Saudi Arabian Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed just paid a visit to the leading vegan campaign and social venture group in Asia, Hong Kong’s Green Monday.
Green Monday co-founder, David Yeung, shared a picture of himself with the prince. “An honor to host Saudi Prince @khaledalwaleed at Green Common today!!!,” captioned Yeung. “Turned vegan 8 years ago, Khaled is an avid environmentalist and impact investor trying to shift the world towards plant-based and cruelty-free. He hasn’t been to Hong Kong for 8 years so we are particularly glad we gave him a good and green impression. He tried the @beyondmeat Burger and @justforall Just Scramble and was so impressed. He joked that he wants this menu to be in his home!!!”
Alwaleed is known for not only his national royal status but also his many efforts supporting veganism and animal rights. Last month, he revealed plans to open a cruelty-free animated aquarium in Riyadh, the country’s capital. The aquarium aims to modernize the city while offering entertainment to locals and tourists alike. Contrary to many other entertainment outlets, the aquarium will not harm nor be reliant on animal exploitation.
Earlier this year, Alwaleed announced he is also working to open nearly a dozen vegan restaurants throughout the Middle East in a bid to combat the region’s rising obesity epidemic. The prince is also on the board of directors for plant-based food tech startup JUST (formerly Hampton Creek). Mid-last year, the company he founded, KBW Ventures, said it is committed to investing in plant-based proteins and cellular agriculture (also dubbed lab-grown meat or “clean meat“). “My main goal is to relegate factory farming and put it in the dustbin of history. That will happen before I die,” he said.
While Alwaleed dined on vegan meat by the soon-to-be global company, Beyond Meat, and the celebrity-approved plant-based egg by JUST during his travels to Hong Kong, the prince also sampled the plant-forward cuisine of a growing Asian vegan market.
LIVEKINDLY recently partnered with Green Monday in an effort to support the rising vegan community in Asia. The organization runs a program similar to the successful Meatless Monday campaign in the U.S. and Europe, by encouraging the Asian population to embrace plant-based meals once a week to improve personal and environmental health. Within merely six years of operation, Green Monday has mobilized over 1.6 million people in Hong Kong to consciously reduce meat consumption.
Image Credit: greenmonday.david | TriplePundit
