ORLANDO, Fla. — Earth Day may have been April 22, but Orlando-area activists used this weekend to promote saving the planet.

What You Need To Know

  • The 16th annual Earth Day event was held at Lake Eola Park in Orlando 

  • Dozens of vendors and several sponsors promoted sustainability

  • An Orange County official touted a power plant's transition to natural gas

The 16th annual Earth Day event was held Sunday at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando, with dozens of vendors and a number of sponsors including who made the event possible.

“(We're) looking at the sustainability going forward, how we are transferring to more sustainable energy, a better way of eating, and day to day to be an advocate for our planet,” said ‎Vegetarians of Central Florida board member Vanja Grbic.

Companies in the city of Orlando and Orange County worked together with the local governments to promote green living.

“Our Stanton Energy power plant on the east side of town will be shut down and will transition into natural gas from a coal-based fire plant,” said Jeff Benavides, Orange County's chief sustainability and resilience officer.

The city and county also offered programs and resources on how to conserve water and encourage people to go solar.

“We also just launched our solar co-op for 2021. This is the eighth time we've engaged residents of Orange County on going solar, educating you through the process,” Benavides said.