Simply Living Expanding Sustainable U Offerings
Jeff Sharp, former chair of the Simply Living Board and current chair of the OSU School of Environment and Natural Resources, has volunteered to lead a discussion course on Voluntary Simplicity. The 6 week EcoChallenge course is based on the book: A Different Way: Living Simply in a Complex World. Start date is Wednesday, September 29 at 7 pm. Details and location forthcoming.
More EcoChallenge courses are planned. Learn more about them here.
TOURS! Learning tours are in the mix… we’re planning trips to SWACO, Rumpke, Water Treatment plants, and more.
The class below tells the remarkable story of Randall Loop’s success in overcoming credit card debt. The Zoom presentation and Q&A stands alone by itself but some may be inspired to take a future course that explores in depth how to “align the spirit of living and money.”
Aligning the Spirit of Living and Money
Wednesday, August 18 at 7 pm
One of the largest questions coming out of the COVID-19 Pandemic is, “DO I HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN MY LIFE AND MONEY? In this instance “Life” can mean many things but, what comes rising to the surface is the fear of losing one’s Existence to the Virus and or one’s Freedom by stepping back into the rat race of work.
Randall Loop, long time Simply Living supporter and previous board member has used the 9 Steps of Your Money or Your Life (YMOYL) to create a sustainable living since 2004. He has facilitated the course since 2006 and has literally assisted hundreds to create the same for themselves. Join us for a brief introduction of the mindsets and methods of the program that was originally created by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. Randall’s presentation will be followed by Q&A discussion.
Get started on the journey today with the YMOYL Book (amazon) If you prefer to pay a little more instead of supporting Amazon, you can buy it at a local Columbus bookstore or you can buy it online at Bookshop.org, which donates money to local bookstores.
Gather with friends and neighbors in Town Center Park (Park Street and Arbutus Avenue) for this waste-less event.
Visit the Art & Kids Zone featuring hands-on, recycling activities, arts, crafts and games. Discover eco-practices and learn to reduce and reuse household and work items in the Sustainability Zone. The Health and Wellness Zone highlights local businesses demonstrating green products, services and wellness programs. Pick up a Keep Grove City Beautiful event passport and collect stamps at the various activities for a prize.
Register to drive an electric vehicle: Drive Electric Columbus Ride & Drive.
Add shopping and dining in historic Grove City Town Center to your EcoFest visit. For more information or to register for an event, visit the EcoFest website at ecofest.grovecityohio.gov or call 614-277-3058.
The New Corporation: The Unfortunate Necessary Sequel
Film + Q&A Sat-Sun August 28-29
Co-Sponsored by Simply Living and the
Ohio Community Rights Network
Join us for the live Q&A following the film with Move to Amend Outreach Director, Greg Coleridge
The link and password to view the film will be sent out Saturday, August 28. The film will be available for a 24 -hour period before the Q&A, which starts promptly at 2:00 pm EST on Sunday the 29th.
Register here.
“Every business must now ask not only ‘how can we reduce our emissions as quickly as possible,’ but also ‘how can we use our full resources, scale, influence, the passion of our employees, and our broader community to help build a world where all living things can thrive?’” ~ Jamie Alexander, Drawdown Labs
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SIMPLY LIVING’S BE THE CHANGE COMMUNITY CALENDAR
The month is young… enjoy the August Happiness Calendar
More info and bios here.
Expert panelists:
JOCELYN TRAVIS – Central Region Organizing Manager of the Sierra Club, connecting Racial and Environmental Justice.
SANDRA STEINGRABER Ph.D. – Biologist, author, and cancer survivor, writing about climate change, and ecology, connecting human health and Environmental Justice.
ANNETTE MCCOY – President of Trumball County NAACP, connecting legislation/policy and Environmental Justice. More here.
Join Jonathan Gustin, founder of Purpose Guides Institute
Terry Patten, author of A New Republic Of The Heart
for a LIVE, FREE, Video-Zoom gathering
Working together, we can awaken the human soul to meet climate change.
Working together, we can use our “dark adjusted eyes” to see climate change as a spiritual calling from soul.
Check out the Live Music Lineup on Saturdays in August.
Join Lily Kunning, Community Herbalist, Haven Herbs, and Cancer Support Community for the Natural Living Series! This Free class may be in person or it may be on Zoom. Register here by Tues, August 11 to get a Zoom link sent to you. More info here.
VIP Tickets Available
Grand Mallway
ProMusica SummerFEST Concert at Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
A Classical Evening Wednesday Aug 11 – 8pm
Marc Moskovitz, cello; David Danzmayr, conductor
The Art of Tango Thursday, Aug. 12 – 8:00 PM
Katherine McLin, violin; David Danzmayr, conductor
Gates open at 6pm and the concerts are from 8-9:15pm. One hour before each concert, there will be music and garden inspired children’s activities behind the stage on the Wolfe Terrace. Guests are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs and picnic blankets. More info here.
Author and integrator Jeremy Lent investigates the underlying causes of our civilization’s existential crisis and explores pathways toward a life-affirming future. His work weaves together findings from modern systems thinking, evolutionary biology, and cognitive neuroscience with insights from Buddhism, Taoism, and Indigenous wisdom to more fully explore how humans make meaning. Learn more about Jeremy’s new book, The Web of Meaning. REGISTER
This conversation is a step toward cultivating a nourishing and intentional workplace where inclusivity, social and emotional well-being, equality, and justice are available to everyone. More info & Registration here.
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
Ellen Baumgartner’s son-in-law. Paul Brown, is not only a noted musician and teacher of guitar, but an excellent chef-grade cook! He does part-time work cooking, fixing meals and delivering them. So if anyone has a need for meals – or knows someone who does, you may contact him preferably by texting him at 614-623-9933, calling and leaving a message, or email at sciencegravy@yahoo.com.
Local Arts and Culture
Phil Sorensen’s Art Show at Cultural Arts Center
Art of Yoga classes at Bridge Gallery at 400 Rich St
Sacred Ground: SUNDAY MORNING MINDFULNESS SERVICE
Vaughn Wiester’s Famous Jazz Orchestra at Clintonville Woman’s Club
35th Annual Music on the Lawn @ Grandview Public Library
Local Author Nita Sweeney’s Calendar of Literary Events
Shadowbox Live: Leather & Lace and Let’s Get It On
How can we stop big banks from financing fossil fuels and the destruction of our planet? We have the answer: Watch our new two-minute video to learn about our new Fossil Free Federal Reserve campaign and how you can help:
Reclaim Democracy to End Corporate Control of Fossil Fuelish Energy Policies… This recent blog promotes the approach of Move To Amend. A letter in the Dispatch by Greg Coleridge explains how we can end the power of First Energy and more! Read it here.
NEW FEATURE!
August Tree of the Month, Eastern Cottonwood
Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living
Excerpts below – see the full post here.
Eastern cottonwood and sycamore are the giants of creeks and floodplains. Cottonwood is easy to spot from a distance because of its large size and because its leaves quiver in the slightest wind, like it’s close relative quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). Cottonwood has little commercial value today, but it played an important role in American history.
The cottonwood tree does not provide food for humans, but like other poplars and the closely-related willows (genus Salix), cottonwood is a source of salicylic acid, the active ingredient of aspirin. Consequently, the native Americans extracted substances from cottonwood leaves to reduce pain and swelling, and as a treatment for a snakebite (Fred Hageneder – The Meaning of Trees).
A cottonwood tree was also used in the sacred Sun Dance ceremony of the Sioux Indians. A tree was selected a year before the ritual, and shortly before the ritual, cut down and placed into a hole at the ceremony grounds. Celebrants danced around the tree for 4 days and nights, and some chose to have their chest pierced with an eagle claw and attached to the Tree of Life with rope. The Sioux also saw the rustling of cottonwood leaves as a sort of prayer (Hageneder). Read the full blog post on the Simply Living website here.
Bigelow Cemetery State Nature Preserve
Is A Wildflower Wonderland
The Darby Plains were full of prairie grasses, beautiful prairie wildflowers, and a variety of wildlife. As European settlement increased, the prairies of Ohio were slowly lost. Now, only small pockets of these once vast fields exist. One of these pockets is the Bigelow Cemetery State Nature Preserve. The half acre park has never been plowed or grazed and it boasts some beautiful and rare species. The largest population of the threatened royal catchfly can be found here, along with the ruby-throated hummingbirds who you’ll frequently find near those flowers. The park is small but the scenery is worth it. Read more here.
Bigelow Cemetery State Nature Preserve is located at 600 Rosedale Rd, Irwin, OH 43029, about 35 minutes outside of Columbus. For more information, you can visit the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website.
Reconnect With Nature And Chase Waterfalls
At Rock Stalls Natural Sanctuary In Ohio
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
~ Albert Einstein
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
~ Lao Tzu
COMMON GREENS OHIO
Common Greens Farmers Market UPDATES: Week of August 2-8
Special Events, New Producers, Announcements & More!
ALL MARKETS: Kids scavenger hunt! “I LOVE Farmers Markets” temporary tattoos! Whole Foods coupons available! Visit the market tent for info!
Upper Arlington: Musical entertainment by Steven Foster. Beechwold Baked Goods pops up with crepe cakes and mini cream puffs! NEIGHBOR FOODS program: buy a veggie, donate a veggie to a neighbor in need.
Producer list & market map.
Bexley: Musical entertainment by Jordan Lynch. Food truck: Red Barn Chili. Producer list & market map.
Clintonville: Ohio WIC Program coupon distribution event! Musical entertainment by Anna & The Consequences. Food truck: Broke Johnny. Producer list & market map.
Can we actually reverse climate change? Where should we be focusing our attention for a regenerative future? And how do we fight against discrimination toward the queer community? Project Drawdown’s Senior Director of Research & Technology, Chad Frischmann, recently appeared on the Live Wide Awake podcast to discuss moving beyond silver bullet answers and towards systems of solutions.
More Inspiring Climate News from Project Drawdown
• Walkable cities serve as a potent climate solution as well as an approach that improves the psychological quality of people’s daily lives. Here’s an effective visual example, courtesy of TikTok.
• A slew of emerging technology solutions offer several pathways to significantly reduce the emissions impact of this building block of modern life—and perhaps even “make concrete a climate solution, rather than a climate problem.”
• Education is a climate solution. Here’s how investing in the next generation of leaders pays off.
“Every business must now ask not only ‘how can we reduce our emissions as quickly as possible,’ but also ‘how can we use our full resources, scale, influence, the passion of our employees, and our broader community to help build a world where all living things can thrive?’” ~ Jamie Alexander, Drawdown Labs
Vilvi Vannak, director of the Care & Share Time Bank, wants to make sure everyone reads this GREAT article in The Columbus Dispatch by reporter Allison Ward!
Excerpt: In the time bank, people build up equity by doing tasks – rides to medical appointments, pulling weeds, French lessons – for others in the group. Then they can spend that same amount of time “hiring” one of the 300 members to do something for them.
“It’s good old-fashioned neighbor helping neighbor. It’s just a little more organized,” said Vilvi Vannak, current president of Care and Share. “And you’re not just bartering back and forth with each other. You have 300 people to choose from.”
Read the article: https://www.dispatch.com/…/time-banks-like…/7936290002/
LAWNCARE MYTHS
Ovens Off: Plant-Based Recipes, No Heat Required
Join #CutOutCutlery in Reducing
Single-Use Plastic Waste
How To Combat the Urban Heat Island Effect at Home
Structures like buildings and roads that we make out of asphalt, concrete, and steel absorb heat and warm the air around them. In urban areas, the resulting heat islands can be downright dangerous when summer temperatures soar. Learn how to reduce your home’s contribution to the urban heat island effect.
more…
Listen on your radio or online anytime!
CALENDARS!
LIVE LOCAL, BUILD COMMUNITY #SIMPLYLIVING
Good, Cheap, Fun
- Annual Columbus Food Truck Festival
- The best Dog Parks in Columbus
- Back to School Bash With The HAC
- Hit the Trail! Sip your way through Volume 6 of the Columbus Ale Trail
- From Fields to Fun with Farm Days at COSI
- Back-to-school KidsFests and other KidsLinked.com events
- Over 215 free or cheap events this weekend in Columbus!
- Celebrate Dublin Irish Festival with modified Dublin Irish Days
- Ohio Sales Tax Holiday for Tax Free Back-to-school Shopping
- Cool off at Free Splash Pads in Columbus – Scioto Fountains now open!
- U-pick peaches, flowers, and more at Branstool Orchards
- Acloché Ramps-Up Hiring for Hundreds of Local Jobs
- Columbus Zoo tickets and discounts, plus new exhibits and offerings
- Columbus Crew Games, Promos and Special Events
- Back to school deals and events for Columbus and Central Ohio
- Back to School: Best School Supplies Sales
- Cheer on riders for Pelotonia Ride Weekend
- Celebrate the Arts District at the Short North Gallery Hop
- Sunflower Fields in Central Ohio; multiple locations open!
- Over 325 Central Ohio and Columbus Festivals
- Nature walks and scenic hiking trails in Columbus
- Caverns, animals, and adventure at Olentangy Caverns
Check out Wes Williams and the landscaping services he offers:
https://www.plantconnections.net/
COLUMBUS UNDERGROUND
Mega Weekend
An Outdoor Weekend with Art, Music, and More!
Here’s a rundown of fun things to do this weekend. Have you ordered your CU 20th anniversary ice cream with Charlotte + Olivia’s? It’s called Sparkling Platinum Dust and you’ll love it! The French Dispatch, the newest Wes Anderson movie comes out this fall and has a fun promo where you could win a magazine. Enjoy your weekend!
Music & Nightlife & Comedy
The Heritage Music Festival returns Thursday with Thumpdaddy.
Tickets are available for Thursday night’s comedy show, Friend/Off.
Learn about some Weird Science with Rob Pyatt.
Small Black Tour comes to Ace of Cups.
The What? Music and Arts Festival is this weekend.
The Navigators play a free concert at Columbus Commons on Friday night.
Double Happiness has a hiphop and r&b party called Orange Soda.
Poindexter Village hosts a Drum Circle on Saturday.
Fun Things to Buy and Eat
Jeni’s launches Golden Nectar.
Shop some deals at the Wexner Center Store sale.
Find out how to harvest herbs and what to do with them.
Prologue Bookshop and Bookspace have book sales.
Lobster rolls have returned to Hills Market Downtown! (preorder, call to check Saturday availability).
Shop the Love Local Market at Trove.
Columbus Brewing Company starts Brewery Tours.
ENJOY EXPLORING ART
Eurydice continues at Schiller Park Amphitheater.
BAM Thursdays continue at the Columbus Museum of Art.
Tonight there is a mural dedication for Pursuing Good Together in the Hilltop. Everything Counts opens at Blockfort.
This week’s CAPA Summer Movies features Pinocchio and more.
Watch Remember the Titans downtown outside.
There is a special dedication for The Makers Monument during Saturday’s Gallery Hop. Live mural project Summer Spray also kicks off in the Short North on Saturday on Goodale behind Hyde Park.
The Women and Girls’ Fest starts Saturday at MPACC.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO
THIS WEEDKEND?
Speak Easy returns with a live show.
Columbus Clippers take on Omaha Storm Chasers all weekend with fireworks on Saturday. Columbus Crew takes on Atlanta.
Congrats to everyone raising funds for the Pelotonia Ride.
Enjoy a Rise & Grind workout!
It’s tax-free weekend for clothes and back to school stuff!
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.
Private equity firms avoid paying taxes to the tune of $75 billion in lost revenue. First they pillage communities, then they shift the tax burden to the rest of us. That’s the private equity playbook. ~ Americans for Financial Reform
edited by Connie Hammond (pictured above).
Email cmhammond11@att.net to subscribe to her Community Calendar or share meeting info.
Friday, August 6, 2021, 5:00 – 5:30 PM. GrassRoot Ohio With Carolyn Harding. Our mission is to profile every-day people working on important issues and to connect them with other folks who want to help. Conversations with every-day people, working on important issues here in Columbus and all around Ohio Justice: environmental, social, racial, economic, w/ folks on the front lines. LISTEN TO 94.1 FM and stream US online at WGRN.com. You can find all GrassRoot Ohio podcasts/shows on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-42674753. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grassroot-ohio/id1522559085 and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAX2t1Z7_qae803BzDF4PtQ.
Saturday, August 7, 2021, 12:00 – 1:00 PM. Occupy for Our Revolution. Join Our Revolution each Saturday at the intersection of North Broadway and High Street to demonstrate for peace and justice. Bring a mask and a sign or two in solidarity.
Sunday, August 8, 2021, 2:00 PM. GrassRoot Ohio With Carolyn Harding. Our mission is to profile every-day people working on important issues and to connect them with other folks who want to help. Conversations with every-day people, working on important issues here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Justice: environmental, social, racial, economic, w/ folks on the front lines. LISTEN TO 94.1 FM and stream US online at WGRN.com. You can find all GrassRoot Ohio podcasts/shows on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-42674753. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grassroot-ohio/id1522559085 and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAX2t1Z7_qae803BzDF4PtQ.
Monday, August 9, 2021, 7:00 PM. Nagasaki/Hiroshima Remembrance Program. New Hampshire Peace Action is pleased to host Alicia Sanders-Zakre for a special program in remembrance of the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the United States 76 years ago. Alicia will talk about the human toll of nuclear weapons and talk a little about the difference between their destructive power, now and then. She’ll discuss the size of the US arsenal and global totals, and she’ll talk about how much the nuclear weapon states, how that money could be better spent elsewhere in the US, and the importance of the TPNW as a means to shift global norms. There will be a Q&A at the end of the program. Alicia Sanders-Zakre is the Policy and Research Coordinator at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. She directs and coordinates research on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and general nuclear weapons policy. More information and registration here.
Tuesday, August 10, 2021, 7:00 – 8:00 PM. Intersect: Bring the Power Back to the People: Map Drawing and Redistricting Reform. Intersect is the Ohio Council of Churches’ webinar series which explores the intersectionality between faith, policy and racism. Register here.
Monday, August 9, 2021, 7:00 PM. Nagasaki/Hiroshima Remembrance Program. New Hampshire Peace Action is pleased to host Alicia Sanders-Zakre for a special program in remembrance of the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the United States 76 years ago. Alicia will talk about the human toll of nuclear weapons and talk a little about the difference between their destructive power, now and then. She’ll discuss the size of the US arsenal and global totals, and she’ll talk about how much the nuclear weapon states, how that money could be better spent elsewhere in the US, and the importance of the TPNW as a means to shift global norms. There will be a Q&A at the end of the program. Alicia Sanders-Zakre is the Policy and Research Coordinator at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. She directs and coordinates research on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and general nuclear weapons policy. More information and registration here.
Monday, August 9, 2021, 08:00 PM. Ohio Poor People’s Movement Central Regional Meeting. Register here.
Thursday, August 12, 2021, 7:00 PM. Worthington Interfaith Neighbors (WIN) Community Book Discussion of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. Bring your own lawn chair!
(Bathroom facilities will not be available.) In the event of inclement weather on the 12th, join us on the 19th. If the weather is unfavorable on both dates, the program will be rescheduled. Location: On the front lawn of Worthington Presbyterian Church, 773 High Street, Worthington or Thursday, August 19 at 7 PM, on the front lawn of All Saints Lutheran Church, 6770 N. High Street.
Saturday, August 14, 2017, 7:00 PM. Columbus Free Press Second Saturday Salon. Since we aren’t getting together in person, we can gather for a couple hours on the second Saturday night of each month. Join Zoom Meeting. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83906590837. Meeting ID: 839 0659.
MORE LOCAL CALENDARS
Columbus Free Press Activists Calendar Editor Bob Roehm
WCBE Arts & Life Calendar
BE THE CHANGE: READ OUR COMMUNITY CALENDAR
