🐛 ← Your dog’s hungry for one of these guys

July 4, 1776, understandably gets a lot of love in American history. Independence being declared is a pretty big deal, after all.

But let’s not forget July 4, 1777, which set the tone for every Independence Day since — everything decked out in red, white, and blue, with feasts aplenty, and fireworks in Philadelphia and Boston.

Bombs bursting in air are baked into American culture, like Sousa marches and food abominations (cold hot dog pie, anyone?).

Yet fireworks’ days may be numbered

Another year down, another collection of cities opting for drone light shows over pyrotechnics:

• Salt Lake City, Boulder, Colorado, and multiple San Diego County municipalities led the way in shelving fireworks in favor of choreographed drones this year.

It’s hard to disagree with the reasoning: fireworks lead to injuries (10.2k were reported in the US last year), generate noise that torments dogs and individuals with PTSD, and produce surprising environmental damage.

Drone shows avoid all of the above — and are also notably less likely to start wildfires, a particularly big selling point across fire-ravaged Western states.

The biggest argument for fireworks…

… aside from sentimentality (and enrichment opportunities for the nation’s ER doctors) is cost.

• One major drone show provider, Sky Elements, says its smaller shows start at ~$20k, though bigger shows can really dent a civic budget — Vail, Colorado, spent ~$100k on its 2022 drone show, per NPR.
• Compare that to the average small-town fireworks show, which Reuters reports costs $15k-$20k.

Coming from the top rope: Per Reuters, the fireworks industry — worth $375m pre-pandemic — still isn’t sweating. American Pyrotechnics Association executive director Julie Heckman came at drones last year like they’re a bad Tinder date: “Drones are pretty, but they’re kind of boring.”

In case you haven’t noticed, the “cutting-edge” tech market has really been living up to its name lately.

The tech sector saw ~165k layoffs in 2022; this year, it’s already seen 212k+, according to tracking site Layoffs.fyi.

Understandably, the market is depressing tech workers’ historically high salary expectations. It’s also pushing many to consider other forms of professional worth, beyond the “net” variety.

The pursuit of app-iness

A recent survey of the Blind community — that is, the anonymous tech career forum Blind — found “56% of tech workers are open to accepting the same or lower pay in a new role” so long as it fulfills another unmet need.

• Other findings: 45% said weathering market conditions were their primary reason; 19% mentioned company culture and work-life balance; 14% cited remote/hybrid workplace preferences; and 13% said career growth opportunities were the real MVP.

Eh? Meanwhile, Canada’s trying to make some sweet maple syrup out of Silicon Valley’s sour situation: The country recently announced plans to attract more digital nomads, as well as 10k American H-1B visa holders and their families, into the country.

The movement to feed pets insect protein is gaining ground — then farming that ground for bugs and feeding them to our pets again.

You know, circle of life and all that.

Insect protein for our pets?

It’s already happening, and this party’s only getting started — the global insect protein market is projected to reach $3.3B by 2027.

• Jiminy’s is working on its Series A, on the strength of a Petco distribution deal for its powdered cricket protein dog food and treats.
• Hope Pet Food recently expanded its “Berry Buglicious” treat line, made from black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) protein.

Why is this happening?

It starts with sustainability — harvesting insect protein requires less land and water than raising traditional animal protein. Insect consumption has long been discussed as a way to combat hunger and food insecurity.

This push to protect global resources has started with US pet food manufacturers, which churn through 8.65m tons of plant- and animal-based ingredients annually.

Cue your “yuck” face…

… but do you think the average dog minds? Most would gladly reserve a table at a sewage facility if they could.

Owners’ minds are shifting. Per Petfood Industry, a study found 55% of pet owners would add insect protein to their pets’ diets after learning more, versus 42% pre-education. That’s up from 36% and 23%, respectively, in 2020.

Price check: Sounding unappetizing and being significantly more expensive will be a challenge for creepy-crawly chefs — Jiminy’s Cravin’ Cricket dry dog food ($5.90/lb) doesn’t compare favorably to Purina Dog Chow ($1.37/lb).