it now."

In the Christmas Eve story, she wrote about how difficult it is to go completely "green" — eliminating all Christmas lights or giving up all meat. Instead, she introduces the concept of using fractions to go green — cutting back on things that are perceived to be harmful to the environment rather than giving them up entirely.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Northwest Tucson, near West Ina and North Thornydale roads, has about 180 members. It recently voted to become a Green Sanctuary, part of a program within the Unitarian Universalist denomination that requires congregations to complete steps, including a community "green" project.

Among other things, the church sells compact fluorescent light bulbs as a way of encouraging worshippers to replace their incandescent bulbs with ones that last longer and use less electricity.

"Rev. Manker-Seale's devotion to her church, her community and all beings is an inspiration to her congregation and everyone else who cares about our planet," PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich said in a prepared statement.

"Going vegan is not only the best thing you can do for animals and your health; it's also the single most important action you can take to reduce your footprint on the environment."

PETA named 20 recipients of its Proggy Awards, among them Puck as the most progressive chef, Yahoo for having the most vegetarian and Earth-friendly corporate cafeteria, and Peet's Coffee & Tea Inc. for being the most vegan-friendly coffee chain.

PETA believes that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment. The non-profit group is known for being very visible and often controversial in its campaigns.