Creating a sustainable and compassionate community
My name is Lily Schaefer, and I am a college student at Ohio University, as well as an intern with Simply Living. I am working on this blog to further my knowledge and share my experience with eating as a vegetarian! If you have questions, or would like to chat, […]
Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living Once considered the ideal landscaping tree, the Callery Pear cannot legally be sold, grown, or planted in Ohio, due to its invasiveness. Callery Pear was introduced to the United States from Asia in the early 1900s. The edible Pear, […]
Commentary for the Ohio Capitol Journal by Cathy Cowan Becker The waterfall at Ash Cave in Ohio’s Hocking Hills State Park. Getty Images. Some of my fondest memories have been in Ohio’s state parks, forests and wildlife areas. Deer Creek, John Bryan, Hocking Hills, Shawnee, Maumee Bay, Kelleys Island, Mohican, […]
My Favorite Tree Books By Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living I recently wrote about my favorite tree websites and downloadable books. This month I’ll discuss my favorite printed books – books about trees made from trees. I have over a hundred of them, many of which I picked up […]
My name is Lily Schaefer, and I am a college student at Ohio University, as well as an intern with Simply Living. I am working on this blog to further my knowledge and share my experience with eating as a vegetarian! If you have questions, or would like to chat, […]
By Abby Esch and Kenedy Witherow Last week, my fellow intern Kenedy Witherow and I had the opportunity to interview Catherine Hope-Cunningham, who considers herself to be a green realtor. We asked Catherine questions about her career history and start, what it means to be a green realtor, and whether […]
My name is Lily Schaefer, and I am a college student at Ohio University, as well as an intern with Simply Living. I am working on this blog to further my knowledge and share my experience with eating as a vegetarian! If you have questions, or would like to chat, […]
If you have been thinking about going solar, now is the time to act. On Tuesday, July 12, a cohort of city and community groups including Simply Living launched the Columbus Area 2022 Solar and EV Charger Co-op through a program called Solarize. Check our Events Calendar for upcoming sessions. […]
On April 20 the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University organized an Earth Day event called Time to Act on Climate Change. On tap was a long list of distinguished speakers including university President Kristina Johnson, slated to receive the Chadwick Award for efforts to address […]
In case you needed help getting started. By Sarah Lazarovic Sarah Lazarovic is an award-winning artist, creative director, freelance animator and filmmaker, and journalist, covering news and cultural events in comic form. She is the author of A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy. Reprinted from the Winter 2022 issue […]
This is a 4 week discussion course based on the 4-part article “The Path to an Ecological Future for Humanity.” The article links here. It is not necessary to read the article but it will be helpful. Week 1: The Cultural Creatives – a Third Force in the Radical MiddleWeek […]
Environmental coalition cited as instrumental in setting city’s climate goals in line with climate science Thursday, December 9, 2021 Contact:Cathy Cowan Becker, cathy@simplyliving.org, 937-271-1247Chad Stephens, chad.stephens@sierraclub.org, 216-322-6998 COLUMBUS, OH — Today Sustainable Columbus unveiled the city’s first Climate Action Plan (CAP), with an ambitious overall goal of reducing carbon emissions […]
On Monday, December 6, the Ohio legislature’s Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) heard testimony on regulations proposed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to manage disposal of oil and gas waste. Executive Director Cathy Cowan Becker testified on behalf of Simply Living and the Ohio Sustainable Business […]
by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living Holly has long been associated with the holiday seasons. In fact, the name “Holly” is derived from the word “holy” because of this association. Holly is primarily a southeastern tree, but its natural range does extend into the southernmost counties of Ohio. Left […]
This is Part 1 of a longer essay by Chuck Lynd published in 4 parts on Medium.com. You can read the full essay here. Part 1. The Path to an Ecological Future for Humanity As Yogi Berra observed, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” We chuckle, but […]
By Cathy Cowan Becker Unless you were hiding under a rock these last two weeks, then you are aware of the COP 26 climate talks taking place in Glasgow, Scotland. COP stands for Conference of Parties – it is the annual meeting of countries of the world under the auspices […]
Following our mission to connect people to learning opportunities that promote sustainability, environmental justice, and our local economy, Simply Living is relaunching Sustainable U. This fall we will offer two discussion courses through EcoChallenge, formerly Northwest Earth Institute, a course through Local Futures, and three online courses from our members. Read on for more […]
Note: The public hearing on the Pleasant Prairie Solar Energy Center, a 250 MW solar project proposed for southwest Franklin County, was held Monday, July 19, 2021. Here is testimony from our executive director, Cathy Cowan Becker. Chair French and members of the Ohio Power Siting Board, Thank you for […]
Eight years ago, the Ohio legislature ordered the state’s Department of Natural Resources to come up with administrative rules for how waste from oil and gas facilities would be managed. This is important because Ohio is a fracking state, and fracking produces millions of gallons of highly toxic and radioactive […]
When the Ready for 100 campaign launched in Ohio in 2017, no cities were committed to 100% renewable energy. Now we have commitments from Cleveland, Cincinnati, Lakewood, South Euclid, and most recently Dayton, as well as Community Choice Aggregation for 100% renewable energy initiatives in Worthington, Columbus, and Grove City. […]