Vegan Fest's Dance, Educational Panels Ignite Lower Columbia Park

Berkeley Heights, NJ - On the morning of Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 in Lower Columbia Park, Berkeley Heights Vegan Fest continued its second day of providing education and engaging activities for the general public. To accomplish this, event sponsors Sustainable Berkeley Heights and the Berkeley Heights Environmental Commission (BHEC) offered Educational Panels, a Children's Dance Session, and a display from the Berkeley Heights Mayor's Recycling Task Force.

Educational Panels
Vegan Fest Panelists Mildred "Mitch" Bentler and Lisa McQuilkin, speakers on the "Health-Focused" panel, provided onlookers with insight into why a plant-based diet combined with regular exercise can improve people's well-being. Bentler, the first speaker, dispelled a number of myths associated with the adoption of a more vegan diet. This included the myth that people do not receive enough protein if they forego the consumption of animals and animal products. Bentler noted that due to sufficient amounts of protein in many vegetables, of the many illness that result in death, death as a result of protein deficiency is something that has an extremely low probability of occurrence. In terms of wellness, McQuilkin stressed that regular exercise - including just walking down the street and back regularly - can provide people of all fitness levels with health benefits, no matter their physical fitness condition.

"Planet-Focused" panel speakers also enlightened the audience with their knowledge, providing a deeper dive into why a person's decision to consume animals and animal products as part of their regular diet (such as beef, chicken, milk, butter, and eggs) promotes a system that is not planet-friendly. Lee Hall and Steve Fenster, for instance, explained how demand for animal-based food products fuels the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through their waste products. They also shed light on the deplorable conditions in which most of these animals live, as well as the dangers associated with how their waste products contaminate the environment, particularly following heavy rains. Janette Spiezio also shared with audience members insights regarding how selecting environmentally-friendly home products, including upcycled home goods and non-toxic cleaning products, can help to preserve the environment.

"Vegan Fest was an eye-opener for me," said Natalie Chin who attended both panels. "The panelists gave me a great understanding about the health benefits and environmental impact of adopting a plant-based lifestyle."

Children's High-Energy, Creative Dance Session
While their parents and others attended the Educational Panels, young children learned just how fun exercise can be by participating in a high-energy, creative dance session led by Jenn Eisenberg of Bold Arts Children's Dance Company. Eisenberg and her team worked with girls and boys of all ages so that they not only performed beautifully choreographed routines together to music, but they also engaged in age-appropriate movements so that kids of all ages felt included. Certain routines even incorporated the use of props, such as butterfly wings, to enhance the children's engagement and entertainment factor.

Demonstration of Which Plastics Can or Cannot Be Recycled
Members of the Mayor's Recycling Task Force also manned a large display, complete with physical examples of containers and products made of plastics. Through their interactions with attendees who visited the display, members of the public from the Berkeley Heights community and beyond gained insight into the types of items that should be included in bi-weekly curbside recycling, as well as insight into which items should be considered trash. On display along with these plastics was a large, blue recycling bin of the type being considered for deployment to all Berkeley Heights residents in the near future.

For additional information about Sustainable Berkeley Heights, please visit its webpage at https://www.sustainablebh.org/ and its Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/SustainableBH/

For additional information about the BHEC, please visit its webpage at https://www.berkeleyheights.gov/195/Environmental-Commission and its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BerkeleyHeightsEnvironmentalCommission/