🥗 Cleaning Up Our Food Chain

Happy Friday morning!☀️ It’s the last day of June and for a lot of parents, the start of summer holidays!

Herby’s plan for the summer: cheer on the Canadian Women’s Soccer team as they head to the land down under (aka Australia and New Zealand) for the FIFA Women’s World Cup! ⚽

P.s. stick around until the end for a quiz that will test your climate knowledge and a chance to win a gift card!

🌍️ Weekly Sustainability Challenge

Did you know? Food production generates >30% of our greenhouse gas emission today, and raising animals for meat is a HUGE part of that! 🐄

Georgia: an unlikely leader in climate 🤫 electric vehicle production

Georgia is aiming to become the electric mobility capital of the U.S. ⚡(watch out Michigan).

And the EV industry is all in! Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers like Hyundai, Kia, and Rivian are setting up plants in Georgia; battery makers and suppliers are moving in; and a South Korean solar panel company is joining the party with a multi-billion dollar expansion in Georgia.

Why is this important? Republicans have traditionally pushed back against climate change policies… however, they now want a piece of the economic pie. This is a first as Georgia doubles down on clean energy jobs and investment while remining quiet about any climate change agenda. Leading with economic development (as opposed to climate change) has successfully brought Republicans in the state onboard with the EV agenda. Better yet: oil and gas heavy states like Texas, Louisiana, and Wyoming are taking notes.

One lab grown chicken salad please 🐔

Lab grown chicken is finally coming to restaurants and supermarkets in the U.S., thanks to Upside Foods and Eat Just. The two California-based companies made history by being the first two lab-grown meat companies to be approved in the U.S. this week.

And restaurants are jumping at the bit to serve their meat — renowned chef José Andrés and three-Michelin-star chef Dominique Crenn have both placed orders.

What is lab grown chicken? It’s real chicken meat, but grown in a new way. It requires a small sample of cells, nutrients, and a cultivator (aka a stainless steel tank). Et voilà: in one to three weeks, you have a fully grown chicken breast, ready to be seasoned.

Why is this important? Food production generates >30% of our greenhouse gas emissions today, and raising animals for meat is a HUGE part of that! Lab grown meat is a massive step in the right direction — for those that want to have meat in their diet, lab grown meat is a great way to cut CO2 emissions, reduce waste, and free up critical resources like land and water.

The U.N. is stepping in to protect our oceans 🐳

This week, the U.N. adopted the High Seas Treaty, the first ever legally binding agreement to govern and protect international waters 🌊!

What are the High Seas? The areas of our oceans that do not belong to a specific country. Almost 66% of our oceans are considered ‘High Seas’ and until today, have been vulnerable to overfishing, oil exploration, deep sea mining, and a slew of illegal activity. With the High Seas Treaty, they will now be under the protection of the U.N. and it’s 193 member nations! 👏

This is a win for conservation! The ocean and it’s biodiversity play a critical role in regulating our climate. With this treaty, the U.N. now has the ability to set up Marine Protected Areas (safe havens for ocean life) and regulate activities like deep sea mining.

What’s next? In classic U.N. fashion, things move slower than you think. While the U.N. has adopted the treaty, it now needs to be signed by at least 60 U.N. member nations, which are set to meet on the topic in 2025.

🙋‍♀️ Sustainable business highlight

Meet KEFIRKULT (pronounced kuh-fear-cult), a Toronto-based sustainable probiotic drinks and yogurt brand! Their kefir products are vegan, organic, and dairy-free.

Why we love them?

• It’s vegan, locally sourced, and small batch — the Coconut Kefir Yogurt has more probiotics than any other kefir brand (which helps a ton with gut health and digestion) and it’s clean (just kefir grains, coconut milk, and water).

• Founded by a Canadian, BIPOC founder — Hudson Liao is a Toronto native, who combined his background in microbiology and biochemistry with his passion for making healthy snacks.

🦕 Herby’s climate-friendly finds

This week: we’ve been inspired by the approval of lab-grown chicken! Here are some more of Herby’s fav sustainable food alternatives.

• Seven Sundays — start your mornings with delicious cereal made from upcycled oat protein.

• Lovechild Organics — natural and organic superfood snacks for your babies. Owned by a Canadian brand.

• Chiwis — upcycled fruit chips… reducing food waste has never tasted better!

• Kefirkult’s vegan coconut kefir — vegan yogurt alternative. It’s like yogurt but thicker, tastier, and with a powerful probiotic punch!

🍂 Herby’s weekly roundup

Some quick hits of interesting articles, books, and events

• The Montana youth climate trial ended this week; here’s more on the trial as we await a ruling.

• These climate-smart cowboys are using regenerative farming to heal the land

• Do you have a gas stove? Here are ways to reduce harmful effects on your health and the planet.

• Here are 14 climate change books for kids!

• In Toronto this summer? Check out the Ontario Science Centre’s Voyage to the Deep: Underwater Adventures exhibit. Perfect for families and kids ages 2-10.

🤓 This or That?

Last week’s ‘This or That’: Making Spaghetti Bolognese for four people is equivalent to driving 79km (and it releases 1.5kg of CO2 emissions)! Learn more about the footprint of other common meals.

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