Living Humane Online

Show Notes: First we heard briefly from Kelly Rutherford of My Voice, who told us about their company, which sells unique goods with humorous quotes “from the animals”.  See their entire line of products on their website – and part of the proceeds go to animal welfare organizations! Roy Glidden of Beanfields Next, we chatted with Roy Glidden of Beanfields, makers of Bean & Rice chips.   This is the hottest snack food on the proverbial vegan block.  Roy told us all about the vegan snacks that Veg News called  “The Vegan Answer to Doritos!” Then, no count down to Vegfest would be complete without an interview with Stewart Rose, VP of the Vegetarians of Washington! Stewart knows everything about Vegfest, and we asked him to ‘spill the beans’! About our guests: Roy Glidden, Co-Founder & Vice President of Beanfields, LLC. A 22 year veteran of the natural products industry, Roy began his career in 1989 teaming up with his brother Reed to start Choice Sales and Marketing in Chicago, where he served as Midwest Regional Sales Manager. He later moved to Florida and pioneered the Southeast Region for Choice, where he served as the Southeast Regional President of Choice Marketing for 10 years. After the sale of Choices’ Southeast division, Roy joined Galaxy Nutritional Foods, Inc. where he served as Director of Natural Sales for 7 years, before leaving to re-join his brother Reed and sister Liza to start Beanfields.  Roy’s knowledge and experience in the food industry, along with his life-long passion for good food have made him a valuable asset in the creation and development of Beanfields. Stewart Rose is an Orthodox Jew originally from New York, who moved to the Pacific Northwest 20 years ago. He and his wife Susan were spiritually inspired to become vegans many years ago.  He enjoys helping others learn about the many benefits of a vegetarian diet, for their health and the well-being of the world they live in.  He is vice president of the non-profit Vegetarians of Washington, the largest regional vegetarian organization in the country. Vegetarians of Washington is a nonprofit organization made up of people from all walks of life, but you don’t need to be a vegetarian to join!  They provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere where everybody proceeds at their own pace.  Their monthly dinners at the Mount Baker Club in Seattle, are popular opportunities to enjoy delicious food from a different local restaurant, caterer, or chef each month.  (Dinners cost $15 plus tax for members and $20 plus tax for guests & nonmembers.) Free nutrition and cooking classes are offered at a variety of locations around the Puget Sound.  Members receive a free subscription to the monthly magazine Vegetarian Times and can take advantage of a comprehensive discount program.

Show Notes: Listeners!  Remember to take our Living Humane survey! On this week’s show, we had a cameo appearance by Pascaline Clerc from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), who told of exciting news out of the European Union – they have banned the marketing of cosmetics and personal care products tested on animals!  HSUS is celebrating this in conjunction with Humane Society International by hosting the first-ever Be Cruelty Free week (link directs to Facebook page).  You can also visit the Humane Society Be Cruelty Free page to sign a pledge saying you won’t use products tested on animals, either! We then chatted with Ryan Kellner from MightyO Donuts in Seattle, the makers of the all organic, vegan sweets that we, frankly, depend on here in Seattle to survive.  Then, in lieu of having my sweet 16-year-old dog Duchess give her glorious review of V-dog, we spoke with Darren Middlesworth, Food Product Development and Director of Marketing for V-dog, LLC.  Read about the latest research about domestic dogs having evolved the ability to digest starch, as mentioned on today’s show by Darren: 1.             E. Axelsson, A. Ratnakumar, M.-L. Arendt, K. Maqbool, M. T. Webster, M. Perloski, O. Liberg, J. M. Arnemo, Å. Hedhammar, et al., The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet, Nature 2013. doi:10.1038/nature11837 2.             B. N. Sacks, S. K. Brown, D. Stephens, N. C. Pedersen, J.-T. Wu, and O. Berry, Y chromosome analysis of dingoes and Southeast Asian village dogs suggests a Neolithic continental expansion from Southeast Asia followed by multiple Austronesian dispersals, Mol Biol Evol 2013. doi:10.1093/molbev/mst027 Ryan Kellner, Founder of MightyO Donuts About our guests: Ryan Kellner grew up traveling and living around the world gaining a unique perspective of people, cultures and the environment.  He studied geology in college, and afterward worked in and outside the field of geology, while always ready to go someplace new.  He pursued other passions as well such as teaching English in Mexico, volunteering on farms in Central America, and teaching science to inner city kids in the U.S.  After settling in Seattle, he followed his aspiration to build a business (MightyO Donuts), and when not at work, he loves to spend his time outdoors hiking, biking, snowboarding, taking long walks, and hanging out with his wife Megan, daughter Sakura and son Leo. About MightyO Donuts: Mighty-O started in 2000 with a simple idea to build a sustainable business. Our intention was to make an honest living while being mindful of people and respectful of the environment. We weren’t interested in producing anything that would just end up in a landfill or contribute to the pollution piling up in the world.  Experiencing the Northwest culture, the burgeoning organic food movement, and sharing thoughts with our friends and community, we were inspired to create an organic donut.  We couldn’t find anyone making a donut the way we envisioned.  A sweet treat with no chemicals, no genetically modified organisms, and no animal products—something everyone could enjoy.  Best of all: people love donuts.  Read more about MightyO here! Darren Middlesworth Darren Middlesworth is the Food Product Development and Director of Marketing for V-dog, LLC, an all vegan dog food company, and head trainer at PlantFit Corporate Health and Wellness in San Francisco, Calif. Darren has a BS in Exercise Physiology from UC Davis, as well as a Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University.  He is a Certified Personal Trainer. NASM. ACE. and Certified Flexibility Trainer. NASM.  He also works as a Injury Free & Barefoot Running Coach. About V-dog: We love Dogs of all sizes, shapes and scruffiness. Actually we love all animals, including cows, pigs and chickens – we don’t discriminate. Our mission is one of compassion for all animals and for our great green planet. We are grateful for the opportunity to educate dog owners and spread our passion through our 100% animal-free and cruelty-free V-dog food. Our first commitment is to the health of dogs and we’ve done our research – Dogs are truly omnivorous animals that will thrive on a high-protein nutritiously balanced plant-based formula. Our second commitment is to minimize our contribution to Global Depletion. With an estimated 80 million dogs in the USA alone, a vegan dog, like a vegan human, leaves a much smaller paw print on our environment for reasons outlined on our website & eco-friendly packaging.      

Rachel Bjork, President of NARN SHOW NOTES: Today’s show began with a short chat with Andrea Logan from Valley Animal Partners, who told us about their Barko (Bunko) Bash, a fundraiser the group is having on March 23 from 1-4 p.m. at the Si View Community Center in North Bend.  The fundraiser benefits low-cost spay-/neuter operations for pets in the Snoqualmie Valley.  You can purchase tickets at the door or at local vendors in the North Bend area.  Read more on the group’s website here: http://valleyanimalpartners.com/upcoming_events Today’s guests on the call-in show, to whom we are very grateful, were: Rachel Bjork, Board President of the Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN).  NARN  is a Seattle-based animal rights organization dedicated to ending the exploitation of animals by raising awareness of animal suffering in the food, entertainment, experimentation, and fashion industries since 1986. Their efforts include outreach, demonstrations, litigation, and educational events.  Through their education and service, they work within our local, regional and global community to make a positive impact, and work with other like-minded groups, organizations, companies, and individuals to provide both strength of community and of unified support. NARN board member, Franziska Edwards, became a vegetarian the day she adopted her first dog from a shelter in Italy. That dog made her realize that there was no important difference between him and any cow, pig or chicken. She just didn’t KNOW them as individuals. Her first daughter was seven-years-old at the time. Franziska explained why they were not going to eat meat anymore and her daughter was completely on board. It took another year of eating fish before she suddenly realized that in matters of suffering, fish are no different to cows, and she stopped eating seafood, too. Franziska has been a vegan for over 10 years and her three daughters are also  vegan/vegetarian. After spending 12 years in the South, in Texas, Franziska has now lived in Seattle for 14 years and loves it.  She has worked as an activist for 30 years, and worked in an animal shelter for ten, many of which were as a cruelty investigator. Fernando Cuenca was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. He was active for a number of years in local anti-bullfighting campaigns before co-founding the vegan advocacy group Verdadera Compasión (True Compassion). After moving to the Pacific Northwest, he’s currently active, along with his wife Christina, as co-organizer of the Seattle Vegan and Vegetarian Families Group. Together they raise vegan-since-birth son Luciano. Fernando also does volunteer work to raise Vegetarianism Awareness at his workplace. Some links related to questions that came up on today’s show: Meatless Meals for Working People by Debra Wasserman.  Fernando recommends this book for quick and easy meals, ready in less than 30 minutes.  All of the recipes are vegetarian or vegan. Some vegan Persian recipes: My Persian Kitchen Vegan Eats and Treats  

Show Notes: Today’s show began with a short chat with Lauren Glickman of the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project about their upcoming fundraiser, the SpayGhetti and No-Balls Dinner on April 7.  It is an all-vegan fundraiser for the group, who provide low- and no-cost spay and neuter surgeries for cats across the Puget Sound area.  Read more and register for the event here! Later in the show, we spoke to Kathleen Conlee about how in recent months chimpanzee research in federal laboratories has come under scrutiny. Now, thanks to the advocacy of many organizations, over 100 chimpanzees used in medical experiments are being retired.   Kathleen shared the challenges of helping all chimpanzees in federal and corporate laboratories and the new challenge of caring for the newly retired chimps. Kathleen is Vice President for Animal Research Issues for The HSUS and oversees the wide array of activities that the HSUS carries out on behalf of animals in laboratories, with the long-term goal of replacing the use of animals in harmful research. Kathleen Conee of The HSUS (credit: Michelle Riley/The HSUS) Specific efforts of the Animal Research Issues department include ending the use of chimpanzees in invasive experimentation and retiring chimpanzees to sanctuary through the Chimps Deserve Better Campaign; ending the use of animals for chemical and product testing, including through our Be Cruelty Free cosmetics campaign; eliminating pain and suffering in animal research; and pressing for development and application of alternatives to the use of animals in research, testing, and education/training Before joining The HSUS, Conlee worked for seven years at a primate breeding facility as the manager of breeding and behavior, managing a colony of 3,000 individuals, including four macaque species, owl monkeys, and lemurs. In this position she used environmental enrichment and other methods to reduce captive stressors, cared for psychologically disturbed individuals, and managed the nursery facilities. She also did contract work with the National Institutes of Health.  More about Kathleen here.  

Show Notes: This week we celebrated living vegan with Anika Lehde, the founder and primary author of Vegan Score, Seattle’s premiere vegan blog, and singer, songwriter, composer and recording artist, Coreena, a dedicated vegan, spiritualist and environmentalist.  We got to know these inspiring women and celebrated being vegan. Our show began with with a call from Yolanda Morris of Pawsitive Alliance who spoke about Pawsitive Futures, the group’s annual celebration and fundraiser.  Proceeds go to support adoptions and spay/neuter for a variety of animal care groups state-wide.  The event will be held at Portage Bay Cafe in Souht Lake Union in Seattle on March 9 from 6:30 – 9.  Tickets are $45 and you can learn more at the Pawsitive Alliance homepage. About our guests:   Anika Lehde Anika Lehde the primary writer behind Seattle Vegan Score, a vegan life style blog and co-founder of Lion’s Share Industries – a vegan graphic art t-shirt company. She is also on the board of the Northwest Animal Rights Network, a local non-profit that advocates for veganism and the end of animal exploitation in the Puget Sound area. In her spare time she is the co-owner of a high-tech marketing firm with offices in the Seattle, Toronto, Philadelphia and London. She is a proud graduate of Seattle University with a degree in History and Womens Studies and has been vegan since ~1993. She lives on First Hill with her gentleman friend Kirby, their dog daughter Louise, and two frogs, Bun and Naynay. Coreena in the KKNW Studio! Singer, songwriter, composer and recording artist, Coreena puts all her creative energy into everything she does. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Coreena discovered early on that she had a penchant for singing. She says she sang “all the time” and started making up her own songs at eight years old. She went on to perform in high school musicals and was later accepted into Berklee in Boston. Coreena performed live and recorded an EP project called “Emotions” on the indie music label cgmusic productions which garnered press and good reviews. Life (and her musical destiny) led Coreena to move back home to Seattle and to reinvent herself musically as an artist in the rich and diverse genre of Electronica. Her previous jazz beginnings are still there in the mix, but she’s added a layer of ambience fused with dissonant harmonies and soprano vocal range. Within her new music, Coreena (a dedicated vegan, spiritualist and environmentalist) touches on issues that include reaching your potential, the environment, and even a little bit of a nod to love-song lyrics here and there. Coreena is a new breed of music artists, her sonic blend of electronics combined with backbeat rhythms, infusion harmonies and melody makes her an artist you don’t want to miss on record or in a club. (Bio by Carl Cunningham)

Show notes: Today’s show began with a brief phone conversation with Rick Hall from the Washington Alliance for Humane Legislation (WAHL), who alerted us to two new bills introduced into the State Legislature this week, HB 786 (which focuses on creation of an animal abusers database) and HB 1787 (which would introduce a tail docking ban on dairy cows).  You can learn more about these bills on the Inside Bainbridge site. Will Anderson Our guests on todays’ show were Will Anderson, author of the book the This Is Hope: Green Vegans and The New Human Ecology and Julie Mihalisin, founder of The New Health Club – an online resource for people who want to increase their intake of whole, plant-based foods. About our guests: Will Anderson’s formal entry into environmental nonprofit (NGO) work was in his 1978 founding of Greenpeace Alaska, in Anchorage, Alaska. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed to the national board of directors of Greenpeace USA. Since then, his long career in campaign management spanned  both the environmental and animal welfare sectors for a number of additional organizations including Earth Island Institute, Maine Animal Coalition, and the Progressive Animal Welfare Society. National organizations, including the Animal Welfare Institute and Earthjustice, utilized Will as a consultant. He also co-founded Ecology House and Ecology House Franchises, a small chain of six retail stores in three states. In 2009, he founded the nonprofit organization Green Vegans / The New Human Ecology.  In late 2012, Will completed his book, Green Vegans and the New Human Ecology / How we find our way to a humane and environmentally sane future, published by John Hunt Publishing / Earth Books. julie   Julie Mihalisin and husband/business partner, Philip Walling are building The New Health Club – an online resource for people who want to increase their intake of whole, plant-based foods. The couple will inspire people with short, entertaining videos that introduce the High Impact Diet, which can reverse common chronic conditions like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer. Using visualization tools that show the connection between personal and global health, users will see the impact they have on water conservation, carbon reduction and more while they watch their own health improve. This is a great opportunity for people familiar with the lifestyle to share their knowledge, cheer others on, and see how much impact they have racked up, too. The New Health Club is soliciting feedback from people at all stages of interest with a simple survey on their website. You can find it on the “Updates and Feedback” page at www.TheNewHealthClub.com.    

Show notes: AWESOME NEW VEGAN EVENT COMING ON TUESDAY! Make sure to check out Tipsy Vegan Tuesday at Lucid Lounge this coming Tuesday – a new collaboration between Lucid, Wayward Vegan Cafe, and featuring live music this month by Br’er Rabbit! Tipsy Vegan Tuesdays (1st Tues of every month) Lucid Lounge  5241 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105 206-402-3042 info@lucidseattle.com 6 pm to 12 am Bus lines #71, 73, 43 (and more a few blocks away) and they run late! Read more on the Facebook event page Today we spoke with with Rick Hall and Andrea Logan from the Washington Alliance for Humane Legislation (WAHL), a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the passage and effective implementation of humane animal welfare laws, regulations, and policies in Washington State and to educate the public about animal welfare issues. Andrea Logan and dog Rick Hall and Molly Andrea Logan is a founder of the nonprofit organization Pawsitive Alliance, serves on the board of directors for the nonprofit organizations Washington Alliance for Humane Legislation and Valley Animal Partners, and is a volunteer with the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project. Rick Hall serves on the board of directors of Washington Alliance for Humane Legislation and is a member of the advisory board of the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project. We chatted with Rick and Andrea about their work during this legislative session.  Of note, this coming Tuesday and Wednesday, committees for our state legislature in Olympia will be considering a spay/neuter assistance bill in both the House and the Senate.  WAHL has worked diligently on this piece of legislation and many others. The Spay/Neuter Assistance Bills are SB 5202 in the Senate and HB 1229 in the House. WAHL is also actively working on two sets of animal cruelty bills in this legislative session, SB 5204/HB 1202 and SB 5203/HB 1201. You can learn about how to help get these bills passed by clicking here! You can also check out here for more information on other humane legislative efforts: Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies Conservation Northwest Wolf Haven International

Show notes: This week’s show began with a cameo by Stewart Rose, Vice-President of Vegetarians of Washington, who told us about volunteering at the upcoming VegFest, to be held March 23 and 24 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall.  It looks like it will be another amazing VegFest year! Lauren Glickman and Lyle the Cat We next spoke with Lauren Glickman, Executive Director of the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project (FCSNP).  She told us about FCSNP’s unique facility, their services and the important role that high volume/high quality spay/neuter services for cats plays in our community.  Lauren has been working in the heart of animal welfare since 1998. She is currently the Executive Director of the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project in Lynnwood, WA.  She is also the founder and principal consultant of FORAY Consulting & Associates which was founded to provide affordable services to those who work for our communities toughest and most worthy missions. Lauren completed a B.A. in geography from Clark University and then became a Peace Corps Volunteer spending two years working with farmers in rural Nicaragua.  She then served as the Volunteer Program Manager at the Progressive Animal Welfare Society and moved on to work as a Project Manager for the Maria Norbury Fund for Animals.  Lauren served on the board of directors for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and Crooked Trails.  Lauren earned a masters degree in Applied Behavioral Sciences from the Leadership Institute of Seattle with a focus on systems theory and organization development. She shares her home with her two cats, Moja and Little Sweet. In the last half of the show, we talked with Ben Greene, local Seattle fitness trainer and co-author of  The Vegan Athlete: Maximizing Your Health and Fitness While Maintaining a Compassionate Lifestyle. Ben was born in Kingston, New York, and grew up with his parents, three older brothers and little sister. Being born with Cerebral Palsy (CP) made sports, and life, just difficult. Ben’s CP left him with a right leg that has a permanent limp and pain, but his family never let him quit or give up and neither has he. Health & fitness became his passion during high school.  He started off lifting weights, but his level of fitness has since gone to another level. Since 2009 he has completed two Iron Distance Triathlons (140.6 miles), three Marathons, one Ultra marathon and numerous other endurance events. He moved to Seattle in May of 2011.  He currently owns a personal training business called Greene Multisport.  He is also in the process of opening a vegan friendly training studio in Capitol Hill.  His ultimate goal is to inform people about veganism and its benefits. Ben has been vegan for 2.5 years, and says, “At this point I could never go back to a standard diet.”

On today’s show, we spoke with Lorrie Kalmbach-Ehlers, Executive Director of Northwest Spay & Neuter Center (formerly known as Coalition: HUMAnE Spay & Neuter Clinic), and Gretchen Anderson, Board Secretary of BullsEye Dog Rescue. Lorrie Kalmbach-Elhers The Northwest Spay & Neuter Center is an organization dedicated to providing the community with low cost, high quality, high volume spay/neuter services.  Lorrie Kalmbach-Ehlers has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Washington and has conducted research for the Department of Defense and co-produced a publication that appeared in Northwest Naturalist.  In addition, she has been employed by many nonprofit organizations including Kitsap Humane Society where she has shared her animal talents as adoption counselor, foster parent and volunteer and Salish Sea Expeditions as Director of Outreach and Operations.  Lorrie’s volunteer endeavors also include co-founding BullsEye Dog Rescue in 2004, of which she is currently the Board President and also serves as Board Treasurer for the Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies.   She lives in Port Orchard on a small farm affectionately named “The Funny Farm” with her 4 permanent resident dogs and an ongoing rotation of foster puppies, two cats, two goats, one 40 year old tortoise, three horses, a flock of chickens and a couple ducks, one young boy that loves them all dearly, not to mention her very patient husband. In 2003 Gretchen Anderson and her partner, Jennifer, moved out of apartment life into their first house with the idea of bringing a dog into their lives. Gretchen was thinking small dog (Chihuahua). Jennifer was thinking BIG dog (Great Dane). They compromised and decided a medium dog was perfect! After doing a lot of research on breeds, they decided it was time to meet some Pit Bulls! They went on a meet-n-greet at Lorrie’s home and fell head over heels for two dogs, Kaiser and Dakota. How could they decide? How about adopting both?! Welcome to the fabulous world of pit bulls! Gretchen immersed herself in the world of pit bull rescue and soon found she had a passion for this breed like no other.  When Lorrie and Maggie started up BullsEye Dog Rescue Gretchen soon joined them and has since become the Board Secretary. Gretchen and Jennifer have two pit bulls, a Shih Tzu, a Pekignese (she got her small dogs!) and one cats.  All have been rescued. This pack usually includes at least one foster dog (usually two and sometimes three) at all times. Gretchen can never get enough pit bull lovin’!

On today’s show, we spoke with Alison Ozgur, a dietitian with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine; David Lee, the co-founder and president of the Field Roast Grain Meat Company; and Amanda Strombom of the Vegetarians of Washington. Alison spoke with us briefly about the 21 Day Kickstart, an awesome online information and support program for those interested in transitioning to a plant-based diet.  You can learn more at: http://www.21daykickstart.com http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/kickstart/ or download the iPhone app from the Apple App Store here! We also chatted with David Lee,  the co-founder and president of the Field Roast Grain Meat Company.  In the late 1980’s, Chef David Lee established Seattle-based FareStart (originally named Common Meals), a culinary job training program with the mission of serving and supporting the city’s homeless and disadvantaged populations. His innovative approach involved cooking nutritious, culturally authentic and familiar foods for those in need. While he grew FareStart into a highly successful nonprofit, David launched FoodCircle, which was the first and longest running online community of professional chefs and cooks from around the world. His interest soon turned to creating vegetarian meats — specifically, how Buddhist monks developed Mien Ching, or “Buddha’s Food,” which perfectly aligned with their values of kindness to all beings. David began experimenting with Mien Ching ingredients. His European culinary background and love of strong, bold flavors helped inspire the creation of Field Roast, a charcuterie-style vegetarian grain meat.  In 1997, he established Seattle-based Field Roast Grain Meat Company with brother Richard Lee.More about David here. We were also joined in the studio today by Amanda Strombom of the Vegetarians of Washington. Amanda Strombom was inspired to become a vegetarian after reading the book Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. She is originally from England and holds a Masters degree from Cambridge University.  She came to Washington 16 years ago, where her interest in vegetarianism continued to grow. As president of Vegetarians of Washington since 2001, she devotes a major portion of her life helping people to change their diets. About the Vegetarians of Washington: Vegetarians of Washington is a nonprofit organization made up of people from all walks of life, but you don’t need to be a vegetarian to join!  They provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere where everybody proceeds at their own pace.  Their monthly dinners at the Mount Baker Club in Seattle, are popular opportunities to enjoy delicious food from a different local restaurant, caterer, or chef each month.  (Dinners cost $15 plus tax for members and $20 plus tax for guests & nonmembers.) Free nutrition and cooking classes are offered at a variety of locations around the Puget Sound.  Members receive a free subscription to the monthly magazine Vegetarian Times and can take advantage of a comprehensive discount program. Amanda, together with vice-president Stewart Rose, has written and edited four books as leader of Vegetarians of Washington, including a guidebook to vegetarian and veg-friendly restaurants and shopping, Vegetarian Pacific Northwest; a cookbook featuring delicious recipes from local restaurants and chefs, The Veg-Feasting Cookbook; an informative book on the many benefits of a vegetarian diet, The Vegetarian Solution; and their most recent book, Say No to Meat, which is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of becoming a vegetarian, written in an easy question-and-answer format. Vegetarians of Washington organizes the biggest vegetarian food festival in the country every year.  This year, the twelfth annual Vegfest, takes place at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on March 23rd and 24th, 10am to 6pm. With over 500 different kinds of free food to sample, everyone is sure to discover a wide selection of delicious vegetarian foods they enjoy.  Doctors like this year’s speaker Dr. Michael Greger, will be explaining the many health benefits of eating less animal products, and the free health checks and artery scans are sure to give many the motivation they need to change their diets. Delicious cooking demonstrations are hosted by experienced chefs from PCC Natural Markets, and an abundance of vegetarian nutrition books and cookbooks will be available to purchase. Clowns and special kids’ activities make this an event that everyone can enjoy. Tickets are only $8, and kids 12 and under get in for free. As the interest in healthy vegetarian food continues to grow, Vegetarians of Washington provides a warm and caring community for people to learn and share their experiences of moving toward a vegetarian diet. For more information, visit www.vegofwa.org or call 206 706 2635.