Monday, May 2, 2016

12th Annual Green Festival Returns to DC This Weekend


From our friends at the Green Festival Expo...

Largest and Longest-Running Sustainability and Green Living Expo Returns to Washington, DC's Convention Center, May 6-8

Sustainable Living Experts, Green Business Entrepreneurs, Documentary Filmmakers and Others Who Help Shape the National Dialogue about Food and the Environment to Participate in the 12th Annual DC Green Festival Expo

Green Festival, America’s largest and longest-running sustainability and green living event, announced that it will return to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, May 6-8. Marking its twelfth year in Washington DC, the Green Festival Expo has become an annual celebration of green living in the local sustainability community, serving as the city’s most prominent event for green brands and environmentally-friendly lifestyles.

“The 2016 Green Festival Expo will emphasize ways in which consumers can help to mitigate climate change, and will bring together an array of new brands, partners, and speakers to feature the latest in sustainability across the country,” said Dr. Corinna Basler, president of Green Festivals, Inc. “We are excited to make this Mother’s Day weekend about Mother Earth and we will be offering free entrance to moms all weekend long,” she added.


For the first time, Green Festival will screen two documentary films at the Washington, DC festival. The acclaimed documentary, Cowspiracy - The Sustainability Secret, raises awareness of the harmful effects of one of the planet’s most destructive industries, animal agriculture. In partnership with A.U.M. Films, Green Festival will host screenings of Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn’s documentary film, which is currently streaming exclusively on Netflix, produced by Oscar-winning environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson and Appian Way Productions. Additionally, the team behind Love Thy Nature, will be on-site to host screenings of the film, narrated by Liam Neeson which reveals how a renewed connection with nature is key not only to wellbeing, but also to solving environmental crises.

Attendees at the Green Festival Expo can discover and buy everything they need to live a healthier, more sustainable life, from the latest technology and all-natural products to chemical-free household supplies and a wide selection of vegan and vegetarian, non-GMO, organic and artisanal food and beverages. In addition to the Vegan / Vegetarian Food Court, attendees can enjoy hands-on demos, educational activities, and learn from inspirational speakers. The expo features pavilions and green-theme stages, such as the DC Department of Parks & Recreation’s Family Fun Pavilion with interactive educational activities and entertainment for kids; the Valetta SuRae Fitness Pavilion featuring free classes on everything from yoga, boxing & jujitsu, African dancing, to hula hooping; the Embrace Yoga Pavilion featuring dedicated free yoga sessions all weekend long; and the Green Festival Stage and Lifestyle Pavilion highlighting green business entrepreneurs, community leaders and environmental experts.

Some of the pioneering, expert presenters speaking at the Washington, DC Green Festival Expo include:
• Craig Zelizer, CEO & Founder - Peace Collaborative Development Network
• Jeff Garner, Fashion Designer, Artist and Founder - Prophetik Clothing
• John Leary, Executive Director - Trees for the Future
• Annabel Hertz, Author & Advisor - Arch Institute/Global Footprint Network
• John Bruno, Executive Director - The International Ecotourism Society
• John Spears, President - Sustainable Design Group
• Sarah Knapp, Founder -  OutdoorFest

This year, Green Festival will once again host the Green Festival Brand and Community Awards in Washington, D.C which will recognize an exhibitor and a local nonprofit working to create green solutions. The public are now invited to vote online at Greenfestivals.org for their favorite brands and nonprofit organization. Green Festival will also team up with the King Street Cats Rescue & Adoption for the Green Festival-Saves-Lives Campaign. Attendees will have the opportunity to save lives by adopting homeless cats onsite throughout the weekend.

The 2016 Green Festival Expo will be held in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center located at 801 Mt. Vernon Place, in Mt. Vernon Square. Doors open on Friday, May 6, and the show will run through Sunday. The best Metro stop is Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center station on the green and yellow line. Tickets can be purchased online at www.greenfestivals.org and are available for purchase at the show. In celebration of Mother’s Day, mothers gain FREE entry all weekend and youth aged 16 and under are granted free admission. Cyclists who ride their bike to the expo will also have free admission to the show. Discounts are offered for students, seniors and veterans. All tickets provide access to exhibit floor, workshops, speakers and films.

Green Festival DC sponsors include Hidow, MOM’s Organic Market, CozyPure, Kombucha Brewers International-Kombucha Village, VegFund, Savvy Rest and WGL Energy. Additionally, Green Festival’s national and local partners are A.U.M. Films, Forum for the Future, Global Footprint Network, Earth Rights Institute, American Wild Horse Preservation, Natural Awakenings DC, Rodale's Organic Life Magazine, HappyCow, Organic Spa Magazine, Spirituality & Health Magazine, Experience Life Magazine, WomensRadio.com, Sierra Club, Epoch Times, Expert DOJO, The Organic & Non-GMO Report, The documentary film, Love Thy Nature, International Eco Tourism Society,  Nature’s Channel FM, The Vegetarian Resource Group, Green Child Magazine, Grist, Green Divas Radio, Vegetarian Society of DC, WPFW 89.3 FM Radio, DCTV, Pathways Magazine, Green America, Global Exchange, DC Department of Parks & Recreation, My Area Yoga, Indie Food Hub, Green Schools Alliance, WeAct Radio, DC Environmental Film Festival, Embrace Yoga, Washington Gardener Magazine, DC Beer, Outdoor Fest, PCDN, Republic of Change, Vegetarian Resource Group and UpOut DC.

In addition to the Washington DC Expo, this year Green Festival took place in New York City (April 15-17), and will continue onto Los Angeles (September 16-18), San Francisco (November 11-13) and Portland, Oregon (December 9-11.)

About Green Festivals:
Green Festivals, Inc. organizes Green Festival, America’s largest and longest-running sustainability and green living event. Green Festival is a vibrant, dynamic marketplace where companies and organizations come to showcase their green products, services and programs, and where people go to learn how to live healthier, more sustainable lives. Green Festival is inspiring and empowering consumers, communities and businesses to work green, play green and live green. Based in Asheville, N.C., the organization produces Green Festival events in New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland. Learn more at www.greenfestivals.org, and follow Green Festival on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @GreenFestival.