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Culinary Medicine – Lentil Salad
Brightside Kitchen
Transitioning Your Family to Veganism
Monique Koch, Brown Vegan
Kids Zumba 12:30 – 1:00
Seed Planting
Guess the Veg
Why Veganism Is About So Much More Than Not Eating Animals
Callee Ackland
Navigating Teenage Veganism
Kids Cooking Demo
Nikki and Jeff Grim
Adult Yoga
Seed Planting
Guess the Veg
7 Habits of Happy, Healthy Vegans
Ginny Messina, Vegan RD
Seed Planting
Guess the Veg
Transitioning Your Family to Veganism – Monique Koch, Brown Vegan
Main Stage – 12:30-1:15
During her talk, Monique Koch will discuss how she was able to get her husband and kids to embrace vegan life, share tips on how to veganize your favorite dishes, why you should get your family involved in meal planning and grocery shopping, and how to save money and time in the kitchen.
Monique Koch is a vegan lifestyle influencer, podcaster, and YouTube vlogger based in the Washington, DC area.
Her passion is to help everyday people embrace a practical vegan lifestyle with easy recipes and approachable advice.
Monique’s work has been featured in The New York Times and on Good Morning Washington.
7 Habits of Happy, Healthy Vegans – Ginny Messina, The Vegan RD
Main Stage – 2:30-3:15
Ginny Messina, MPH RD, is a dietitian with a master’s degree in public health nutrition from the University of Michigan. She is the author of eight books on plant-based nutrition including Vegan for Life, Vegan for Her, and Never Too Late to Go Vegan. She co-authored The Dietitian’s Guide to Vegetarian Diets, the first textbook on this subject for health professionals, now in a 3rd edition. Ginny has twice co-authored the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Position on Vegetarian Diets, and has published more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles dealing with legumes, phytochemicals, vegetarianism and the nutritional needs of infants and children.
Ginny taught nutrition to dietetic students at Central Michigan University and served as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Loma Linda University. She has worked as a public health nutritionist in rural Michigan, was director of nutrition services for a medical center serving more than 50,000 patients in Washington, DC, and was a nutritionist with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. She is a founding member of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and has served on advisory boards or scientific committees to the Sixth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition, VegMed 2016 conference (Berlin, Germany), Better Eating International, Oldways Vegetarian Network, Vegan Trade Council, VegYouth, Nutrinic, One Step for Animals and Vegetarian Resource Group.
As a nutrition consultant, she currently writes and speaks about vegan nutrition, preventing ex-vegans, and the importance of body positivity in the vegan community. Her most recent book is Protest Kitchen: Fight Injustice, Save the Planet, and Fuel Your Resistance One Meal at a Time. Ginny lives in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts with her husband and a family of rescued cats. For more information visit her website at TheVeganRD.com.
Activism + Iowa Farm Sanctuary – Joy Wilde
Workshops – 11:15 – 12:25
Joy Wilde will detail the importance of fighting for animal liberation in Iowa, the epicenter of animal agriculture in our country. Joy will spotlight activism that is going on in the Des Moines area, and ways we can all use our talents to help other animals.
Joy Wilde was born and raised here in Iowa, the epicenter of animal agriculture in the United States. Iowa is the #1 pig producing state in the entire world, and the #1 egg producing state in the US.
Joy has loved other animals all her life. She volunteered at an equestrian center as a kid, mucking stalls in exchange for time with the horses. As a young adult, she worked as an actor for 8 years, playing 12 different Disney princesses.
Joy has suffered from health issues her entire life, and was finally diagnosed with a rare stomach disease called Gastroparesis in her early 20’s. Eliminating animal flesh from her diet improved her quality of life more than any medication ever prescribed by a doctor.
In 2015, she met her husband, Ace, who educated her on the horrors of the dairy and egg industries— and together they became activists. She’s now been vegan for four years.
Joy and Ace helped start Iowa’s first vegan farmed animal sanctuary, Iowa Farm Sanctuary in 2016. Together they manage the sanctuary’s social media and marketing. Joy is also an organizer for Des Moines Animal Save and Des Moines’ chapter of Anonymous for the Voiceless.
Culinary Medicine – Deanne and Steve Bryce, Brightside Kitchen co-owners
Cooking Demo – 11:30 – 12:15
Join Brightside Kitchen for a mini culinary medicine class focused on resistant starch, what it is, the benefits from a health perspective, and 4 ways to include it in your diet.
Why Veganism Is About So Much More Than Not Eating Animals – Callee Ackland
Main Stage – 1:30 – 2:15
Ecopreneur + podcaster Callee Ackland will discuss “zero waste” and how it goes far beyond fitting all your trash in a mason jar. She’ll share a few easy tips you can implement today to live a greener lifestyle, how veganism + zero waste intersect, what conscious consumerism looks like, and how you don’t have to be an “eco-warrior” to make an impact in your community.
Callee Ackland is a former US Navy Sailor turned zero waste activist + small business owner. In 2016 at age 23, she started Bestowed Essentials, an online marketplace for zero waste home goods, and in 2018, her company opened a brick + mortar zero waste shop, the first of its kind in the state of South Dakota. Callee hosts the Hippie Haven Podcast, where she + other sustainability experts share their tips for living an ethical + eco-friendly lifestyle. Her book, Starting A Zero Waste Business: Everything I Wish I’d Known, will be released in June 2019. In her free time, she travels the United States in a campervan, as she hosts zero waste workshops + eats at every vegan restaurant she can find. Learn more about Callee by following her on Instagram @AHippieInAVan or visit her company website at www.bestowedessentials.com.
Navigating Teenage Veganism
Workshops – 1:30 – 2:15
Panelists: Pahola Gutierrez-Velez, Jenna Stegman, Cat Crane, Jaeden Scheller
Learn how our panelists navigate being vegan in their teenage years. What challenges do they face? What are their tips for making it through? Come with questions to make the most of your time with these young vegan leaders.
Pahola is a freshman in high school who likes to play soccer, sing in church choir and participate in clubs like CORE (Community of Racial Equity) for Advancement. She has been vegan for about 6 months and was inspired by a speaker in her future ready class that talked about obesity, diseases and animal cruelty. She feels healthier and says the switch has improved her performance in soccer! She likes knowing that she is standing up for animals and improving the environment with her food choices. She loves pasta and vegan meatballs.
Jenna is a senior at Ames High School. In her free time she enjoys: Eating, hanging out with friends, reading, learning new things, and working out. She has been vegan for 2 1/2 years (Vegetarian for 4 1/2). She originally stopped eating meat after watching the documentary “Earthlings”, helping her make the connection between the food on her plate and the animal it came from. After that she began to do more research into the dairy and egg industry and decided she wouldn’t allow herself to be the reason any of these animals suffer. Her favorite food seems to change weekly but some of her go to’s are- Rice & Beans, Tacos, Blueberries, Orange Glazed Cauliflower, and Kale Caesar Salad.
Cat is a senior at North High School who plans to go to DMACC for veterinary technology in the fall. Her interests consist of making art, going to poetry slams, participating in activism like vigils or Anonymous For The Voiceless Cubes, and volunteering at Iowa Farm Sanctuary. Cat has been vegan for just over a year after multiple attempts throughout her high school career!
She originally went vegan for health reasons, but after attending a Des Moines Animal Save vigil and seeing the pigs on the trucks she made the connection to her own two pet potbelly pigs and is now vegan for the animals. The more she learned about animal products and the animal agriculture industry, she wasn’t comfortable consuming animal products anymore. Her favorite food is chili!
Jaeden is a senior in high school and is very involved in the school’s band program. She loves playing bass clarinet. She has been vegan for five years! She originally went vegan to get a little healthier, and now she also stays committed to save animals and the environment. Her favorite food is a falafel pita from Oasis Falafel in Iowa City.
Kids Cooking Demo – Nikki and Jeff Grim
Cooking Demo – 1:30 – 2:15
More than seven years ago, Nikki Grim went vegan for health reasons, and her husband Jeff went vegan last year in 2018 . After a lot of research, her commitment to veganism expanded to include all aspects of her life, including her Vegan Eastern Iowa hair salon- Atomic Salon. As self-proclaimed foodies, the Grims spend their free time teaching vegan cooking classes and catering small, local events. Nikki is a local yoga therapist who offers in depth knowledge about plant based living and movement.
Vegan Athletes – Kristin Adkins & Jerrod Appenzeller
Main Stage – 3:30 – 4:15
Join Kristin and Jerrod to dig into being a vegan athlete! You’ll hear their personal journey to veganism, learn about their sport and training routine and how being vegan impacts their sport . They’ll dive into what they do as vegans to support their fitness and what a typical day of food is like!
Definitely not a high school athlete, Kristin found running in her late 30’s and has been hooked since. Running many local 5k races in the early years, she since fell in love with the half and full marathon distance, having completed seven marathons, including running Boston in 2018. Kristin currently serves as the Vice-President of the Capital Striders Running Club (Des Moines), is coordinator for the Iowa No Meat Athlete running group and is the Iowa Representative for the RRCA (Road Runners Club of America. Kristin is active supporting and encouraging local runners at races, training events and on social media.
Outside of running, Kristin works for ASI Signage Innovations, wayfinding and planning/programming sign systems. She resides in rural Iowa, living on the farm she grew up on.
Jerrod has competed in submission grappling for 12 years and went meat free 7 years ago and vegan 2 years ago. He has only had positive outcomes athletically after changing his diet. He is a member of the Des Moines Jiu Jitsu Academy and had a big win this past weekend (see photo below). After watching the documentary Forks Over Knives and then later accidentally stumbling upon a video about the dog meat trade, he decided he couldn’t eat meat any longer. It wasn’t until a few years ago that he kicked the dairy and became vegan. Jerrod is a father of two and enjoys buffalo chickpea pizza!
Fight or Unite: Veganism and the Endevor for Social Justice – Joshua V. Barr & Amy Luebbert
Workshops – 3:30 – 4:15
A discussion with Joshua V Barr, Director of the Civil and Human Rights Department for the City of Des Moines, and Amy Luebbert, VegLife Des Moines President. Joshua and Amy come from very different backgrounds, but share a passion for justice and see unity over fighting as a key to social progression. Join us for an inspiring, casual and candid discussion about how veganism plays a role in their endeavor for social justice.
BBQ Soy Curls – Michelle from Herbivore
Cooking Demo – 3:30 – 4:15
Michelle Schwegmann co-founded the Herbivore Clothing Company in 2002 with the hopes of spreading the positive messages of veganism, animal rights, and environmentalism. She and her husband and co-founder Josh Hooten live with their vegan daughter Ruby and two ridiculous rescue dogs, Sassy & Ace, in Portland, Oregon. Portland is a vegan hub and home to The Herbivore Clothing Store, located in the world famous Vegan Mini Mall — a destination for vegans and the vegan-curious that visit from all over the globe. Michelle and Josh give back by donating products, time, and design work, and in 2015 wrote a book called Eat Like You Give A Damn, a cookbook and vegan how-to guide to help those starting out in their new cruelty-free life. Their goal has been and always will be, animal rights, social justice, and well, if vegan burritos get involved, that’s pretty great too.
Activities
T-Shirt Printing with The Side Garage
Get your very own Des Moines VeganFest tee to commemorate the day! There will be four styles to choose from and a variety of sizes. A portion of the proceeds from the shirt sales are donated to VegLife Des Moines, the organizer of VeganFest. You can locate the t-shirt printing on the first floor of the Atrium under the escalator.
Des Moines Children’s Museum
Enjoy the traveling exhibits compliments of the DM Children’s Museum. You can locate these activities on the first floor of the Atrium near the public restrooms.
Good Vibes Yoga
Join Ben Spellman for a free yoga session on Cowles Commons at 1:30 – 2:15. This session is geared towards teenagers and adults.
Kids Zumba
Join Kelly and Ildiko for a fun 30 minute zumba experience for kids on Cowles Commons at 12:30 – 1:00. This will be a great way to get all of that great kid energy out. (Parents, we won’t tell if you use this time to shove your face with all the food!)
Coloring | Bubbles | Hula Hoops
Have some fun at our kid station on Cowles Commons all day! We’ll have coloring, bubbles and hula hooping.
Guess that Vegetable with Backyard Harvest’s
Organic farmer, Amanda, will be on site to test your knowledge of a variety of vegetables! Guess them right and get a DM VeganFest Genius sticker. Samples of the vegetables will also be available. This activity will be on the Terrace starting at 12 – 5, while supplies last.
Seed Planting with Heartland Surrogacy
Get ready for the growing season with your very own pea or lettuce planting! We’ll provide the container, soil, and seeds to assemble and take home to watch grow. This activity will be on the Terrace starting at 12 – 5, while supplies last.