This is part 7 of a 10-part series on how changing ones eating habits may be the most accessible and impactful way to improve the world.

In case preventing Earth from becoming another hot potato in the universe isn’t enough motivation to reduce your consumption of meat and animal products, I’m going to serve you some more insight into why these businesses dish out so much environmental havoc.

For the main course, we have #2 Stew – a dish representing runoff from factory farms that harnesses 160 times the pollution strength as raw municipal sewage.

With the sludge entering our waterways at 250,000 pounds per second (American humans produce 12,000 lbs/sec) and completely bypassing sewage treatment facilities, it has caused the E.P.A to declare it a greater polluter to our waterways than all other industrial processes combined. This is easily (more…)

Here’s another unlikely addition to that ‘all things wooden’ collection of yours.  You will almost definitely make friends and influence people when you strap on these eco friendly earbuds from Skullcandy.  Sustainable wood trumps plastic anyday.

these eco audio accessories will run you a somewhat pricey $99 @ urbanoutfitters.com

Update – February 15, 2009 - Congratulations to our three lucky winners:  Kathy Duffield,  Jane Hixon, and Michelle Henriquez. We look forward to hearing about their Life by Chocolate experience. And thanks to everyone for participating. If you wanna check out our most recent Great Green Giveaways, just visit our home page (right hand column, Green Giveaways).  (original post follows…)

Chocoholics Alert!

In honor of Saint Valentine, Life By Chocolate is graciously sponsoring a delicious, Valentine’s Day Giveaway.  Three lucky winners will each receive a gift of the finest quality, handmade, hand decorated, certified organic, fair trade and totally decadent chocolates by Life By Chocolate.

Prize #1 – a beautiful box of sumptuous Vegan Tea Truffles: three oolong, three black and three green tea infused truffles, hand dipped and hand decorated in chocolate, ($21 value)
Prize #2 – Vegan Velvet Valentine Truffles: a marvelous mix of vegan tea and fruit truffles, subtle flavors but the mouthwatering chocolate shines through, ($21 value)
Prize #3 – a set of six organic chocolate bars: fair trade, handmade and indecently delicious ($19.50)

To enter: first visit lifebychocolates.com.  Then enter a comment on this post telling us what you like about Life By Chocolate, and why you’d like to receive one of these fine gifts. It’s that simple.
Entries must be received by 5p, EST on Saturday, February 14, 2009.  (free shipping, worldwide)

Prize notification: via email — be sure to add the following address to your email address book: m at AlternativeConsumer.com.

Random Drawing takes place on February 14, 2009.  Three lucky winners will be selected and notified by email. (add: m at AlternativeConsumer.com to your address book.)  Winners need to reply to notification via email within 24 hours in order to claim their individual prize, otherwise their offer is null and void. The winners’ names will also be included on this post.

Start clicking and good luck! (one entry per person, of course.)
We feature Great Green Giveaways all the time.  So don’t miss out — grab our RSS to stay in touch.

• …it better – U.S. Stimulus Would Cut Emissions: Report – reuters
• Woman Gets 22 Years for Eco-Terror Crime – msnbc
• Will the rich quench their thirst at the expense of the poor? Blue Gold – bbc
• Your Breath Could be Recycled into Fuel – livescience
• I didn’t want to say it…NYC’s Mystery Syrup Smell Tracked to New Jersey – myway

I can attest from personal experience that the modern American household can create a lot of stress and anxiety for both pooches and humans.  If you don’t have the pack building and relaxation skills of The Dog Whisperer you may need a natural, ‘mother’s little helper,’ to help calm your barking, hyper canine roommate.

Pictured above are a couple of eco remedies to help chillout fido.

Calm Dog, a chewable, herbal relaxer, goes for $9.99 for 50 lamb-flavored, tablets.

Tranquility Blend from Animals Apawthecary will relax both dogs and cats without impairing motor skills and it’s certified organic $10.99 for a 1 oz. bottle.

find them both @ olivegreendog.com

Oh, and remember, your dog will mirror all your anxieties, insecurities and wacko behavior. Sometimes it’s all about you.

We wrote about Motorola’s green cellphone, the Moto R223 Renew, when it made its debut at the recent CES show in Las Vegas.  The phone, which is made from recycled water bottles and is itself fully recyclable, is called the first carbon neutral cellphone.

The Renew is now on sale to T- Mobile customers for $9.99 after rebates @ t-mobile.com

Times are tough.  If you’ve got a formal coming up at your local Rotary Club and have nothing to wear you might consider hitting a local dumpster for raw materials for your next eye-popping gown.

Artist Nancy Judd of Recycle Runway transforms upcycled everyday refuse into funky eco couture.  Her eco fashion collection is featured in airport exhibits across the US.  Nancy’s work was featured at the recent Green Inaugural Ball in Washington DC.  pictured above: “Faux Fur Jacket” created from cassette tape and a Target sponsored piece called “Recycled Fiesta.”

DAKINE created these special edition eco friendly surf packs as part of an initiative called Project Blue to generate funding for the Surfrider Foundation, spearheading efforts to protect and preserve our oceans and beaches.  A portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to the foundation.

The women’s Oceana (at right, $75) and men’s Recon (below, $70) surf packs are constructed with only eco friendly materials, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nylon fabric made from recycled plastic bottles and non-toxic thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) used for waterproofing.  And, all packs are free of polyvinyl plastic (PVC), or “poison plastic.”  Not only are they eco (more…)

• This will garner some attention…Obama Energy Secretary: Cali. Vineyards Could Disappear – livescience
• How do you define ‘clean’ energy? Sweden Aims to Lift Nuclear Power Ban – bbc
• Indian Ocean Linked to Australian Droughts – enn/reuters
• The ‘Decider’ has left Washington…Bush-Era Oil Leases in Utah Canceled – msnbc
• Will market forces finally transform the auto industry?  Honda Sees Insight Hybrid Below $20K in U.S. – reuters
• Does this qualify as tourism?  Despite Economy, Spring Breakers Party On – fox news/ap