This week - Fortnite founder Tim Sweeney
purchased $15 million dollar’s worth of land in a nature conservation effort.
Snoop Dogg hosted a Grammy’s party
that served Carl’s Jr. Beyond Famous Star burgers made with Beyond Meat.
Six-year-old vegetarian birdbox actor Vivien Lyra Blair
declared her love for animals in a PETA video.
And Disneyland might actually be the happiest place on Earth
as it was recently crowned the most vegan-friendly amusement park.
All that and more on LIVEKINDLY's weekly vegan news.
Tim Sweeney, the founder and developer of the popular video game Fortnite,
just paid $15 million dollars to protect wildlife.
The North Carolina native purchased a 1,500-acre parcel of land
that had been marked by developers to be turned into a golf resort and retail space.
Sweeney also owns a 7,000-acre plot of land
that sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
With close to 40,000 acres of land now to his name,
Sweeney isn’t planning any major developments on the properties.
Quite the opposite; the developer is protecting the forests and wildlife that call it home,
including black bears, bobcats, fox, coyote,
as well as numerous bird and fish species.
And there may be more purchases to come in the state for Sweeney, too.
Fortnite, which is produced under the Epic Games label,
is wildly popular among gamers.
Sweeney’s company took home $3 billion in profits just last year.
“The idea,” he says, “is to put my money to work for conservation.”
At a pre-Grammys party last weekend,
Snoop Dogg served up the new Carl’s Jr. Beyond Famous Star burgers
made with the vegan Beyond Burger from Beyond Meat.
"I got mine. You can get yours at your local Carl's Jr."
And it appears to have been quite the night.
Snoop and Carl’s Jr. exchanged messages across Instagram following the event.
"...throw a party, we do it right.
And Beyond Meat is at Carl's Jr right now man.
You go get your burger right now, go through that drive-thru
and order you one of them Beyond Meat burgers from Carl's Jr."
“Now everyone can hit the drive thru and order that Beyond Famous Star Burger,” Snoop wrote on his page.
Carl’s Jr. sent back a fist bump and shout out to Snoop,
“What a night,” the fast-food chain wrote.
Beyond Meat jumped in, too,
sharing a photo of Snoop holding the burger
and thanking him for his ongoing support of the future of protein.
This isn’t Snoop's first bite of a vegan burger.
The now cookbook author and co-host of “Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party,”
alongside his real life BFF Martha Stewart,
recently stood in line for a burger at popular Atlanta food truck “Slutty Vegan.”
"Hangin' out right here at Slutty Vegan
Gonna get slutted out, ya dig?"
Snoop Dogg has a heart for animals too -
he recently offered to adopt a pitbull
that had been named in his honor after being rescued from the side of a road.
“There is always room for another dog in Casa de Snoop,” the star said.
Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California,
has been crowned America’s Most Vegan-Friendly Amusement Park.
The popular theme park, received the title from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ,
the largest animal rights organization in the world.
In a press release, PETA noted:
“Once upon a time, theme park food meant hamburgers, hot dogs, and turkey legs.
Times have changed, and so have menus.”
Companies around the globe are updating their menus to align with consumer preferences.
The theme park serves a wide array of vegan food -
egg-free Mickey Mouse shaped waffles, BBQ jackfruit and portobello Philly sandwiches,
"My favorite so far today is the gumbo."
"This is a sorbet dipped in dark chocolate with sprinkles."
Disneyland recently opened a craft-beer taproom,
which serves vegan-friendly beer and offers vegan favorites
like cauliflower tacos with avocado and chipotle tofu aioli.
Supermarket chain Aldi has launched two plant-based sausages
as demand for vegan food surges.
The new sausage flavors are Masala Roast Cauliflower and red pepper and butternut.
Aldi, which has more than 10,000 stores in 20 countries,
has been upping its vegan game.
"Down to Aldi where the prices are so hot, you know they 'bout to scald thee."
Its new vegetable-packed sausages join a growing list of other meat-free items appearing on Aldi’s store shelves.
Last month, the supermarket chain launched a vegan range with more than 10 products
including ready meals, vegan burger patties, nutritious soups,
and condiments including a vegan mayonnaise.
The store also carries a range of dairy-free ice cream flavors.
The supermarket chain also takes part in the Peas Please initiative
where companies vow to encourage their customers to eat more vegetables.
Through this initiative, Aldi has pledged to run 12 dedicated TV campaigns
to promote fruits and vegetables.
Vivien Lyra Blair may have been blind to the world in Netflix’s recent runaway hit “Bird Box,”
but the six-year-old actor says she is always looking out for animals.
"My eyes were covered in Birdbox,
but I always look out for animals.
That's why I'm a vegetarian!"
Blair, who’s been raised vegetarian
is motivated by her love of animals.
In addition to fostering cats,
the young star also uses her Instagram page to help find homes for other rescued animals.
"Meow, meow, meow.
I just want to say to everybody out there who's watching this:
If you want to adopt an animal, you should do it.
Treat them kind and wonderful.
Vladimir Putin signed a bill banning animal cruelty in Russia.
The bill is called “On Responsible Treatment of Animals
and on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation.”
The bill bans many types of animal cruelty
- including a ban on petting zoos and the killing of stray cats and dogs.
That’s it for today. Remember to subscribe and hit the red bell.
We’ll see you again next week for LIVEKINDLY’s vegan news.