Here are the 23 BEST things that happened in 2018

As we wave goodbye to 2018, let’s take a look at all the small and big victories that made this year great for the planet, animals, and those leading a plant-based lifestyle.

Plant-based food

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Basil Pesto Avocado Grilled Cheese 🥑🍞 by @raw_manda 🍅 . Basil pesto, avocado, leafy greens, tomato slices, sourdough and melty shredded vegan cheese. 🌿 Simple Basil Pesto Recipe ↠ 3 cups basil ↠ juice of one lemon ↠ 1/4 cup olive oil ↠ 1/3 cup pine nuts ↠ 2 garlic cloves ↠ himalayan sea salt, to taste Add all ingredients except olive oil to a food processor. Pulse until evenly chopped. Slowly add olive oil through the top of the processor and pulse until combined. #veganfood #vegan #veganfoodie #veganfoodshare #vegetarisch #veganpasta #vegandinner #veganeats #healthyfood #plantbased #plantbasedfood #veganpower #plantbaseddiet #vegangermany #veganiseasy #whatveganseat #bestofvegan #vegandeutschland #vegansofgermany #healthylifestyle #veganinspo #veganinspiration #veganism #eathealthy #veganlife #veganlifestyle #vegansofig

A post shared by WORLD OF VEGAN © 🌿 (@veganfood_official) on Dec 20, 2018 at 2:36am PST

Lots of exciting things happened in the plant-based food scene over the past year!

1. Care to guess what the top dining trend of 2018 was? You guessed it – plant-based dining!
2. The new vegan bleeding burger debuted at Costco – and 1 million were sold in 60 days!
3. Think you can’t get vitamin B12 from plant-based foods? Think again! This year researchers uncovered that we certainly can!
4. Ben and Jerry’s added two new vegan flavors – Peanut Butter Half Baked and Cinnamon Buns!
5. And – Wholesome Culture launched a cookbook with over 80 incredibly delicious plant-based meals (grab your copy here!).

Planet and environment

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#saturdaythoughts #plasticpollutes #plasticfree #imwiththeearth #protecttheearth #savetheenvironment #plasticisnotfantastic #antiplasticmovement #plasticpollution #planetorplastic #saveourseas #zerowaste #bethechange

A post shared by Anti-Plastic People (@antiplasticpeople) on May 26, 2018 at 11:44am PDT

Here are some of our favorite environmental victories of 2018!

6. In June 2018, National Geographic dedicated their cover to the issue of plastic waste to raise awareness of this significant issue.
7. Disney announced a ban on plastic straws and plastic stirrers. That’s a reduction of over 175 million straws and 13 million stirrers annually!
8. More and more companies (including McDonald’s) banned plastic straws.
9. Probably one of the most important environmental protection events, the Global Climate Action Summit, took place in 2018. Twenty-nine organizations announced a commitment of $4 billion to combat climate change over the next five years!
10. Seattle became the first U.S. city to ban plastic straws and utensils. Go, Seattle!
11. Burberry, Stella McCartney, H&M, and other fashion brands united against climate change by signing an agreement to reduce their carbon emissions.
12. Scientists discovered that building walls on the seafloor could prevent glaciers from melting – stopping sea levels from rising due to global warming.
13. Scientists also accidentally created a mutant enzyme that could ‘eat’ plastic pollution!
14. Norway became the first country to ban palm oil-based biofuel to help protect the rainforests.
15. After a year of campaigning, Green Peace persuaded Wilmar (world’s largest palm oil trader) to take action to stop palm oil production. Wilmar promised to clean their palm oil supply chains by 2020.

Animal rights

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#ThrowbackThursday from our photo archives: after Hurricane Dean hit #Jamaica in August 2007, we offered assistance to local animal welfare charities in need of help. Pictured: a young #rabbit left at a shelter by their owners, while they moved back after the evacuation and got settled . . . . . #TBT #WorldAnimalProtection #ProtectAnimals #Animalprotection #animalwelfare #HurricaneDean #animalshelter #cuteanimals #animals

A post shared by World Animal Protection UK (@world_animal_protection_uk) on Dec 20, 2018 at 9:10am PST

This year was also a fantastic year for animal rights! Here are some of our favorite victories.

16. Canada made cosmetic testing on animals illegal. Finally!
17. California passed historic farm animal protection laws, which set new space requirements for chickens, pigs, and cows – and banned the sale of caged eggs from 2022.
18. PETA persuaded a leading global manufacturer of flavors, colors and fragrances, Sensient Technologies Corporation, to ban all animal tests not required by law.
19. Air Canada ended their sale of SeaWorld tickets!
20. After a multi-year battle, the Senate finally banned whale and dolphin captivity in Canada.
21. Leading beauty brand, Dove, officially went cruelty-free!
22. Activists managed to pressure a South Korean dog slaughterhouse into closing.
23. And, hundreds of retailers banned mohair!

Yep, 2018 was a fantastic year. We can’t wait to see what 2019 will bring!