Three years ago a fellow green blogger and friend of mine mentioned she was attending a festival called Lightning in a Bottle (LIB). I had never heard of it, but her coverage on the event really sparked my interest; she had me when she described it as "Coachella for the greener" and "Burning Man with an eco-twist". Last year I was invited to attend to do press coverage and I was deeply disapointed I couldn't make it, so this July I'm determined to go and share my experiences with you! If you're looking for an inspiring escape from the day-to-day, here's why you should join me at the 9th annual positive and uplifting experience instead of waiting for my video documentation.

I met Kylie when she applied to the EvG Apprenticeship Program - I was instantly impressed with her online presence and can-do attitude, but her sweet personality really touched my heart. She is incredibly passionate about veganism and I love her story about making the transition, as well as her husband's journey to plant-based living. Bonus: the photo of her with Buttercup from Gentle Barn is just so darn cute!

My name is Kylie. I am 34 years old living in Los Angeles with my husband and two rescue dogs, Henry & Willow. I started my vegan transformation just over two years ago. I had a couple of extremely inspiring friends who were vegan and I admired them immensely for a couple years before I realized it was silly to just look up to them when I could join them! I gave myself a challenge: go completely vegan for one week and see how it went. By day 3 I felt noticeably better, lighter in body and mind. At this point the term vegan to me was strictly dietary. I didn't think about all the animal by-products that were in the beauty products I was using and the clothing I was wearing. In that first week I also started reading and researching. I read The Kind Diet and that was a great starting point to open my eyes into what it truly means to be vegan. As I sat there with tears pouring down my face, soaking the pages of the book I knew that I could never go back to the way I was living. I could no longer ignore what was really going on in the world.

Being vegan is a constantly evolving journey. Everyday I learn something new and try my best to make ethical and eco conscious decisions. Luckily, there is a huge vegan community in Los Angeles and online. I have met so many amazing people who share my way of thinking and I get excited when my omnivorous friends tell me they are going vegan. It took my husband a full year of me being vegan before he made the switch (and I didn't even have to beg him, he did it all on his own!). Now the two of us love discovering new vegan places to eat around L.A. and it's great to have a partner in crime ;-)

In my spare time I like to blog about my experiences as a vegan and make things for my online shop Fabulously Fierce. I love unique home decor,
so my main focus is on that, but I do make some embroidered clothing as well. Having a creative outlet keeps me sane (most days)!

Kelly's favorite Eco-Vegan Gal video: Eco-Vegan Gal has been such a great source of information for me as well. Her positivity and knowledge are so inspiring. Whenever I have a question about certain products or what I can do to make smart choices for the environment or just need a little mental boost, I know I can find it in one of her videos! Since I'm not the best at taking care of myself and tend to lose motivation to exercise, I especially love her video "How to Reach Exercise Goals and Make Them a Priority Every Day":

Kylie online:

• Blog
• Store
• Facebook
• Twitter

It's that time of year again - Natural Products Expo West starts on March 7th! This business trade show is an amazing place for professionals in the health field to meet eachother, discover new products and introduce others to them. Attendees are bombarded with free food all day long, namely energy bars, chocolate, sweet drinks and bagged snacks. Unfortunately this wonderful experience often leaves to upset stomaches due to weird food combinations and cravings for nutritious, sit-down meals. Though the area around the Anaheim Convention Center doesn't offer much in the way of healthy restaurants I've pulled together a list of places that offer whole plant-based meals, which will satisty both vegans and omnivores.

This post was inspired by a tweet from Wilfred star Fiona Gubelmann, who was looking for vegetarian options around the Gas Lamp area of San Diego while there for Comic Con. I've only been to San Diego once years ago so I reached out to the EvG social media community and they had these great suggestions:

1. Evolution Fast Food (2949 5th Ave - 2.5 miles from the Convention Center) ~ top recommendation

2. Pokez Mexican (947 E St - 1.2 miles away) ~ 

3. Yard House (1023 4th Ave - .7 miles away) ~ lots of options with Gardein

4. Masala Spices of India (314 K Street - .4 miles away)

5. Tao (3332 Adams Ave - 7.5 miles away) ~ highly rated restaurant so might be worth the drive!

6. Lotus Cafe and Juice Bar (3955 5th Ave - 3 miles away)

7. Peace Pies (4230 Voltaire Street - 7.5 miles away) ~ raw, vegan, organic, and gluten free!

View Veg Options Near Comic Con (Gas Lamp area of San Diego) in a larger map

Hungry for more? Check out Happy Cow's list