The world's first and largest vegan grocery store chain, Veganz, has announced that it's going to be popping up in the US city later this year. The supermarket has already laid brick in Berlin, Frankfurt, Prague and several other European destinations since it's founding in 2011, housing ten locations in total. The brand plans to also capitalize on the American hot spot with a clothing store and restaurant. German founder Jan Bredack envisioned a store where he wasn't segregated to a single aisle. So, after experiencing vegan options during his travels around the U.S. and Russia, Veganz was born. Veganz imports goods from 30 countries across the globe, selling thousands of vegan products. Vegans make up about six percent of the American population, but Bredack notes that his stores appeal to omnivores as well. He estimates that 80 percentage of shoppers don't classify themselves as vegan, or even vegetarian. (ecorazzi.com)

The New York restauranteur has had environmental waste and factory farming on his mind, and now he's planning to make his fifteen bars and restaurants animal free. The first to make the switch will be his tiki bar named Mother of Pearl. Animal products will be eliminated from the menu on February 14. Ravi DeRossi has been in the business for eleven years, garnering a following for restaurants likes The Bourgeois Pig that feature cheese fondue and charcuterie plates. It'll be reopening as a vegan wine and tapas bar called LadyBird as part of his vegan transformation, this summer. DeRossi says he was a vegetarian and vegan long before his time in the hospitality industry. However, it was his cat's terminal illness that helped him reevaluate his current choices. "You don't realize that the average restaurateur does three times more destruction [to the environment] than the average person," he said. "I have 15 restaurants and bars. It started to weigh on me." (ecorazzi.com)

Vegan kids are taking over the world, and they're bright, compassionate, and kind! Youtube personality Bite Size Vegan, AKA Emily Moran Barwick, spoke with twenty-four vegan kids and their parents from all over the world in her latest video "My Parents Won't Let Me Go Vegan!" The speakers ranged in age from tiny toddlers to teenagers, but all of them were over-the-moon happy about their vegan lifestyles. "Our bodies shouldn't be graveyards for dead animals," says Izzy, a seven year old from Massachusetts, "They should be filled with a bunch of food like falafel... everything vegan." Jace, a four year old says he is vegan "because I love the animals, and save the planet." "Number one thing is to do your research," said Kevin, a confident thirteen year old. While speaking about families he said, "when you can prove to them being vegan has no negative impacts on you or anyone else, then they will be more accepting of it." Truly, kids are creating something amazing with their own vegan activism. (ecorazzi.com)

In 2009, a tiny one percent of the US population reported eating vegetarian or vegan. Now, 5% of the United States population is vegetarian and half of those people are vegan. The rates have skyrocketed over the last five years and studies show the rates are climbing. The reason seems to involve a mix of various factors, with the largest impact coming from how much we have learned about commercial farming and animal treatment over the last five years. Approximately 42% of those who do not eat animal products say that they went vegan after they saw an educational film. Sixty-nine percent said they chose to eat a vegan diet to support the ethical treatment of animals. Forty-five percent say they transitioned into veganism over time and of all those who are vegan, 52% say they have been eating vegan for less than 10 years. This could be an indicator of the way the country has become more knowledgeable about the food supply over the last five years. Other factors involved in the veg transition indicate that by 2050 the U.S. may even become a vegan country – or at least have a majority of its people eating a vegan diet. (vbetweenthelines.com)

Britain's first vegetarian and vegan pub has been launched in Bristol. The Adam and Eve, in Hotwells, is thought to be the first of its kind in the country to serve exclusively vegetarian food and drink. Owner Bruce Gray said everything from the bar snacks and the beer, to the main dishes and the wine, was meat free and up to 80 per cent of the menu is suitable for vegan diets. He said: "It is early days. We only introduced the menu at the start of January, but so far the reaction has been brilliant. During our research we couldn't find any other vegetarian and vegan pub in the UK – there are cafés and restaurants, but no pubs. And as a vegan, I thought this would be a fantastic idea." Mr Gray has created a combination of traditional and international dishes from roast dinners to Moroccan tagines to Japanese udon soup with noodles. Nearly all of the menu is vegan, with only some vegetarian cheese dishes off limits. (westerndailypress.co.uk)