11th Annual Earth Day Celebration - Lawrence, KS

One of the reasons I love living in Lawrence is the hippies. I don't mean that it in a derogatory way, I am hippie myself (peace, love, save the whales and all that). So when Earth Day comes around, Lawrence is the best place in Kansas to be for the annual celebration, now in its 11th year. I am also especially excited because I have a couchsurfer staying with me for the weekend, so I get the unique opportunity to share the incredible green culture of Lawrence with someone from out of town.

The Lawrence Earth Day Celebration works to educate residents, businesses and surrounding communities regarding the importance of responsible environmental policies, raise awareness of each individual’s impact on the natural environment, and highlight actions each person can take to make Lawrence and Douglas County a more sustainable and eco-friendly place to live.

It was a lovely day for a great event, the weather was perfectly sunny and warm but not too hot or cold - I think the planet was doing us a favor for celebrating it that day. We started with the delicious free vegan buffet. There were other options, of course - funnel cakes, tacos, etc. - but why would you want to eat that when you have the opportunity to learn about earth friendly food options? I have to say, the food was great. While I'm not a vegan by any means (I still believe bacon is divine) but anyone considering making the switch would be easily converted by the spread. The best was the "better than tuna salad." Instead of tuna, they replaced it with primarily walnuts as well as other nuts such as chickpeas. It definitely earned its name.

After enjoying our free-range vegan meal, we moved on to the stands. There were stands for children to educate them about being green while having fun, like a stand where you could decorate canvas bags for carrying groceries instead of using plastic bags. There were also educational stands for adults that taught about everything from solar power to green gardening to local recycling programs. My favorite stands were the green gardening stands. I got some free seeds, which makes me very excited because I am working on developing my green thumb.

This was a great event and I see why it has lasted 11 years. The Lawrence community really comes together to celebrate living green in all different ways - whether it is the food you eat, what you plant, how you power your home, or even the beauty products you use. It is definitely worth a trip next year.

Total Time Traveled: 15 minutes

Total Distance Traveled: 4 miles

Soundtrack: 102.1 FM