Creating a sustainable and compassionate community
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.
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”.
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.
Blue Rock Station is a 38.2-acre sustainability center located at 1190 Virginia Ridge Road, Philo, Ohio, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in southeastern Ohio. It features Ohio’s first Earthship, a unique living home made from used materials like tires, cans, and strawbales, and serves as a living laboratory […]
The Kokosing Nature Preserve is located in central Knox County at 10620 Quarry Chapel Road, one mile northeast of the Village of Gambier and the campus of Kenyon College. It is a land conservancy around the college with 23 acres set aside for green burials. It is the first conservation burial ground in the nation to be affiliated with a college or university land conservancy. The Preserve, dedicated as a cemetery in October 2015, is Central Ohio’s first and only conservation burial ground. Amid rolling prairies planted with native wildflowers, remains are interred using biodegradable containers and without the use of harsh chemicals. It is a project of the Philander Chase Conservancy, a land trust dedicated to preserving the rural character of the Kenyon College’s surrounding environs.
A Pollinator Pathway is a collaborative network of public & private pesticide-free, native plant corridors that provide essential habitat, food, and shelter for bees, butterflies, birds, and other insects. These projects connect fragmented green spaces, such as residential gardens, parks, and schoolyards, allowing pollinators to travel safely. Even the smallest green spaces, like flower boxes and curb strips, can be part of a pathway. Franklin County Pollinator Pathway (FCPP) is a local affiliate of the national Pollinator Pathway network. Its goal is to connect people & pollinator habitat in Franklin County. It works to expand pesticide-free corridors of native plants across Franklin County, linking yards, parks, schools, businesses, and community spaces so pollinators have safe, connected habitat.
Bioregionalism is an environmental philosophy advocating that human activity and governance be organized around bioregions, geographical areas defined by natural features like watersheds, mountain ranges, and ecosystems, rather than arbitrary political or administrative boundaries. It emphasizes living-in-place, sustainability, and local self-reliance to foster a deeper connection between communities and their native landscapes. Bioregionalism emerged in the early 1970s, developing primarily along the western coast of North America, and specifically from a broad coalition of poets, artists, writers, and community leaders, who envisioned a positive, place-based alternative to mainstream environmental efforts. It included many individuals (including Peter Berg, Judy Goldhaft, and Kirkpatrick Sale) working together through the Planet Drum Foundation to create a new place-based philosophy they called bioregionalism.
Green Columbus is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization based in Central Ohio that focuses on sustainability, community engagement, and environmental resilience. Its core activities and initiatives include tree planting & care, tree canopy expansion, community forums, and environmental action. Every year, Green Columbus celebrates Earth Month by bringing volunteers together to make a difference in Central Ohio’s environment. It facilitates service sites across the region, each hosted and led by volunteers. After a month filled with tree plantings, litter cleanups, mulch distribution, and community gardening, we wrap up with the Earth Day Columbus Celebration. This free, family-friendly, zero-waste event offers fun activities and opportunities to learn more about and support a greener Central Ohio community. The event will be held this year at the Scioto Audubon MetroPark on Sunday, April 26.
How can we live in deeper harmony with the land, water, and ecosystems that sustain us here in Central Ohio? That’s the question at the heart of the Central Ohio Bioregional Working Group, and it’s what we’ll be exploring together at our next gathering. The Central Ohio Bioregional Working Group, […]
Simply Living’s Salute to Sustainable Delaware Ohio On Saturday, August 16, 2025, Simply Living hosted a special tour as a Salute to Sustainable Delaware Ohio, celebrating the organization’s 15th anniversary. Founded in 2010, Sustainable Delaware Ohio is a grassroots community group that’s part of a broader network aimed at fostering […]
Simply Living is proud to showcase some of Delaware’s hidden gems as part of our Salute to Sustainable Delaware. Sustainable Delaware is celebrating 15 years! This August 16th event is more than a tour. It’s an invitation to experience how local farms, gardens, and nurseries in Delaware County, Ohio are […]
Sustainability, conservation, and resilience aren’t just buzzwords at Just This Farm — they’re lived values. In this inspiring interview, Simply Living Member Kevin Eigel shares how he and his wife Marcia Miller are restoring native ecosystems, cultivating biodiversity, and educating others from their home base in western Franklin County, Ohio. […]
This past weekend, we were honored to host a special event about Bioregionalism. Kelly Clark (of the GLESS Bioregion in NE Ohio) led us through a rich discussion about what a bioregion is and how one might take shape here in Central Ohio. What emerged was a shared desire among […]
In honor of World Localization Day on June 21, Simply Living is proud to host the Explore Bioregionalism event—a celebration of place-based living and the regenerative power of local communities. We’re thrilled to welcome Kelly Clark as our featured speaker. Kelly is an educator, farmer, and passionate advocate for bioregionalism. […]
How Indigenous Wisdom and Bioregional Thinking Can Guide Us Home By Angie Scheu In our fast, screen-saturated world, we have grown disconnected from the very thing that gives us life: the land. Many of us don’t know the names of the trees around us (our volunteer Mort Schmidt writes a […]
By Angie Scheu | A Simply Living Member Perspective Every Memorial Day weekend in Central Ohio, our family dives into a tradition we affectionately refer to as “Family Gardening Weekend.” It’s our annual ritual to reconnect with the land—and with each other—through planting, prepping, and getting our hands a little […]
Interview by Angie Scheu | Simply Living This month in our Community Spotlight, we’re honored to feature Cindy Lanese — ecotherapist, ritualist, and dedicated advocate for healing our relationship with the Earth. Her work bridges ecological awareness, community connection, and spiritual wellness, all rooted here in Central Ohio. How did […]
Hackberry, Common Hackberry, American Hackberry, Sugarberry Celtis occidentalis Hackberry (Celtis) stands out as a common and recognizable tree in Ohio, yet many people are unfamiliar with it. Its distinctive bark and peculiar witches’ brooms make it an especially interesting sight on winter walks. Like most trees in Ohio, Hackberry features […]
American Sycamore, American Planetree, Buttonwood Platanus occidentalis American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis, hereafter, simply Sycamore) is one of our most beautiful and recognizable trees. In girth, it’s North America’s largest deciduous tree, and according to some sources, has the largest simple leaf. Its mottled white, tan, and brown bark is especially striking in […]
Two summers ago, my neighbor approached me about planting some arborvitae along the fence-line in the alley between our two garages. Initially, I expressed hesitation because there was already a bush there providing fairly dense privacy and blocking access to my fence, and therefore, my backyard. This was important to me because I have been the victim of at least three garage break-ins. I simply can’t afford to keep replacing my lawnmower over and over. But I admitted I did love arborvitae, and so I looked into this plant providing dense coverage. Lo and behold, it was Asian honeysuckle.
Creating a compassionate and sustainable world through personal, community and cultural transformation.