Julie Thibodeaux

The Texas Veggie Fair aims to show folks there’s a lot more to a plant-based diet than salads. Attendees will find all their favorite comfort foods prepared vegetarian style at the annual fest. For vegans and vegetarians, it’s a plant-based Disneyland, where the vegan cheese fries, corn dogs and cupcakes flow.

We have scrambled to find a new location for our second annual 5K Run for the Environment ever since Cedar Hill State Park cancelled our booking to perform park maintenance. Finding all of the familiar venues booked, we finally located an alternative in Bob Jones Nature Center.

Food waste in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the last 50 years. According to a Washington Post article, Americans throw out three times more food now than they did in 1960. Local sustainability advocates say it's time to address the issue in North Texas.

Back in the 1980s, Bill Ziske worked in the nutritional department of a health food store in San Antonio while in college. The job not only helped pay his way through school, it fueled a lifelong passion for natural products and food.

When Dallas native Chris Dahlander opened the first Snappy Salads at Preston Road and Forest Lane on St. Patrick’s Day in 2006, he wanted to do more than serve healthy fare to North Texans. He also wanted to be a good steward of the Earth.

Dolphin Blue is a local leader when it comes to green businesses. Since its founding in 1994, the Dallas-based company has kept its mission to be true to people, planet and profit in all of its decisions. The business, which specializes in eco-friendly office supplies, continues to sell only products made or remanufactured in the United States.

In spring around Earth Day, it seems every community in North Texas has a green fest going on. Not so, some cities save their celebration for when it cools down in September. Here’s a calendar to keep track of the green gatherings in the coming months.

An empty trailer that once hauled big cats for the Shrine Circus was the backdrop for the announcement that Dallas-based Fun Time Shows will no longer include wild animals in its shows. Bill Cunningham, CEO of Fun Time Shows, made the announcement in Lee Park in Dallas beside an empty trailer.

Students at Dallas County Community College District will be looking at American History through the lens of sustainability, thanks to a supplemental textbook created by DCCCD staff and faculty.

Austin College, a private liberal arts college in Sherman, is celebrating the achievement of a milestone in environmental progress: 100 percent renewable electricity. Since 2010, the College has steadily increased its purchase of wind-powered electricity.

To many EV junkies, the 2015 Tesla S is the epitome of a desirable electric car. It offers super luxury and power, climbing from zero to 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds, all with an impressive  battery range. Currently, Tesla sells the only electric car that can go for more than 200 miles without a charge.

NCF-Envirothon, North America’s largest high school environmental education competition, tests teams on their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and a current issue (2015 Urban/Community Forests).