The best ‘chicken’ yet?
There’s a new faux poultry in town. Eat Just, the company behind popular plant-based staples like Just Egg, rolled out its un-chicken product, Just Meat, at more than 3,000 Walmart stores. You can also find it at a range of other grocers, including H-E-B, Sprouts, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop. Made from wheat and soy protein, Just Meat has 18 grams of the macro per serving, comes in four flavors (Buffalo, Sesame Ginger, Chili Lime, and Original), and costs about $6 for a half-pound bag.
Just Meat joins an ever-expanding field of alt-chickens, including recent additions from fan-favorite Daring Foods. How does it stack up? We haven’t tried it yet, but an independent taste test of 24 participants favored Just Meat over a leading frozen chicken strip—especially on flavor and texture.
What you can do: Look for Just Meat in stores, and let us know what you think.. You can try it in one of our recipes like this shawarma or this hearty “chicken” soup.
A record day for wind
On the evening of Nov. 11, more than 12,000 wind turbines across Britain generated a record 22.7 gigawatts (GW) of electricity. According to the National Energy System Operators, which announced the news last week, that was enough to power more than 22 million homes and surpass last December’s record of 22.5 GW. Even more impressive: At the moment of peak production—around 7:30 p.m., which is when the grid is usually the most-taxed—wind provided 55.7% of the entire United Kingdom’s energy mix.
The U.K. has been aggressively expanding both off and onshore wind power over the past decade, slashing its reliance on fossil fuels and strengthening confidence in the U.K.’s 2030 Clean Power Action plan. While challenges remain, including an overstressed grid, this new record is the latest evidence of renewables’ ability to meet demand.
What you can do: Progress on wind energy—or really any renewable project—starts with permits. Here in the States, Congress is currently debating permitting reform, and you can add your voice to those pushing for provisions that speed renewables buildout. Citizens Climate Lobby has a script you can follow.
Bad news comes in threes…
The Trump administration snuck in a three-punch combo ahead of the holiday week. Last Monday, the EPA proposed a change to its interpretation of the Clean Water Act that would limit what counts as “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) to permanent bodies like rivers, streams, oceans, and lakes. That imperils water that ebbs and flows with the seasons or with rainfall, which, according to an analysis from the Natural Resources Defense Council, accounts for 60% to 95% of the nation’s wetlands.
On Wednesday, the Department of the Interior (DOI) started picking at the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Among their revisions: A redefinition of “critical habitats” to exclude areas that species don’t occupy—even if it was once their home. And [takes deep breath] on Thursday, DOI officials unveiled a plan to open up the California coast and the eastern Gulf of Mexico for oil drilling for the first time in decades.
What you can do: That’s…a lot, so we’re going to take this one step at a time over the coming weeks. The WOTUS and ESA proposals are open for public comment, so now’s the time to speak up. WOTUS’s window closes first, and EarthJustice has an easy online form—complete with a draft comment—that takes just a couple minutes to fill out.