10 Reasons Why You Should Go to Cleveland VegFest (Plus Information You’ll Need to Plan Your Trip)

Karen Davis, PhD is the president and founder of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl including a sanctuary for chickens in Virginia. Her essays appear in Experiencing Animal Minds (2012), Sister Species (2011), Animals and Women (1995), and many other publications on the lives and feelings of animals. Karen and UPC are the subjects of the Genesis Award-winning article “For the Birds” in The Washington Post, and in 2012, she was profiled in “Won’t Back Down” in the Altoona Mirror in Pennsylvania where she grew up. In 2002, Karen was inducted into the US Animal Rights Hall of Fame “for outstanding contributions to animal liberation.”

Carol J. Adams’ talk will include information from her books “The Sexual Politics of Meat” and “Living Among Meat Eaters.” She’ll discuss presumptions about who is vegan (women, non-conforming men), the association of meat with maleness, how meat eaters often create a hostile environment for vegans, and animal rights as a social issue addressing the often-heard accusation of “why aren’t you helping the homeless, etc?”

Carol J. Adams is the author of the ground-breaking classic, “The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory” which focuses on the links between the oppression of women and that of non-human animals. For more than 30 years, Adams has written extensively on vegetarianism, animal rights, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.

Consumers are hearing a lot about alternative systems of producing animals and their by-products for food. Colony cages, barn raised, grass fed, free range, humanely raised/produced, etc. Harold Brown, a former farmer from Michigan will explore these ideas and practices ranging from industrial to back yard.  Are they healthier? Are they better for the environment? Are the animals happier? Farmer Brown will share the practical realities of animal production.

Harold Brown, a character in the documentary Peaceable Kingdom, The Journey Home, spent over half of his life in agriculture.  Growing up on a beef farm in Michigan and later working in the dairy industry Harold has been involved in the behind the scenes operations of food production that uses animals. Today Harold is an activist advocating for sustainable food production, social and environmental justice, animal rights and peace through non-violence.

An inspiring and information-packed lecture that provides responses to everything from “I don’t have time to chop vegetables” and “I tried being vegetarian, but I just craved meat” to “I could give up everything, except cheese” and “Vegans don’t get enough protein.”

An exhilarating speaker, a powerful writer, a talented chef, and a persuasive advocate, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is a bestselling author and expert on living compassionately and healthfully.  Using her unique blend of passion, humor, and common sense to inspire and empower, Colleen addresses the spiritual, social, and practical aspects of a compassionate lifestyle through moving lectures, engaging videos, her podcast, Vegetarian Food for Thought, and her multimedia online program, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge.

Acclaimed author-illustrator Ruby Roth shares her personal journey, exploring the mainstream response to her controversial children’s books as well as her views on the transformative power of veganism. Weaving together health and spirituality, food, politics, and popular culture, Ruby connects the dots between our personal choices and the public realm, revealing how changing our diets can change our lives–and the world we live in. Whether you’re a staunch carnivore or a vegan veteran, Roth inspires us to rethink the status quo and our role in the social and psychological landscape of America.

Featured on the Today Show, CNN, FOX, and NBC, Ruby Roth is an author, illustrator, and activist whose children’s books have received international attention for their sensitive yet frank advocacy of a vegan diet and lifestyle. Roth has degrees in art and American Studies, and for nearly a decade has researched and spoken publicly on animal agriculture, politics, health, nutrition, and the benefits of a vegan diet. Translated into multiple languages, her books–That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals and Vegan Is Love–are the first of their kind in children’s literature and have been praised by parents, leading activists, and celebrities.

Betsy Traben will be talking about raising vegan children, particularly raising a big family of kids. Her kids have been vegan their whole lives. She has 7 children ranging in age from 2 to 16 years old. Betsy will discuss the health aspects, social aspects and financial aspects of being vegan in Cleveland with a large family. She’ll also share her family’s ethical beliefs on why they are vegan (animal rights) and how that has positively formed the children’s beliefs on life in general.

Betsy Traben has been vegetarian for 25 years and a vegan for 13 years. She is the mother of 7 children and has gone through 6 healthy veg pregnancies and natural childbirths (and one China adoption!). The 7 children are all being raised vegan and are very healthy. She is also involved in dog rescue and has 5 dogs of her own. She home schools many of her younger children. She also works part-time as a dog walker and Richmond Heights Clerk of Council.

Let’s get practical! This class provides the knowledge and resources for enjoying healthy plant-based eating. From the new 4 food groups, you’ll be assisted to create your own Weekly Meal Planner and learn how to navigate the grocery store to find the treasures (and avoid the troublemakers!). Featuring a live cooking demo, recipe tasting, and supportive resource materials to take home.

Rebecca is a certified Food for Life Nutrition and Cooking Instructor with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM.org) and has a Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University.  As a nutrition educator, she takes the latest scientific data on nutrition and makes it available to the community by offering classes in a wide variety of settings including the Cleveland Clinic, Metro Health, Parma Hospital Health Education Center, Tri C’s Encore Program, the Cleveland Police, natural food stores, community centers, churches and corporate wellness programs. Among the driving forces in Rebecca’s passion for offering her classes is the powerful link between diet and health, and how by making simple dietary adjustments our major chronic illnesses may be prevented and reversed. She enjoys showing how easy, fun, delicious, and affordable healthy eating can be!

Health and ethical concerns are encouraging more and more Americans to switch to a plant-based diet. Rebecca Gilbert’s presentation shows how easy (and yummy!) it is to make the transition. She shares her insights on cooking and eating out vegan-style. Her talk includes information on easy egg and dairy substitutions, ideas for stocking a vegan pantry, and suggestions for making a vegan diet workable in our lives, both inside and outside of the house.

Rebecca is a former competitive figure skater whose switch to a vegan diet healed her chronic joint pain. She founded the Yummy Plants Vegan Community in 2010 to help people transition to a vegan diet. She has been a featured speaker at the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, Vegetarian Summerfest, and universities.

Learn why animal products, including dairy, eggs, and seafood contribute to the premature death of hundreds of thousands if Americans each year; and learn how to choose the plant-based foods that have the greatest positive impact on health and longevity.

Director of Nutrition for The Coalition for Cancer Prevention through Plant-Based Eating,  based in New York, George has been a Registered Dietitian for over 30 years, having worked at Miami Children’s Hospital, Wesley Woods Nursing Home (Atlanta), and as a Public Health Nutritionist for the State Health Departments of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. He has taught nutrition atFlorida State University, Broward Community College, and Miami-Dade Community College, and now guest lectures frequently at Cornell University in New York.

More and more people are turning to plants as a way to increase their athletic performance. Should you be supplementing? What about timing of meals? How much protein do you need as an athlete? Learn about the basics involved in optimizing one’s health (and workouts) with a vegan diet.

Anya Todd RD, LD is a licensed, registered dietitian specializing in vegan nutrition. A graduate of Case Western Reserve University, Anya completed her internship at the Cleveland Clinic. Anya has worked in every facet of nutrition – community, research, clinical and is now focusing on private practice. Anya writes  a weekly column on health and nutrition, “Ask Anya” on the well-known vegan blog, Your Daily Vegan. She teaches Maternal & Pediatric Nutrition and Vegan Sports Nutrition for the Wellness Forum Institute for Health Studies, and was recently appointed state coordinator of the Vegetarian Dietetic Practice Group for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.