VEGAN BUTCHER, HISTORIC MUSEUM & PINEAPPLE LEATHER

• The Herbivorous Butcher, which launched in 2013, is a Minneapolis based, small-batch artisan butcher and cheese shop run by herbivorous siblings Aubry and Kale Walch. They will be opening their retail shop in April of 2015, but for the time-being appear at pop-ups and farmers markets.  The duo have taken on sausage, pepperoni, deli bologna, chorizo, bacon and even launched a Camembert cheese this week - all plant-based of course.

• The National Museum of Animals & Society has big plans for 2105, and they are half-way to meeting their fundraising goal. Please watch the video below, and visit their IndieGoGo page.

Our goal in 2015 is to move to a much larger space in a more prestigious location, close to Los Angeles’ museum row. We will continue presenting animal protection issues through world-class curating in a palatable, viewer-friendly manner. The new space will allow us to house permanent, as well as rotating exhibits and appeal to a broader group of visitors. We will also host educational and motivational film screenings, lectures, classes, and events.

• A former leather industry expert, Carmen Hijosa, was fed up with the limitations of animal skin. The textile innovator is now making leather from pineapples with the support of the Royal College of London. You heard that right. The leaves of the delicious, juicy fruits will longer go to waste. Instead, the incredibly strong and fine fibers from the leaves are felted and then processed into Piñatex  -  a supple, lux, strong materials that looks and act like skin. What's better is that the byproduct of processing is a fantastic, plant-based fertilizer. Say hi to Piñatex on Facebook!