Ultimate Vida Vegan Conference Roundup: Saturday

image from It's A Cookbook!

Unfortunately, I couldn't make it out to Vida Vegan Con (click here to find out why) so I'm living vicariously through all the tweets and blogs posts, which are actually making me feel like I'm there (check out these 9 ways to enjoy it without being there). Twitter is such a fantastic way to connect with people and have conversations, and all the vegan bloggers and tweeters there are doing a great job at posting every detail! First of all, you must check out these live interviews NOW (but don't worry, they're all being recorded):

9 Ways to Enjoy Vida Vegan Con Even If You're Not There

image by @lechousauvage

It's funny that I couldn't afford to go to Vida Vegan Con, the 1st vegan blogger conference, because I quit my job to focus on this blog and have been living paycheck to paycheck for about a year and a half. Certainly not complaining - I love my flexible freelance life, but it's really a bummer when I have to miss out on things outside my budget. However, I'm looking on the bright side as always and figure I'm not alone - there are plenty of people who aren't going because of the cost, location (Portland, OR), or because it sold out really fast. So here are some ways to enjoy the conference without being there.

Heath insurance: in case of emergency

This really has nothing to do with the environment or veganism, but since I've been discussing it on Twitter and Facebook, and because others are interested, I thought I'd share.

The events in Haiti inspired me to consider what I would do in the case of a major accident. I am semi-prepared for an earthquake (I've got some supplies at home), but probably not as much as I should be. Since I am a freelance worker right now, I don't have health insurance, but that is no excuse. Although I am very healthy and don't really need to see a doctor, I should have insurance in the event of an emergency.

I asked my Twitter and Facebook community for advice and recommendations, and this is what they've said. Please feel free to comment and add input. Thanks everyone - I love social media!

Company recommendations:

• "Blue Cross or Kaiser will both work fine, just get coverage towards the (inpatient) hospital side and less on the clinic side. It will cover the high expense emergencies should they happen" (Personal opinion: I had Kaiser for a job and I loved it. Maybe I'll go back to them...)
• "Check out Blue Cross online for their young person's programs."
• My co-worker uses Blue of California because it was cheap but hasn't used it yet

General advice:

• https://www.tonikhealth.com: "3 different plans depending on how much you go to the doctor and stuff"
• "Did you look on EHealthInsurance? I found mine on there"
• "Any of the plans that require you to open a HSA (health savings account) are good for your needs"

Top Lists

A few months ago my Twitter account took off thanks to being listed on Mashable's "Green Tweets: 75+ Environmentalists to Follow on Twitter" list. Today I awoke to find that Greenopolis included me on their "Top 50 Green Folks On Twitter" list! Gives me a little pressure to make sure I write interesting tweets!

Be sure to check out both lists to find other amazing Tweeters!

Twitter links: June 1st

@planetgreen: Would You Fall for an Eco-Myth? (I only scored 50% right!)

@supereco: 20 worst food additives

Twitter links: May 29th

@greenrobeen:

1. Greener alternatives to personal care
2. The dirty 30 chemicals to avoid in products we use everyday

Twitter links: May 28th

@greenupgrader: Does the Package Make the Green Product?

@treehugger:

1. Greenwashed Packaging Cartoon Says It All
2. Buying Frozen Veggies Versus Canned: Which is Greener?

@naturallysavvy: Don't Throw Away Your Coffee Grounds!: 5 Reuses for Coffee Grounds

@greenopia: Greener Airlines? 10 Least Environmentally Harmful Companies

@ecosphericblog: Glass recycling: let's get smashed

@eartheats: The Truth Is Out on Genetically Modified Foods - And It's Not Pretty

@EcoFan: Solar-powered speaker dock for iPod doubles as a green charger

Twitter links: May 27th

@greenmeme: Ted Danson says film will be 'End of the Line' for overfishing the oceans

10 Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Footprint Through Food Choices

Air-powered car

@ecosphericblog: Four of the hottest iPhone apps for greener living

@Sierra_Magazine: Green Your Drinks: Wine

@Oburger: 10 simple things you can do to change our food system

Twitter links: May 26th

@PlanetGreen:

1. Save 100 Million Trees: Send Your Mail Online Using Zumbox
2. How to Choose a Green Charity

@ecophotographer:

1. Green Weddings: Alternative Flower Ideas
2. 45 Awesome Ways to Get Eco-Energized at Work

@thegoodhuman: We Must Stop Living Throw-Away Lives

@veganbakesale: Vegan French Toast recipe

@eartheats: France To Obama: "Yes You Can... Do A Lot More" On Environment

@TreeHugger: BAN Uncovers e-Cycler Lying, Sending e-Waste Overseas

@SustainLane: Five Ingredients to Avoid When Buying Summer Skin Care Products

Twitter links: May 22nd

@tofuqueen: TofuXpress - tofu presser

@tweetmeme: In Search of PVC-free Bath Mats

@ecorazzi: New Terminator Film Deadly For Humanity, Easy On The Planet

@3rdwhale: Old cell phones save lives

Twitter links: May 21st

@mgonyeo: Host an Eco Barbecue

@the_daily_green: Why It's Harder Than Ever To Find Safe, Natural Sunscreens

Things to Look for in Eco-Friendly Outdoor Furniture

@ecorazzi: Sprig eco-friendly toys

@paynter: 8 Meat-Free Sandwich Ideas

@urban_housewife: Check out Go Max Go Foods for vegan 3 Musketeers, Snickers, Milky Way & Almond Joy!

Twitter links: May 20th

@TaigaCompany: Itsy Bitsy Recycled Plastic Bikini (I think I'm gonna buy one)

@BakeMeUpLA: Donate money for L.A. Bake Sale costs, Earthlings, and Animal Acres.

@JaymiHeimbuch: iRecycle iPhone App Makes Local Recycling a Breeze

Twitter links

Twitter is an amazing place to stay up-to-date on eco-vegan news and web links. Here are my findings from today:

@organicyours: Bamboo-On-The-Cob (corn holders)

@LivingWoutMeat: Hungry? Plenty of Vegan Recipes in the Blogs

Cool vegan shoes for men

Thanks to @greenrideal (aka Ian) for Twittering/Tweeting (whatever it's called) about Macbeth Shoes - they are very good-looking eco-vegan shoes!

Happy Earth Day!

This day will certainly be information overload for me today, as everyone is talking about the environment. I am going to post all the interesting things I learn here, including Twitter highlights.

- CNN: Obama announces plan to lease federal waters for clean energy

- The Green Life is celebrating with discounts, raffles and planting a tree for every new visitor

- O! Burger - 15% off meals today

- "Veggie Grill is giving away free sweetheart (sweet potato) fries today"

- Twitter: @badbanana - "Sure enough, Al Gore came down the chimney last night and unplugged all of our appliances."

- CNN: "In honor of Earth Day 2009, Disney promised to plant a tree for each person who goes to see the movie [Earth] on its opening weekend."

- Twitter: @Odawalla - "Odwalla bottles (and caps) are fully recyclable and accepted in community curbside recycling programs!" "If you're beverage bottle has a <7> on the bottom, it hurts, not helps, your local community recycler. That's why we don't use those!"

- Twitter: @Gaim - "Motivated to green your lifestyle? Check out our collection of Earth-Day-inspired articles, videos and blogs" "To celebrate Earth Day, we are offering 20% off eco-friendly Gaiam best-sellers. Just use code EDEMC "

- Twitter: @yosoyliz - "@ecovegangal Do you know www.priscillawoolworth.com? its a cute little online ecoshop"

- Twitter: @molfamily - "Can recycling ruin a beautiful relationship?"

- Twitter: @ClimateTweeter - "Happy earth day....don't forget to brag that you are tweeting green and carbon neutral in 2009!"

Loose tea on 12seconds.tv

Twitter

Ok. I finally decided to commit to Twitter. I opened an account months ago and never used it. But today I started a one specifically for eco-vegan stuff, so hopefully I will use it. I at least need to figure out how it all works, especially since I'm a computer nerd!

Follow me: @ecovegangal