Be the Change Weekly Community Update June 11, 2021

Ohio Broadleaf Tree Identification-Parts 1 @ 2
Wednesdays June 16 and 23 7 – 8 pm
Virtual Slide Presentations with Q&A

Know our trees by their leaves (bark, fruit, flowers too)

If you wish you knew more about the unique characteristics of our Ohio trees, you will love this learning opportunity. This 2-part, slide presentation by Mort (Marty) Schmidt will teach you how to identify Ohio broadleaf, i.e non-conifer, trees, with an emphasis on recognition by leaves, but also including pictures of the bark, fruits, flowers, berries, etc.
Part 1. Mort will explain the general principles needed for identifying trees, including references to several electronic and printed sources that you can use on your own, offline or in the woods. Register.
Part 2. Mort will offer a brief rundown of 50 common Ohio trees, using one or several key features for each tree. Register.
Both presentations will include time for questions. Mort has a deep knowledge of trees, and often includes facts and anecdotes about how the trees have been used for food, drinks, and medicine.
Bonus: Mort offers free guided walks in various central Ohio parks and wooded areas!
Mort is a retired geologist and amateur naturalist and woodworker.

This is a favorite one minute Nature RX – watch it ***here***.

The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught fire.
~ Pamela Hansford Johnson

Break Free From Plastic Pollution Teach-In & Actions
Wednesday, June 30 @ 7 pm

We know plastic pollution is a nightmare and hard to wrap our heads around… but did you know that the Sierra Club and others have introduced powerful Federal Legislation that can really make a difference? The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021 builds on statewide laws across the country and outlines plastic reduction strategies to improve the health of our people and our planet. This comprehensive federal legislation would begin to phase out throwaway plastics made from fossil fuel, hold the plastic industry responsible for its waste, and pause construction on any new plastic-making plants. Register for free or donate to support the work of Simply Living.

SIMPLY LIVING’S 2021
SUSTAINABLE LIVING AND GARDEN TOUR
SATURDAY, JULY 24 FROM 10 AM – 3 PM

True to form, Simply Living’s Tour is a learning opportunity! Homeowners will be available to answer your questions at each location. The Tour will include 8 stops showcasing a wide variety of gardens featuring native plants, wildlife habitats, rain gardens, rain barrels, herbs, permaculture designs, and more. In addition, learn first hand from those who have installed solar panels, including one with a battery backup system if the power is interrupted. Electric vehicles will also be on display.
Tickets are $10 per person or for $25 get the tour plus a full year membership in Simply Living.
Details and registration here.

Simply Living Book Club:
Global Warming: Can It Be Stopped?

**Learn more about the book here. You can purchase the book for $12.99 (PB) or the ebook is $3.99.**

We’re excited about this new book by Ohio author Paul Robinson. Paul brings a unique perspective as a psychologist and a former science educator to explore the deeper reasons why we are not acting on the climate crisis, and he offers insight into the opportunities for acting now to preserve the quality of life for generations to come. Learn more about the book here <https://tinyurl.com/vyj4zdy4>. You can purchase the book for $12.99 (PB) or the ebook is $3.99.The date and time of the author talk with Q&A will be announced on our website and social media. To be notified and reserve a seat as soon as registration is available, email chuck@simplyliving.org.

Start locally and build. Start small and grow. Start in your house, then move to your school, your book club, your gym, your church, your temple, your city. ~ Laurie David

Columbus is the occupied land of the Kaskaskia,Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee), Myaamia, and Hopewell ~ Elissa Yoder Mann’s Esig

Dr. Jane Goodall in Gombe National Park, Tanzania GANT clothing campaign

Simply Living wins Comfest grant for People’s Solar Project

Simply Living is thrilled to announce that we have won a Comfest grant this year for the People’s Solar Project!
The Comfest grants committee awarded $2345 for the project, the largest of its grants this year.
Simply Living will forward 95 percent of the proceeds for direct project support, with 5 percent as a fiscal agent fee.
***Read the full announcement here.***

The People’s Solar Project is a project to create a demonstration community solar and microgrid project that will generate 5 MW of solar energy to power 80 homes, five churches and two city schools in a 300-acre area on Cooke Road. Eventually the Cooke Road Solarhood, as the project is called, will include a resilience hub with energy storage, an attractive solar park, and an Energy Academy.
See a short interview with People’s Solar Project director Art Yoho here

Answering Questions on the Energy Aggregation Initiative
by Cathy Cowan Becker in Columbus Underground

With the adoption of the Columbus community choice aggregation program Clean Energy Columbus this month, there are still some lingering questions readers might have about how it works — including how to compare their energy supply price, what this means for customers of commercial providers versus customers of the City of Columbus Division of Power, and any other questions not entirely answered in the city’s ongoing messaging about the program. **Read full article here**. See excerpt below on the benefits of this program.

The Columbus Aggregation Program is reportedly the third-largest aggregation program in the country and the largest outside of California. It’s expected to generate $1.7 million each year in funding for community grants prioritizing low income communities and communities of color. The price of renewable energy continues to fall and will continue as solar panels become more efficient and more renewable energy facilities are built. Meanwhile, the cost of fossil fuels has nowhere to go but up. The switch to renewable energy can result in a decrease of $210 million in health care costs and the creation of 4,000 jobs through the construction and maintenance of new wind and solar assets. Cathy Cowan Becker, chair of the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 campaign in Ohio and a member of the Sustainable Columbus External Partners Advisory Committee, says the program is a good model for aggregation nationally. “This is a ground-breaking model program for the country,” she said. “Columbus has taken a huge leap forward with clean energy, and is leading the nation on what a renewable energy aggregation program should look like.” Cathy is now the Executive Director of Simply Living.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SIMPLY LIVING’S BE THE CHANGE COMMUNITY CALENDAR

**Join Zoom Meeting** us02web.zoom.us/j/83906590837
Facebook Event
**What is Community?** Salon presentations:
**Morgan Harper** on Columbus Stand UP with update on Nina Turner campaign as well as other work to reconnect community residents.
**Curtis Walker** on Alpha Fraternity doing community work.
Choosing Community over Chaos
Legislative Updates – **Mary Jane Borden** update on marijuana legislation
**Pat Marida** on HB 6 repeal and other environmental issues
**Cathy Cowan Becker** on the Columbus, Ohio Climate Action Plan and Simply Living community update
Q & A included.

Java Central, 20 S, State St., Uptown Westerville.
Next week: Avalon Nine

An online summit for a new way forward

Don’t forget to register for the June 13th **Columbus Good Jobs for All Teach-In!**
In the next few months, **we have a historic opportunity to win good jobs for all** and the first pillars of the Green New Deal.
Join us at this teach-in if… You want to learn more about the Green New Deal
You’re curious about how a jobs program could benefit our community
You want to know more about what you can do to combat the climate crisis, systemic racism and economic inequality.
This event is intended to be accessible for anyone — **so come along and invite your friends, community, and neighbors!**

Michael Wilkos is a demographer and knows Columbus inside and out. Most residents of central Ohio come from outside the metro area, across the country or around the world, meaning they are not well-versed on the city’s history. What do the Short North arches mean? Why did the state capital move three times before landing in Columbus? Established in 1812 as the first city in the United States solely created to be a state capital, Prosperity in the city is not evenly felt. Some neighborhoods struggle while others thrive.
This session provides fun, quirky, interesting and historically noteworthy facts about Ohio’s capital and largest city, ***more***

**No More “Snake on the Lake:” The Future of Redistricting in Ohio**
***Tuesday June 15, 2021 at Noon***
With panelists: **David Daley** Senior Fellow, FairVote, and author, “Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy”
**•Jen Miller** Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Ohio
**•Alora Thomas-Lundborg** Senior Staff Attorney, Voting Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union
Moderator: **Karen Kasler** Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio and Television Watch live here! ***more***

**Just Announced: Farmer Lee Jones interviewed by Jeni Britton Bauer!**
Tuesday, June 15 @ 7pm Live Streamed on Zoom
A not-to-be-missed visit with produce guru Farmer Lee Jones, author of a gorgeous, soulful cookbook, *The Chef’s Garden: A Modern Guide to Common and Unusual Vegetables, with Recipes*. Farmer Lee Jones will be in conversation with American ice cream maker, entrepreneur, and author Jeni Britton Bauer. **TICKETS** Get TicketsGet TicketsGet Tickets

Over the last decade, author and activist Astra Taylor has helped shift the national conversation on topics including
technology, inequality, indebtedness, and democracy. SL co-hosted her film, What Is Democracy? more info ***here***

**Putting Together the Pieces of a Fair Energy Transition – Leaving No One Behind**
**Tue Jun 15th 7:00pm – 8:00pm**
Solving the climate crisis is a reemployment plan for the Ohio River Valley and an investment in the region’s future.
The public investments we make today to stem climate change will protect our communities and ensure the health of future generations to come. Speakers and registration ***here***. Free.

**Learn even more about how to deal with the behemoth that is Amazon**. ***More***

Join us **Thursday**, **June 17**, **at 2 PM ET** for a book discussion webinar with Richard Heinberg about his forthcoming book, ***POWER: LIMITS AND PROSPECTS FOR HUMAN SURVIVAL***. The book traces the relationships between social and physical power, showing how our unique abilities evolved. More information and options for pre-ordering the book (or e-book) are ***here***.

**Did you miss this event from OSU’s Environmental Professionals Network last Friday?**
An edited recording of this insightful and interactive program is available for viewing at the link here.
Resource links shared by Dr. Daniel Wahl and program attendees during the program are available at link here.
The next EPN program “*Greening Engagement: Parks and Community Partnerships*” is on July 13, 2021.
Click here to learn more and register.

**“ECDI’s impact on the Ohio economy comfortably exceeds $1 billion annually, stemming from locally-owned, locally serving businesses.”**
Overall Economic Impact Study of ECDI’s Lending to Ohio Entrepreneurs by Bill Lafayette, Ph.D.

Find many more events posted on our Community Calendar.
Browse now. Select the Monthly View to find events quickly.
HINT: Search using keywords like FOOD, ENERGY, SUSTAINABLE, YOGA, MEDITATION, MUSIC, SUMMIT, ETC.

NEWS + RESOURCES
FOR LIVING LOCAL

Columbus Shares Tools – Modcon Living
Get all the details in Kyle Garvey’s latest blog for Simply Living.

Are you enjoying your Happiness Calendar!

**Discover the underworld, the depths of nature via Ohio Caverns**
These colorful caverns have over 2 miles of surveyed passageways, ranging in depth from 30 feet to 103 feet.
The highlight of any visit to Ohio Caverns will be a stop at the largest stalactite in Ohio, The Crystal King.
There are a variety of tours offered at Ohio Caverns and you can check out tour prices and COVID-19 guidelines here.

This is a brilliant 25 page roadmap outlining a path through the present emergency to a future ecological civilization. David Korten is the author of many books and for those of us with time to delve into his latest article, you will be handsomely rewarded. Here is the ***link to the PDF version.***

“There must be some way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
“There’s too much confusion
I can’t get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line
Know what any of it is worth”
~ Bob Dylan, All Along the Watchtower (read the rest)

Pride month kicked off this year with the Lambda Literary Awards on June 1, a live virtual event (which you can re-watch here) honoring the best books of the year that “celebrate or explore LGBT themes.” This year, Billy-Ray Belcourt’s *A History of My Brief Body* (which we published at Two Dollar Radio, and which you should definitely check out), was a finalist in the Gay Memoir/Biography category, and while it didn’t win the Lammy we were still super excited to have the work recognized as a finalist. **At HQ**, we’ve got several of the Lammy winners currently in-stock, including *Fiebre Tropical* by Juli Delgado Lopera (Best Lesbian Fiction), *Wow, No Thank You* by Samantha Irby (Bisexual Nonfiction), *My Autobiography of Carson McCullers* by Jenn Shapland (Lesbian Memoir/Biography), and *Love after the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction* edited by Joshua Whitehead (LGBTQ Anthology).
You can peruse some of the other titles we’ve highlighted as part of our in-store Pride display at our website.

**Dr. Bronner’s to Launch V**egan, Organic Chocolate Bars (super guilt free 🙂

Dr. Bronner’s, a popular natural soap brand, is releasing Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One Chocolate this Aug. 1 and will sell its product online by the fall. The dairy-free chocolate will come in six different flavors: roasted whole hazelnuts, crunchy hazelnut butter, salted whole almonds, salted almond butter, salted dark chocolate and smooth coconut praline. The bars will be made from cocoa grown through regenerative organic practices, and are made with lower-glycemic coconut sugar.
The push to produce chocolate began when Dr. Bronner’s learned that the Ghanian farmers who supply its Regenerative Organic Certified Serendipalm also grow cocoa and decided to expand the partnership. The company’s farming partners use dynamic agroforestry, a farming method used by Indigenous peoples of Latin America. Dynamic agroforestry creates “forest-like systems with high biomass production,” according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In addition to being certified USDA organic and vegan, the chocolate is a certified fair trade product. Read more here

**Check out Issue 1 of the Center for Biological Diversity *here*.**

Holistic Horticulture is practiced by Simply Living’s newest member.
Check out Wes Williams and the landscaping services he offers:
https://www.plantconnections.net/

Bioneers Pulse – updates from the Bioneers Community. See full newsletter here.
See sample article below.

Suzanne Simard: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest ***Read the article in the Pulse Newsletter***

“One of the first clues came while I was tapping into the messages that the trees were relaying back and forth through a cryptic underground fungal network. When I followed the clandestine path of the conversations, I learned that this network is pervasive through the entire forest floor, connecting all the trees in a constellation of tree hubs and fungal links. A crude map revealed, stunningly, that the biggest, oldest timbers are the sources of fungal connections to regenerating seedlings. Not only that, they connect to all neighbors, young and old, serving as the linchpins for a jungle of threads and synapses and nodes. I’ll take you through the journey that revealed the most shocking aspect of this pattern—that it has similarities with our own human brains. In it, the old and young are perceiving, communicating, and responding to one another by emitting chemical signals. Chemicals identical to our own neurotransmitters. Signals created by ions cascading across fungal membranes.”

Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habit.
~ Laozi

Are Corporate Claims of Regenerative Agriculture Real?

Regenerative agriculture practices that restore soil and ecosystem health can help reduce climate change.
But are the companies claiming to follow these practices really doing so or is this just a marketing ploy? more…

Plant With Purpose: Benefit Wildlife, the Planet, & You!

A wildlife garden with plants that are native to your region will help butterflies, bees, and birds –
and make Earth a little healthier for all of us. more…

**Tom and Jocelyn offer eco-conscious and award winning service in Clintonville.**

A brand new gallery exhibition opens this Saturday!
*Resilience in Nature: We Are the Roses that Grew from the Concrete*
features the work of 29 local, Black artists exploring the concept of diversity in nature. The art on display includes painting, photography, fabrics, mixed media and more. Guests will select the People’s Choice Award by voting for their favorite, the artwork with the most votes will win. ***Learn more here.***

**FRIENDS OF PUBLIC BANKING WEBSITE**
As the public banking movement continues to surge forward, everyone can now learn about banking in the public interest
and declare your support for the creation of public banks. Check it out **now**

The Columbus Free Press Network includes two awesome community radio stations! WGRN.org 94.1 and WCRSFM.org 92.7 / 98.3
Listen on your radio or online anytime!

CALENDARS!
LIVE LOCAL, BUILD COMMUNITY #SIMPLYLIVING

Columbus on the Cheap Good, Cheap, Fun

In This Issue…

COLUMBUS UNDERGROUND
Mega Weekend
Lots of Shopping, Art & Pride This Weekend!

*Friends and outside equals fun! Photo by cottonbro from Pexels*

Have a nice weekend!

Live Music

*Windborne’s The Music of Queen*
Head to Nelsonville for a summer concert.
Big Gigantic plays the Westland Drive-In.
Head to Franklinton Fridays Music Series.
Columbus Taco Week goes through Saturday.
Get some Dole Whip at Cream & Sugar.
ProMusica has Beers & Brass.
Picnic with the Pops kicks off with Windborne’s The Music of Queen.

Shopping

.The Smithery’s retail shop, owned by Anne Holman and Jen Townsend, will close on Saturday, June 12.
Shop the Pearl Market on Friday and POP into the POP space for some yummy meringues and more!
Polaris Night Market starts Friday. Shop the Friendship Flea.
Olde Towne East’s Trash to Treasure Yard Sale is Saturday.
There are Record Store Day drops at Lost Weekend, Used Kids, and Spoonful.
You have until Saturday to shop The Smithery’s retail store.
Green Lawn Abbey has a Crypt-ique.

ENJOY EXPLORING ART

Actors’ Theatre continues in Schiller Park with Much Ado About Nothing.
Loni Love is at the Funny Bone. Resilience in Nature opens at the Franklin Park Conservatory.
Local movie Poser debuts at the Tribeca Film Festival and you can watch it at home on Friday.
Studio 35 plays Snatch with a beer tasting.
Support Art for Franklinton on Saturday.
Listen to Hanif Abdurraqib, author of *They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us*.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO
THIS WEEDKEND?

Are you supporting Dine.Drink.Dress tonight?
Go Behind the Seams with UpWest. Help make Goodale Park beautiful. Learn first aid using herbs.
Reynoldsburg has a Pride Celebration.
Do the Stonewall Tea Dance Around Town.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend! A great community is an informed community. Want to help keep our news free for all and support our small, local company? Your support helps Columbus Underground further our mission.

**GET ACTIVE!** Items below are selected from the **Columbus Peace Newsletter**
edited by **Connie Hammond** (pictured above).
Email cmhammond11@att.net to subscribe to her Community Calendar or share meeting info.

Thursday, June 10, 17, and 24, 2021, 1:00 PM. Reparations: Remembering, Repairing, and Re-imagining Webinar Series. United Methodist Church and Society. Session 1. Remembering: To better understand reparations, this webinar will focus on the intergenerational racism and discrimination of descendants of slavery, and how it contributed and continues to contribute to the widening racial wealth gap we see today. Session 2. Repairing: Panel discussion on examples of reparations in the United States (Japanese Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Evanston, Illinois). What can we learn from these examples of reparations? Session 3. Re-imagining: As people of faith, what is the case for reparations from a theological/biblical perspective? And how can we prophetically live into that calling now and guarantee it for the future? You can choose to attend one or more of the following webinars. Register here.

Monday, June 14, 2020 08:00 PM. Ohio Poor People’s Movement Central Regional Meeting. Register here.

Tuesday, June 15 – Thursday, June 17, 2021, 11:30 AM. Peace Action Virtual Lobby Days Extravaganza. This annual conference will include guest experts, issue briefings on topics from nuclear disarmament to cutting Pentagon bloat to ending endless wars, as well as direct advocacy trainings. You can join us simply to hear from experts on our peace issues and learn more. Or you can take the next step and join with our organizers nationwide to directly lobby your members of Congress. Whether you want to learn from national experts about peace issues, join in the push on Congress, or both, you can do so by registering here. If you want to engage your elected officials after our conference, we will provide support, training, and then help you set up visits. And don’t worry, Peace Action and/or our local affiliate staff are likely to be joining in your visits, so you won’t be going it alone! If you’re interested, you can join us in making your voices heard to the elected officials on Capitol Hill. You can help us pressure those in Congress to listen to our calls for change, for progress, for peace. Where: Register here through Zoom.

Tuesday, June 15, 2021, 7:00 PM. Criminal (In) Justice: A look at the results of a flawed system. Join the Ohio Council of Churches for a panel discussion on the current criminal justice reform measures before the Ohio legislature, abolition of Ohio’s death penalty and bail reform. Panelists include Hannah Kubbins, Executive Director Ohioans to Stop Executions and Claire Chevrier, Policy Counsel ACLU of Ohio. Register here.

Wednesday, June 16, 2021, 3:00 PM. It’s Past Time to Repeal Ohio’s HB 6 Coal Bailout. Please join Ohio Citizen Action for the next installment in a series of Conversations with Rachael Belz, OCA Executive Director with special guest Neil Waggoner, Sr. Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club. Our ongoing fight for renewable energy and government accountability in the face of Ohio’s HB 6 scandal has reached a new phase. That law, at the center of Ohio’s largest racketeering and bribery scheme ever, forced taxpayers to bail out FirstEnergy’s nuclear plants and two Eisenhower-era Ohio Valley Electric Corporation (OVEC) coal plants (one of which is in Indiana!). The nuclear bailout portion of HB 6 was just repealed, but the coal bailouts continue to roll in — and Ohio’s ratepayers and environment continue to foot the large bill. Join Rachael and Neil to talk about why it’s time to retire these dirty coal plants and protect the health of every Ohioan. Register here.

Wednesday, June 16, 2021, 7:00 PM. The Politics of Israel-Palestine in the US: The Israel Lobby and the Growing Movement for a New US Policy Toward the Palestinians. Philip Weiss is the founder and a frequent contributor to the influential web site Mondoweiss, which has become a go-to source worldwide for news, analysis and opinion about the Middle East and especially the struggle for justice in Palestine-Israel. Now, more than ever, with Palestinians facing Israeli violence in Occupied Jerusalem and under Israeli bombing in Gaza, progressives are pushing for a new US policy that upholds Palestinian rights rather than continue a one-sided tilt toward Israel. Understanding the political terrain in the US and the still massive influence of Israel Lobby organizations and funding – which underpins US funding for the Israeli military to the tune of almost $4 billion a year and provides diplomatic cover for Israeli occupation — are crucial for achieving the change we need. Phil and MAPA Board member Jeff Klein will have a conversation on how to move ahead and what obstacles we face politically at home. Register here.

Wednesday, June 16, 2021, 7:00 PM. AFSC Webinar: The Power of Economic Activism. Mass incarceration, war and occupation, border security, police militarization, and mass surveillance are systems of state violence and oppression. But for many large corporations, they’re simply profitable markets with almost endless growth opportunities. Today, AFSC’s Economic Activism program investigates the ways in which corporations get deeply entangled in policing and mass surveillance, border walls and mass incarceration, war, and occupation. We offer strategic research for action and unique tools for corporate engagement and investment screening, tailored to the needs of activists and investors seeking change. Join AFSC and partners on June 16 to learn how communities around the world have used the power of economic activism to hold corporations to account and achieve social change. Register for our webinar today. Speakers include Jacinta González, Mijente’s Senior Campaign Organizer, who will give us insight into the No Tech for ICE campaign, and Morgan Simon of the Candide Group, who will discuss how a grassroots coalition succeeded in getting the largest banks in the U.S. to announce they would stop giving credit and loans to private prison companies. Register here.

Thursday, June 17, 2021, 8:00 PM. Specter of Colonial Violence during Military Escalations & Its Impact on Health in Israel/Palestine. Please join the Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council for an analysis of the history of settler colonialism in historic Palestine with particular attention to the latest assaults and the implications for health care, public health, and the pandemic. We look forward to having you join us for this important conversation. Please invite friends and colleagues. Speakers: Alice Rothchild MD: Alice Rothchild MD is a retired ob-gyn, author, and activist who has focused her interest in social justice on Israel/Palestine for over 20 years. She has written three books and contributed to a number of anthologies on the topic, and directed a documentary film. She is active in JVP Health Advisory Council and on the board of We Are Not Numbers and the Gaza Mental Health Foundation. www.alicerothchild.com. Osama Tanous MD: Osama Tanous MD is a specialized pediatrician based in Haifa and a clinical instructor in the Rappaport faculty of medicine in the Technion. He is currently pursuing his Master of Public Health in Tel Aviv University and is a researcher for the Galilee Society – The Arab National Society for Health Research and Services. Tanous is a 2020 Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey fellow in public health and health policies in Emory University. His research interests include structural violence and health disparities. Register here.

Monday, June 21, 2021, 5:30 PM. National Poor People’s Assembly – 3^rd Reconstruction. Poor people, low wage workers, moral and faith leaders and advocates will gather online from across the nation simultaneously with a socially distant rally in Raleigh, NC at the state legislature for a mass assembly. The hybrid online/in-person National Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly will raise a chorus of voices demanding a moral revolution that puts the suffering of the 140 million+ and low-income people in the U.S. at the center of every policy debate. More information and registration here.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 3:30 – 4:30 PM. Gathering for Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East Supporters/Newcomers. Current supporters and newcomers are all welcome to sign up for our Zoom gathering being held on Wednesday June 23 at 3:30 pm Eastern via Zoom. You will hear updates about recent events and meet Board members and local leaders. Learn information about our achievements over our 50-year history, activities of more than 20 UUJME chapters across the country, legislative advocacy opportunities, our recently launched Guide to Moving Congress, our support for the proposed 8th Principle, and how to view our GA Poster on Socially Responsible Investing. A short informational film will be shared about Palestinians in Gaza. Register here.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 7:00 PM. Preparations for Nuclear War with China over Taiwan – Then and Now. Daniel Ellsberg has done it again! 50 years after his courageous whistleblowing release of the Pentagon’s secret Vietnam War history, The Pentagon Papers, he has again shaken the nation and the world with a new revelation. It has critically important implications for the new Cold War confrontation with China and the debate over the possibility over Congress or the Biden Administration adopting a No First Use nuclear policy. For more than 60 years the government has kept secret its 1958 willingness to completely sacrifice Taiwan in order to save it. During that Taiwan crisis, the Eisenhower administration prepared and threatened to attack China with nuclear weapons. Ellsberg’s revelation demonstrates that Eisenhower and Dulles were willing to accept a retaliatory Soviet nuclear attack on Taiwan following U.S. nuclear bombing of China. As the U.S. and China ratchet up tensions over Taiwan, Ellsberg asserts that the Pentagon must again be debating the possibility of sacrificing Taiwan and its people to save them. Join us for our webinar with this brilliant and courageous American hero! Sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action, the Campaign for Peace Disarmament and Common Security, and the Committee for a Sane US-China Policy. More information and registration here.

The trouble is you think you have time. ~ Gautama Buddha

MORE LOCAL CALENDARS
Columbus Free Press Activists Calendar Editor Bob Roehm
WCBE Arts & Life Calendar

BE THE CHANGE: READ OUR COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Be the Change: Join Simply Living Individual membership rates have been reduced to $25 annually. Seniors, $20. Students only $10. Business memberships starting at $100 now include membership in the Ohio Sustainable Business Council.

Sign up online here or email HELLO@simplyliving.org