- [Presenter] This week, Will
Smith and Leonardo DiCaprio
team up to help the Amazon,
Lush is shutting down stores
for the climate, and Arnold Schwarzenegger
shares his vegan fridge staples.
All this on more on LiveKindly's
"Weekly Vegan News."
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Actors Leonardo DiCaprio and
Will Smith are on a mission
to save the Amazon with sneakers.
Smith's eco-friendly
water company, JUST Water,
which he runs with his son Jaden--
- Biggest feat that we have
for me is when we switched
the cap and shoulders to
being plant-based plastic.
- [Presenter] Teamed up with Allbirds,
an environmentally-friendly
footwear brand.
Together, JUST Water and
Allbirds released two new
limited edition sneakers:
Tree Runners and Tree Toppers.
All proceeds from the
shoes will be donated
to DiCaprio's Amazon Forest Fund.
DiCaprio's environmental
non-profit Earth Alliance
recently set up the
Emergency Amazon Forest Fund
in response to the news of
devastating fires raging
across the rainforest.
The Amazon supplies six
percent of the planet's oxygen.
It is home to more than one
million indigenous people
and half the world's
estimated 10 million species
of animals, plants, and insects.
"There is only one mother earth,
"and it's on us to protect
her," Smith said in a statement.
The Brazilian Amazon,
our largest carbon sink,
has now been burning for a month.
DiCaprio, who is also
an Allbirds investor,
has been vocal about the
Amazon fires, even asking
his 35 million Instagram
followers to ditch beef,
as cattle farming is
one of the key drivers
of Amazon deforestation.
"These are not wildfires,
but rather fires set
"by people seeking to
create cattle ranches,
"intentionally ignited during
the dry season each year,"
said Ane Alencar, the scientific
director of Brazilian NGO,
Institute of Environmental
Research in Amazonia.
They cut the trees, leave
the wood to dry, and later
put fire to it so that the
ashes can fertilize the soil.
Vegan Nation, a vegan Israeli
company that launched its own
cryptocurrency last year,
is also making moves
to help the Amazon; it
bought 15 thousand acres
of rainforest on a 10-year lease.
Vegan Nation will open its land
to preservation groups and activists,
ensuring that no animals
are intentionally harmed.
It will ensure the land
is free from exploitation.
Even the Brazilian
government will be unable
to cut down trees there.
"The Amazon Rainforest
might be located in Brazil,
"but its destruction affects us all,"
said Vegan Nation's CEO and
co-founder Isaac Thomas.
Climate change is a direct
result of human activity,
and it's in our hands to fight it.
Coming up: Arnold Schwarzenegger shares
His vegan fridge staples.
(laid-back electronic music)
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Trump's new dietary guidelines
favor the meat industry.
The Trump administration
is limiting the range
of topics addressed by the
2020 guidelines for Americans.
This could mean the
exclusion of research related
to meat, health, and sustainability.
The sidelining of scientific
input has raised concerns
over industry influence
on the federal government,
particularly because of the
Department of Agriculture's role
in dictating what can
and can't be addressed.
The 2015 dietary guidelines
for Americans highlighted
that a plant-based diet is both good
for health and the environment.
A study funded by the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation
revealed that meat
consumption may be responsible
for more deaths than tobacco.
Dr. Ashkan Afshin, co-author of the study
and an assistant professor
of health metrics science
at the University of Washington
said poor dietary habits,
which is a combination of high
intake of unhealthy foods,
such as red meat, processed meat, and
sugar-sweetened beverages,
and a low intake
of healthy foods such
as fruits, vegetables,
nuts, whole grains and seeds,
overall causes more deaths
than any other risk factors globally.
Animal agriculture is also one
of the top contributors to climate change.
David Katz, director of Yale University's
Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center
told the Washington Post, "veiled
organizations representing
"the interests of beef, dairy
and Big Food are pretending
"to use science to argue
against the actual science and
"to expunge key recommendations.
"Of course sustainability
should be included.
"Of course we need to eat less meat."
Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger
is pretty much 99% vegan now.
The former champion
bodybuilder and governor
of California recently
appeared on the Men's Health
"Gym and Fridge" YouTube
series to show fans
what his diet and exercise
regimen looks like.
Schwarzenegger's office
refrigerator is stocked
with vegetables and fruit, his go-to snack
for when it's hot is cut-up watermelons.
- My favorite things to, when it gets hot,
I have watermelons, cut-up watermelons.
- [Presenter] The fridge also contains
plant-based ground beef by Beyond Meat.
For protein, the "Terminator"
star turns to smoothies made
with Califia Farms almond milk,
tart cherry juice and banana.
When asked about his typical
diet, Schwarzenegger revealed
that he is now health-conscious,
and that he wasn't always this way.
He used to eat 10-15 eggs
a day and a lot of meat,
he revealed in a promotional video
for the "Game Changers"
documentary on vegan athletes.
"Now I eat more oatmeal
and greens and vegetables
"and healthy foods," the
72-year-old told Men's Health.
- And healthy foods, stay
away more from the meats
and more from animal
products and animal proteins,
because there was this
misconception it's the only way
to get big and strong,
so now I backed off that,
and I feel much better
by (mumbles) greens.
- [Presenter] He doesn't
dislike many foods
except for cow's milk.
- I would say that I hate cow's milk.
I think almond milk is much better.
- [Presenter] Schwarzenegger
is an executive producer
of "The Game Changers" alongside
James Cameron, Jackie Chan
and Formula One race car
driver, Lewis Hamilton.
The film debunks the myth that
athletes need meat to excel.
Schwarzenegger revealed
his cholesterol dropped
to around 109 after
ditching animal products.
- It was the lowest that it ever was
in my entire life, at almost 69.
- [Presenter] Lush is closing its doors
to protest the climate crisis.
The cruelty-free cosmetics
company is joining forces
with 16-year-old vegan
environmentalist Greta Thunberg
to rally for change.
On September 20th in the U.S.
and September 27th in Canada,
Lush North America will
close down its 250 shops.
It will also shut its headquarters,
manufacturing facilities
and eCommerce to join a climate strike led
by Thunberg in New York City.
- I'm urging all of you to take part
in the global climate strikes
on September 20th and 27th.
(audience applauds)
- [Presenter] Thunberg
founded #FridaysForFuture.
The movement began in August 2018,
after the then 15-year-old sat in front
of the Swedish Parliament every
school day for three weeks.
The teen was protesting
against the inaction
of the government on the climate crisis.
- We listen to the current
best available United science,
it's just something
that everyone should do.
- [Presenter] Her actions
sparked a global movement,
and Thunberg now protests
alongside students
around the world every Friday.
Lush is encouraging its more
than five thousand employees
and millions of followers
to take to the streets
to join the campaign.
The shutdown is hugely
significant for the company,
the brand explained.
It is in the quarter leading
up to its busiest time of year.
However, the president and
CEO of Lush North America,
Mark Wolverton, wanted to ensure
employee voices are heard.
Coming up: Cambridge University lowered
its carbon emissions by
cutting beef from the menu.
Filmmaker James Cameron had choice words
for the public about climate change.
In an interview with
Variety, Cameron said,
"people need to wake the (beep) up.
"We're going the wrong
direction as fast as possible.
"I like to say we're
like Thelma and Louise,"
he continued, "we're driving
straight toward the canyon
"at 90 miles per hour
with the radio cranked up
"and the top down."
- People think, oh well, if it's warmer
I just won't wear my jumper,
you know, and if the ice melts,
those penguins are sure
damn cute, and I'd hate
to see them die out, but
it's not going to affect me.
I think you're missing the big picture.
- [Presenter] The "Game
Changers" producer believes
there are many ways people can help
to turn that speeding car around.
Changing their diet to plant-based
is at the top of the list.
It's the lifestyle change the
Camerons have focused most
of their efforts on encouraging.
"We felt that food was one
of the least well-served,
"least understood, and one of
the biggest, most important
"ways that we could affect
change," he explained.
Four countries have united to form
the Vegan World Alliance, AKA the VWA.
The group aims to promote
vegan values on a global scale.
The VWA consists of four activist groups:
the Dutch Association for Veganism,
the Vegan Society of
Aotearoa in New Zealand,
the Vegan Society of
Canada and Vegan Australia.
One of the first initiatives is a standard
for food labeled suitable for vegans.
According to the VWA, many countries
have no legal definition
of what vegan food is.
A uniform certification would be used
by all alliance members and would provide
concrete rules for
manufacturers to adhere to.
The VWA envisions a world
where animals are valued
as individuals; it believes
that animals should not
be used for food, clothing, entertainment,
or in other areas where
their bodies are commodified.
The newly formed VWA will first focus
on building the framework necessary
to bring its vision to life.
Other efforts include
sharing research, resources
and outreach programs,
running joint campaigns
and facilitating cooperation
between vegan organizations.
Cambridge University cut
its greenhouse gas emissions
by 33% after ditching red meat.
The leading UK-based institution announced
the menu update in 2016 as part
of its sustainable food policy.
Beef and lamb were replaced
with plant-based food instead.
The University's catering
team, which caters
for 14 locations across Cambridge's campus
and more than 1,500 events a
year, released a report showing
that the move helped
Cambridge cut carbon emissions
by 33%, despite an increase in the amount
of food being purchased.
Their report, called "Our
Sustainable Food Journey," said
the University reduced its
carbon emissions by 10.5%.
It also showed a 33%
reduction in carbon emissions
per kilogram of food
purchased, and a 28% reduction
in the amount of land
use per kilogram of food.
University chefs received
plant-based cooking classes
following the change.
The vegan and vegetarian
options are advertised
in a way that encourages
students to purchase them
instead of the remaining meat options.
Head of the University
catering service, Nick White,
said the switch has been
absolutely the right thing to do.
He explained, "sustainability
is extremely important
"to our students and staff,
and we wanted to ensure
"that we were not only
responding to their needs
"but pushing what was considered possible
"in a catering environment."
Taco Bell launched vegetarian
menu boards nationwide,
featuring new menu items
and vegan-friendly options.
The Mexican-inspired fast
food chain initially tried
the new meat-free menu at
a store in Dallas, Texas.
Its success led to the nationwide
launch earlier this month.
Taco Bell's new veggie menus
features new meat-free items
such as the black bean Crunchwrap Supreme
and black bean Quesarito.
- Really good flavor, you can
really taste the black beans.
The rice gives it just
a little more texture.
- [Presenter] It will also
feature long-term favorites,
including the seven-layer burrito
and the bean soft taco supreme.
The classic bean burrito
has been a menu staple for
over 50 years and is Taco
Bell's second-best-selling item.
There are 13 AVA-certified menu items
and 36 certified vegetarian ingredients.
26 of those ingredients are vegan.
The fast food chain
added "make it meatless"
to its apps and website to help customers
make ingredient substitutions.
It also has a how-to-eat-vegan guide
to make custom-ordering easier.
The chain sells 350 million
veggie items per year, and says
that about seven percent of
all orders are vegetarian.
That's it for today.
What do you think of Arnold
Schwarzenegger's diet change?
Let us know in the comments below.
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