The vegan snack brand Hippeas, so named because of their use of chickpeas, has recently received an investment for a minority stake from Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor, famous for failing to win an oscar until 2016, has long been suspected a vegan, but, due to his private nature, has yet to confirm this.
However, for many years DiCaprio has been an environmental activist and he used his acceptance speech for Best Actor at the 2016 Oscars ceremony to highlight the importance of addressing climate change. DiCaprio’s endorsement of the snack brand is just one of the many positive actions we’ve seen those with influence and power take recently. Others include a 22-days vegan pledge made by Danish politicians and Barack Obama’s recent speech concerning the effects of meat consumption on the environment.
Leonardo DiCaprio: The Environmental Activist
Following some successes early on in his career with films such a Titanic and Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo + Juliet, DiCaprio established the Leonard DiCaprio Foundation who ‘[are] dedicated to the long-term health and wellbeing of all Earth’s inhabitants.’ Largely the foundation are committed to decreasing the impact of climate change.
The foundation’s current projects include protecting sharks and rays, attempting to address the effects of overfishing and protecting the wolf population in the Pacific Northwest. Previously, Gwyneth Paltrow has commented on the influence DiCaprio had over her eating habits having talked to her about ‘how dirty meat is and how bad factory farming is.’
DiCaprio’s was also involved in the making of well-known pro-vegan documentary Cowspiracy, having taken the role of executive producer for the cut that was available on Netflix from 2015.
The documentary highlights the damaging effect animal agriculture has on the earth and the idea that a diet that includes meat is not sustainable for the long term. It seems DiCaprio’s passion for humans to treat their environment with more respect is what drives him to invest his time and money into projects that encourage other people to reduce their meat intake.
Why you need to get happy about Hippeas
Hippeas are a savoury snack made from chickpeas and are described by the company as ‘chickpea puffs’. The snacks come in 5 different flavours including ‘Cheese and Love’ and ‘Far Out Fajita’. The puffs boast many good qualities such as being certified gluten free and vegan whilst also being a source of protein and high in fibre. In addition to this, the company works with Farm Africa, an international organisation who helps farmers in Africa to increase their sales whilst also protecting the environment.
This commitment to Farm Africa means that each delicious bag not only reduces climate change by being vegan but also through the ways in which the chickpeas are sourced. So, you can be happy in the knowledge that your crunchy snack not only helps save animals lives but helps improve the lives of human beings across the globe and the environment around us.
The brand can be found a a number of major UK outlets including Waitrose, Ocado, Holland & Barrett and Superdrug and of course, Amazon.
Photo Credit: Wiki Commons | Cowspiracy | TrendMonitor
