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Hello Fellow Space Traveller,
I hope you’ve had a good week.
Yes it’s that time again already and I’ve pulled together some prime cuts of vegan news for you as we traverse another 7 days on our blue planet.
Some highlights this week include a curious ailment known as ‘tofuphobia’, the 54th Earth Day and a disgusting dish of ‘spaghetti chicken’,
[wretch]
I hope you enjoy this week’s platter …
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… so without further ado, let’s dive in this week.
Thank you for being with us!
– Rohan 🙂
This Week’s Top Story
Earth Day 2024: Things Are Hotting Up!
Today, a billion+ people across the globe will mark Earth Day, the annual event which seeks to raise awareness and build support for the protection of our environment.
It’s been 54 years since the first ever Earth Day and I bet that back then the organisers had no idea how important the movement would become.
… or maybe they did. It seems as early as 1959, those in the know were aware of potential fossil fuel climate problems down the line, according to that previous link to The Conversation.
Just imagine if we’d addressed the issue 65 years ago, when we had some time … the world would be in a very different place, no doubt about it.
But here we find ourselves, in our reality of a rapidly warming world as Earth Day has become more important than ever.
… and one of the biggest consumers of fossil fuels are the animal agriculture industries and their supporting supply chains.
In fact some have even calculated that animal ag is the biggest driver of global warming by far, when you take into the account the sum total effect of humanity’s agricultural legacy.
I’m not sure how true that is when you consider all the unnecessary jobs humans are engaged in. Most of what keeps us occupied in the 9-5 does not contribute (paid) to the survival or advancement of the species.
… it just consumes fossil fuels.
I mean how many different models of coffee machine do we actually need?
How many people really need to get in their car in the morning and drive to work?
Then this week we heard news of the Scottish government abandoning their 2030 climate goals. Granted, they were probably never going to hit the target but what kind of message does this send?
We have to stay hopeful that the human race can innovate ourselves out of this mess. If there’s one thing humans are good at, it’s inventing solutions to big problems.
Well this is the biggest problem we all face apart from the asteroid that’s coming our way in 2027!
A major part of the solution is to shift towards a plant-based diet and dramatically reduce our reliance on animal-derived foods. We can feed 100 billion animals, but not 8 billion humans?
Oh please!
Y’know, maybe the changes in climate will not be as bad as the scientists predict.
But I think that’s just wishful thinking when the changes we’re already seeing have the vast majority of climate science experts scratching their heads. The models will need re-calibrating.
… and yes. We do need to trust the experts on this, not some “Billy bunch o’ numbers” on Twitter … thanks to Mr James O’Brien for that one 🙂
I could go on and on with this but I need to wrap it up so here’s just a couple of links to stories covering the unprecedented heat wave in Spain this week.
- Over 70 temperature records broken as Spain deals with an April heat wave.
- Fires burning ‘out of control’ in Alicante amid unseasonal temperatures.
Where in the world will we be looking next week?
What do you think? Reply with your comments … we read them all 🙂
Have a great week from all at Vegan Slate … and a hopeful Earth Day 2024 to you!
– Rohan McAvee
Recommend us to your friends …
Quick Links:
- Frankenstein Fast Food: consumers disgusted with ‘Spaghetti Chicken’ phenomena.
- LIDL Sees 30% Growth in plant-based products, leading the protein transition revolution.
- I Am Earth : an Earth Day Book for kids. Keeping our planet a happy healthy place to live.
( paid link ) - Successful Vegan Restaurants is what Mildreds keep opening. This one’s in Victoria.
- Europe’s Biggest Pork Producer has admitted to greenwashing and breaking the law.
- Free Course – Vegan nutrition essentials.
- 10% Off Code for Vedge Nutrition Store-wide (use: VEGANSLATE)
( paid link )
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Around The Vegan Web This Week Ending 21st April 24
Vegan success story: how to lose 40 pounds in two months …
This is not a weight loss story but that’s exactly what Bee Elias managed to do after adopting a fully plant-based diet along with her partner, Wali. The couple decided to open a vegan restaurant in Eagle Rock, LA when they experienced a marked improvement in their health after going plant-based themselves. They called the eatery BeeWali’s Vegan AF, which apparently stands for Amazing Food. Yeah, of course it does 🙂 Wali also managed to lose at least 20 lbs in those first couple of months and the pair have never looked back, now running a very popular enterprise …
A weeklong deep-dive into plant-based lifestyle on NBC 5 Chicago
It’s plant-based all the way this week on NBC 5 News’ special health and wellness series with Lauren Petty. Indicative of the inexorable rise of vegan and plant-based living, this 5 segment series will be looking at the differences between vegan, plant-based and vegetarian as well as the health and environmental benefits of a plant-based diet. Finishing off the week with a dive into how to swap out traditional foods for plant-based alternatives along with the social anxiety issue.
Rick Stein: “I think there’s a bit of a tofu revolution happening” …
It’s a very British thing: The fear of tofu, or ‘tofuphobia’ as the owner of Tofoo, David Knibbs calls it. Tofu has traditionally been seen as a particularly tasteless foodstuff and when eaten on its own, that’s certainly true. But times have changed and many chefs previously dismissive of soy bean curd have cottoned on that tofu is actually a very versatile ingredient, able to readily absorb flavours. This week The Caterer is reporting on phenomenal growth in sales of tofu since the Covid pandemic. Another driver for this growth seems likely to be related to how we’re falling out of love with plant-based meat alternatives, as the consumer pushes back against UPF (ultra-processed food) …
The future is Plant Futures with a new Northwestern chapter …
Sustainable food non-profit Plant Futures has opened yet another chapter in its rapidly growing network of 50+ student chapters across the US. With a focus on the sustainability side of plant-based eating, the Plant Futures Initiative sets out to educate students on the need to tackle climate change through changing our eating habits. It’s well established by now that plant-based diets are orders of magnitude better for the environment than the traditional foods we’ve consumed as humans. It’s the students who are going to have to take matters into their own hands …
“I Could Never Go Vegan” released on April 19th in UK …
A 4-star review from Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian this week as “I Could Never Go Vegan” got its UK and Ireland cinema release on Friday 19th. Film-maker, Thomas Pickering, a lifelong vegan, has come up with a no-nonsense, straightforward look at how every anti-vegan remark can be dismantled with facts and logic. It’s another step towards the wholesale adoption of a vegan mindset as the human race evolves away from our violent traditions …
Saving the planet, one bowl of vegan porridge at a time …
German functional foods producer, SternLife, have announced the launch of three new oat-based, clean-label vegan products which you can wrap up in your branding and sell as your own. Showcasing the “oat-rageously delicious” apple-cinnamon porridge, an oat shake and a versatile high-protein bar, the company is seeing surging demand for plant-based products. Oats have a very favourable climate footprint and can be grown in most regions making them an excellent choice for vegan alternatives to environment damaging meat and dairy products. SternLife will exhibit the new products at the “World of Private Label” in Amsterdam, May 28-29th.
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Blog Post: Previously on Vegan Slate …
Three Reasons Not To Eat Less Meat
There are so many but here’s my best 3 reasons not to eat less meat! Believe me, I had a hard time whittling down the contenders for this timely accolade but presented to you in glorious Technicolor, here’s why you should eat more meat, not less … Jeez!
( this post is not without a hint of sarcasm )
Thanks so much for reading Vegan Slate and have a non-violent day 🙂
– Rohan
Vegan Slate