In case you missed some of the highlights of 2008, here’s a recap of cool stuff that happened in the vegetarian community.

6. Peta announces their 2008’s sexiest vegetarians:

The sexiest vegetarians according to PETA crowned here, are Alyssa Milano of the TV show Charmed and rocker Frankie Iero. Coming in a close second are the Hush Sound’s easy-on-the-eyes Greta Salpeter and a TV star-turned-rocker, Jared Leto (30 Seconds To Mars).

5.  Heather Mills donates $1M USD of vegan food to Bronx children

While I’ve heard some remember her less favorably as the evil witch who broke up with Paul McCartney, it seems hard for me not to admire this Brit’s do-gooder streak.  Ms. Mills earned some vegan brownie points when she donated $1M USD in vegan food to children in the Bronx section of New York City. Officials say she donated to the region as it had “the city’s highest child obesity and asthma rates”.  Ms. Mills was honored by Congress for her achievements.

4.  Researchers step closer to growing cruelty-free meat

While it might not be for some vegetarians, for some former carnivores who went vegetarian, the opportunity to bite into a chicken wing with cruelty or murder might seem an attractive dream.  Those dreams inched closer to reality as vegetarian doctoral student Jason Matheny from the University of Maryland, developed a new way to grow animal cells in a nutrient bath to create cruelty-free synthetic meat.  The scientist is currently working on perfecting his process, something he hopes will allow the entire world to go vegetarian without as much as a diet change.

3.  Oprah Winfrey goes vegan for 21 days.

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey made waves when she went vegan in May.  She blogged about her experience, stating, “How can you say you’re trying to spiritually evolve, without even a thought about what happens to the animals whose lives are sacrificed in the name of gluttony?”

She reports finding the vegan diet very satisfying.  While there’s no news on whether she stuck to the diet, it seems unlikely that she’ll be eating quite as many hamburgers in the near future.

2.  UN official calls on world’s citizens to stop eating meat to fight global warming

Rajendra Pachauri, head of the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has won a Nobel prize for his work on global warming.  He caused a stir this year by calling on citizens in the U.S. and abroad to eat less meat, saying it is the most effective way to combat global warming.

1. Vegetarian Athletes Score Big In 2008

Kansas City Chiefs Tony Gonzalez, was afraid his red-meat laden diet might be literally the death of him, so he went public with a decision that shocked many — he was going vegan.  The top paid NFL tight-end, who continues to set records showed that meat is by no means necessary to athletic performance, delivering 9 touchdowns and 1000 yards.