The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. In celebration of Earth Day 2008, we made ‘green’ the major theme on the TakePart blog this week - green documentaries and television programs, Earth Day quotes and action activities, as well as some great film reviews. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie Halper:

Top 10 Earth Day Videos From the Hub

Joanne Herring Invites You to “Charlie Wilson’s War” Screening Discussion - Free DVD!

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Nicole Hughes:

Top 10 Documentaries About the Environment

Top 10 Ways to Take Action On Earth Day 2008!

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Andy Kondrat:

Top 10 Quotes About the Environment

Disney Launches DisneyNature to Make Documentaries - I Freak Out

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Jon Popham:

B Corporation Takes the Guesswork Out of Going Green

Sea Level Rise Explorer

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Giulia Rozzi:

Oprah and My Mom Going Green

Green It. Mean It.

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Gina Telaroli:

Taking Part In the Blogsphere With “The Visitor” and “Standard Operating Procedure”

“The Soloist” Explores the Homeless and Mentally Ill With Grace and Music

Celebrate Earth Day 2008 with these top 10 documentaries about the environment. The films below address a variety of ecological issues including climate change, vegetarianism, crude oil, industrial development and our oceans. When you’re properly inspired to green up your eco-behaviors and help preserve Mother Nature for future generations, and check out these top 10 ways to celebrate Earth Day!

1) An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth offers a passionate and inspirational look at one man’s fervent crusade to halt global warming’s deadly progress in its tracks by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. That man is former Vice President Al Gore, who, in the wake of defeat in the 2000 election, re-set the course of his life to focus on a last-ditch, all-out effort to help save the planet from irrevocable change. [climatecrisis.net]

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Barbie and I don’t have a lot in common. For one thing, I’m biodegradable and she’s not. But we do agree on one thing; math is hard. For example, how is it that Lisa Simpson’s been a vegetarian for thirteen years when she’s only 8 years old? Is it possible that an anti-oxidant-rich plant-based diet has the power not only to delay the aging process but actually reverse it?

But while eternal tweener Lisa’s the token treehugger in the Simpson household, it’s Bart who’s got the perfect prescription for how to cool Mother Nature’s fevered brow: don’t have a cow. Literally. The less meat you grill, the more you help the planet chill.

Now, before you dismiss me as some kinda free-range Chicken Little, clucking about the catastrophic consequences of our fossil-fueled food chain, you should know that I’m not the only one warning that burgers do more harm than Hummers.

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Wait, don’t eat that sausage! Don’t you know that today, March 20th, is the Great American Meatout, “the world’s largest and oldest annual grassroots diet education campaign?” :

Every spring, thousands of Meatout supporters educate their communities and ask their friends, families, and neighbors to pledge to “kick the meat habit (at least for a day) and explore a wholesome, nonviolent diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.”

The Great American Meatout is sponsored by The Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM), whose website gives you seven good reasons not to eat meat:

1. Kicking the meat habit reduces our risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other chronic diseases that cripple and kill nearly 1.4 million Americans annually.

2. Kicking the meat habit decreases our exposure to infectious pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter, which kill several thousand Americans annually and sicken millions more.

3. Kicking the meat habit raises our energy level, lowers our food budget, and simplifies food preparation and cleanup.

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I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream”including Britney Spears, apparently. Who wouldn’t want to scarf down a pint of Ben & Jerry’s after having your private hell turned into a media circus? But with her every move scrutinized, meltdown-mode Britney can’t even self-medicate and chill out with a scoop of Chunky Monkey in the psych ward without getting picked on by PETA, whose founder, Ingrid Newkirk, felt compelled to send a “friendly” letter to Britney’s parents:

Dear James and Lynne: On behalf of everyone at PETA, please accept our best wishes for Britney, and I hope you’ll allow me to share some information that could be helpful to you in your admirable efforts to look after her mental and emotional health. The media have speculated that Britney might be suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. I certainly realize that the media’s reports might have no basis in fact, but I’d rather send this information than not”just in case it could help.

We also have heard that Britney asked for ice cream while she was in the hospital. There could, in fact, be a connection between her diet and her mental-health problems. Numerous reports indicate that in bipolar patients who have hidden dairy sensitivities (a fairly common condition), the disorder can worsen if the patient consumes dairy products.

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Nudity for no meat campaigns have become a popular means of advocating for a vegan and vegetarian lifestyle. From Maxim-esque PETA ads depicting celebs shedding their threads, to the Vegan Vixens program, and now a vegan strip club in Portland, Oregon, the message is the same. It’s meant to indoctrinate males into the lifestyle and turn the “real men eat red meat” stereotype on its head.

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I don’t know how many rockstars spend their free time reading UN reports, but Paul McCartney’s apparently devoured and digested the UN’s study on the meat industry’s contribution to global warming, “Livestock’s Long Shadow.” He cites the report as the clearest evidence yet that a vegetarian diet is the most effective way that we, as individuals, can combat climate change. In a letter to the Press Association, McCartney wrote:

That this message comes directly from an authoritative body such as the UN (whose member states, it should be remembered, are not generally considered vegetarian) rather than an organisation committed to vegetarianism is significant.What I think is especially compelling is that this report should now encourage everybody to ‘do their bit’ for the planet… the evidence that the report gives is, frankly, stunning. It points directly to the striking detrimental effects of excessive livestock farming on the environment.

McCartney cites the study’s conclusion that 70% of the Amazon’s forests have been razed for grazing and that livestock now take up 30% of the entire world’s land surface, and adds:

By simply considering altering eating habits people can strike a blow for the environment, our children and the future. Such facts and data as those listed above can’t be ignored.

Will the beloved ex-Beatle prove to be a more effective advocate than his ex, Heather Mills? Mills, a vociferous vegan, caused a ruckus last month when she asked “ËœWhy don’t we drink rats’ milk, cats’ milk or dogs’ milk?’Mills also attempted to make some converts by offering the fifteen contractors who are working on her swanky new Sussex home a holiday feast. They were psyched until they peeked into her freezer and spotted the Tofurkey. One worker complained:

“It’s all strictly vegetarian - they’ve just shaped the stuff to look like turkey. What’s the point of that? It’s all in individual packs. All she has to do is warm them up.”

Nonetheless, he added:

“We will choke it down. After all, Heather’s not against alcohol. Apparently there’s going to be plenty to drink.”

A new Hindu school in the UK is causing a ruckus with the announcement that vegetarian students will be given admissions priority over kids that eat meat. The policy is a way for school officials to ensure that all students are strict followers of their faith. However, some involved are upset since not all Hindus follow the Hare Krishna tradition and feel that those students shouldn’t be discriminated against during the admissions process.

Here in the US it is hard to imagine a school where only vegetarian fare was served - although some kids seem to be trying over at youth noise (a youth organizing site).

For those interested in Hare Krishna or just eating more veggies, New York City’s 26 Second Ave serves as a space for any and everyone to go and learn more about the Hare Krishna tradition through events and programs (that often feature free vegetarian feasts!)