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April 28, 2019, Sunday. Free day for the YSEALI Professional fellows in Florida. A time to relax, chill and stay at home. But not for the people of Tallahassee!
Today marks the annual LeMoyne’s Chain of Parks Art Festival which is currently on its 18th year. The festival was named the number 1 Fine Arts Show in the United States. While going through the numerous artworks by various artists from all over the country, we were serenated by live entertainment on center stage. We need not worry about our grumbling stomachs while strolling around all the art as food trucks were lined up, feeding hungry art enthusiasts.

As I walk further down the streets of downtown Tallahassee, I passed by a booth where colorful cloth bags were being handed out for free. No one says no free stuff right? So I rummaged through the pile of bags until I finally got the perfect one. The booth volunteer told us that the bags were made out of donated old clothes and were sewn by volunteers to reduce unwanted fabric reaching the landfill. This project is called Rags2Bags, spearheaded by Sustainable Tallahassee, a non-profit organization passionate about promoting environmental, economic and social sustainability through education and collaboration. Aside from the upcycled bags, Sustainable Tallahassee encouraged all visitors to reduce waste production during the festival.

It’s my lucky day! I got a free bag perfect for my grocery shopping and I stumbled upon one of the organizations I look forward to meet. Tomorrow will be a bigger day for me as we are set to meet not only the highest officials of the city, but more importantly, individuals forwarding sustainability in Tallahassee.
Cheers to an exciting week ahead!