Raffle Prizes for $25 Ticket Owners at the Garden Tour
Have a $10 Ticket? Upgrade here to enter the raffle.
Odds of Winning? Excellent! So MANY Donations!
donated a BASKET chock full of bird supplies!
OR… How about a Relaxing FLOAT at the True Rest Float Spa?
or 3 Movie Passes at Studio 35! We’re adding more donations –
We want everyone to win! Register Now
Ready for 100 Ohio conference charts path to clean energy
As more and more Ohio cities look toward moving to 100% renewable, Ready for 100 Ohio convened its Clean Energy for All Ohio Conference on Friday-Saturday, June 25-26, for which Simply Living was a cosponsor.
On Friday, June 25, a panel of city leaders from discussed how they are moving their cities to 100% renewable energy. From community choice aggregation to working to municipal utilities to building regional coalitions, attendees learned how Ohio cities are moving forward with clean energy despite a hostile legislature. Speakers included:
- Erin Beck, Deputy Assistant Director, Department of Public Utilities, City of Columbus
- Councilmember Emmanuel Remy, City of Columbus
- Kristian Fenner, Assistant Administrator, Columbus Division of Power
- Tom Bullock, Northeast Ohio Local Governments Clean Energy Caucus, Lakewood City Councilmember
On Saturday, June 26, participants learned how to run Ready for 100 campaigns in their own cities and towns. Sessions included:
- Centering Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Climate disparities in public health
- The Ready for 100 Accountability Framework
- How volunteers have moved their cities to 100% renewable energy
To be notified and reserve a seat as soon as registration is available, email chuck@simplyliving.org.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83906590837
Facebook Event
A People’s Budget
Speakers:
Host: Mark Stansbery, Free Press Board member
Fadhel Kaboub, Professor of Phillosophy, Politics and Economics, Denison University
Ida Mirzaile, Economics expert, Ohio State University
Joe Motil, Columbus activist
Q & A included.
The future is here. It’s just not widely distributed yet. ~ Willian Gibson
For many years, Susann and John were two of Simply Living’s most dependable and capable volunteers, always helping at our large gatherings, including annual meetings and our fundraising event, A Gift to Be Simple. They were generous in sharing their care and commitment to a more loving community, being of service in many ways over the past many years. Susann was especially known as the A-OK (Acts of Kindness) Lady. Last October, they were tragically killed. Because of the pandemic, no gathering was held to honor and celebrate them.
Becky Allen and Marilyn Welker have been planning a celebration and remembrance of them. You are invited to join in an informal gathering at Stratford Ecolological Center on Saturday, July 17th, to remember and honor them. As memorials, two butternut walnut trees have been planted in their memory, and we will place a plaque for each at the trees’ base. John’s celebration will be held at noon, and Susann’s will take place at 1 p.m. For more information, call Marilyn at 937-484-6988.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SIMPLY LIVING’S BE THE CHANGE COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Interfaith Power and Light Presents this Free Film Viewing
You can watch the trailer and register to view or screen the film here.
Share with friends, family, congregations!
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. Lao Tzu
See the JC Update here that includes local art gallery, local Lunchbox Concerts, and future live music at JC
FYI, Open Mic sessions happen every Friday evening.
Movement and Mindfulness Monday
Series – 10 Minute Break
Join Buckeye Wellness in the Office of the Chief Wellness Officer live every Monday from 11:50 a.m. to noon for a movement and mindfulness break. Taking 10 minutes out of your day for self-care will help you stay focused and contribute to living healthy. No registration required. Join us through Facebook or Twitter
Tuesday, July 13 10 am – 12:15 pm REGISTER HERE for Free Zoom Meeting
Columbus and Franklin County Metroparks are wonderful opportunities for community engagement.
Learn how Joshua Simon is building new relationships and strengthening existing ones, by organizing community events, increasing nature programming activities, exploring and developing nature-based career pathways, and offer other activities that build racial equity, diversity and inclusion in Central Ohio.
REGISTER for agenda, speaker bios
Venue: Virtual via Zoom –
Zoom Registration – https://solarunitedneighbors-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvdOmrqT8tG93TvO6UIm9Go9XB7c_tgiHY
Contact: Mryia Williams, Ohio Education and Outreach Coordinator
MWilliams@SolarUnitedNeighbors.org 614-209-6489
Attendees: Ohio Residents who are looking to go solar in an HOA
Lily Kunning Community Herbalist and Haven Herbs present a FREE class on wellness topics each month (second Wednesdays) at Cancer Support Community called the Natural Living Series. This class is free and open to the public (but focuses on the needs of cancer survivors).
Summer is here, and with it means a lot more time outside. But did you know that many summer essentials like sunscreen, bug spray, and Poison Ivy treatments are laden with carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting chemicals? Learn how to read labels and be an informed consumer. We also give you resources on finding great products that protect and do not harm.
The “forever chemicals” known as PFAS are found in the blood of 99 percent of Americans, including newborn babies. PFAS chemicals build up in our bodies and never break down in the environment.
EWG’s conference will bring together policymakers, scientists and marketplace leaders to highlight the impact of these toxic forever chemicals on us and provide insight into what is being done to address the harms PFAS cause to human health. There is no cost to attend, so make sure to register for free now.
Take the plunge into conserving water at home
The average American household uses more than 100,000 gallons of water a year with about 10,000 coming from leaks. Toilets, washers, showers, sinks, all use a lot of water. However, they don’t have to. Learn tricks and tips on how to conserve and protect water at home. Join Cary McElhinney from U.S. EPA WaterSense and David Celebrezze from GreenSpot as they discuss simple steps you can take to save water and save money. Register: email GreenSpot@columbus.gov with “watersense” in the subject line.
Free Virtual Raggin’ On Program
Thursday July 15, 7 PM
Register for this free education program through this Zoom link. For more information, email InfoNAAMCC@ohiohistory.org
Health of the Olentangy
Fri Jul 16th 10:00am – 10:45am (EDT)
the successes over the years, and current efforts.
Register: email GreenSpot@columbus.gov with “River” in the subject line.
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
| Happenings at or around Blue Rock Station |
| We have a number of in-person and online events planned for the coming months: July 24th: Tour make-up for people signed up for 2020. |
| August 14th: Earth Oven weekend at Blue Rock Station. Have you been here before, are fully vaccinated and have a passion for learning how to build an outdoor earth oven at the Overlook at BRS? Send me a note via email or messenger to register. Cost is $55 includes instruction, meals & overnight camping. August 16th-21st: Solar Installer Certification Level I class, Zane State College, Zanesville OH August 28th: Buffalo Gals Round Up spot welding class at Cherokee Valley Bison Ranch Thornville OH (email Annie to register) August 30th – October 9th: Six week Solar Installer Certification Level I class, University of Dayton, Dayton OH |
Last year wasn’t a “lost year”. It was a time of reframing our lives
and setting new priorities. ~ Annie Warmke
Watch our film The Condor &The Eagle here, until Sunday, July 25th.
Overall Economic Impact Study of ECDI’s Lending to Ohio Entrepreneurs by Bill Lafayette, Ph.D.
Columbus is the occupied land of the Kaskaskia,Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee), Myaamia, and Hopewell ~ Elissa Yoder Mann’s Esig
Nature Rx Part 2:
Discover your dose of nature
Hiking Adventure?
Rockbridge State Nature Preserve Loop
There are no lines in nature, only areas of colour, one against another.
~ Edouard Manet
COMMON GREENS OHIO
Special Events, New Producers, Announcements & More!
Upper Arlington: Blueberried Alive! joins the market. Musical entertainment by Anna & the Consequences. Neighbor Foods program: buy an extra pint to donate to a neighbor in need. (Donations benefit Heart to Heart food pantry patrons). Producer list & market map.
Bexley: Plastic-free market day! Please bring a reusable shopping bag or visit the Green Bexley booth to pick one up while supplies last! Musical entertainment by Dean Gledhill. Food truck: Biscuit Boss. Producer list & market map.
Clintonville: Musical entertainment by LULU & Co. Novelty Ragtime Band. Producer list & market map.
Market SCHEDULE
Shop locally with us all summer at these Common Greens farmers market locations!
Upper Arlington Wednesdays: May 19 – October 27 4-7 pm at 2850 Tremont Rd
Bexley Thursdays: May 20 – October 28 4-7 pm at E Main St and S Dawson Ave
Clintonville Saturdays: April 24 – November 20 9 am-12 pm at the Ohio History Center
Save the date for our July virtual Green Drinks Trivia Night with fun and prizes on
Wednesday, July 21st from 6 PM to 7 PM. More info next week.
Serotonin and the Garden of Good Eating by Shanna B. Tiayon
Check out Wes Williams and the landscaping services he offers:
https://www.plantconnections.net/
I understood at a very early age that in nature, I felt everything I should feel in church but never did. Walking in the woods, I felt in touch with the universe and with the spirit of the universe.
~ Alice Walker
The Eco-Unfriendly Truths About Fireworks
They light up the sky beautifully, but fireworks are pretty bad for Earth and the creatures that live here — including humans.
Learn how these explosive displays endanger our air, water, soil, and health. more…
The Poo Problem: Pet Waste
Are there better ways to dispose of it that don’t harm the environment? more…
Listen on your radio or online anytime!
It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. ~ Frederick Douglass
CALENDARS!
LIVE LOCAL, BUILD COMMUNITY #SIMPLYLIVING
Good, Cheap, Fun
- Over 200 free or cheap events this weekend in Columbus!
- Upcoming Consignment Sales in Columbus
- Sunflower Fields in Central Ohio – Lynd Sunflowers now open!
- Worthington House Wine Thursday Night Tastings
- Columbus Jazz and Rib Fest presents BBQ Week
- Popcorn Pops Concerts for Kids with Columbus Symphony Orchestra
- Updated! Cool off at Free Splash Pads in Columbus in 2021
- Free admission to Columbus Zoo: Military Family Free Days 2021
- PBJ & Jazz free kids concerts at Topiary Park
- Ohio Village at Ohio History Center reopens for Summer Fun
- Where to go berry picking in Columbus this Spring and Summer
- Columbus Moonlight Market on Gay Street
- Yard Sales and Garage Sales in Columbus
- Free summer meals for kids and Mobile Produce Markets
- Upcoming free and cheap activities for kids
COLUMBUS UNDERGROUND
Mega Weekend
En Vogue, New Wild Goose, Reopenings & More
Welcome to the weekend. Tickets to the Columbus Coffee Festival are on sale. Read this tribute to Matiss Kivlenieks, the Columbus Blue Jackets goalie that recently lost his life.
Music
The Rambling House reopens this weekend.
Music in the Parks has Victorious Kaybirds perform.
The McCartney Project plays the Polaris Summer Concert Series. Dance to Whitney & Britney!
PBJ & Jazz returns to Topiary Park on Saturday. .Chromeo performs at Otherworld.
En Vogue performs for Picnic with the Pops.
Secret Studio’s Summer Music concerts start Saturday with Gathering Stars.
Fun Things to Buy and Eat
Rowe & Ladybird have a summer warehouse sale.
Fonte Cucina has a popup and the food looks yummy!
Shop the Friendship Flea while you are at Franklinton Fridays.
Shop the Bookspace book sale for a new read. Exchange house plants.
Find something cool during Moonlight Market on Saturday night.
Shop the Olde Towne Market on Sunday.
Fashionista Therapy has their grand opening on Sunday.
Shop a popup at The Hustle House.
It’s the last weekend to get Pattycake before they close for their move.
ENJOY EXPLORING ART
This weekend is The Columbus Black Theatre Festival.
The Actors’ Theatre performs historical drama The African Company Presents Richard III. Red Herring Theater presents Vincent.
Laugh during A Night of Broadway. Enjoy The Brewdog Funk All Stars at Woodlands Tavern.
Movies return to Topiary Park with A Night at the Museum.
An exhibit featuring pandemic art opens at the Columbus Historical Society.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO
THIS WEEDKEND?
Would you like to understand inequality in metropolitan neighborhoods?
Go swimming with council members at a neighborhood pool.
Watch the Crew’s away game at Whistle & Keg.
Do you want to know what native plants you can eat?
The Bar at Echo Spirits reopens.
Check out The Golden Gays NYC PopUp Party.
Learn How The 1913 Flood Led to Creation Of Columbus’ Stunning Riverfront.
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.
edited by Connie Hammond (pictured above).
Email cmhammond11@att.net to subscribe to her Community Calendar or share meeting info.
Saturday, July 10, 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.
Monday, July 12, 2021, 7:00 PM. Follow the Pipelines: How Oil and Pipeline Politics have shaped US foreign policy in the Middle East. While Americans are just learning about pipeline sabotage in the United States, attacks on pipelines In the Middle East have been occurring since World War I. Indeed, as one scholar put it, “The history of the modern Middle East is also a history of pipelines, infrastructure that can transform who controls the flows of petroleum and who profits from them.” In this webinar, author Charlotte Dennett, author of The Crash of Flight 3804: A Lost Spy, A Daughter’s Quest, and the Deadly Politics of the Great Game for Oil, narrates how she discovered the role of pipelines in causing and perpetuating the endless wars in the Middle East and Central Asia. From her investigation of the intrigues surrounding the construction and routing of the Trans-Arabian pipeline (the subject of her father’s last mission to Saudi Arabia before his mysterious death by plane crash), she applies the lessons she learned –about the link between protecting pipelines militarily and politically–to the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Gaza and Yemen. She accompanies each example with pipeline maps. Massachusetts Peace Action. More information and registration here.
Monday, July 12, 2021 08:00 PM. Ohio Poor People’s Movement Central Regional Meeting. Register here.
Monday, July 12, 2021, 11:30 AM. Views from the Hill: A Conversation with Rep. Tom Malinowski. The Middle East Institute is pleased to host Congressman Tom Malinowski in a conversation moderated by MEI Senior Vice President Gerald Feierstein. Congressman Malinowski will begin with remarks on the Biden administration’s approach to key Middle East challenges, including its efforts to elevate human rights into long-standing partnerships with Egypt and Saudi Arabia, how to jumpstart negotiations with Iran, and how to build on the recent normalizations with Israel. How is Congress thinking about the new administration’s handoff with legacies of the Trump administration including blank checks on human rights, no-questions-asked weapons sales, and the Abraham Accords? How do the Biden administration’s commitments to prioritizing human rights stand up in the Middle East? What’s behind the Saudi-Iranian diplomatic engagements? Register here.
Tuesday, July 13, 2021, 1:00 – 2:00 PM. Policy Corner- Challenging the System From the Ground Up: Using State and Local Pressure to End Immigrant Detention. In this presentation, National Immigration Justice Center’s policy experts will provide the latest on state-level efforts to end immigration detention in Illinois and other states, discuss challenges to laws that have passed in numerous states (including California, Washington, and Maryland), and give updates on the immigrant detention landscape at the federal level. We’ll also tell you how you can get or stay involved in the efforts advocating for more humane and welcoming policies for immigrants and asylum seekers. Register here.
Tuesday, July 13, 2021, 7:00 PM. The Water Defenders: A Celebration and Reflections on International Solidarity in El Salvador’s Victory over Mining. On the 12th anniversary of the assassination of Salvadoran water defender Marcelo Rivera, join activists from Canada, the United States, and El Salvador in a webinar discussion on lessons from North American activists and organizations’ decade-long solidarity relationship with Salvadoran water defenders for international solidarity work going forward. The conversation will draw on the rich history of Canadian solidarity with social movements in El Salvador. Robin Broad and John Cavanagh, authors of the just-published book: The Water Defenders: How Ordinary People Saved a Country from Corporate Greed (Beacon Press, 2021) will kick off the discussion with observations from the book, which covers the Salvadoran people’s struggle to protect their small, precious country and its imperiled waters from large-scale metal mining. Then, moderator Jamie Kneen of MiningWatch Canada will bring in others for their reflections, including Vidalina Morales of La Mesa National of El Salvador, Jen Moore and Manuel Pérez Rocha of the Institute for Policy Studies, Laura Avalos, founder and former president of the Salvadorian Canadian Association of Ottawa and National Capital Region (ASCORCAN), René Guerra, former director of Salvaide, and Jim Hodgson, formerly of the United Church. Register here.
Wednesday, July 14, 2021, 7:30 PM. Breaking Open Cages, From the Ground Up. Join AFSC staff in a conversation about organizing and advocacy efforts to end immigrant detention across the U.S. We’ll look at how communities are working to free people from detention, end policies that expand detention, and permanently shut down detention centers. Come learn practical tips on how we can collectively push back against the use and funding of immigration detention. Our panel discussion will also highlight the value of consistent advocacy that is rooted and developed in partnership with immigrant communities. This conversation is open to all. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in Spanish. Register here.
Wednesday, July 14, 2021, 6:00 PM. Virtual Screening: Story of Plastic and Panel discussion. The Story of Plastic is the film Big Plastic does not want you to see! Sign up today and receive a link to watch the film in the privacy of your home anytime between July 1-14. On Wednesday, July 14 at 6pm join Sierra Club Ohio, Columbus GreenSpot, and Green Bexley for a discussion of the film and suggestions of what we each can do to #breakfreefromplastic in our own lives. Cost: FREE. Signup Instructions: This registration reserves your spot to screen the movie and attend the discussion. You will receive a screening link for ‘The Story of Plastics’ valid from July 1-14. You will also receive a Zoom link to join the discussion on July 14th at 6 PM. Register here.
Saturday, July 17, 2021, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Central Ohio Labor Council’s Labor 2021 Pro-Act Canvassing Day of Action. Meet at the CLC office in the UFCW 1059 building, 4150 E. Main St., Columbus 43213. We will go door to door to talk with union members and supports about the PRO Act and collect PRO Act postcard signatures. Facebook.
Saturday, July 17, 2021, 12:00 – 3:00 PM. Columbus Rally for Public Transit and a Green Future. In February, Sunrise Columbus and Sunrise hubs across Ohio launched a campaign for transit justice. We delivered over 100 letters to Senator Sherrod Brown, who, as Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, is uniquely positioned to impact transit in our country. We demand that Senator Brown champion public transit and secure federal funding for expanded, accessible, and green public transit. Location: Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus. More information here.
Shall I wear plants or plastic?
MORE LOCAL CALENDARS
Columbus Free Press Activists Calendar Editor Bob Roehm
WCBE Arts & Life Calendar
BE THE CHANGE: READ OUR COMMUNITY CALENDAR