This week’s Conscious Scoop is comin’ in really hot: Morgan Freeman turns his ranch into a honeybee sanctuary, KFC announces they’ll finally trial vegan chicken and LUSH tackles the plastic waste caused by the cosmetics industry?
1. Morgan Freeman converts his 124-acre ranch into a giant honeybee sanctuary.
Morgan Freeman does it again. The actor, film director and philanthropist has decided that his Mississippi ranch should be converted into a bee sanctuary! This decision comes after his first foray into beekeeping in 2014, and reportedly, he has imported 26 bee hives from Arkansas to his ranch – where he will take care of them, without harvesting honey or disrupting the beehives.
Another reason to love Morgan Freeman.
2. KFC to trial vegan options this year!
Yes, the fast-food giant, Kentucky Fried Chicken, is finally paying attention. They’ve just announced that they will be trialling plant-based alternatives later in the year, in response to the overwhelming support for veganism globally. And if you didn’t know yet, there’s a lot of cruelty that goes on behind-the-scenes in the poultry industry, including chickens being routinely-fed antibiotics and being forced to grow so big they collapse under their own weight. That’s why this matters.
Will other global fast-food giants follow in their footsteps?
3. LUSH launches reusable lipstick cases!
After last week’s announcement that they’re going #EggFree, LUSH just announced the launch of an all-new zero-waste lipstick case. Made from aluminium and brass – not plastic, and 40% recycled – the product was designed “to pay homage to the old classic makeup packaging and make Audrey [Hepburn] proud.”
Stylish and sustainable gets a thumbs up from us for sure.
4. The world’s very first vegan and sustainable luxury hotel sanctuary is about to open in Thailand!
PlantLife Hotel Sanctuary is on a mission: to provide a luxurious, vegan travel experience without compromising ethics. The hotel sanctuary will only serve organic vegan food made with locally-sourced ingredients vegan food made with locally-sourced ingredients, furnishing made with plant-based leather, use only solar power, and aims to be waste-free. It will also be a sanctuary to rescued animals from streets across Thailand.
We’re already bookmarking this for our next adventure.
5. South America’s largest egg producer launches plant-based eggs.
In response to the continued demand for plant-based egg alternatives, the think tank Good Food Institute Brazil joined forces with Brazil-based Grupo Mantiqueira to launch N.Ovo, made from pea starch and plant protein. Amanda Pinto, Innovation Manager at Grupo Mantiqueira says “I was born and raised in the animal protein industry and could see from the inside out that there are much more sustainable ways to feed the world.”
Plant-based is truly the future.
Image credit: Live Kindly