Animal rights activists - clothed only in "strategically placed lettuce leaves" - will be urging striking SEPTA workers to go vegan today.

Two "Lettuce Ladies" of PETA will be handing out vegetarian salad and faux steak sandwiches - along with copies of the "Vegetarian Starter Kit" - to striking SEPTA workers at 3 p.m. outside the Fern Rock Transportation Center (Nedor Ave. and 10th St.)

In a press release, PETA said the action follows reports of rising health care costs resulting from diets heavy in meat and dairy products. The group points to studies linking high meat and dairy product consumption to strokes, heart disease and obesity.

The group also cites the suffering and deaths of billions of animals slaughtered for their meat and the industry's ranking as a leading source of the greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

"Even as they negotiate their insurance costs, Philly's transit workers can get their health on the right track by going vegan," said "Lettuce Lady" Kelsey Jaye. "Leaving animals off your plate is the fastest and easiest road to fitness, so we hope that these hardworking men and women won't miss the bus."