Alaska VegFest 2014 was a Great Success!
Our first-ever Alaska VegFest was a huge success! The excitement over this inaugural event traveled around the country on Facebook and brought media attention in Anchorage. Reporters from 2 television stations showed up and shared their stories on the evening news.
Planning started many months ago, with volunteers stepping up from the beginning to help out. So when Saturday, Sept. 6 got here, we welcomed over 100 people to our day-long event.
Our morning began in the sanctuary at St. Anthony’s Catholic church, which turned out to be a great venue. Julieanna Hever, M.S., R.D., our first speaker, wowed the crowd with information and research about the tremendous health benefits of choosing a plant-based diet. She stressed that these benefits are dependent upon eating whole plant foods: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds -- not vegan junk food like fries, chips, and sodas.
Planning started many months ago, with volunteers stepping up from the beginning to help out. So when Saturday, Sept. 6 got here, we welcomed over 100 people to our day-long event.
Our morning began in the sanctuary at St. Anthony’s Catholic church, which turned out to be a great venue. Julieanna Hever, M.S., R.D., our first speaker, wowed the crowd with information and research about the tremendous health benefits of choosing a plant-based diet. She stressed that these benefits are dependent upon eating whole plant foods: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds -- not vegan junk food like fries, chips, and sodas.
Our 3 speakers: Rae Sikora, Janice Stanger & Julieanna Hever.
Julieanna, who lives in LA, calls herself the Plant-Based Dietitian. She has her own TV show plus 2 books in bookstores (The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant Based Nutrition and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Cooking) and another coming out in January. But don’t let her expert status make you shy away; she, and our other 2 speakers, are fun, approachable, and utterly delightful. Julieanna welcomes your emails through her website: plantbaseddietitan.com.
Lunch: catered by Organic Oasis
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After a delicious lunch in the social hall, catered by Organic Oasis, we were treated to the grounded perspectives and wisdom of our second speaker, Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Using plain English, she helped us all understand the hype and myths around protein so we could finally lay to rest the concern: “But where will you get your protein?” Janice has the wonderful ability to take complex topics and make them simple and understandable. When she’s through talking, you say, “NOW I get it!”
Janice, who also lives in California, is the author of The Perfect Formula Diet. She is one of those rare people who thinks and researches like a scientist but writes and speaks so that everyone can understand her. Check out her blog at . Janice welcomes your emails through her contact page on her website. |
Janice Stanger & Heidi (Delisa's dog)
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Our third speaker, Rae Sikora, shifted the energy with her heart-warming stories about animals. Her stories opened our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to the intelligence and emotions of non-human animals. We see a lot more of ourselves in them when we drop the barriers we often unconsciously hold between ourselves and other species.
Delisa, Heidi and Rae at Reflection Lake, Alaska
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Rae, who lives in Santa Fe, NM. is an expert in helping people bridge the divide between themselves and other people -- and between themselves and other animals. She has done peace work in the Middle East to open hearts and minds between cultures who have generations of distrust keeping them apart. She also co-created a program of Humane Education to help people recognize and live according to their own values.
Rae and her partner, JC, wrote a book called “Plant Peace Daily” which can be purchased online, or downloaded for free on their website: . She welcomes your emails at . |
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Between speakers the fun continued. Toni Truesdell, one of our own Alaska Vegan Society board members, brought people back from breaks into a fun, lively movement activity that kept our energy levels up and got us laughing. We also gave away some fantastic door prizes at the end of each break. Pam Lewis, from Two Sisters’ Greenhouse, donated the vegetables for the gift baskets. Other lucky winners received gift bags with vegan books, herbs, and other treats.
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1 of the many great door prizes.
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Our day ended with a fun cooking demonstration by Delisa Renideo and Phil Eherenman. Phil, who now lives and teaches cooking classes in Homer, drove up to Anchorage to add his humorous touch to the demo with me. We showed how to make delicious Fudgy Black Bean Balls and International Quinoa Salad. Our fantastic volunteers passed around samples for everyone to taste.
Speaking of volunteers -- they were phenomenal! They showed up early in the morning to set up, they handled the registration tables with a helpful and welcoming spirit, they helped with the food, and with the speakers’ and sponsor’s tables, and with the sound system. When anyone needed anything, a volunteer was right there to help. The speakers, who have spoken at many events, were very impressed with the number and quality of our volunteers and how well everything ran.
Our sponsors made it possible for us to take on an undertaking of this size. Our gratitude goes out to Bruce and Becky Roberts, of Bruce Roberts Company, (brucerobertscompany.com) for their very generous support. And another big thank you goes to SJ Klein at Alaska Sprouts, (alaskasprouts.com) for his support. SJ also had a table at VegFest where he gave out delicious samples of his sprouts and locally made tofu.
Speaking of volunteers -- they were phenomenal! They showed up early in the morning to set up, they handled the registration tables with a helpful and welcoming spirit, they helped with the food, and with the speakers’ and sponsor’s tables, and with the sound system. When anyone needed anything, a volunteer was right there to help. The speakers, who have spoken at many events, were very impressed with the number and quality of our volunteers and how well everything ran.
Our sponsors made it possible for us to take on an undertaking of this size. Our gratitude goes out to Bruce and Becky Roberts, of Bruce Roberts Company, (brucerobertscompany.com) for their very generous support. And another big thank you goes to SJ Klein at Alaska Sprouts, (alaskasprouts.com) for his support. SJ also had a table at VegFest where he gave out delicious samples of his sprouts and locally made tofu.
Fall colors near Matanuska Glacier.
My husband, Charlie, and I had the honor of hosting all 3 of the speakers at our home. We had a great time sharing the beauty of Alaska with them and getting to know each of them better. We visited Hatcher Pass, Reflection Lake, and the Matanuska Glacier. They all loved Alaska. But our little dog, Heidi, captured their hearts and may have been the most memorable part of their stay at our house.
Reflection Lake
We haven’t yet made plans for our next Alaska VegFest, but we envision this being a regular event and we invite your input!
Plant-based diets are gathering momentum in a world that needs healing. Whether we look at human health, the environment, or compassion for animals, a plant-based diet just makes sense. We, the Alaska Vegan Society, are committed to spreading the word about the benefits and joys of a plant-based diet and lifestyle and connecting with others around the country and the world who are doing the same.
Plant-based diets are gathering momentum in a world that needs healing. Whether we look at human health, the environment, or compassion for animals, a plant-based diet just makes sense. We, the Alaska Vegan Society, are committed to spreading the word about the benefits and joys of a plant-based diet and lifestyle and connecting with others around the country and the world who are doing the same.
Alaska VegFest 2016 is now scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016. Early registration will begin the end of April, 2016. Check the home page for details about this years event.