all of U.S. history is taught from one book. Just U.S. history.” —Maya Angelou
SIMPLY LIVING’S 2021
SUSTAINABLE LIVING AND GARDEN TOUR
SATURDAY, JULY 24 FROM 10 AM – 3 PM
REGISTER FOR THE TOUR
SEE OUR NEW BROCHURE BELOW!
Ohio Broadleaf Tree Identification-Part 2
Wednesday June 23 7 – 8:30 pm
Virtual Slide Presentation on 50 Ohio Trees with Q&A
If you missed Part 1 last week, you can still sign up for Part 2! We will provide you with handouts and a recording. This Wednesday, Mort will offer a brief rundown of 50 common Ohio trees, using one or several key features for each tree. 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. Register for free.
BONUS: Mort offers free guided walks in various central Ohio parks and wooded areas!
Email MortSchmidt@yahoo.com to be invited to future walks and keep learning about TREES!
Columbus is the occupied land of the Kaskaskia,Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee), Myaamia, and Hopewell ~ Elissa Yoder Mann’s Esig
Break Free From Plastic Pollution Teach-In & Actions
Wednesday, June 30 @ 7 pm
Register Now for this TEACH IN on the #BREAKFREEFROMPLASTIC federal legislation. Learn how we can 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.
ACTION TOOLKIT. Sierra Club provides us with Actions we can take now! Who to contact, talking points and eye catching, persuasive social media graphics. Connect to Actions NOW.
Simply Living Book Club:
Global Warming: Can It Be Stopped?
To be notified and reserve a seat as soon as registration is available, email chuck@simplyliving.org.
Simply Living wins Comfest grant for People’s Solar Project
Read the full announcement here. 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
“Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won,
you earn it and win it in every generation.” —Coretta Scott King
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SIMPLY LIVING’S BE THE CHANGE COMMUNITY CALENDAR
More info, the awesome speaker bios, and Registration HERE
Please come, enjoy a beer, and hear about all the projects you have helped FLOW complete this year and learn
about future FLOW projects and events for 2021/2022. Location: Seventh Son Brewing Company (1101 North 4th Street Columbus Ohio)
Java Central, 20 S, State St., Uptown Westerville.
NEXT WEEK: Folk Rock – LUKE MOSSBURG
See the full calendar full of Westerville events here.
Alice Faryna of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Central Ohio (FCACO ).
Learn how to prepare for End of Life Planning, before it is too late! More here.
Panel Discussion on Thursday, June 24. Get all the details on the short films and how to watch them here.
Energy medicine was the first healing practice on our planet. And for millennia, shamans and healers have been curing illnesses and injuries this way.
The truth is that our bodies are DESIGNED to be healthy, to be radiant, and to heal—naturally. And we can achieve this by working with our bodies’ subtle energies.
You are invited to The 4-Day Energy Healing Challenge: Learn 14 Simple Energy Cures to Enhance Health and Vitality—an online challenge with world-acclaimed energy healer Donna Eden and clinical psychologist David Feinstein, FREE. More here.
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 here.
Join us each week (Tuesdays at 12 noon ET) for discussions with instructors and PV installers, focused on the latest solar news or whatever technical questions come up. Contact us and request the meeting login details.
6-7:30pm eastern Online with the Foundation for Intentional Community. More here
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”
~ Desmond Tutu
Sun + solar panels = happy house. Ever think about having the sun pay for your electric bill? What about going to the next level in reducing your carbon foot print? Learn what the city is doing to promote solar and hear from a resident who has recently installed solar. Guests are Samantha Schneider, city of Columbus energy manager, and Brian Will, resident. Register: email GreenSpot@columbus.gov with “solar” in the subject line
Overall Economic Impact Study of ECDI’s Lending to Ohio Entrepreneurs by Bill Lafayette, Ph.D.
Join the A-Z team for our June program exploring the intersection of our plastics crisis and the erosion of democracy. Learn how anti-protest bills… More here
When the Ready for 100 campaign launched in Ohio in 2017, no cities were committed to 100% renewable energy. Now we have commitments from Cleveland, Cincinnati, Lakewood, South Euclid, and most recently Dayton, as well as Community Choice Aggregation for 100% renewable energy in Worthington, Columbus, and Grove City. Dozens of new clean energy projects are being proposed in Ohio, and leaders across the state are taking note.
As more and more Ohio cities look toward moving their electricity supply or even their entire energy use to 100% renewable, Ready for 100 Ohio will convene its Clean Energy for All Ohio Conference 2021 on Friday-Sat, June 25-26.
Register here:
https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7013q000001lJtoAAE
Friday, June 25, at noon:
Hear city leaders from across Ohio discuss how they are moving their cities to 100% renewable energy. From community choice aggregation to working to municipal utilities to transportation for the future, learn how Ohio cities are moving forward with clean energy despite a hostile legislature.
Saturday, June 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Learn all you need to know for running Ready for 100 campaigns in your city or town. Sessions include:
· Centering Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Ready for 100 movement
· Climate disparities in public health
· The Ready for 100 Accountability Framework
· How volunteers like you have moved their cities to 100% renewable energy
· Organizing for action on clean energy for all
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
Cleaner Columbus Initiative Partners to Address Litter with Jobs and Volunteers
City Council Member Emmanuel Remy Op-Ed in the Dispatch, June 15
of the City’s Environment Committee
pick up litter outside their home on the South Side. Eric Albrecht, Dispatch File
Remy chairs the Environment Committee for the Columbus City Council. His Op-Ed outlines the work that has been accomplished in partnership with Keep Columbus Beautiful and volunteers organized to clean up litter and debris from the streets of Columbus. Read our blog post to learn about the program
NEED A NATURE TRIP?
Cuyahoga Valley National Park | Brecksville
Honestly, the best advice I can give you is to give yourself a whole weekend to explore the park.
You can see incredible waterfalls, hike stunning forest trails, and stop off at a few stunning overlooks.
A fabulous flock of flamingos, a school of fish, a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, and more! Can you find all of the topiaries in the botanical gardens? There are 29 works of living art displayed throughout the Conservatory as a part of the summer horticulture displays, In the Gardens: Color to Discover. Summer horticulture displays are on view now through September 12 and are included in admission. Tickets can be reserved online. LEARN MORE
The Fracking Industry Has Another Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
GOOD NEWS! In late February, the fracked gas industry had yet another one of its increasingly frequent bad days. After years of advocacy from thousands of residents, Sierra Club organizers, and numerous partners, the governors of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware unanimously voted to permanently ban fracking in the Delaware River Basin. Nearly half of the basin sits on top of the gas-rich Marcellus Shale, and industry was anticipating blasting up to 4,000 wells into its soil. READ MORE
Miss the Free Press Salon last Saturday? Here’s the Recording
Free Press Board member Mark Stansbery reflected on the history of organizing in Columbus. Mark introduced the first speaker, former Congressional candidate Morgan Harper, currently with her new group Columbus Stand Up! Cathy Cowan Becker, director of Simply Living,
told us that during Simply Living’s history, they helped start up more community groups such as Local Matters, Keep Wayne Wild, Yoga on High and others. Cathy announced that Simply Living just received a Comfest grant for a People’s Solar Project to create Solpoles. Cathy talked about energy issues in the city and answered questions from the audience.
Pat Marida of the Sierra Club spoke Ohio Senate Bill No. 52 – “Revise law governing wind farms and solar facilities.” Also updates on S. B. No. 117— “Repeal legacy generation resource provisions of HB6” H. B. No. 282 – “Regards sale of brine from oil/gas operations as a commodity” et al.
Our tech host Steve Caruso shared a link to the Union Ridge Solar facility in Licking County. Mary Jane Borden gave a presentation on marijuana legislation in Ohio. Tim Chavez announced the upcoming Columbus Black Theater Festival, put on by WGRN radio host Julie Whitney Scott.
Lynn Stan gave us a reminder: Community Festival is virtual this year again: June 25-27. Jon Beard told us about the history of the Trolley Barn on the near east side. He is also heading up the Police Accountability Project,
We’re thrilled to finally open our doors in the Franklinton Arts District! Join us during Franklinton Fridays on July 9th to see our new space and celebrate the start of our new future at 188 McDowell Street.
Our opening reception will feature the work of artists Dana Lynn Harper & Lucie Shearer in a show entitled ‘halfway here.’ RSVP below!
Opening Reception of ‘halfway here’ & Grand Opening of WGC in Franklinton
Friday, July 9th, 6-9pm (188 McDowell Street)
Coming out of the COVID era, a time of not only isolation but death, artists Dana Lynn Harper and Lucie Shearer explore transformation, connection, and escapism through this duo exhibition ‘halfway here.’ RSVP
For more actionable tips to reduce stress and find peace, don’t miss the informational video and blog available in the Knowledge Base. LEARN MORE
Check out Wes Williams and the landscaping services he offers:
https://www.plantconnections.net/
“The spiritual journey is individual, highly personal. It can’t be organized or regulated. It isn’t true that everyone should follow one path. Listen to your own truth.” ~ Ram Dass
Getting Started With Carbon Offsets
Plant With Purpose: Benefit Wildlife, the Planet, & You!
Looking for the perfect gift for your planet-loving Dad?
We’ve assembled a list of gift ideas that show you appreciate him and his sustainable values. more…
You know it’s an eco-friendly way to travel, but did you know that biking also contributes
to both public health and equity in more ways than one? more…
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
Listen on your radio or online anytime!
CALENDARS!
LIVE LOCAL, BUILD COMMUNITY #SIMPLYLIVING
In This Issue…
- Nearly 200 free or cheap events this weekend in Columbus!
- Celebrate Father’s Day in Columbus
- Merion Village Garden Tour
- COTA Zoo Bus Service and Discount for Columbus Zoo
- Drive-in Popups and Outdoor movies around Columbus 2021
- Father’s Day freebies and discounts
- Nightlight 614: Outdoor Movies for adults
- Beautiful Blooms at Coshocton Sunflower Festival 2021
- Juneteenth Celebration and events in Columbus
- All Ohio Reptile Show with dragons, pythons, and frogs (oh my!)
- Visits these fields and farms with Lavender in Ohio
- Columbus Clippers Games and Promotions
- Plan ahead: Free Fishing Days in Ohio and other states
- Free admission: Celebrate Father’s Day at the Columbus Zoo
- Free Sundays at Columbus Museum of Art, plus BAM Thursdays, and WonderPass admission
- Father’s Day gift ideas
- Summer bucket list of free and cheap fun for kids in Columbus
COLUMBUS UNDERGROUND
Mega Weekend
Vampire Lesbians, Juneteenth, Shopping & More!
There’s lots of happenings for Juneteenth all weekend. Get signed up for the Columbus Crew Black & Gold 5K and have an early look at the new stadium. Have a great weekend!
Live Music
Music in the Parks features Deuce ‘n a Quarter.
Check out The Dave Matthews Tribute Band at Hilliard Station Park.
The CSO performs at Darby House tonight.
Hear some old tunes at Yesterqueer. Check out an Afrobeats Party.
The MAC plays Back to the Future and has live music.
For Picnic with the Pops, Michael Cavanaugh Performs the Music of Elton John.
Shopping and Summer and Dads
Shop the Pearl Market.
There’s a weekend of Summer Celebrations at the Audubon Center.
Explore the North Market Night Market. Eat some Chk Fil-Gay at Preston’s on Friday. UpWest opens at Easton. Clintonville has a garage sale day on Saturday. Shop the Polaris Markers Market. Shop the NoBo Arts Summer Marketplace. Happy Go Lucky celebrates their Grand Re-opening on Saturday.
Celebrate Dads (and dog dads!) at Taft’s.
ENJOY EXPLORING ART
Actors’ Theatre continues in Schiller Park with Much Ado About Nothing.
JAGtv reairs Jazz & the Struggle for Freedom.
There’s a Wine & Arts Festival in Grove City.
Watch Funny Girl outdoors at Green Lawn Abbey. Or Ferris Bueller at the McCoy. Club Lincoln presents Weezee and the Romantic Hours.
The Nest reopens this weekend in their new location.
Meet Felissa Rose of Sleepaway Camp at Grandview Theater and Studio 35.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO
THIS WEEDKEND?
Go find the Native American cuisine food truck.
Share your thoughts about our pools. How do you use the Scioto Greenways?
What’s going on with the Historic Sheep Farmhouse?
The deadline to try to get the historic service station building is Friday June 18. Take a look at the Harlow’s Skydeck.
Watch the Virtual Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade.
Explore the Pollinator Pallooza at Franklin Park Conservatory.
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.
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.
Monday, June 21, 2021, 1:00 PM. Advocate for a People’s Budget. Join Policy Matters Ohio for one final push to advocate for dignity for all Ohioans in the state budget. We’ll talk more about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the Senate-passed state budget. We will also discuss how you can take meaningful action to prioritize a strong recovery for all Ohioans, especially people who have been most impacted by the pandemic and the recession, in the final budget bill. Register here.
Monday, June 21, 2021, 5:30 PM. National Poor People’s Assembly – 3rd 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.
Tuesday, June 22, 2021, 11:00 AM. Ban Killer Drones. Drone use by U.S. police and the human impact of U.S. drone attacks in Yemen. Panelists: THE REV. DR. EMMA JORDAN-SIMPSON, Executive Director of Fellowship of Reconciliation USA, the US branch of the oldest international interfaith peace and justice organization employing the transformative power of nonviolence to resolve human conflict. She is the executive pastor of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ, Brooklyn, NY and President of American Baptist Churches of Metropolitan New York. She will address the police use of drone surveillance at protests. MOHAMMED AL-AHMADI is an investigative journalist, member of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, member of the International Federation of Journalists and a legal researcher for Alkarama for Human Rights. He is Secretary-General of the Yemeni Media Club in Instanbul, Turkey, which was recently established with a license from the Turkish authorities, and he is a press editor for Balqis TV, which broadcasts from Turkey. He has a media presence and participates in many satellite channels to comment on events in Yemen, especially human rights issues. Several years ago, he carried out several field visits to Yemeni areas that had experienced drone attacks, met with survivors, and the families of victims, and contributed to preparing several human rights reports for Alkarama, and he also contributed to writing investigative articles about drone attacks. He will report on the physical and emotional impact of U.S. drone attacks on the Yemeni people and Yemeni politics. Webinar moderator KATHY KELLY helps coordinate the Ban Killer Drones campaign. In articles and interviews, she regularly raises concerns about drone warfare, particularly in Afghanistan and Yemen, and the impact of drone surveillance on U.S. communities. Register here.
Tuesday, June 22, 2021, 7:00 – 8:15 PM. Building the Alternative Trade Economy with Allies in Challenging Times. Presenter: Pushpika Freitas, founder of Marketplace: Handwork of India. Register free here.
Tuesday, June 22, 2021, 7:00 PM. The Biden-Putin Summit and US-China Cold War: Larry Wilkerson. President Joe Biden will meet with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Geneva on June 16. US-Russia “disarmament discussions have been pushed to the back burner. Instead, treaty compliance disputes have dominated bilateral engagements. Meanwhile, each side is rushing to replace and upgrade its bloated nuclear arsenal,” writes Daryl Kimball in Arms Control Today. Meanwhile, the U.S. is intensifying technological and economic competition with China and using US-China military tension to justify an increased Pentagon budget. Congress is preparing to pass Sen. Robert Menendez’ Strategic Competition Act of 2021 (S.1169), which constitutes a de facto declaration of a New Cold War with the People’s Republic of China. It would codify a comprehensive, and systematic strategic competition with China as the organizing principle for U.S. domestic, foreign, and defense policies, and possibly for other nations as well. For analysis of these developments, we will be joined by Lawrence Wilkerson. Note: June 22 is a tentative date, please check back closer to the date. Those who register will be notified of any change. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson is a distinguished professor of government and public policy at the College of William and Mary and was Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2002 to 2005. He was the Keynote Speaker at Massachusetts Peace Action’s annual meeting in March 2019. Wilkerson is a critic of the US invasion of Iraq, the ongoing War on Terror now in its 18th year, and the turn to a new nuclear arms race. He asserts the U.S. is not a democracy but a war state that forces its will on the global community, and in 2020 worked on bipartisan projects to prepare for the possibility that a defeated Donald Trump would refuse to leave office. Register here.
Tuesday, June 22, 2021, 7:00 PM. Still I Rise. From our EPF Chapter at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, which invites you to join them to discuss the evil of human trafficking: Still I Rise, a new film on the intersection of Human Trafficking and Racism: included within the webpage after clicking the link here: http://www.stillirisethefilm.com/. “Still I Rise” explores the relationship between racism and sex trafficking with dynamic women closest to the problem and the solutions. Over the course of five years in the Bay Area, we follow the lives of brilliant pioneering advocates, Holly Joshi and Leah Albright-Byrd.”
We will be having a discussion onto discuss this movie. All are invited. Use the invitation links below:
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/93423493895. Passcode: 492622. One tap mobile. +13126266799,,93423493895# US (Chicago), +16465588656,,93423493895# US (New York).
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.
Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 8:00 PM. LIFT for Peace: End the Travel Ban to North Korea. An evening of discussion with humanitarian workers, separated family members, and others who have traveled extensively to North Korea about the harms caused by the US travel ban to North Korea and how you can support the campaign to lift the ban to allow people to travel freely. Organized by: LIFT (Let Individuals Freely Travel) –a joint campaign of the Korea Peace Network, Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network and Peace Treaty Now. Endorsed by: American Friends Service Committee, Divided Families USA. Register here.
Thursday, June 24, 2021, 7:30 – 8:30 PM. Reimagining Justice: Profiles of Progressive Prosecutors. Across the country, activists have been working closely with prosecutors to reshape justice in this country. A movement is growing of progressive prosecutors who are working to dismantle policies that harm communities and replace them with policies that heal communities. And in election after election we’ve seen our WFP champions run on this platform– and win!Join the Working Families Party for a new monthly digital series, Reimagining Justice: Profiles of Progressive Prosecutors, hosted by WFP National Organizer Tiffany Cabán. Register here.
Saturday, June 26, 2021, 11:00 AM. Pressuring the Nuclear Weapons Profiteers. Divestment, Direct Action, Media, & International Law. Massachusetts Peace Action webinar. Register here.
Wednesday, June 30, 2021, 7:00 PM. Break Free From Plastic Pollution Teach-In & Actions. Join the Sierra Club’s Elissa Yoder Mann to learn about new Federal legislation that finally takes on the crisis of plastic pollution. Find out how we can make it the Law going forward! Suggested donation $5.00. More information and register 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