by Dot Cannon
Imagination, compassion, and creativity are all in the program, this weekend in L.A.-
So is a lot of fun,as the Green Festival® Expo returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center at noon on Friday.
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
As America’s largest and longest-running sustainability event, the Green Festival® Expo showcases a wide range of ways to live as citizens of our planet.
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
Presentations on green business, vegan cooking demonstrations and pet adoptions will all be happening throughout the Expo’s three days. Attendees will get to browse products from fair-trade vendors, enjoy sustainable fashion shows and learn from inspirational speakers.’ Artists and entertainers will be performing throughout the weekend.
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
The U.S.’ first Green Festival® started in San Francisco in 2001, as a two-day event. Since then, four other cities have come on board. Washington, D.C. hosted its first Green Festival® in 2006, with Los Angeles and New York premiering theirs in 2010. In 2015, Portland became the most recent addition.
Currently, the Green Festival® is looking into additional host-city possibilities. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles edition has grown from a two-day event to three days, in 2014.
“The Green Festival Expo continues to gain momentum in Los Angeles as new and exciting speakers and celebrities will join an array of brands, partners, and speakers to feature the latest in sustainability across the country,” said Dr. Corinna Basler, president of Green Festivals, Inc., in a recent news release.
Those new speakers include actor and activist Ed Begley Jr., who will be talking about energy efficiency,actress Katie Cleary, who will be hosting an Animal Defenders Panel, and musician/author Moby, who will discuss “Animal Agriculture and the Environment”.
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
New additions and previous favorites
A first-time addition to this year’s Green Festival® will be two new Yoga pavilions: the Xanadu Life and Create/Yoga Pavilion and the Green Yoga Pavilion.
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
The Xanadu Pavilion’s offerings include an Acro Yoga demonstration and a session entitled “All Levels Yoga: Create and Manifest Your Dreams”. Meanwhile, the Green Yoga Pavilion will be offering a variety of yoga styles from local studios, throughout the weekend.
There will also be green-theme stages and pavilions with events and activities throughout the weekend. Free fitness classes in the Valetta SuRae Fitness Pavilion will include everything from hula hooping to African dance.
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
The Green Festival Pavilion and Lifestyle Pavilion will feature green business entrepreneurs, community leaders and environmental experts. A number of environmental documentaries will be screened in the cinema area.
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
And once again, the Agape ISC & Inspired Parenting Family Fun Pavilion will offer interactive educational activities for the youngest environmentalists in attendance.
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
Also, a personal favorite–the Green Festival® Community Award–will once again be featured. Although this one puts us in a terrible quandary, every year.
From five innovative nonprofits, attendees vote for the top one to receive a $5,000 grant! (That’s like choosing between mint-chocolate-chip and rocky road!)
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
Green Festival® organizers tell us the public can vote online this year (here’s the link), but we don’t expect that to make the choice any easier.
In addition, you can vote online for the Green Festival Brand Award, which could qualify your favorite exhibitor to be a Green Festival Brand finalist–and possibly win free booth space at next year’s Green Festival®! Here’s the link for more information.
And–there’s another award competition, for entrepreneurs.
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
Over the course of the weekend, the best startup idea presented at the Expert DOJO booth will win the “Green Dream” Award! The winner receives five thousand dollars worth of startup services offered by the Green Festival B2B Sponsor Expert DOJO. (These include website design, legal services and complimentary admission to their entrepreneur training academy.)
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
And if you get hungry…
Last year’s vegan and vegetarian food court served up some very tasty entrees. Expect this year’s offerings to be even better, as Dr. Basler says vendors have expanded their plant-based selections. “We are excited to…provide even more food options that are healthy for our attendees and that help to combat climate change,” she told reporters in a news release.
(Green Festival Expo® , Los Angeles 2015.)
Of course, one post can’t possibly do justice to the Green Festival®, which currently hosts shows in five cities nationally. (Springtime shows happened in New York and Washington, D.C. Upcoming Expo shows in San Francisco and Portland, Oregon are scheduled for November and December, respectively.) We recommend you come see this for yourself–and find your personal sustainable favorites.
And say hi when you see us. We’ll be on the exhibit floor, trying to decide on our vote for the 2016 Green Festival® Community Award.