Be the Change: Weekly Community Update April 9, 2021

Saturday, April 10 from 10 am to 12 noon
TOUR OF URBAN GARDEN AND PLANS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY SOLAR

FIRST “SOLARHOOD” IN COLUMBUS
4166 Maize Rd, Columbus OH 43224


MEET ART YOHO AND VISIONARY TEAM OF GARDENERS AND SOLARHOOD PLANNERS

Visit on site to learn and network about this emerging model for a sustainable, resilient future!

Expect a good time for one and all. Here are a few of the exciting developments you will see and learn about…
> Meet Marcie and Tracey, who operate freshtownfarm.com (great website) here and at other urban properties. They both, at separate times, managed the Food Bank Garden then founded their own operation. While setting up the farm here they literally moved 100 tons of compost and other material by hand, built 3 hoop houses, and a workstation connected to the shed. One or both will be on hand. 
> Bee Keepers – Cheryl Baughman and her brother have nurtured their hives here for years. They will be on hand.
> David Smalarz – is a gifted potter and long term community garden tender here. He and his wife have side by side gardens near the front of the house. The 6 rain barrels help supply water there. They will be on hand. 
> Meet Art Yoho! Art will share his plans for creating a “Solarhood” – a bottom-up initiative to build a community solar energy-sharing system that everyone can join – many believe that this is the model for a renewable energy future. Why?  Because up to 75% of homes and apartments are not suitable for rooftop solar. 
We’re calling it “The People’s Solar 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 will include a resilience hub with energy storage, an attractive solar park, and an Energy Academy. 
> Simply Living’s new director, Cathy Cowan Becker – has written a grant request for $3000 to support fabricating the prototype
> Solarhood Is taking form as a movement. $1000 has been offered to graphic artists all over the world to design the symbol for the movement.
Plan to attend and bring a friend. There is a lot to see and learn!


Want solar training? Get a discount!

We are super excited to announce a new partnership to provide a $50 discount for Simply Living members who sign up for online solar classes offered by Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station.

The online self-paced classes include:

Introduction to Solar PV, for those new to solar, covering how solar works, system options, parts of the system, and how to determine if your location is right for solar. This course is ideal for homeowners interested in solar, electricians thinking they may wish to expand into the solar marketplace, building owners or architects who have questions about how solar might be incorporated into their facilities, or consultants being asked about solar and how solar electric systems work. It includes 10 hours of instruction for $99 — which means a $50 discount cuts the price in half.

Residential Solar Installation and Design, for people who wish to install a system on their home or business, hire someone else to install a system, or enter the rapidly growing PV industry as a career. This is a complete system design and installation course for those preparing for industry certifications. It tracks with the provided textbook, Understanding Photovoltaics, 8th ed., including 46 hours of instruction time for $199 before the discount.

To get the discount, visit give.simplyliving.org to purchase a Simply Living membership at any level. Then we will send you a special code to receive $50 off the course of your choice when you sign up on the Blue Rock Station online classes web portal. It’s a win for Simply Living, a win for Blue Rock Station, and a win for you!


Sunday, April 18 from 5 – 7 pm
Simply Living’s Virtual Annual Dinner Meeting
to Recognize Local Leaders, New Board Members,
2021 Plans, and more!

Cathy Cowan Becker, new Simply Living Executive Director
Claus Eckert of Green Columbus will receive the Carol Fisher Award for Community Service
Vicky-Abou Ghalioum of The local Sunrise Movement will receive the new Momentum Award

It’s that time again! It has been quite a year since we last convened for the Simply Living
Annual Meeting. We are excited to welcome our members, allies, and the public as we share our
progress and goals for this onward year.
Register for this online event at http://bit.ly/SimplyLiving2021

Last year we awarded Cathy Cowan Becker the Carol Fisher Award for Community Service, and this year we are pleased to introduce her as our new Executive Director. To no one’s surprise, she has carried the torch, taken the reins, and charged out of the gate full-throttle. We’re thrilled with all we’ve accomplished under her direction, and we look forward to sharing what’s in the works.

Cathy will pass the community service torch in recognizing exemplar Claus Eckert of Green Columbus who will receive the Carol Fisher Award for Community Service. We will also recognize bright beacon Rita Haider as Outstanding Volunteer, unwavering anchor Lisa Kreischer as Outstanding Staff Member, and social-media-post-savvy Savannah Smith as our on-board social media amplifier. In addition, we have added a new award called the Momentum Award to recognize organizations, and will recognize Sunrise Movement Columbus Hub for their momentum in the sustainability movement. Hub leader Vicky-Abou Ghalioum will be on hand with several of the hub’s members.

We are pleased to announce that Kai Landis and Robert H. Sloan have agreed to join its Board of Directors.
Kai Landis is founder and CEO of Green Roots, LLC, a women-owned and MBE/EDGE certified small business located in Columbus. Green Roots is a sustainability-minded consulting firm helping clients meet their event and project goals while taking into consideration the environmental, financial, and social impact. Kai founded Green Roots to help businesses and non-profits implement projects with a lighter environmental footprint without sacrificing style or interfering with the financial bottom line. She is a past Chair of the Community Engagement Committee for the Columbus Mayor’s Green Team, African American Leadership Academy Advisory Board, the boards for Yay Bikes and Green Columbus.
Robert H. Sloan is owner at Sloan Saxbe Creative, Columbus, Ohio. Sloan Saxbe creative strives to boost clients’ brands and help build revenue with great graphic design and promotions, having been in business since 2016. Bob is a down-to-earth graphic designer and writer with extensive print, print purchasing, curriculum design and web design, including corporate and agency, experience.

A Virtual Dinner? Order Takeout from Simply Living Affiliate Restaurants
IKeep an eye on our website and social media pages fo the list of featured restaurants
(Love Local, Live Local!).


2040: Join the Regeneration Sign up on Eventbrite: tinyurl.com/jdsvjna

2040: Join the Regeneration
VIEW THE FILM MONDAY, APRIL 19
JOIN THE Q&A PANEL DISCUSSION
TUESDAY, APRIL 20 AT 7 PM
Sign up on Eventbrite: tinyurl.com/jdsvjna

Celebrate Earth Day by watching 2040: Join the Regeneration. Damon Gameau’s inspiring film looks at the effects of climate change over the next 20 years and what technologies that exist today can reverse the effects. 2040 follows Gameau’s imagining of a future for his four-year old daughter Velvet, where climate change has been solved. Described as “an exercise in fact-based dreaming” the film is structured as a letter to his daughter whereby Gameau travels around the world investigating numerous solutions that can contribute towards climate mitigation and imagining what a future would be like where they have been implemented at scale. In choosing what to feature in the film, Gameau restricted it to solutions that are either already available or have a realistic potential to greatly contribute to reversing climate change by the year 2040. The film features interviews with numerous academics, ecological experts and entrepreneurs and will leave you optimistic that we can make this dream a reality.
Sign up on Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.com/manage/events/147869069367
Donations of $1 or more are requested to offset our costs for the licensing fee.


Invisible Hand: The Rights of Nature
Sunday, Apr. 25, 2021, 2 PM

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/yp7dmhkx

Rights of Nature is about balancing what is good for human beings against what is good for other species, what is good for the planet as a world. It is the holistic recognition that all life, all ecosystems on our planet are deeply intertwined.
~ Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature

Join us for the live Q&A Lake Erie Bill of Rights organizer, Markie Miller.
Link and password to view the film will be sent out Saturday, April 24.
The film will be available for a 24 -hour period before the Q&A,
which starts promptly at 2:00 pm on Sunday the 25th.

This is the 2nd in the Democracy Film Series sponsored by Simply Living and the Ohio Community Rights Network. Registration and more information about the series: https://www.ohiocrn.org/democracy-film-festival
From Executive Producer Mark Ruffalo comes the world’s first documentary film on the Rights of Nature Movement, a “Paradigm Shifting” story about the current global battle between capitalism and democracy where the fight for our survival is at stake. It’s the story of three different communities and the residents of those communities standing up to challenge the current environmental laws and system to protect their health as well as nature’s. The film exposes how the people have been duped into believing that we have the “best environmental ” laws in the world, when in reality those laws are really legalizing pollution by issuing permits that protect the very industries doing the harm.

REGISTER HERE: https://tinyurl.com/yp7dmhkx
$5 donation requested

SEE UPCOMING FILMS IN THE DEMOCRACY SERIES HERE
Invisible Hand (Rights of Nature), Sunday, April 25, 2 pm
The New Corporation – Sunday, August 29, 2 pm
We the People 2.0 – Sunday, October 24, 2 pm



HIGHLIGHTS FROM SIMPLY LIVING’S BE THE CHANGE COMMUNITY CALENDAR


Ecovillage Summit – Living Solutions for a Regenerative World. Free. More here.

People around the world are coming together to collectively re-imagine our future.
more here

Jane Fonda and Gov. Jay Inslee will talk about the power of individual states and what they can and are doing in regards to climate action especially in relationship to federal government  More here.

Grassroot Ohio with Carolyn Harding 5 pm Fridays and 2 pm Sundays on 94.1 FM or WGRN.org
Anti-Protest Laws-Ohio w/ Joan VanBecelaere & Kristen Beiries
Carolyn Harding w/ Our Voices Together – an alliance of organizations working to protect our first amendment right
to peaceful protest amidst a barrage of anti-protest laws in the Ohio Legislature. More here


“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.

Hermann Scheer was the German legislator who originated the renewable energy incentives that turned Germany into a world leader!

Nature-Based Solutions Invite: Earth Day 2021 Tree Planting
Sat Apr 10th 10:00am – 2:00pm at Bridgeway Academy More here.

Salon presentations:
Brian Clash, opening and closing music
WGRN producers Annie Warmke and Herbert Ndeki II.
Cathy Cowan Becker, Columbus Climate Action Plan and Simply Living
350.org Midwest Field organizer
Morgan Harper on the Sunrise and Climate Strike organizers from Central Ohio. More here.


Did you know that deforestation is the largest cause of emerging disease outbreaks? More here.


If you were in attendance at the last Columbus SOUP event, you met Marshall Shorts and learned about his project, Pitch Black. Today, we are excited to share that this project, which received funding from your support of Columbus SOUP over 7 years, is happening thanks to Artfluencial and Maroon Arts Group, and we want you to be a part of it! I’m IN!

GreenSpot Conversations with Simply Living.
Tue Apr 13th 2:00pm – 2:45pm
Learn about Simply Living’s 2021 Initiatives!
RSVP: email GreenSpot@columbus.gov and list Simply Living in the subject line. More

Learn from these experts:
Sheri Williamson, author of A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America and Attracting and Feeding Hummingbirds

David Wiedenfeld, Senior Conservation Scientist at American Bird Conservancy
Tim Meehan, Quantitative Ecologist at the National Audubon Society, author of the study “Interacting with Hummingbirds at Home”

more here.

We invite you to view the event descriptions below, sign up as “Interested” or “Going,” and share with any friends who may be interested.
On April 14 at 1:00 pm CDT, Watch and Share: Soil Carbon Goddess: A Conversation with Kiss the Ground Star Dr. Kris Nichols
On April 15 at 12:30 pm CDT, Watch and Share: Poisoned for Profit: Kim Elia on Detoxing from Toxic Pesticides
On April 16 at 1:00 pm CDT, Watch and Share: Regenerative Organic Power Couple Eric Fuchs & Dr. Leanne Trostel on Clean Water for Human Health

As my pappy used to say, that ain’t the half of it.. ok, not really, but there are so many more cool events this week and in April – EARTH DAY & MONTH – to name a bunch. Be the Change!
Browse now.
Select the Monthly View to find events quickly.


NEWS + RESOURCES
FOR LIVING LOCAL

Who can help these friends of Simply Living?

2 young physicians looking for a rental house, apartment, or condo 
2+ bedrooms > 1.5 bathrooms
2 parking spots with available street parking for guests
Flexible lease duration, would love 6 or 9 month option 
Lease start date in July or august 
Within 30 minutes driving to pickerington, new Albany, and Ohio state medical center 
<$2500/month 
Natural light, storage, and space for a dining table
In unit washer and dryer (not just hookups)
Please contact us at: stevenandjanaki@gmail.com.

Transition US – Resilience for a Time When
Resilience is Mandatory by Mac Crawford.

Read Mac’s timely article on RESILIENCE here.

Brand New Organizer Toolkit!

Our new Climate Mobilization 2030 Toolkit launched on March 29! We offer a step-by-step blueprint for people and organizations to get their communities involved by passing Climate Emergency Declarations, and follow-up Climate Emergency Programs to enact real policy making mobilization at the local level. Whether you’re an individual, or part of a local climate group, this new resource is a guide to moving your community into emergency mode.

If you’re thinking about taking action and want to learn more about reaching zero emissions by 2030, or are curious about what comes next after declaring climate emergency, sign up to receive the Toolkit

For an introduction watch our Toolkit Launch Webinar. 

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

Read the full KISS THE GROUND
Earth Month newsletter here.

TEN WAYS TO LOVE THE SOIL

  1. Surf the web with Ecosia as your new search engine and plant trees with your every search – for free!
  2. Compost your kitchen, because food waste is food for the soil! Learn more about how spectacular composting is our short film, The Compost Story.
  3. Support the Kiss the Ground Farmland Fund to support farmers in their transition to regenerative agriculture.
  4. Host a dinner. Visit the farmers market or grab Kiss the Ground’s Free Purchasing Guide and Savory Institute’s Buying Guide, throw in some good friends and make a meal from farms building healthy soil.
  5. Stream hundreds of documentaries for free on Waterbear – the first streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet.
  6. Wear clothes grown by farmers sequestering carbon and caring for their soils. Learn more about Fibershed, an innovative organization developing regional fiber systems that build soil & protect the health of our biosphere.
  7. Watch the Soil Story. Learn & spread the word about soil’s potential to sequester carbon by watching and sharing our short film.
  8. Advocate for eco-literacy. Download Kiss the Ground’s Free Soil Story Middle School Curriculum and share with the children, teachers, parents, and administrators in your community.
  9. Become a Soil Advocate. Learn how to powerfully present the topics of soil health and regenerative agriculture as solutions to climate change, water scarcity, and feeding the world.
  10. Become a Kiss the Ground Member! As a Kiss the Ground Member, your monthly donations ensure that participation in the movement towards global regeneration is accessible to EVERYONE.
The Environmental Cost of Online Returns
Free returns help shoppers get exactly what they want, but it has serious repercussions for the environment.
Learn about “bracketing” and new policies and solutions to the problem More here

France is taking the lead in reducing waste from unsold and returned goods. In what may be the first law of its kind in the world, in 2020 the French parliament banned companies from throwing away many kinds of unsold goods. Now producers must reuse, redistribute, or recycle unsold products. ~ Earth 911

Cereals, Legumes, and beans in glass jars on white kitchen table. Rice, corn, quinoa, beans, soy, lentils, mache, pasta. Healthy food for cooking.
Maven Moment: Jars — a Safe Food Storage Solution
I began to think about reusing jars instead of plastic containers for food storage. Glass jars are safe for food storage and they’re recyclable.
But I have to admit that I was nervous about using glass for transporting lunch to work. Jars seemed so fragile and heavy. And I was sure that you couldn’t use them for freezing food because glass would shatter in the icy temperatures, right? Turns out that I was wrong! More here
Plant a Pollinator Garden To Support Butterflies, Bees, & Birds
This article tells you why these gardens are needed, and offers a handy guide for how to plant one. more here


Our weekly newsletter is out!
Check out a new recipe, specials and more!
https://conta.cc/31CDJyD
Watch Kit make it on our Facebook Page
Recipe is on our blog!
Get ingredients from our store!
Mention Lentil Stew Recipe and we can gather all the ingredients for you.
Order Red Lentil Stew Ingredients

If you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, pressed for time, and stressed, join the club! Only a minority of people report feeling peaceful, equanimous, and blissed out these days. The good news is that you can take a step in that direction and reap a bunch of benefits. Here’s how:
1. Identify what’s important to you, your mindset, and what throws you off balance
2. Know the signs of an imbalanced life and burnout. 3. Add + Subtract.
Read the full blog here.

(L-r) Charles Peaks, D’Andre Martin and Marvin Green, three of the five founders of Leafy photographed Monday, March 15, 2021 at CoHatch in Upper Arlington, Ohio. (© James D. DeCamp | http://JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Meet Leafy, the local eco-friendly toilet paper company that’s one of the first Black-owned businesses of its kind

Excerpt below: Read the full article here: https://614now.com/2021/news/on-a-roll

As its name implies, the eco-friendliness of Leafy is perhaps its largest selling point. This aspect of the product also plays a part in creating the first thing you’ll likely notice when you reach for a roll: unlike other TP, it’s not white.

“Leafy isn’t dyed, where most toilet paper is. That’s what gives other brands a white color,” Peaks said. “Leafy is also chemical-free and biodegradable, which are selling points for a lot of people.”

This isn’t the extent of Leafy’s environmental focus, either. One of the greenest parts of the new Columbus brand has to do with what it’s made from: 100% bamboo, which is considered a more stable and renewable natural resource for, among other reasons, just how shockingly fast it grows.

Leafy is available in local stores such Weiland’s Market, Reuse Revolution (located in North Market Bridge Park), and Green Haven Living. Their rolls, while high-quality and environmentally friendly, are competitively-priced, with a six-pack costing $7.49 and a subscription service that saves customers 10%. Plus, all online orders receive next-day delivery to Columbus (via their own fleet of drivers).



The Public Banking Institute just launched the
FRIENDS OF PUBLIC BANKING WEBSITE
https://friendsofpublicbanking.org/
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

Our ancestry stretches back through the life forms and into the stars, back into the beginnings of the primeval fireball. This universe is a single multiform energetic unfolding of matter, mind, intelligence and life. ~ Brian Swimme

Author Nita Sweeney’s Write Now blog offers an excellent calendar of literary events in central Ohio. More here.

The Poetry Forum April 12 @ 7:00 pm EDT

We’re ba-ack! Mondays at 7pm on Zoom. Recurring Events (See all) Email Steve Abbott at abbott4949@gmail.com for log in info. Check out the group’s FB page.




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
Fair Food, Moonlight Market, Franklinton Friday & More

Lily Bloom performs as part of CAPA ApART Together Concert Series.

Let’s see what is happening this weekend. There’s fun shopping, art events, and fair food! Pick up your Urban Living Tour ticket. If you live along Broad or Main Streets, here’s a survey to take. Did you know Carson Kressley is coming to Columbus? Win a Zer0z Wallet & gift cards to some awesome local businesses (on our Instagram)! Have a great weekend.

Cool Shopping Events

Shop the CCAD Alumni Art & Design Market for a new unique find (work pictured is by Jenny Boehme).
Shop the Friendship Flea on Friday.
The Moonlight Market returns to Gay Street on Saturday!

Food Events

Fair Food! Photo by Magda Ehlers from Pexels.
Try a bunch of fair food at the Franklin County Fairgrounds.
Woodlands Backyard has a BeerFest. Get a bite from The Queen’s Table.
Try Miss B’s Banana Pudding Cookie at Hot Chicken Takeover.
Be a VIP and try the new Black Box Fix at Easton.
Freedom a la Cart Cafe has opened.
Budd Dairy Food Hall has also opened.
Go try Ray Ray’s Meat + Three.

ENJOY EXPLORING ART

From the Tour de Mural project.
Lights of the Lincoln is virtual so you can view from anywhere.
Land Grant features the Tour de Mural project.
Get a ticket to Spatula, a dance film.
CAPA’s Concert Series starts tonight with Lily Bloom.
Tune in to some Frank Sinatra.
Franklinton Friday features Wild GooseSecret Studio, and more!
No Place Gallery has moved to Gay Street!
Chihuly Nights lights up Franklin Park Conservatory.
Stop by the Wexner Center for Climate Changing.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO
THIS WEEDKEND?

Cheer on the Blue Jackets.
Help clean up Old Oaks. Pet a big, furry animal.
Do you have your ticket to vote on a project pitched during Pitch Black Columbus?

Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend!


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. 

Friday, April 9, 2021, 12:00 PM.  Demanding Dignity for Farmworkers Week of Action. Farmworkers have suffered during COVID from horrific working and living conditions, loss of family members, abuse, and deprivation we can only imagine. They are calling on us to do one simple thing: Show up at Wendy’s Headquarters to Demand Dignity and Fair Wages for Farmworkers. More details to follow. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us at 1 Dave Thomas Blvd. (Dublin Granville Rd. across from the Oakland Nursery) at 12:00 pm on April 9! We’ll social distance as needed.

Friday, April 9, 2021, 12:00 – 1:30 PM.  After Genocide: Memory and Reconciliation in Rwanda.  Memorials are powerful mechanisms in transitioning societies from mass atrocity to more peaceful ones. This talk investigates the ways memorials can shape the experiences of survivors’ decades after the violence has ended. Dr. Nicole Fox examines how memorialization can both heal and hurt, especially when they fail to represent all genders, ethnicities, and classes of those afflicted. Drawing on extensive interviews with Rwandan genocide survivors, Fox reveals their relationships to these spaces and uncovers the micro processes in which survivors’ stories are made central to commemoration and how collective memory can also stratify.  OSU Mershon Center.  More information and registration here

Friday, April 9, 2021, 4:00 – 5:00 PM.  Honk and Wave Every Friday for Our Revolution.  We’ll hang banners and wave to the folks as they head home for the weekend. while they last, each person will receive a Medicare for all placard and an organize to win placard. Enter 4261 Olentangy River Road into your GPS and then walk to the bridge. this is how we win.  Register here.

Saturday, April 10, 2021, 11:30 AM.  Story Circle on the “Public Square” – Protest while you still can! Join us for a Virtual Story Circle in the “Public Square”. Our freedom of speech is under attack. Come tell your story about how the new antiprotest laws will impact your right challenge injustices. This zoom call will be facebook lived. We will leave space for everyone that shows up to testify. This will be a part of a statewide coordinated effort by many different organizations.  Register here

Monday, April 12 – Friday, April 15, 2021.  Bringing the Border to Columbus. A Virtual Symposium.  At this symposium, academics, activists, artists, and community members are teaming up to bring to light how the policies enacted in the U.S.- Mexico borderlands have direct impacts on the lives of our immigrant neighbors, colleagues, family members, friends, and those who must reside under the protection of sanctuary. We will use art and scholarship to interrogate the politics of south-to-north migrations and the deaths and disappearances that result from U.S. immigration policies.  Friday, April 16th 4:30-6pm.  Keynote: Re-Membering the Missing and Dead Along the U.S.-Mexico Border Robin Reineke (Assistant Research Social Scientist at the Southwest Center, The University of Arizona) Register for Keynote here.   To register for all events please visit our webpage.

Monday, April 12, 2020 08:00 PM.  Ohio Poor People’s Movement Central Regional Meeting.  Register here

Monday, April 12, 2021, 7:00 – 8:00 PM.  All on the Line Ohio Monthly Volunteer Call.  Join All On The Line-Ohio for our monthly volunteer call to hear updates on our fight for fair redistricting maps and to learn about how you can plug in!  Register here

Monday, April 12, 2021, 6:30 PM. Clintonville Area Progressives Meeting.  Join CAP for April meeting discussion of Criminal Justice Reform. Our guest speakers are House District 22 Representative David Leland and Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack.  Join us at 6:30 for a chance to chat with one another. The Zoom information:  https://ashlanduniversity.zoom.us/j/93552446448. Meeting ID: 935 5244 6448.  Dial by your location:  +1 301 715 8592 US.

Thursday, April 15, 2021, 7:00 PM.  April Fair Districts Speakers Bureau Training. Join the Fair Districts Team for a first time or refresher course on how to be a part of our Speakers Bureau. We will go over the logistics of setting up and running a presentation, review the standard presentation slides, and answer your questions.  If you sign up and are unable to attend, you will receive a follow up email with slides and a recording.  Register here

Thursday, April 15 (6:00-7:00 PM Keynote) and April 17 (11:00 AM – 3:00 PM Advocacy Day) 2021.  The People’s Agenda for Justice.  Ohioans deserve justice. Join ACLU Ohio to learn how to develop and hone your skills in making this happen!  In the past two years, the Ohio Legislature has introduced law after law restricting abortion or reproductive health, with the most recent being the telehealth ban and fetal tissue bill. Meanwhile, our communities are reeling from COVID-19, unemployment, police brutality, Black infant and maternal mortality, and institutional racism throughout every system. We know the extremist-controlled Ohio Legislature isn’t working for the people.  Last fall, the reproductive freedom community came together for The People’s Hearing, a six-hour livestreamed event that featured Ohioans and community leaders sharing their stories, testimonies, and dreams for our community. Now, it’s time to build those dreams together. Join the ACLU of Ohio, NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, URGE, Ohio RCRC, Preterm, ROOTT, Ohio Women’s Alliance, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, Planned Parenthood, Catholics for Choice, and Women Have Options (WHO) for The People’s Agenda for Justice, a two-part event highlighting what we know Ohio can and should be for its people. We will come together as a movement for justice, our bodies, our families, and ourselves. We will speak to what we, and all Ohioans, deserve. Register to receive the zoom link here

Thursday, April 15, 2021, 10:00 – 11:15 AM.  Building a Bipartisan Housing Agenda This Congress.  The pandemic elevated the critical importance of housing stability, quality, safety, and affordability—and policymakers responded with unprecedented levels of housing assistance. Yet many struggling families still face the threat of eviction or foreclosure, while rising prices and limited supply are hamstringing would-be homeowners. Longstanding racial inequities—evident in disproportionately high housing costs, entrenched segregation and poverty, and stark disparities in homeownership and family wealth—remain unaddressed too.  Join members of BPC’s recently launched Housing Advisory Council to discuss bipartisan opportunities in the year ahead to: Ensure the housing needs of those affected by COVID-19 are met, advance racial equity and opportunity through housing policies, and grow the supply of affordable homes. The chairman and ranking member of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance, Reps. Emmanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Steve Stivers (R-OH), will also share their perspectives, priorities for the 117th Congress, and ideas for bringing the two political parties together on housing policy.  Register here


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


READ OUR BE THE CHANGE COMMUNITY CALENDAR

The hierarchical, top-down power structures
that ruled the world for thousands of years
are collapsing before our eyes. ~ Kalle Lasn


Scroll through the blueprint slide deck here

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

LIKE what we’re doing? How about volunteering? Love to research, write, communicate? Email Hello@Simplyliving.org or call Chuck Lynd @ 614- 354-6172.


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