CEO Note: Blending the Curve
Reducing meat production is one of the quickest ways to ease the burden that humanity is placing on our planet and our climate.
For these reasons and more, Mighty Earth has put boosting animal-free protein sales and investment at the top of the agenda. Of course, that means supporting sales of completely animal free products. But when it comes to driving impact, it also means blending animal-free protein with conventional meat.
Right now, purely animal-free alternatives – whether plant-based or alternative protein – remain a niche product when compared to industrial meat. But one can easily envision blended products making serious inroads. Imagine a world where most fast-food cheeseburgers were 80% beef, 20% animal-free protein. That’s a 20% reduction in all the environmental harms associated with beef production, and you’ve achieved it without convincing a single additional person to go vegan!
Sometimes that approach makes all-or-nothing purists feel icky. But if you, like Mighty Earth, are obsessed with impact, you can easily see the appeal. It’s a fast-track to freeing up billions of acres of land where native ecosystems could be restored, creating habitat for the world’s endangered species and sucking gigatons of carbon out of the atmosphere as forests regrow. That’s the opposite of ick.
I was thrilled to discuss these ideas as part of a wide-ranging conversation with Paul Shapiro, on a recent episode of his “Business for Good” podcast. Paul has been a pioneer of animal free protein, and beautifully articulates the potential of blends – and many other key issues in the protein transition. If you’re interested, I’d encourage you to listen here (Apple, Spotify) or download on your preferred podcast app. You will not regret this listen!
Rewilding Illinois
Illinois has just passed a new law making it the first U.S. state to explicitly identify rewilding as part of its approach to conservation. Bringing back native species and revitalizing ecosystems is now an official part of the state Department of Natural Resources’ strategy.
This is an exciting moment, and a signal that rewilding – embraced more fervently to date in Europe than in the U.S. – is gaining broader acceptance. As Chadwick Hagan wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, “America has always been a wild country, and the American spirit — rooted in liberty — needs wild spaces to thrive. We protect these places not only for the environment, but for our collective soul.”
See you in NYC?
Finally, I wanted to note that Mighty Earth will be out in force at New York Climate Week, which runs from September 21-28. Hope to see you there!
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