More Than Half of Chefs Add Vegan Options to Menus

51% of chefs added vegan options to their menus in 2018, and it’s paying off! Last year, self-identifying vegans skyrocketed by 300%. Now that the restaurant owners are following the trend, business is up 13% for the spots that with new plant-based items on the menu. [ChooseVeg]

Your Five-A-Day

1. 🤬 260 scientists, 106 engineers, and 185 environmental protection specialists have left the EPA since Pres. Trump took office. The agency’s employment levels are at their lowest since the mass resignation of officials during the Reagan administration. [The Hill]
2. 🌼 Amsterdam’s bee population is up 45% since 2000. Their answer to uncurbed bee loss around the world? Less grass, more wildflowers. [NBC]
3. 🦔 Hedgehogs just went from the UK’s favorite animal to the UK’s favorite (nearly extinct) animal. Researchers surveyed more than 200 sites across the country and found 80% to be hedgehog-free. [Guardian]
4. ❌ 200 different species were illegally sold on Facebook since 2016. Online membership to 12 groups advertising these sales from Thailand doubled in the past two years. Now, there are more than 200,000 members that represent a growing online marketplace for wildlife trade. [AP]
5. 🐻 A baby bear cub is recovering after being rescued from the Carr Fire near Redding, California. At just 1 1/2 years old, biologists want to make sure the cub gets released back into unburned wilderness close to food and water sources. [Record Searchlight]