UPDATE: Alright, folks. I think we’re closing up shop! It’s been a pleasure to blog for you this afternoon and see so many fine, veggie-loving faces stop by the C-VILLE booth. Maybe we’ll meet again sometime, but until then, I wish you sunny skies, warm blankets and plenty of fresh veggies to fill your tummy.
UPDATE: Things are starting to wind down a little. The rain is stopping (sort of), and the crowds have died down. I no longer smell the smell of…whatever it is they’re serving over there across the street.
Forty-five minutes to go and we’re all hanging in there! Next door, at the Healthy Living booth, there’s a woman wrapped in a blanket, and across the sidewalk, it looks like the Echo booth has been temporarily abandoned. (Side note: Since I typed this, someone has returned to the booth.)
OH! THIS JUST IN: I do smell something. It smells like spices. (I wish my nose knew more about smells, so I could tell you exactly what it is I smell.)
Betty World Betty is taking home two little cups of dirt with radish seeds planted inside. She’s headed out now, folks. If you missed your chance to talk to her and/or find out what she’s all about, go to www.betterworldbetty.com.
UPDATE: This just in from a few more festival-goers who have stopped by our booth.
"I don’t buy water in plastic bottles. I have my own."
"I found a woodworker to take the walnut trees I cut down on my property."
"I compost!"
"I live in an intentional community."
Such interesting stories we’re getting from passersby. And, in case there are those of you concerned that I haven’t eaten anything today, a lovely woman brought by a bag of yummy cookies, so I’ve been munching on those. I know it’s probably not the most nutritious thing to eat for lunch (or breakfast, for that matter, which I haven’t had today either), but I promise to have something really yummy for dinner. …Something local!
UPDATE: I thought maybe I should give you all a little scene-setting update.
C-VILLE is situated on your right as you enter the park from Market Street, about four or five booths up. From our seat (which has quickly turned into simply "my seat," as ABODE blogger and local food foodie Lisa Reeder has fled the scene), we can see the Integral Yoga booth, the Voices for Animals booth, the Rebecca’s Natural Food booth, and we hear the low hums of some guitar strumming across the park.
Rain is, unfortunately, seeping into our leather cowboy boots (should have doubled up on socks), and our apples are all gone.
Also, we can smell the delicious food being served in the parking lot behind Wachovia and it’s making us a little crabby. Could someone deliver us (read: me) a plate of vegetarian goodness? No tofu, please. (Just can’t used to the texture of that stuff!)
It’s still raining, and getting increasingly colder, but these veggie lovers are troopers! I’m shielded from the rain by a nice blue tent, but the festival attendees are all bundled up in raincoats, boots, umbrellas and I’ve even seen a poncho or two, I think.
Oh! And did I mention there are adorable animals here? Local branches of the SPCA and other animal-centric organizations are walking sweet critters around the park every couple of minutes. As the proud owner of a Corgi mix from the Nelson County SPCA, I’m hoping some of these babies are taken home today and given a nice warm blanket to curl up under.
…Man, that sounds so good right now.
UPDATE: And even more!
An adorable redhead in a bright yellow raincoat and polka-dot skirt said: "I don’t take transportation. I try to walk everywhere. …It takes me 30 minutes to get to class, but that’s OK."
Another greenie said: "I compost!"
And Jann, the mother of yours truly, said: "I turned off all the light before I left the house."
Keep those answers coming! And for those playing along at home, leave your answers in the lovely comment box at the bottom of this page.
UPDATE: More answers to our green-living question!
Chad says he recently retrieved a deceased snapping turtle from the side of the road, brought it home, and made turtle soup!
Lisa says she’s given cloth diapers another try and dresses her newborn in recycled clothes.
One apple-stealer said, "I recycled," when asked. (I think she thought she had to answer in order to take an apple. Ha! Foiled again!)
UPDATE: Just saw someone wearing a black leather jacket. I feel much better, as she didn’t appear to be covered in smashed tomatoes that hardcore vegetarians had thrown at her. (Though I suppose if they were hardcore, they wouldn’t have wasted the tomato. …This is all very foreign to me.)
Good morning, veggie lovers! We’ve taken Green Scene to the streets today. Or, rather, to Lee Park, where vegetarians and green living enthusiasts have gathered to celebrate all that is and comes from Mother Earth. (Was that too much?)
I’ll be your resident blogger today, as Erika Howsare is being green out of town. I promise to do my best—Erika is, after all, C-VILLE’s Eco Queen—but feel free to leave comments and questions at the bottom of this post if I’m not covering all my bases. I’ll be updating this post throughout the day with attendees’ answers to this important question: What green thing have you done this week?
Some answers we’ve gotten so far? Using canvas bags to take to the City Market, putting coffee grinds in the garden and putting up rain barrels. And, just so you know I’m participating, too, I’d just like to say that I walked two blocks here this morning from my apartment with a GIGANTIC box of beautiful Carter Mountain Orchard apples, which we’re giving away at our table! (And which are almost gone—you veggie lovers are greedy! …I kid, I kid.)
Besides the green question, I’ve got a question for you, dear readers: Is it wrong to wear leather cowboy boots to a veggie fest? This question has been plaguing me all morning, but it’s raining today and they keep my feet warm. Should I be concerned that people keep glancing at my legs under the table? Are those looks of disapproval I’m seeing? …Maybe I’m just being paranoid. Being a non-vegetarian in a sea of them is a bit intimidating.
I’ll close for now. Only 10 apples left, and then my little table will be very empty! Come by and see us—Betty World Betty is here, and Lisa Reeder (our ABODE kitchen columnist) is ready to answer some local food questions! Happy greening!