This one’s for all the vegan and vegetarian Evolution readers–Planted Expo Vancouver is happening the weekend of May 27th! The event will take place all day that Saturday and all day Sunday, (10-5pm) at the Vancouver Convention Centre downtown. Planted Expo is a giant convention for all things plant-based. Food, sustainable clothing, and other plant-based lifestyle goods will all be sold and showcased at the convention. According to their website, there are over 200 exhibitors at the convention, so there’s plenty to explore! The convention is also hosting a bunch of featured guest speakers, which would probably be a pretty interesting listen. They’re all leaders and experts when it comes to the plant-based movement. Tickets are $20 for adults, which isn’t too bad considering the value of the experience. And I know I mentioned it at the beginning, but you don’t necessarily have to be a plant-based eater to attend! Everyone is welcome. I was vegetarian for 3 years of my life, and during that time I ate a lot of fun and interesting meat replacements, so I’m sure there will be lots of stuff like that at Planted Expo. It could also be a good opportunity to learn about this stuff, too, if you’re unfamiliar. I’m sure a lot of the speakers will delve into some environmental topics, and you probably have the potential to learn a lot from what they have to say. 

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I became vegetarian in high school mostly for moral reasons, because I did (and still do) enjoy the taste of meat. I had to do a project about an environmental issue in one of my classes, and after doing all that research, I felt like I needed to be vegetarian. I lasted a long time before I needed to start eating meat again for health reasons (iron got way too low). But while I was vegetarian, I enjoyed it quite a bit! It forced me to get creative with planning meals and finding other sources of protein and stuff, it was overall not too bad of an experience. There are so many reasons for someone to be vegan or vegetarian, too. I feel like Vancouver is a pretty plant-based-friendly city–there are a good number of vegan restaurants around, and most places also offer plant-based options.

If you’re considering eating plant-based, already do, or just want to try interesting vegan food, I recommend heading to Planted Expo Vancouver next weekend!