Untitled Document
The WorldFest 2012 Earth Day Festival will be held on Sunday, May 20th, 2012, from 10:30am to 7:00pm, at the beautiful outdoor setting of Woodley Park in Lake Balboa, CA. We will welcome our attendees to a magnificent day filled with entertainment, education and enlightenment. The combination of great music, empowering speakers, environmental, humanitarian and animal welfare non-profits, kid's activities and a delicious food court make for an earth-friendly experience that is sure to be inspiring and enjoyable for all.
Here's What's Happening at WorldFest this Year:
- Main Stage - bigger-name bands and celebrity speakers.
- Earth Lounge - singer/songwriters, jazz, rock, funk, and world music groups and poets.
- EcoTent - speakers, discussions, and displays about sustainable living and current environmental issues
- Healthy Hut - speakers, discussions, and displays about health including yoga, meditation & cooking demos.
- Exhibitors - more than 100 companies and organizations showcasing their products or eco- and animal-friendly messages.
- Kids' World - storytelling, face painting, and children's entertainers and other activities!
- Oasis Beer and Wine Garden brought to you by the Lagunitas Brewing Company - Refresh yourself in the Oasis located near the Main Stage!
- Animal Adoptions - dogs, cats, rabbits and lots of animals looking for good homes!
- ATM Access: There is an ATM machine on the grounds of WorldFest.
- Bring your own water bottle to WorldFest for FREE FILTERED DRINKING WATER!
Free water* at WorldFest! We are pleased to say that this year we have Lifesource Water Systemsfiltering our water for us. Please stop by the booth for more information. (* water is free if you bring your own cup or bottle. We will also be selling steel bottles and you can get a compostable cup for $1.
Pets are not allowed this year.
We are so sorry to say that due to strict Health Department regulations and liability issues we are unable to accommodate your dogs (even on-leash) at the event this year. We are all animal- lovers and this is really disappointing for us. If it was possible for us to have them, we would! However, you can still get your "dog-fix" and all the dog-licks you can handle by visiting the many adoptable dogs from rescue organizations that will be available at the festival.
Interested in Ride-Sharing to WorldFest
Sign up
here for an account and become a member of a growing and dynamic community. It is free to join and to use. PickupPals can track the number of rides they have given or taken and the number of miles they have traveled via ride sharing and WorldFest can keep track of the amount of carbon emissions we have collectively reduced as a result!
Biking to WorldFest?
Attendees biking to WorldFest can lock their bikes to our fencing in a specified area and we will have volunteers watch over them until your day is done!
Visiting from out of town?
We've set up a deal with the Best Western Carriage Inn very close to WorldFest. Call them at 818-787-2300 and tell them you are with the WorldFest Group and you will receive a special rate.
WorldFest Cell Phone and Printer Cartridge Recycling Drive:
Unclutter your life and protect the planet. Bring your old cell phones or printer cartridges (Inkjet or Laser) to WorldFest and let us do the recycling. Drop off at the admissions table! We have boxes for the cell phones but please bring the cartridges in a plastic bag!
Map of the event:

Stay tuned for updates - we'll be having a fundraiser party sometime in early 2012!
Towards Freedom was as created in May 2000 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
Towards Freedom’s purpose is to provide people with education and inspiration to live with compassion in all areas of their lives.
Towards Freedom has produced nine festivals called WorldFest. The festival on May 22, 2011 will be its tenth event! WorldFest, held in the Los Angeles area, is a volunteer-run, vegan, solar-powered, outdoor music festival highlighting the environment, social justice, animal rights and healthy living.
Meet the people who make it all happen
Organizing WorldFest is no small task. Our crew of volunteers work around the clock to bring this incredibly inspiring day to the public. From office administrators to entertainment coordinators to graphic designers to flyering teams, these are the everyday heroes and heroines that have helped to make WorldFest what it has become today.
Jill Hahn, Director, Co-Producer
Billy Hulting, Co-Producer, Entertainment Director, Sponsor Coordinator, Production Manager
Looking to get involved in a community of people who were doing something to make a difference, Jill joined the WorldFest team in 2001 as the Exhibitor Coordinator. She has been directing and co-producing the festival since 2003. Recognizing the importance and interdependence of the environmental, animal rights, and human rights movements, Jill has volunteered for many events and non-profits. It is her dream to live in a more compassionate world, one in which we tread lighter on the planet and treat all sentient beings with respect.
Passionate about the environment and animals Billy has been working for WorldFest since 2001 as the production Manager and since 2005 has been at the helm of the Entertainment Team and Co-Producer of the Festival. In his real life Billy is a Grammy Award winning live and studio musician who tours with Zappa Plays Zappa, Lou Rawls, Patti Labelle, and The Manhattan Transfer. He also has a studio where he helps people produce their recordings. When he isn't on stage or in the studio you can find this vegan out there climbing mountains, skating marathons, sailing his boat, or SCUBA diving. Why is Billy involved in WorldFest? - "This festival makes a difference."
Andrea Gullo
Exhibitor Coordinator, Grants Coordinator
Andrea first got involved with WorldFest in 2001, and has helped coordinate the Healthy Hut and Exhibitors. Currently she helps with grant writing and general festival coordination. A vegan since 2001 and vegetarian since 1990 she works in the environmental field in part promoting a peaceful coexistence between people and animals. She helps with WorldFest because it is one of her top favorite days of the year and wants to help create that experience for others!
Michelle Carroll
EcoTent Coordinator
Michelle Carroll stays very busy in the eco world. She is the owner of GQ Eco Bartending, a private party and event bartending service that is redefining drink responsibly. She is also the Director of Sales for The Ultimate Green Store.com.
Michelle loves to learn and share about new green ideas, products, etc., through social media and has a blog, www.michelleGQ.com. Michelle is also a frequent guest on the green talk radio show The Good Green Witch and will soon have her own radio talk show. She loves to support local green businesses & organizations and is one of the organizers with Los Angeles Green Drinks.
Ciddy Fonteboa
Healthy Hut Coordinator
Ciddy has a passion for health and animals that is unrivaled in this World!
Dave Rutan
Signs/Logistics Coordinator
Dave has been a member of the Worldfest team since 2002 as sign coordinator, admissions assistant, and general troubleshooter. A vegan since 1991, Dave is also active in animal rights activism in Los Angeles. He founded Vegan Toastmasters in 2003 - see vegantoastmasters.org for more info.
Stephen Beidner
Merchandise Coordinator
Stephen has been the Coordinator of the Merchandise & Information Booth since 2001. He has been involved in political and social activism since he was 16, because after all why else are we here other then to give back and try to make this a better world. Though he is pretty anti-materialistic, Merchandise ironicaly has been a natural fit for him, since he has been doing similar work with other organizations for a long time. In the real world Stephen has been a farmer, radio disc jockey, bartender, winery worker, caregiver, gift catalog manager for a non-profit. Having the wanderlust, this long-time world traveler has spent the last few years searching for the perfect place to live...and is still searching. Stephen has been a vegan for almost 20 years.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Corey Roscoe
Social Networking Coordinator
Corey first got involved in Worldfest in 2008. This year she took on the job of social networking coordinator and merchandise co-coordinator. A vegan since 2004 and vegetarian since 1991, she has a background in humane education and is a native of Cleveland, OH. Corey is currently a H.E.A.L. (Helping Enhance Animal’s Lives) volunteer for the SPCA Los Angeles and actively campaigned late last year for Yes on Prop 2. Corey believes in widening people’s circle of compassion through education and is delighted to be part of the Worldfest team.
Nick Somers
Website / Graphics Coordinator, Event Photographer
Nick became involved with animal, environmental, and social issues after moving to Los Angeles several years ago. Having never been content with the status-quo, Nick has turned his creative abilities in graphic design & photography into an avenue for promoting the progressive ideas that he believes are needed to make our world a better place. A cancer survivor since age 22, he's had a rare opportunity at an early age to figure out what's really important in life, and has dedicated his life to making positive changes happen, one person at a time.
Stuart Galbraith
Stage Manager
Stuart, who is possibly the only British actor living in the city of Angels who also has a day job as a veterinary nurse, has been with the worldfest squad since 2000 and is really looking forward to this years event. He has been vegan since he was 13 years old and considers it the best thing that has ever happened to him. In his spare time (?????), Stuart enjoys soccer, skiing and going to the theatre. He'd like to say hello to anyone who wishes to say hello to him, and he is still chasing his dream parts of Hamlet and John Proctor. Cheers.
Mary Cummins
PR Coordinator
Cummins is President of Animal Advocates. She is licensed with the California Department of Fish & Game, USDA to rescue and rehabilitate ill, injured or orphaned native wildlife for release back to the wild. Cummins speaks to local community groups and students about respecting wildlife and humane wildlife control.
Born and raised in Southern California, she attended USC on scholarship.
After college Cummins became a licensed real estate broker and appraiser specializing in income property. She currently does real expert witness testimony and real estate appraisals at Cummins Real Estate Services. She runs a totally green real estate company and is working to get her LEED certification. In her spare time she loves gardening, composting, Vegan cooking and trying to save the planet.
The WorldFest Team