Swamp White Oaks are majestic trees, often standing alone near the edge of a wetland. These members of the White Oak group have leaves with distinctly different colors on their tops and bottoms, as reflected in the Latin name, Quercus bicolor.
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Simply Living’s Film Series Returns: BOMBSHELL
Join Simply Living’s Film Series at Gateway Film Center for a special screening of BOMBSHELL, a compelling 2026 documentary exploring how the story of the atomic bomb was presented to the public—and the courageous journalists who challenged official narratives and worked to uncover the human cost, even as government censorship limited what could be reported.
The Simply Living BOMBSHELL screening will take place at Gateway Film Center, 1550 North High Street in Columbus, on October 26 from 6:30–8:30 PM (doors open at 6:15 PM). Tickets will be available soon for $10 from Gateway Film Center.
Simply Living Seeking Online Auction Items
Since last year’s Simply Giving Online Auction was such a rousing success, we’ve decided to do it again this year! The auction will be held during the last couple weeks of November, and purchased items will be delivered in early December. It will be a good opportunity to purchase some vintage Christmas gifts for your loved ones.
The Online Auction is also a good opportunity to do some clearing away of unwanted items in your home. Simply Living is seeking donations of household items to put in the auction. It can be almost anything of value that is small enough to be readily picked up & delivered: home décor, kitchen appliances, gift cards, books, artwork, knickknacks, so long as it is in good condition.
SiteinSight in the Spotlight
SiteInSight is a certified woman-owned web design & digital marketing agency headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 2011, the company provides affordable, high-impact marketing services tailored to small businesses, local trades, and non-profit organizations. The agency builds its custom client websites primarily using the WordPress platform and manages full-scale online presence strategies, including web design & copywriting, search engine optimization (SEO), local search management, online reputation tracking, and digital outreach & ads.
From the Archives: Simply Living’s Origin
With Simply Living’s 35th anniversary coming up next year, we’ve been putting together a History of Simply Living document to share with the community at our Get-Together in February 2027. I thought I’d share a little piece of it, a seminal document from February 1992 (the year of our founding), authored by Marylin Welker.
Spotlight on Unlimited Media
Unlimited Media is a web consulting & design business based in Columbus, Ohio. It helps small businesses build their online presence by offering website design & e-commerce development, social media & web video assistance, and graphic design services.
The Ohio Sustainable Business Council
The Ohio Sustainable Business Council (OSBC) is a statewide coalition of businesses & business networks committed to public policies at the local, state, & federal levels that support a vibrant, just, & sustainable economy. It advocates for policies that result in strong & healthy communities, a clean environment, and a […]
When Should Sun Day be Celebrated?
Sun Day is a grassroots day of action celebrating solar & wind power and advocating for the transition to clean energy. It was first designated by President Jimmy Carter on May 3, 1978. The International Solar Energy Society helped transition the event into an international observance in 1994. And since […]
Solar PV Training in the Spotlight
Solar PV Training LLC (SolarPVTraining.com) is an educational platform based in Ohio that provides accredited solar photovoltaic (PV) installation training, textbooks, and curriculum materials. The company specializes in affordable in-person, online, and hybrid courses designed for individuals entering the solar workforce, property owners wanting to install their own systems, and educational institutions looking to establish solar programs.
It offers self-paced online courses like Residential Solar Installation & Design, utilizing its signature textbook, Understanding Photovoltaics. It also provides comprehensive support materials to community colleges & trade schools, including free instructor desk copies, narrated online course access, lab booklets, sample syllabi, and administrative support to help schools become official ETA testing sites.
VOICEcorps in the Spotlight
VOICEcorps is an essential service for people with medical conditions that prevent them from using print material, providing a tool for independent access to information. Volunteers read aloud from current local & national newspapers, plus 200 other print publications & neighborhood shopping fliers. Check out the program listings and learn more about Audio on Demand.
September Tree of the Month
Willow Oak (Quercus phellos) isn’t native to Ohio, but it doesn’t miss by much – its range extends to neighboring Kentucky, and it can grow quite large in Ohio, given time. Like Ohio’s Shingle Oak (Q. imbricaria), Willow Oak leaves have no lobes and look nothing like the leaves we associate with Red Oak (Q. rubra) or White Oak (Q. rubra). But remember that leaf shape is secondary in tree classification. Fruits and flowers are primary, and Willow Oaks, Shingle Oaks, and all the other oaks have acorns. Notice, by the way, that one of the common names for Willow Oak is “Pin Oak”, a name more commonly used for Q. palustris. Such is the limitation of common names.
Impacts of Global Climate Change
Global climate change affects the planet in many ways, causing rising temperatures, melting ice & sea level rise, and more extreme weather events, resulting in longer, more intense heat waves, floods, and droughts. All of these threaten ecosystems, food supplies, and human health. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 50% higher than it was before the start of the Industrial Revolution, due to increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change may be our planet’s greatest existential threat.
In Memory of Wendell Berry
Wendell Berry was an essayist, novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. He lived and farmed with his wife, Tanya, in Henry County, Kentucky until his recent death at age 92 on August 31, 2026. To get a better idea of his accomplishments, see his obituary in the Kentucky Lantern here.
President’s Message: Reasons for Optimism
Lately, I have been finding it difficult to maintain a good attitude about life. As if the news of current events isn’t bad enough, with the campaign season in full swing (yes, I know it’s only September), now I am forced to witness the smear campaign ads being run over and over and over. I’d stop watching the news, but I’ve always felt it is my duty as a responsible citizen to keep up with what is going on. And I won’t settle only for sources suggested by social media (which know me better than I am comfortable with) that just tell me what they know I want to hear. I wasn’t born with a naturally optimistic outlook. Yet, I realize it is important to my physical & mental health and spiritual wellbeing to stay positive. Recently, I’ve been to two events that have helped: the Columbus Arborfest and the Combined Charitable Campaign’s Kickoff Information Fair.
Spotlight on Make-A-Day
Make-A-Day’s mission is to empower the impoverished through inclusive community events, acts of kindness, outreach, advocacy, & educational awareness. It is a mobile front door to stability, walking alongside neighbors experiencing homelessness & economic instability. MAD’s role is to help clear the obstacles–missing IDs, criminal records, gaps in benefits, broken connections–that stand between people and the life they are seeking. Since its inception, MAD has provided over 60,000 meals and 12,000 essentials (like clothing & hygiene supplies), connected hundreds of guests to housing & jobs, and engaged over 500 volunteers
Walhalla Ravine: A Gem at Risk
The City of Columbus has released its next major proposal in the modernization of its 70-year-old zoning code. The city-wide rezoning effort has the potential to threaten the wooded nature and quiet character of Walhalla Ravine, eliminating Walhalla’s current development restrictions. And the City has not said how it will protect green space in Walhalla or elsewhere. The threat starts with Phase 2, which would allow tall apartment buildings down to the first block of the Ravine.
THIRD ACT: In Defense of Climate & Democracy
Third Act is a community of Americans over sixty determined to change the world for the better. It harnesses its generational power to defend our climate & democracy. Using life experiences, skills, & resources, it tackles the unfinished work of its generation to ensure a safe & stable planet for future generations. Older Americans are the fastest-growing part of the population; 10,000 people a day pass the 60-year mark. Members of this generation saw enormous positive changes early in their lives, but now it appears that the promise of those changes may be dying, as the planet heats and inequality grows.
But as a generation, older Americans have unprecedented skills & resources. Washington & Wall Street have to listen when they speak, because they vote and because they have a large share of the country’s assets.
Reader’s Corner: Nature’s Best Hope
Douglas W. Tallamy’s first book, Bringing Nature Home (2009, Timber Press), awakened readers to an urgent reality–wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are disappearing. Tallamy’s follow up is Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard. It serves as a practical blueprint for reversing this trend. Published in 2020 (also by Timber Press), it maintains that property owners can reverse wildlife declines by replacing their traditional grass lawns with native plants. By transforming their yards into functional conservation corridors to protect biodiversity, they can create a patchwork of viable habitats he calls the “Homegrown National Park”.
“The little things that run the world”
E.O. Wilson, eminent biologist and the father of biodiversity, called insects “the little things that run the world” because of the many essential ecological roles they play every day. Insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth and include ants, lady bugs, bees, fireflies, butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and true flies. Insects can be grouped into three broad categories: pollinators, prey, and ecological balance.
Break the Oil Addiction: Drive an EV
Electric vehicles (EVs) offer some real advantages over gasoline-powered cars. They produce zero tailpipe emissions, cost less to run & maintain, provide instant acceleration, and allow for at home charging. If you are interested in learning more about EVs, contact the folks at Drive Electric Columbus, an independent non-profit grassroots organization that brings together central Ohio EV owners & enthusiasts for meetings, ride & drives, educational events, and other activities related to electric vehicles. It advocates for fair policies for all current & future EV owners.
Creating a compassionate and sustainable world through personal, community and cultural transformation.