EcoWeek 2010

Boo & Happy Halloween!

Yet again I'm astonished by how quickly time passes. Fantasy Fest 2010 has drawn to a close. Another "fest" has passed with a little bit of mayhem, a little bit of "yikes," a little bit of something for everyone, and a lot of fun overall. The parade was last night; we didn't make it. Our costumes sat very sad and lonely in the corner, as we had other obligations to tend to. Scanning the paper this morning, I couldn't help but feel left out and disappointed that I wasn't part of last night's big event. Next year's theme has already been published.... "Aquatic Frolic." Reading those 2 words in the paper made me say "we're in" and decide I want to enter a float next year. I'm not too sure Mr. Happy Vegan will be as "game" as I already feel, but I can hope. My mind is literally spinning with ideas already. We'll see how things move on as next summer progresses, and you know you'll hear about it here if we do commit.

Moving on to what's here and now. Eco-Week 2010 arrives tomorrow in the Florida Keys. This is an inaugural year for Eco-Week in these parts. We're totally excited about it. If you go to http://www.ecoweekfloridakeys.com/ you will find the official website for this event along with all the goings on for the week. Tomorrow, November 1, kicks off the event with an Expo in Key Largo from 4-7pm. The Florida Keys Green Living & Energy Education group (http://www.keysglee.com/) is a major sponsor of Eco-Week, and has organized some great events for the week, including 4 Expos spotlighting green living, green business, green futures and green homes. A complete schedule of Eco-Week events, and Keys GLEE events are noted at the links I've provided.

Deer Run B&B is a sponsor of Eco-Week for Keys GLEE. We will be in Key West at the Botanical Gardens next Saturday from 2p-6p. We're going to set up a double booth where we'll present educational materials about our sustainable inn. I'll be selling my eco-art to raise funds for the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, and will be selling organic, vegan snacks & lunches. This will be our biggest event for Deer Run so far. Usually we do not have the time to be an exhibitor at events. Our mornings are dedicated to our guests here at the inn, between breakfast and all. But, as luck would have it, next week's Expo begins at 2pm. I'm truly so excited I could bust. Not only will we be selling organic and vegan food, but there will be other local restaurants there selling organic, vegan and vegetarian food. How great is that? Seriously, how many times have you been to ANY event where you can get organic food, let alone have vegan or vegetarian options. In my experience, food has always been an issue whenever I go to any trade show or event. I typically plan to eat before or after. You don't have to be a vegan or vegetarian to care about quality food. I do not apologize for my feelings that hot dogs served up with french fries is NOT good for our bodies. I cannot wait to get down there next week, set up and begin to sample the other goodies for sale, and offer our own food. Everyone heading to any of these Expos are like-minded in that we want to learn how can we do things NOW to effect positive change on ourselves and environment.

Deer Run has also donated 1 of our Expo spaces to the non-profit group Save a Turtle of the Florida Keys (http://www.save-a-turtle.org/) who will be exhibiting next Saturday at the Marathon Expo. We encourage you to go and check out their booth, and become a member of this wonderful, grass roots organization which has a direct impact on helping sea turtles survive.

We have rooms still available throughout the week if you'd like to come down for Eco-Week. There's Expos in Key Largo (tomorrow), Marathon (next Saturday), Lower Keys (next Sunday) and Key West (at the Stock Island Botanical Gardens next Saturday). Plus, all week long there are events too numerous to list going on throughout the entire Florida Keys (see the web sites noted above). One of the most fun events looks to be the Prius challenge, a 50 mile road "race"through the Upper Keys (next week) with the goal to be the driver with the best mileage. I'd love to be part of that, but time will not permit. Yes,we have a Prius for the inn. Yes, we love our Prius (ok, its MY Prius. Mr. Happy Vegan drives a pickup which runs on bio-diesel). The organizers of this event have completely poured their hearts and souls into Eco-Week. We're very proud to be part of this, and are looking forward to exhibiting as well as attending the other events. We encourage everyone, locals and visitors alike, to partake in whatever you can of the amazing array of events. Kayak trips, road rallies, food events, parties, and so much more are all planned, there literally is something for everyone.

In the meantime, we're already just about finished with our plans for next week's exhibit, so I can let my mind wander ahead to next October when, with any luck, Deer Run will have a float complete with music and dancing turtles rolling down Duval Street. Personally, I think I'll look quite fetching in a mermaid outfit, while Mr. Happy Vegan would look to-die-for as King Neptune. Keep your fingers crossed!

Hope our paths cross at the Eco-Week events of this week. Dive in and CARPE DIEM!