The Daily Valet. - 3/21/22, Monday

✔️ Where are the Happy Places?

Monday, March 21st Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Yesterday was the vernal equinox, which means Spring has sprung.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

The World’s Happiest Countries

The list probably won't surprise you

With the world in a state of upheaval, we could all use some happy news, right? The United Nations has released its 10th annual World Happiness Report, with several Nordic counties topping the list.

The report—which ranks global happiness in more than 150 countries around the world—is released every year by the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The statisticians base the ranking on data from the Gallup World Poll along with other factors, including levels of GDP and life expectancy.

According to NPR, the study asks 1,000 respondents from each country to assess their lives on a scale of zero to 10, “with zero being the worst possible life they could have expected to have, and 10 being the best.”

Americans got a bit happier last year, but they’ve still got nothing on the Finns. Finland topped the list for the fifth consecutive year, with an average life evaluation score of 7.821. Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Norway also made the top 10 (while the United States ranked 16th with a score of 6.977).

And with two years of pandemic data on the books, the report has uncovered something unexpected. “The big surprise was that globally, in an uncoordinated way, there have been very large increases in all the three forms of benevolence that are asked about in the Gallup World Poll,” John Helliwell, one of the report’s founding editors, told CNN.

“We found during 2021 remarkable worldwide growth in all three acts of kindness monitored in the Gallup World Poll,” another editor told Travel + Leisure. “Helping strangers, volunteering and donations in 2021 were strongly up in every part of the world, reaching levels almost 25% above their pre-pandemic prevalence.” How’s that for a happy ending?

↦ Dig Deeper: In 2017, The Week argued that the U.S. has a lesser score because we “are demanding, complain when dissatisfied ... and produce the hard-driving entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs who push the technological frontier so Europe doesn't have to.”

A Deadly Stalemate

As Mariupol faces a Russian onslaught, the hope for negotiations becomes murky

After more than three weeks, the war in Ukraine has reached a stalemate, and Russian forces are making only small gains, reports the New York Times.

Firing rockets and bombs from the land, air and—probably for the first time—from warships in the Sea of Azov, Russian forces broadened their bombardment of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol over the weekend. As it continued its barrage, Moscow demanded that Ukrainians put down their arms and raise white flags early Monday in exchange for safe passage out of town.

The Institute for the Study of War, a widely respected D.C. research group, has concluded Ukrainian forces have defeated the initial Russian campaign of this war. The report says, “the campaign aimed to seize Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and other major Ukrainian cities to force a change of government in Ukraine ... that failed.”

But they also propose that if the war settles into a stalemate condition, it “will likely be very violent and bloody.” Which is why President Zelensky renewed his position that he is willing to negotiate with Russia. If not, Ukrainians are otherwise willing to continue defending themselves, he said. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday that the Ukrainian resistance, fortified by Western weapons delivered to them, has put Russian forces “into a wood chipper.”

↦ Meanwhile: Some Chernobyl workers were finally allowed to leave after 600 hours inside plant.

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Has Plant-Based Meat Peaked?

Less demand despite more fake meat options and awareness than ever

Recent reports suggest there's a growing realization among consumers (and industry insiders) that predictions of a meatless future—one in which steaks, bacon, chicken nuggets and other foods made from dead animals will be supplanted by plant-based imitations may've been based on wishful thinking.

So what's going on? We're coming up on five years since burgers from Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat established our modern perceptions of meatless meat. And they've undeniably made serious inroads: Most major chains now have at least one plant-based option.

But the hope that we'd replicate meat so perfectly that we could do away with meat entirely—eradicating the world of all of meat production's environmental and ethical issues—isn't coming true. The Financial Times reports that U.S. sales of plant-based meat overall actually dropped by 0.5% in 2021 after seeing a 46% increase in 2020, representing a significant leveling off.

And sometimes good intentions backfire. Dunkin' halted sales of the Beyond Sausage vegetarian breakfast sandwich at most locations after sales didn't meet expectations. According to Reason, not as many people are as interested in meatless foods as supporters of plant-based and cell-grown meats have predicted. I think the best we can hope for is replacing less imporant meat. Nuggets never felt all that “meaty” in the first place, right? But thinking you could convince a steak lover to give up a medium rare ribeye? That was always just hype.

↦ FYI: Plant-based burgers and meatless lamb are part of a new vegetarian menu served on select Delta flights.

Starbucks Wants to Become the Gas Station of the Future

They’re launching a pilot EV charging network at their stores

This sounds like a pretty genius idea. Starbucks is partnering with Volvo on a pilot program to research the usage and potential scalability of electric vehicle chargers at the coffee giant's stores nationwide.

More than 60 chargers will be installed along a 1,350-mile route from the Denver area to the coffee company's Seattle headquarters. Volvo and Starbucks will monitor stations closely and assess usage by electric vehicle owners to determine potential expansion of the program.

Charging an electric car is still a very different experience from pumping gas—EV owners plug in at home for day-to-day use, but on longer trips, chargers aren't always easy to find. With current charging tech, the process also takes longer than filling up your tank. No one wants to hang out at a highway gas station for half an hour. But a Starbucks with wifi and fresh pastries? Sure.

By 2030, there could be 26 million electric cars in the U.S., which means we'll need more than 10 times as many EV chargers. And charging infrastructure is still viewed as a major hurdle to adoption, so this could really give the EV market a jolt, so to speak.

↦ Meanwhile: In a move toward sustainability, Starbucks is encouraging customers to bring their own cups. But Eater asks, will it really help the environment?

In Other News

↦ Gas Prices: States Take Action to Bring Down Costs at the Pump

↦ Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson Begin Today. Here’s What to Expect

↦ Android Users Can Now Quickly Delete the Last 15 Minutes of Their Google Search History

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

iPhone cameras

The most remote Michelin-Starred restaurant

This flying Tesla

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What We’re Eyeing

They don't make 'em like this anymore. At least, they didn't until now. Dockers just teamed up with the archivist and designer Maurizio Donadi of Transnomadica, who dug into the Dockers archive to reinterpret some legendary pieces through his unique lens. The collection features outerwear and shirt jackets, but the standout for us is the Original Khaki ($180). This is a stitch-for-stitch reproduction of the khakis that the brand launched 35 years ago in Japan. They've got the tailored looser fit and pleats that people search thrift stores for, except these are cut from a soft, cotton/hemp fabric that feels really good on the body. “It really wasn't supposed to be a fashion pant,” Donadi told us. “It's just a casual, comfortable pant made for everyday.”

↦ Want more? 5 stylish items to buy this week