GreenFest
Grow your knowledge at this celebration of sustainability with educational workshops. Interact with various organizations that offer green, eco-friendly resources and services.
Note: Seating for presentations is limited and on a first come, first served basis.
Questions and inquiries may be directed to events@ocls.org.
Schedule
Healthy Garden Practices - South Creek - Meeting Room
Learn how to create and maintain a healthy, productive, and environmentally conscious garden in Central Florida’s unique growing conditions. This beginner-friendly class will introduce practical gardening tips to protect local ecosystems, minimize maintenance and help plants thrive.
About Kristy Buchler, Florida Gardenista: Otherwise known as the Florida Gardenista, Kristy is a fifth generation Florida gardener and farmer. She hosts community plant events and teaches gardening classes. Learn more about Kristy and her work at floridagardenista.com.
Seed Starting - South Creek - Meeting Room
Starting seeds is rewarding, but it can feel overwhelming when you are new. Dominique Kinsler of PharmUnique will break down the basics of seed starting in a simple and practical way. Attendees will learn what supplies they need, how to choose seeds for their season, how to care for seedlings, and more.
About Dominique Kinsler, PharmUnique: Dominique Kinsler is a pharmacist, educator, Master Gardener Volunteer, and the founder of PharmUnique, a growing food and gardening platform dedicated to helping beginners grow their own food with confidence. Learn more about PharmUnique at pharmunique.com.
Chat with representatives from the following organizations throughout the duration of the event:
Fleet Farming
Fleet Farming is an urban agriculture program of the 501c3 nonprofit IDEAS For Us that transforms the average American lawn into a productive micro farm or “farmlette”.
Florida Gardenista
Otherwise known as the Florida Gardenista, Kristy is a fifth generation Florida gardener and farmer. She hosts community plant events and teaches gardening classes.
Florida School of Holistic Living
The Florida School of Holistic Living has provided herbal education since 1999. Their mission is to cultivate sustainable community by empowering individuals through philosophy-in-practice education that promotes holistic living.
Office of Sustainability & Resilience, City of Orlando
The City of Orlando’s Office of Sustainability & Resilience leads Green Works Orlando, a comprehensive initiative aimed at transforming Orlando into one of the most environmentally friendly and resilient cities in the world.
Orange Audubon
Orange Audubon’s mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. They work to connect people with nature in Central Florida and have approximately 2000 member households from the Orlando metro area east to the St. Johns River and west to Clermont.
Orange County Parks and Recreation
Maintaining nearly 15,000 acres, the Orange County Parks and Recreation Division operates 114 parks, trails, boat ramps and facilities, including 14 recreation centers.
Orange County Utilities
Orange County Utilities provides water, wastewater, reclaimed water and solid waste services to enrich the lives of the citizens and guests of Orange County.
Tibet-Butler Preserve
Orange County Parks and Recreation’s Tibet-Butler Preserve is the home of the Vera Carter Environmental Center, which provides a variety of exhibits and displays. The Tibet-Butler Preserve has miles of trails for hiking, participates in ongoing environmental programs, and provides Eco Education programs related to Florida’s plants, wildlife, and conservation.
Pharmunique
Dominique Kinsler is a pharmacist, educator, Master Gardener Volunteer, and the founder of PharmUnique, a growing food and gardening platform dedicated to helping beginners grow their own food with confidence.
UF IFAS Florida Master Gardeners
The Florida Master Gardener Program is an outreach program composed of UF/IFAS Extension certified volunteers who are trained to provide research-based horticultural education to Florida residents.
GreenFest 2026
Not the end of the world : how we can be the first generation to build a sustainable planet / Hannah Ritchie.
Ritchie, Hannah, 1993- author.
Planting a seed : 3 simple steps to sustainable living / Kate Gaertner.
Gaertner, Kate, author.
Sew eco-friendly : 25 reusable projects for sustainable sewing / Debbie Shore.
Shore, Debbie (Writer on sewing), author.
The carbon footprint of everything / Mike Berners-Lee.
Berners-Lee, Mike. author.
Grow now : how we can save our health, communities, and planet-one garden at a time / Emily Murphy.
Murphy, Emily (Gardener), author.
Clean & green : 101 hints and tips for a more eco-friendly home / Nancy Birtwhistle.
Birtwhistle, Nancy, author.
Energy efficient homes for dummies / by Rik DeGunther.
DeGunther, Rik, 1956-
Rebel gardening : a beginner’s handbook to creating an organic urban garden / Alessandro Vitale.
Vitale, Alessandro (Gardener), author.
Homesteading for beginners : all the tools you need to thrive long term / Lisa Lombardo.
Lombardo, Lisa, author.
The Wiley Canning Company cookbook : recipes to preserve the seasons / Chelsea J. O’Leary foreword by Caroline Randall Williams.
O'Leary, Chelsea J. (Entrepreneur), author, photographer.
Attainable sustainable pantry : a back-to-basics guide to stocking your kitchen / Kris Bordessa.
Bordessa, Kris, author.
Wasteland : the secret world of waste and the urgent search for a cleaner future / Oliver Franklin-Wallis.
Franklin-Wallis, Oliver, author.
Purified : how recycled sewage is transforming our water / Peter Annin.
Annin, Peter, author.
Cool food : erasing your carbon footprint one bite at a time / Robert Downey Jr. & Thomas Kostigen.
Downey, Robert, Jr., 1965- author.
The climate diet : 50 simple ways to trim your carbon footprint / Paul Greenberg.
Greenberg, Paul, 1967- author.
Zero waste cooking for dummies / by Rosanne Rust, MS, RDN.
Rust, Rosanne, author.
What bees want : beekeeping as nature intended / Susan Knilans, Jacqueline Freeman.
Knilans, Susan, author.
The beekeeper’s handbook / Diana Sammataro, Alphonse Avitabile, foreword by Dewey M. Caron.
Sammataro, Diana, author.