Be the Change: Weekly Community Update May 21, 2021

WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE: We are constantly dazzled by our readers skills and resourcefulness. If you have any talents or areas of interest that you imagine might be useful for Simply Living, please let us know! For instance, say, fundraising, marketing, membership drive, grant writing, blog writer, engagement manager, membership record keeper, event planner, social media guru, volunteer coordinating, data entry or any area of expertise in which you have experience or perspective that you’d be willing to share and that might help us with our goal of sustainable growth for Simply Living. Contact Chuck@simplyliving.org. Not sure? Call or text 614-354-6172. Thank You!


SAVE THE DATE! JULY 24 FROM 10 AM – 3 PM
Simply Living is excited to announce our 2021 Sustainable Living and Garden Tour!
The Tour will include 8 stops showcasing a wide variety of sustainability features. You can talk to home owners and learn about their gardens as well as solar installations, electric cars, rain barrels, and more. This year we are also featuring the CMN Memorial Community Garden (above)

Time to follow the science. Now that we know de-icing our roads with wastewater from fracking operations is radioactive, let’s stop it.

Action Alert: Tell Ohio legislators to oppose the sale of radioactive frack waste as “brine”

The Ohio General Assembly is considering two bills that would allow the commercial sale of fracking wastewater, misleadingly labeled as “brine.” We need your help in opposing Ohio House Bill 282 and Senate Bill 171 (Establish conditions for the sale of brine as a commodity) or any such bill that would commercialize brine.

Fracking wastewater is what comes back up from fracking after millions of gallons of fresh water is laced with toxic chemicals and used in the fracking process. During fracking, this water is injected with high pressure into underground rock to split open the rock and collect methane gas that is released.

During this process, frack water picks up radioactive elements. It then comes back to the surface, where it is no longer usable as water, and must be stored in underground injection wells all over Ohio, or disposed of in another way.

The oil and gas industry in Ohio is now labeling this frack wastewater as “brine” – as if it is just salt water – and wants to sell this product commercially to be spread across Ohio roads as a deicer. One such product, currently marketed under the name AquaSalina, was tested by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Results from the test revealed that this product contains high levels of Radium-226 and Radium-228.

You can help stop this dangerous practice by signing a letter, contacting your state representatives, or even giving testimony at a hearing (online or in person) next week against House Bill 282 and Senate Bill 171. Read our latest blog post for details, including facts sheets about brine, articles about the problem, and links to support from the Buckeye Environmental Network.


Archetypal Astrology 101 with Chuck Lynd
+ the Myers-Briggs PersonalityTest

“One does not become enlightened
by imagining figures of light,
but by making the darkness conscious.”

~ Carl Jung

Chuck Lynd
Sun Sign Symbols

Curious about astrology? Wondering how “archetypes” could affect your personality? Many people know about the Myers Briggs Test, but did you know it was based on Jungian archetypes? (Introvert/Extrovert/ Feeling/Thinking, et al) How might it be relevant today? Get answers and have some fun as we deconstruct the ancient archetypes of the Zodiac, with a nod to Carl Jung (who did a chart for each one of his patients). Bring your curiosity and your birth date and we’ll explore the symbolic language of the Zodiac. Take a free Myers Briggs test here. The $10 class fee is donated to support the work of Simply Living. Details and sign up here.


Upcoming Simply Events in June and Beyond

Retired professor Mort Schmidt will make a presentation on broadleaf tree identification.
Wednesday, June 16 at 7 pm
Details coming soon. We anticipate future in person nature walks with Mort helping us identify
trees in our local Ohio woodlands.

MEET SIMPLY LIVING
What’s the backstory?

and the new directions?
We’re revising our popular gathering to learn/reflect on our past and explore new initiatives and possibilities.

Tentative Date: Wednesday, June 23 @ 5:30
Location TBD: Zoom and/or CoHatch office



HIGHLIGHTS FROM SIMPLY LIVING’S BE THE CHANGE COMMUNITY CALENDAR



Life after COVID: Preparing Yourself For the New Normal
Fri May 21st – Mon 24th
Details and Registration for this Free online event.

One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. ~ Carl Jung


Rumpke Waste & Recycling Plastics Expansion 2.0
Fri May 21st 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Details and Registration

Jane Fonda will be joined by Colette Pichon Battle, Joe McNeil, and Tim Donaghy to discuss the ways in which fossil fuel companies harm Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities, and how Biden and Congress can take historic action to end fossil fuel racism. More here

GrassRoot Ohio Radio- Radioactive Brine Bills w/ OH Brine Task Force, Teresa Mills and Roxanne Groff
Another interview by Carolyn Harding on WGRN radio 94.1 to explore the problem of radioactive frack waste.

The folk festival runs from 11am to 9:30pm this SAT. 
The beauty of it is that if you have other things you have to do that day, you can watch the performances or workshops you want and go back and visit the rest later – as everything will be archived.
OR just view the Headliner concert, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, at 8pm
 and visit the rest at your leisure. 
It’s also a GREAT way for the kids to learn something new and become engaged musically
 with the separate kids’ programming (beginning at 11am with The Shazzbots).
We kept the price low  (what we’d usually charge for our regular Headliner concert). 
Tickets and more info here:  https://coffest.eventbrite.com

SPAN Ohio March for Health Care Justice and Freedom
Sat May 22nd 12:00pm – 2:00pm
We will gather at the intersection of North High Street and North Broadway. We will walk to the Whetstone Library, where we will pause for a break, and then return to where we started.
Get all the details and contact information here.

Java Central Cafe and Roaster, 20 S. State St. Westerville, OH 43081

Sunny Glen Garden Native Plant Sale
Sunday, May 23, 2021 11 am – 2 pm
3507 Sunny Glen Pl, Columbus, OH 43224

Find native plants that support monarchs, native bees and other pollinators, hummingbirds, songbirds, and other wildlife that you can enjoy in your gardens! Perennial native plants come back every year saving you money and time, while improving water filtration and reducing pollution runoff. These native plants have been sourced in Ohio so are well adapted and have the hardiness to handle our climate extremes. Online Order Option. More info here.

Sunday May 23 ~ LOVE YOUR ALLEY
The program will culminate with an Art in the Alley Walk, where everyone is invited to peruse the alley upgrades!
Are there alleys in your neighborhood? Be inspired by the work of Green Bexley!
Everyone can learn and participate even if you don’t live in Bexley!
See learning opportunities below. Get all the details here.
Outdoor Plant-Based Potluck at Goodale Park on Sunday, May 23rd at 1 PM
Get all the details here.

Sign up for free. Get all the details here

Solar PV Training – Books, Training, Certification-Online-at your own pace
Tuesday May 25 More here.
Simply Living is excited to partner with Blue Rock Station. to provide a $50 discount for Simply Living members who sign up for online solar classes offered by Annie and Jay Warmke. Plus, get a Simply Living Membership with Solar Training Discount Details and Registration here

Healthier School Foodware Toolkit Launch Tuesday May 25 12 noon – 1 pm
Have you ever wanted to switch your school cafeteria’s disposable trays, sporks or straws with reusables? Well, you’re in luck! CEH has developed a comprehensive toolkit on how to make the transition to greener, healthier foodware and we want to share it with you! This toolkit includes a step-by-step guide on how to flip your school/district from single-use disposables to reusables, a deep-dive into the science around disposable and reusable materials, how to safely incorporate reusables in school reopenings after COVID-19, and more here!

Climate Change in the American Mind: What Does Ohio Think?
Weds May 26 / 12 – 1 pm
Green Energy Ohio invites you to join a discussion with Eric Fine, Project Director at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication! More here
Calling Central Ohio Innovators for Waste to Resources Challenge Weds May 26 at 12:30 pm
Have an idea for turning trash into treasure? Or a solution to
eliminating food waste? SWACO and Rev1 are seeking to support local innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs who see opportunity in transforming waste into valuable resources. More here.

Blendon Woods Bird Walk
Thurs May 27 7:30 – 8:30 AM

Details and Registration Info


Speaking of Democracy…Community Gardens
Thursday, May 27, 7-8 PM

Community Gardens are treasured public green spaces, urban oases to grow flowers and food, community centers that bring together people of all ages, and even outdoor science labs for the kids. Community Gardens are the heart-and-soul of neighborhoods. They are also at the mercy of officials who prioritize property rights over local neighborhoods’ health and wealth, the kind of wealth not always calculated in dollars and cents.

This spring, Columbus’s beloved Kossuth Garden, a place of natural beauty and bounty for more than ten years, was forced to close. Locals tried to save this small communal corner, yet City Council sided with the developer. Kossuth Garden’s last day was May 1, 2021.

This month, Kossuth Garden’s own Micheal Doody will share the story of the garden that he spearheaded and then fought to save. He will recount how locals transformed the abandoned site into a communal natural wonder, discuss their mission, share their stories, and describe efforts to keep the garden.

While the session will focus on Kossuth Garden, participants are invited to ask questions and share stories about the delights of community spaces—and the challenges of retaining them under policies that put profits before people.


The events listed above are a fraction of those listed just this week. There are many more!
Browse now.
Select the Monthly View to find events quickly.
HINT: Search using keywords like FOOD, FARM, SUSTAINABLE, YOGA, MEDITATION, MUSIC, SUMMIT, ETC.


“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.


NEWS + RESOURCES
FOR LIVING LOCAL

Learn about the history of plastic, its global impacts, and some of the most inspiring solutions we’ve come across.
 View the Table of Contents
and links to all the “solutions journalism” stories in this issue.
Simply Living will be distributing copies of the magazine soon at Portia’s Cafe, Bexley Natural Market, Northstar Cafes, Global Gallery, et al.

Environment America’s sister group Environment Washington just secured a huge victory for wildlife and our oceans:
A statewide ban on most forms of single-use plastic foam.
The bill also ramps up requirements for the amount of recycled or post-consumer content in a number of plastic products.
Nothing we use for a few minutes should pollute our environment and harm wildlife for hundreds of years.
Washington not only banned single-use foam cups and containers but also packing peanuts and foam coolers.
Get the full story here. Learn about our own Environment Ohio here.

What Are We Doing Locally? Updates from Elissa Yoder Mann
of Sierra Club’s Ohio Past Plastic Campaign

LINK to powerpoint presentation if you missed the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act Teach-In last week.
SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, May 27 at 7pm- Join us for a night of action as we write letters, tweet, and call our legislators urging a yes vote for federal legislation Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act. RSVP now! 
LIST OF RESOURCES:- Sierra Club AddUp Campaign sign-on
– Beyond Plastics website BFFPPA resources:https://www.beyondplastics.org/bffppa factsheets, section by section breakdown, press packet, full bill language, sample language to use when calling/emailing your member of Congress, and more! – Break Free From Plastic- Pollution Act resource page:https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/pollution-act/ (scroll down to the very bottom of the main page for the social media tool kit)- Google Drive social media kit (english and spanish) from BFFP


Free Summer Fun in Columbus – Website Here
Music, Movies, Fitness, Outdoors, Museums


ORGANIZATIONS:  SIGN ON HEREINDIVIDUALS:          WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES HERE
Soil Policy Action is lobbying to make healthy soils a critical component of the President’s proposed $2.2 trillion infrastructure package.

George Monbiot – Dying of Consumption – 3 hour show with talks, music, poetry and Q&A. Watch on Youtube.
LOVE IT TV – Nature, health, ethics and the arts

An amazing talk and Q&A with author and activist George Monbiot addressing the subject Dying from Consumption. George and Lulu delve deep into the humans constant desire to want more and how this effects the planet and our quality of life. This compelling show includes music for Mobius Loop, poetry from climbing poetree, songs from Tallulah Rendall, Ecologist interview with author, Jonathan Neale and the new Tree Sisters Animation.


The Organic Consumers Association celebrated World Bee Day (May 20) by devoting their latest newsletter to BEES –
how we need them and they need us! Read the full newsletter here.

THE DREXEL THEATRE REOPENING

On Thursday, May 27, the Drexel’s iconic marquee will be lit, the popcorn will flow, and the doors will open wide once again as the Drexel Theatre finally reopens!
FULL DETAILS
The Drexel joins Studio 35, the Grandview Theater, and the Gateway Film Center. Support our local movie theaters!


Announcing our second Climate Change Book Club virtual event
|Thursday, May 27 at 7:00 pm!
“Cli-Fi: Communicating through Climate Fiction”
Follow GEO’s Facebook group Climate Change Book Club – Because Knowledge is Power! to stay updated on the event. 
Register here.


2021 Farmers Markets in Columbus
The listing is organized by the day of the week when local farmers markets are held in Columbus neighborhoods. see it here

Will Infinitely Recyclable Plastic Soon Be Available?

A new type of plastic can be disassembled at a molecular level, then reassembled with a new color, texture, and shape over and over. Since most plastic can only be recycled a few times, this development could be key in helping to solve our plastic crisis. more…

Give, Lend, Share, & Receive Through the Buy Nothing Project

Have some leftover house paint or an overabundance of zucchini you don’t want to see go to waste? Or maybe you want a used car seat for your baby or need to borrow some tools. Hook up with the Buy Nothing Project, which helps you connect with your local gift economy.
more…

Reduce Rover’s CO2 Pawprint: 13 Fruits & Veggies Dogs Enjoy

Looking for healthy dog snacks that carry a smaller carbon footprint than meat treats?
Look no further than your garden for fruits and veggies dogs like to eat. more…

Join us in June for our virtual Foundations of Compassionate Nonviolent Communication Training
This four-week, online foundations training is perfect for people new to Compassionate Nonviolent Communication (NVC) or refreshing their practice with the basics.
Plan to meet from 3-5pm every Sunday starting on June 6. Register here.



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



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

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


CALENDARS!
LIVE LOCAL, BUILD COMMUNITY #SIMPLYLIVING


Columbus on the Cheap Good, Cheap, Fun

In This Issue…


COLUMBUS UNDERGROUND
Mega Weekend
Dinos, Kitties, Wine Slushys & More!

Find a new cat friend this weekend and adoption events. Photo by Sam Lion from Pexels.

Welcome to the weekend. Get ready for the Gateway Film Center to reopen on Memorial Day Weekend. Tickets to Yes, There Will Be Vegan Options are on sale. Get registered for Vax-A-Millions. Remember Wilbert Neal. Sign up for Monday’s Virtual Townhall on the ArtsWalk App. Have a great weekend.

Shopping and Kitties

Pearl Market begins their season on Friday.
Colony Cats (and Dogs) has a Carnival Event.
Shop for books with Bookspace. Shop the Craftin’ Outlaws Popup.
Kitticcino opens their new space with a grand celebration.
Shop the German Village Makers Market.

Fun Stuff To Do

One of the residents of Dino Safari, visiting Columbus in May. Photo by Anne Evans.
Dino Safari drive-thru experience is this weekend!
Tune in on Saturday for PANDEMUKH! The Second Wave: A Virtual Variety Show. Do a yoga class and a fitness class at MPACC Box Park.
Go on a community bike ride Thursday night.
Enjoy Food Truck Fridays at the Columbus Urban League.
Try some wine slushysFonte Cucina has a popup restaurant.
Columbus Eagles FC has their home opener on Sunday.

ENJOY EXPLORING ART

Opera Columbus keeps their amazing shows going with La Bohème.
Shadowbox Live is back on the stage with The Legends of Liverpool.
The Addams Family continues at the Garden Theater.
There’s a comedy show at Forty Deuce. Find out who won the Thurber Prize. The Columbus Symphony presents the Haydn Festival.
Last weekend to catch Jerome Jennings livestream with JAGtv.
You’re running out of time to see beautiful paper turned into flowers at Franklin Park Conservatory.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO
THIS WEEDKEND?

Get vaxxed and relax in the Short North.
Do a virtual beer tasting to raise funds for Directions for Youth & Families. Music at Land Grant continues.
Go on a Memorial Bike Ride.
Twenty One Pilots drops a new album on Friday. Do the NVMM Run/Walk.
Zoombezi Bay opens on Saturday, perfect with this hot weather!


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, May 21, 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

Friday, May 21, 2021, 10:00 – 11:00 AM.  The Heartbeat of Iran Book Talk.  In Western – and especially American – media, Iran is depicted as a monolith often conflated with nuclear weapons, proxy warfare, and strict theocracy. Even if the average person has more in-depth knowledge, accurate depictions of daily life in the country are few and far between. In her new book The Heartbeat of Iran, award-winning journalist Tara Kangarlou takes a deep and nuanced dive into a cross-section of Iranian society to interview everyday people and document their diverse and surprising stories. Tara Kangarlou will be joined in conversation by Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute. What does daily life look like in Iran? What lies beneath the news headlines and political spin? How does their local and global communities?  Register here

Friday, May 21, 2021, 6:30 PM.  Justice for Palestine Rally.  Palestinians have been suffering at the hands of the oppressive Israeli occupation forces. This latest bit of violence sprouted from the forced displacement of Palestinian families from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah and the multi-day bombings of Gaza as well as oppression and attacks the Palestinians are facing all over their land. Join us in supporting the Palestinians in their resistance to the oppression they face.   Location:  Goodale Park. Facebook

Saturday, May 22, 2021, 12:00 – 1:00 PM.  Columbus Walk for Health Care Justice.  Please join the Single Payer Action Network of Ohio on our walk for Healthcare Justice.  We will meet at noon at the corner of N. High St. and E. N. Broadway and walk to the Whetstone Library and back (1.2 miles).   Please bring a sign to carry. We will have some, but there may not be enough for all.  If you cannot walk with us, you can be a sponsor of the walk. You can make out a check to SPAN Ohio and mail it to Bob Krasen, SPAN Ohio Columbus Area Coordinator, 566 Blenheim Rd., Columbus OH 43214.  Questions?  Contact Bob Krasen, brkrasen@gmail.com.

Saturday, May 22, 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.  Register here

Saturday, May 22, 2021, 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM.  2021 Central Ohio Folk Festival (Virtual).  A unique, engaging, and interactive experience with something for everyone, including the kids! This is the 24th annual festival produced by the Columbus Folk Music Society and co-sponsored by WCBE 90.5FM.  Cost: $15-25.  More information and registration here

Sunday, May 23, 2021, 3:00 PM. Amazing Advances on Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast: Discrediting US Media Attacks. Ambassador Francisco Campbell and Rick Sterling are the featured speakers at this 75-minute Zoom webinar. Nan McCurdy will also update us briefly on recent Nicaraguan news. Attendees can address questions to the speakers, and the recorded event will be shared afterward with registrants. The webinar will focus on the Caribbean side of Nicaragua, where there have been remarkable advances in recent years, including new highways and hospitals. Ambassador Campbell will describe these achievements in greater detail. Unfortunately, such success has not prevented US media attacks – for example, alleging the Nicaraguan government has failed to protect indigenous people from land encroachment by cattle ranchers. Rick Sterling will discuss how these attacks are being promoted by billionaire-financed foundations and provide contrary evidence based on recent interviews with indigenous leaders and other Caribbean residents.  Register here

Sunday, May 23, 2021, 7:00 – 9:00 PM.  Rescheduled.  Film Premiere:  Nicaragua Against the Empire.  Nicaragua Against Empire documents experiences from the Friends of the ATC, Nicaragua / Sanctions Kill “Yes to Sovereignty; No to Sanctions” delegation to Nicaragua in March. Film maker Ramiro Sebastián Fúnez Yhamir Chabur, Erika Takeo and Margaret Flowers Watch live on Facebook and YouTube or register for the Zoom link: https://bit.ly/3hhFj1P.  Facebook

Sunday, May 23, 2021, 7:30 – 8:30 PM.  Our Democracy Story.  To pass the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 1) – the boldest and most sweeping bill in decades to realize the promise of our democracy – it is important that as many Americans as possible know we can protect the freedom to vote and limit big money in politics! There are still many Americans who do not yet know what’s at stake for our democracy and our communities if we do not act – we must change that. Storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging and energizing people around a cause.  We will hear powerful stories that illustrate why we need the For the The People Act and learn to tell our own democracy stories to motivate others to act at this critical time for this bill.  Register here

Sunday, May 23, 2021, 2:00 – 3:00 PM.  Book Launch for Silwan.  Determined to Stay:  Palestinian Youth Fight for Their Village.  Silwan is a Palestinian village just outside the ancient walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. Determined to Stay is the moving story of its people in the face of occupation. As Silwani youth and community members share their lives with us, their village becomes a doorway to Palestinian history and current reality. Written with young people in mind, Determined to Stay draws deep connections between the lives of youth in the US and Palestine—from criminalization, forced relocation and buried histories to hip-hop as resistance.  Author Jody Sokolower will read from Determined to Stay with Sahar Abbasi, live from Silwan, Palestine, talking about the current situation.  Cost: Free –register now!

Monday, May 24, 2021, 7:00 PM.  Film Screening: Gaza Fights For Freedom.  Join us for a screening of the documentary film, Gaza Fights For Freedom. After the hour and twenty minute film, we will be joined by journalist and the director, writer, and narrator of the film, Abby Martin for a Q&A session and a discussion about the film, Palestine, and Gaza. It is a documentary about the historic Great March Of Return protests, which occurred every week from March 2018 until December 2019, but covers so much more. It tells the story of Gaza past and present, showing rare archival footage that explains the history never acknowledged by mass media. You hear from victims of the ongoing massacre, including journalists, medics and the family of internationally-acclaimed paramedic, Razan al-Najjar.  More information and registration here

Sunday, May 23, 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

Sunday, May 23, 2021, 8:00 – 8:45 PM.  Working Families Party Assembly!  Here at WFP, we’re building a different kind of political party — one with connection, meaning, and belonging around our shared values and interests. We’re building a political community. The WFP Assembly is a monthly video meeting where activists, supporters, electeds and WFP leaders join together to strengthen our political community. We’ll talk about the biggest problems we’re facing, hear about how WFP members are winning around the nation, and engage in meaningful action to build the party. We also breakout into virtual groups for people to talk to each other. Register here

Monday, May 24, 2021, 12:00 – 1:00 PM.  Haymarket Books Webinar:  Palestine is Still the Question: Biden, Israel and the Fight for Palestinian Liberation.  Despite Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine, the Biden administration continues to support it to the hilt, whatever qualms it has with Netanyahu’s far right regime. This webinar will explain the reasons for Washington’s alliance with Israel, what it means for the for Palestinian liberation struggle, and the tasks of the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.  More information and registration here

Tuesday, May 25, 2021, 7:00 PM.  Worthington Interfaith Neighbors.  Sharing Our Stories: Venezuela.  Virginia Nunes Gutierrez is a first-generation immigrant, community activist and entrepreneur born in Venezuela and raised in the US.  Virginia will be sharing her journey from an undocumented child to a non-profit leader and entrepreneur and what it took to get her where she is today. All are welcome.  There is no charge for this program. To request your Zoom invitation and meeting ID number, please email windiversity@gmail.com

Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.  Sierra Club Public Meeting to Stop OVEC Coal Plant Bailouts.  Ohioans have been subsidizing OVEC coal plants, Kyger Creek in Ohio and Clifty Creek in Indiana, since 2016. The passage of HB6 in 2019 expanded and extended these unjust bailouts. We have already paid 271 million and are expected to pay up to 700 million more by 2030. Our pockets should not be raided so that utility shareholders of OVEC can pay off the debt on their bad investments. Ohioans are forced to pay these extra charges every month, funding coal plants that operate at a loss and pollute our environment.  This public meeting will review the history of the OVEC coal plants, the investments made by Ohio Valley Electric Corporation which led to severe debt, and the way the bailouts were brought into the passage of HB6. Despite the massive corruption and bribery of HB6, the coal bailouts have yet to be repealed. And audits at the Public Utilities Commission reveal that OVEC is running the plants at inefficient times and overcharging all of us. After learning about the sheer injustice of the OVEC coal bailouts, there will be opportunities to take action to stop these unjust bailouts once and for all.  Register here

Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 12:00 PM. Climate Change in the American Mind: What Does Ohio Think? Please join us for a discussion with Eric Fine from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. YPCCC studies public climate change opinion and behavior and helps governments, media, companies, and advocates communicate more effectively. What percentage of people in your Ohio county support renewable energy, why do they support it, and how does knowing this help you advocate for it? Eric will discuss findings from their latest survey, test your knowledge of local public opinion, and then answer your questions.  Register here

Thursday, May 27, 2021, 7:00 – 8:00 PM.  Central Ohio Move to Amend: Speaking of Democracy … Kossuth Garden.  This spring, Columbus’s beautiful Kossuth Garden lost its bid to continue bringing together the urban community, growing food and flowers, providing fresh produce for locals, and enjoining kids to learn about and experience nature. A city ruling prioritizing private property over people, the environment, and community forced the closing of and eventual paving over of Kossuth Garden. Its last day was May 1, 2021.  On May 27, Kossuth Garden’s Michael Doody will the people’s story of the community garden. He will recount how a decade ago locals had transformed the abandoned area into the communal natural space and discuss their mission for it. He will share stories of the people involved and the variety of benefits of the garden for the local neighbors and the City of Columbus, and later explain the reasons for the garden’s recent demise. More information and how to join here


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


BE THE CHANGE: READ OUR COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Without aggression, it becomes possible to think well, to be curious about differences, and to enjoy each other’s company. ~ Margaret J. Wheatley


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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