It’s been a week since I attended VegFest in Orlando, and I’m still processing all the great info that I got! For one thing, it reinforced my decision to make at least a few days a week meatless and buying organic meat for all the other days (see previous post). As I see it, you get three chances a day to do something good for the planet… or in my case, five or six chances (did I mention that I’m constantly eating?!).

In addition to learning about vegetarianism at the event, I also connected with lots of great people who educated me on the happenings in Orlando. Here are a few of my fave findings:

- Audubon Park Community Market opening on December 3rd! (It’s so close, I can walk there! Yay, no car needed!)

- Critical Mass is also here in Orlando (but I missed the ride on Halloween)

- We’ve got some great organic, raw, veggie and vegan restaurants that I have to check out! Ethos, Z-Café, Café 118, Drunken Money, and Infusion Tea, and the Dandelion Communitea (which I’ve been to before).

- There’s a cool organization called Ourlando that strives to create a vibrant and sustainable local living economy.

It was a beautiful day in Loch Haven Park, the sun was shining, and I just loved talking to random, but friendly, strangers at the event and wish I had room in my stomach to eat more of the goodies that were there! (I definitely would have had room for cupcakes, but they ran out, so I’ll just have to visit their store.) Plus I met up with Karla and bumped into Karen there, so it was the perfect Saturday afternoon. (I knew Karen wouldn't want me to put her picture up, so it's just met and Karla here! BTW, I wore my Buy Local tee that day, which some guy really liked and asked me where I got it... ironically, I didn't get it locally, it's from Martha's Vineyard up in MA!)

In my never-ending quest to learn how to save the world, I joined an environmental meetup group and met them for dinner tonight. It was such a great experience!

The people I met were true environmentalists that devote their lives making a difference in the environment by getting down and dirty in regular clean up activities as well as educating others on how to be green.

I learned about an Audubon Society project called Eagle Watch that I'm very interested in volunteering for. I've already emailed the coordinator and am bummed that I'll have to wait until Monday at the earliest to get more information. I guess everyone deserves their weekends!

I also met a man that's running for the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District and got the scoop on the history and inner workings of eco-politics. It was my first true glimpse into the life of a politician working to pass eco-friendly initiatives against the powerful developers with deep pockets. Fascinating!

Needless to say, I enjoyed the discussions (I admittedly did more listening than talking, but I'm learning more!) and the venue was one that I will definitely revisit! We went to Dandelion Communitea Cafe which serves up healthy, organic food with organic libations (that range from loose teas to beer) all in a funky atmosphere that reminds me of my beloved East Village! I had the hearty chili with a curry cashew quinoa pilaf and my tummy was very happy!! I also enjoyed a berry elixir tonic--don't ask me what it was because I just know that it was yummy! If you're in the area, I highly recommend you stop by... they also have live music and lots of community events. You may even see me there with my new environment buddies!