Compassion & Music Merge

With the success of the recent WorldFest-a healthy living, vegan, music festival held annually in Los Angeles-The Green Dove spoke with Media and Marketing Director Bettina Rosmarino to get a recap on the festivities.

THE GREEN DOVE: How did WorldFest begin?
BETTINA ROSMARINO: In 2001, members of the current production team were involved in the first WorldFest. It started out of a desire to bring compassionate living to people in the form of a fun and relaxed music environment.

TGD: How has it grown?
BR: We’ve had 6,000 attendees in the past, but the 2009 festival was very successful and we hope to build on that to make it larger and even to roll WorldFest, in its current form, out to other cities.

TGD: Have you heard of any cases where non-vegetarian people have completely changed their lifestyle due to WorldFest?
BR: We have heard from previous festival goers that WorldFest had a big influence on their eating habits and that they changed them in one form or another.

TGD: For those who didn’t go what did they miss out on?
BR: People who couldn’t attend WorldFest missed a rousing speech from Capt Paul Watson, star of Animal Planet’s Whale Wars. They also missed some incredible food, just because it’s all vegan, does not mean it isn’t spectacular. And finally, they missed the adorable baby pig who was running around her pen at the Animal Acres tent. Too cute!

TGD: The biggest misconception you think people have about veganism?
BR: That it’s not tasty. In fact, I think that flavors of vegan food are much tastier and fresher and more palatable than the bland, colorless food that’s typical of SAD (Standard American Diet). Also, that vegans are inflexible bores. The environment of WorldFest puts that myth to shame.

From food vendors to eco-clothing retailers, get the lowdown on the latest green goodies that were on show at WorldFest 2009 here.

Bettina Rosmarino has been a tireless worker for animals and the environment for almost 20 years. While animal rights is her passion, she feels that it is inextricably linked with issues involving the environment and social justice and that work in any of these fields benefits them all. Bettina also has a passion for music and educational empowerment that has the power to inspire on an individual level.