You can attend either in-person or through our virtual table online.
Featured speakers for Gift To Be Simple include:
Marilyn Welker, founder of Simply Living
Paula Penn-Nabrit, J.D., author, founder and president of PN&A Inc. and manager of Charles M. Nabrit Memorial Community Garden
Randall Loop, massage therapist, life coach, and former Simply Living board president
Eugene Beer, chief engineer and producer for WCRS community radio station
Also speaking will be our board member and master of ceremonies, Kai Landis, founder of Green Roots LLC, and our executive director, Cathy Cowan Becker.
You’ll learn about the history of Simply Living — including some things you may not know — and its future directions. There will be plenty of time for networking and socializing with old friends and new.
We are also proud to announce two more extras for the in-person event:
Brothers Drake Meadery will be supplying their famous honey wine and beer for you to enjoy along with appetizers and hors d’oeuvres.
Drive Electric Columbus will be displaying several models of electric vehicles in the parking lot for you to see and ask questions about.
This is going to be a very special evening that you will not want to miss! Purchase your tickets at bit.ly/GTBS2021.
Sponsorships
Did you know you can also sponsor Gift To Be Simple? Anyone can sponsor — individuals, households, organizations, or businesses. Each sponsorship comes with increasing benefits depending on the level, and individuals can purchase a sponsorship for the organization of their choice.
In addition, thanks to a generous anonymous donor, Simply Living is offering an incentive match on all sponsorship levels above $100. Whatever level you choose, we will give you the next level up in benefits, including tickets to Gift To Be Simple, mentions in our program and presentation, a table in the lobby, and a year-long business membership with all of those benefits too.
It’s a great deal that supports both Simply Living and an organization of your choice! Sponsor Gift To Be Simple at bit.ly/GTBS2021Sponsorships
Community Meeting for Transit Justice
Event by Sierra Club Ohio, Simply Living and Sunrise Columbus
Please join Columbus transit riders as we meet together to improve our bus service. We’ll learn about current transit initiatives, share our experiences and ideas, and take action for change! Food and beverages will be provided.
Please mask while in pavilion for meeting.
Democracy Film Series: The People vs. Agent Orange
Co-sponsored by Simply Living and the Ohio Community Rights Network
Zoom Discussion: Sunday, October 24, 2021, 2:00 PM EST
You will have 48 hours to watch the film prior to the discussion!
Two women, one American and one Vietnamese, fight to hold the chemical industry accountable for a devastating legacy. Nearly 60 years following the use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War—the deadliest use of chemical warfare in history—the devastating after effects of the toxin remain lethal, demanding attention both in Vietnam and at home in America. The People vs. Agent Orange closely follows two activists as they take on the chemical industry, and demand accountability for the pernicious legacy caused by the use of this poisonous herbicide.
More info here. Register here. Please consider a donation of $5 per film or $20 for the series to help defray the cost of the film, and support the work of OHCRN and Simply Living.
Tuesdays Starting Oct 26th 7-8:30 pm
Is there an alternative to Neoliberal Economics
and the Global Consumer Economy?
How can we scale up promising local alternatives?
Can we invest in people and communities at the levels needed
to transition to a sustainable society in this decade?
Come delve into these issues and learn from innovative thought leaders like Charles Eisenstein, David Korten, Stacy Mitchell, Michael Shuman, Helena Norberg Hodge, Judy Wicks, et al. Read short articles, interviews, films and discuss them with each other using the following course topics.
Course schedule (attend all, or as you choose)
October 26 – Introduction and orientation
November 2 – Globalization
November 9 – Local Economy
December 7 – Community Localization
December 14 – Big Picture Activism
Course facilitator is Chuck Lynd. Details and Registration link here
The OEC Emerging Leaders Council invites renters to engage with us and our partners about how to live sustainably and advocate for equitable living conditions as a renter. Register here: bit.ly/envirorent
Hear from advocates and experts from Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO), Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), Simply Living, Ohio Student Association, 3 Tree, and GreenSpot.
There will be break-out rooms to debrief, discuss, and hear thoughts about each of the topics presented. Leave with actionable steps you can use to push your home toward sustainability. Bring a friend or two! Let’s explore sustainable living and renting and learn from one another.
Spirit and Money – This is a pre-recorded webinar course. Self paced.
Introduction to Solar PV – This is an online course. Spirit and Money – This is a pre-recorded webinar course. Self paced.
Residential Solar Installation and Design – Online. Spirit and Money – This is a pre-recorded webinar course. Self paced.
“The great challenge of the twenty-first century is to raise people everywhere to a decent standard of living while preserving as much of the rest of life as possible.”
~ Edward O. Wilson
TUES NOV 9 @ 5:30 pm. Register
AUTHOR TALK ON GLOBAL WARMING AT WHETSTONE LIBRARY Join author Paul Robinson at the Whetstone Library meeting room for a presentation and discussion of his new book: Global Warming: Can It Be Stopped? We will discuss and explore the science, psychology, and the morality of climate change. Join us! Books will be available to purchase.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SIMPLY LIVING’S BE THE CHANGE COMMUNITY CALENDAR
“A forest ecology is a delicate one. If the forest perishes, its fauna may go with it. The Athshean word for world is also the word for forest.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Word for World is Forest
Rebroadcast
Carolyn Harding with Melissa McFadden, author of the newly released memoir, Walking the Thin Black Line – Confronting Racism in the Columbus Division of Police.
Melissa McFadden is an activist and author who’s spent 24 years as a police officer in the Columbus, Ohio Division of Police. More here
Bring in your handmade, homemade, homegrown foods, household and garden plants and more! Baked goods, herbs and veggies, home preserved items are all welcome! We have combined the historic monthly food swap and plant swap into one big homestead swap! Extra plants for both house and garden are new to the swap. Location: 4760 N High St Columbus, OH 43214
Be ready to answer questions about your methods, practices and ingredients. It is recommended that you value your product to be swapped at retail price for trading purposes. Please don’t be offended is someone doesn’t want to trade with you, all of our diets and interests vary widely and all are accepted.
“We are, quite literally, gambling with the future of our planet- for the sake of hamburgers”
― Peter Singer, Animal Liberation
Why are we organizing a parallel event to the UN World Food Day?
The United Nations Food Systems Summit has been hijacked by corporate agribusiness and pesticide cartels, so we need to create a different summit to promote agroecological, organic and regenerative food systems. More here
It will be a 24 hour global, participatory, virtual summit that will start in Oceania, and move westwards through the time zones of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America.
We will have speakers from every continent to present the truly good news about food production and regenerative systems – including Vandana Shiva, Ronnie Cummins, Andre Leu -, panels, discussions and other live events as well as videos and music from every region of the world. REGISTER
Ohio Poetry Day Celebration
Sat Oct 16th 1:30pm – 4:30pm (EDT)
Celebrate Ohio Poetry Day with the Ohio Poet of the Year (left) and poetry readings by contest winners. Virtual Zoom event organized by the Ohio Poetry Association. Get all the details on our calendar here and register for free on Eventbrite.
For more poetry events, see Nita Sweeney’s calendar of events:
https://nitasweeney.com/calendar/category/write-now-events/
NEXT WEEK: Singer/songwriter DAN HEIDT
with singer Whitey Jean and violinist Kristen Elliott
Sun Oct 17th 6:30pm Free via Zoom Details and link here.
The CSTB has been good about bringing adults together to help each other. Seed of Caring will tell us about their success in bringing children into service. Everyone is invited to this free event, so please invite interested friends!
“At Seeds of Caring, we believe in the power of kindness and the capacity for kids to change the world. We engage children ages 2-12—our future leaders—through a variety of service, social action, and community-building experiences. From racism to homelessness, we don’t shy away from the tough stuff. Instilling kindness and empathy from the earliest age, we help kids see and understand the needs in their community, then develop the social-emotional skills and confidence to make a difference.”
Simply Living is an affiliate member of the Time Bank. Members who volunteer for SL can earn credits (Hours) for exchange with any member of the Time Bank. For additional information on the CSTB, visit the website at http://cstimebank.org
The measure of a species’ development is the extent to which its members can work together, collaboratively.
~ Douglas Rushkoff
Ready to get crafty with Wild Goose Creative? On the 3rd Sunday of each month (through December) from 1 to 3 pm. Wild Goose is crafting a good time here in Franklinton. Kids, bring your adults and show them how to make something amazing, grab some snacks, and have a good time with your fam!
Tue Oct 19th – Thu 21st (3 days)
We’ll explore the toxic chemicals in your personal environment and ways you can embrace new habits to help you live a healthier life. More info on our calendar here.
Learn more and get your tickets to EWG’s CleanCon™.
Global Grassroots Leaders Climate Summit
From October 19 – 22, the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth US are convening a Global Grassroots Leaders Summit, to engage the voices on the ground from grassroots and community leaders from countries across the globe who are far too often left out of international climate conversations. More info on our calendar here.
Intro to Ecovillages with the Global Ecovillage Network
Tue Oct 19th 12:00pm – 1:30pm (EDT)
Join us for this 90-minute interactive webinar for an overview of the history, principles, practices and methodologies of ecovillages worldwide, with an emphasis on the transformative potential of the ecovillage approach. Details on our calendar
Tue Oct 19th 4:00pm – 4:30pm
We’re excited to celebrate Stormwater Awareness Week Oct 17-23, 2021.
There are many events taking place next week to raise awareness about how rain water moves through our environment and infrastructure. We have created an after-school, virtual program specifically for youth, called Rain Fish. In this program we’ll explore where rain goes when it falls as we craft and create fish from repurposed and natural materials.
More info on our calendar. Register Now!
How can communities bridge their divides to fight climate change?
Tue Oct 19th 7:00pm – 8:30pm (EDT)
How can communities bridge our divides — from East & West, Rural & Urban, conservative & progressive — to find the common ground needed to address climate change? How can industry and environmentalists work hand in hand? And how can local economies find opportunity in a lower emissions future? Curious? We’ll be screening Other Side of the Hill, a documentary that explores the impacts of a changing climate in a rural Oregon community, seen through the eyes of local leaders on the ground. RSVP HERE
Wed. Oct. 20th at 6 p.m. CDT. More info on our calendar here.
Participate in a webinar with Wild Ones Honorary Director, biologist, pollinator conservationist and author Heather Holm as she shares from her latest book, “A Guide for Eastern North America WASPS” which will help you better appreciate and understand wasps. “WASPS” delves into how beneficial wasps are to humans, mainly as insect pest population control and as pollinators.
A recording will be available to the public on our YouTube channel in the days
following the event. Register Now! Closing midnight Mon Oct 20
Thursday, October 21 7 – 8: pm. More Here
Location: Drexel Theatre, 2254 East Main Street, Bexley , OH 43209 TICKETS
In celebration of the release of Wil Haygood’s book, Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World, Gramercy Books is partnering with the Drexel Theatre for an evening of conversation and film that explores Black filmmaking in Hollywood. In this groundbreaking book, the author of The Butler and Showdown examines 100 years of Black movies—using the struggles and triumphs of the artists, and the films themselves, as a prism to explore Black culture and the civil rights movement in America. Haygood will introduce the series in conversation with Drexel Theatre Director Jeremy Henthorn, entertain a brief Q&A following that evening’s screening of Foxy Brown starring Pam Grier, and sign books in the Drexel lobby.
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.
“All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying
to get back to where it was.” ~ Toni Morrison
NEWS + RESOURCES
FOR LIVING LOCAL
Our leadership group, now comprised of four individuals who are passionate about sustainability, has worked hard to host many events, including community cleanups, plant and tree giveaways, a solar information session, a clean energy financing forum, a food waste education seminar with SWACO, and more. We have co-sponsored a Columbus Solar Co-Op, and we formed a partnership to make curbside composting more widely available. We have also written policy reports on our tree canopy and on the dangers of coal-tar driveway sealants. Through it all, we have engaged our city leadership in efforts to guide policies that promote sustainability. We have presented at Council and the Safety Committee meetings. YOU can get involved here.
Each week Annie & Jay Warmke present a radio program (which appears on WOUB radio (NPR) and WGRN (Pacifica). The program is also syndicated on the Pacifica Radio Network.
When the BioMass Hits the Wind Turbine is a serious, but not too serious, look at issues surrounding sustainability and sustainable living.
Link to Podbean Hosting of Podcast
Listen live on 94.1 FM Fri 11:30 am or Sat at 8:30 am. More at WGRN.org here.
Wayne National Forest
Gather up your hiking gear, it’s time for an adventure. Wayne National Forest covers over a quarter-million acres of Appalachian foothills and nearly all of them are breathtaking. Once the fall colors start to pop, you’ll be able to see all of the forest’s sites in their peak. Notable stops include the lookout towers, Mill Creek, Tinker’s Cave, and Irish Run Natural Bridge. Thanks to Cbus Navigator.
THE REVOLUTION OF OUR TIMES
Discovering the Nature of Transformation, by Kavita Byrd (Uplift) Article of the Week: Read Here.
“Having a place means that you know what a place means…what it means in a storied sense of myth, character and presence but also in an ecological sense…Integrating native consciousness with mythic consciousness”
― Gary Snyder
Today, we are delighted to present an answer. 146 answers, to be exact.
Introducing the Localization Action Guide
The Localization Action Guide details 146 ways for individuals, communities and policymakers to make a real, hands-on difference in their local areas. It points to key resources, networks and examples to inform and inspire actions with a systemic impact, including:
Join or start a community garden
Implement participatory budgeting where you live
Reclaim your community’s electrical grid
Join or start a food policy council
Oppose “free-trade” agreements
Set up a local investing group
Campaign for policies that support small businesses
. . . and much more.
Browse the guide!
New Podcast Episode with Dave Gardner at Growthbusters
In the newest episode of the GrowthBusters podcast, Richard shares with me what his research has revealed about humankind’s cultivation of power, including how we abuse it and how that now threatens our very existence. LISTEN HERE (or find GrowthBusters on your podcast app)
“Once a species becomes powerful enough to take over a planet, then is it also intelligent enough to understand the limits to its own power?”
This is one of the questions Richard Heinberg examines in his new book, Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival. Heinberg is a Senior Fellow at Post Carbon Institute and author of 13 books, including Power Down, The Party’s Over, and The End of Growth. His monthly Museletter is some of the clearest communication about the shifts we need to see to have a sustainable civilization on a healthy planet.
NEXT UP from the Columbus Folk Music Society
You can help.
Call or email Speaker of the House, Bob Cupp,
614-466-9624.
(To send a letter, go to the Ohio House website to complete his email form).
Ask him to put this legislation, HB 446, The Ohio Health Care Act, into the House Insurance Committee. It is more appropriate there than in the Health Committee, because our legislation has more to do with “the payment of health care” than it does of actual health care provision.
Please do this NOW!
So that we can build momentum to get a proponent hearing scheduled.
Bob Krasen, SPAN Ohio Columbus Area Coordinator
brkrasen@gmail.com
614.261.0754 (please leave a message)
What To Do With a Cell Phone When It Dies
more…
Hemp Packaging: Cannabis Industry’s
Eco-Friendlier Alternative
Hemp packaging has the potential to help make those sales sustainable
by reducing harmful waste. more…
Sustainability in Your Ear
Chunka Mui, co-author of A Brief History of a Perfect Future: Inventing the World We Can Proudly Leave Our Kids by 2050, joins the Earth911 podcast.
listen now…
Did you learn something new today?
Please Support Earth911 database updates so we can help others recycle!
Listen on your radio or online anytime!
CALENDARS!
LIVE LOCAL, BUILD COMMUNITY #SIMPLYLIVING
Good, Cheap, Fun
- Over 235 free or cheap events this weekend in Columbus!
- Fun and Tasty Adventure Trails in Ohio
- Haunted Woods, Haunted Houses, and more around Columbus
- Ghost Trolley and Sundays train rides at The Ohio Railway Museum
- Weekly fun and Trick or Tweet at Grange Insurance Audubon Center
- Food Truck Food Court on Thursdays at the Commons
- Annual Dublin Halloween Spooktacular
- National Veterans Memorial and Museum exhibits and events
- Free Ice Hockey Clinics with Columbus Blue Jackets Get Out And Learn! Program
- Safe Trick-or-Treat and Trunk-or-Treat in Columbus
- 15 Spooky Ghost Tours around Columbus in 2021
- Fortress Fright Night at Fortress Obetz
- Over 80 events celebrating Fall and Halloween in Columbus
- Best hikes and scenic drives for Fall Color in Ohio
- Celebrate a traditional 1890’s Halloween at All Hallows’ Eve at Ohio Village
- Fall Fun! Columbus Pumpkin Patches, Farm Activities, Corn Mazes
- UPDATED: Trick or Treat Schedule Around Columbus
- Visit the monthly North Market Outdoor Night Market
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Boo at the Zoo
Check out Wes Williams and the landscaping services he offers:
https://www.plantconnections.net/
COLUMBUS UNDERGROUND
Mega Weekend
Monsters & Ghosts & Witches & Marathon, oh my!
Here’s a rundown of fun things to do this weekend. It’s National Dessert Day! Find a new one to try in our Treat to Try. Are you watching Succession on Sunday? Don’t forget the Columbus Marathon is on Sunday – here’s the course map. Enjoy your weekend!
Food Things to Do
COSI After Dark returns. Shop North Market Night Market.
Head to Tasty Dawg for some Wigs & Weenies!
Get a nostalgic treat at Bake Me Happy.
Try some donuts & beers.
There’s only a few more taco truck tours of the season.
Fun Things to Do
Explore Pumpkins Aglow at the Franklin Park Conservatory.
Last chance to shop Pearl Market downtown on Gay Street and Pearl is on Friday.
Take a little trip to the Willow Wood Fall Fantasy Walk.
Check out The Guest Room comedy show.
Galla Park has a weekend of music with Bijou and then Krewella.
Wild Cat celebrates 16 years on Saturday with some deals! And a Fall Flea.
There’s a fall fest happening at Slate Run Metro Park.
Shop some Punk Rock. Want to make some witch bells?
Who are the Ghosts of Franklinton?
ENJOY EXPLORING ART
The Wex showcases filmmaker Michael Schultz in a retrospective.
Watch locally made film Escape from Death Block 13 at the Gateway Film Center. Young Frankenstein is on view at Short North Stage.
Jazz Arts Group opens their season with Gershwin, Berlin, & Beyond.
Watch Beetlejuice at NightLight614 on Friday night!
Join regan noelle smith for her poetry book release show!
It’s a big weekend for Wil Haygood who releases his new book Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO
THIS WEEDKEND?
There’s some free yoga happening this weekend.
Learn some history about the ’70s music explosion.
Find out more about Mothman. Are you going to Monster Bash?
Buy a gorgeous glass pumpkin at Glass Axis.
Want to be the first to look at a new park? Shred those documents!
Columbus Crew SC takes on Miami. Go to a costume dance party.
Go to What the Fuzz?! Learn how to make a fire.
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.
“All have their worth and each contributes to the worth of the others.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
edited by Connie Hammond (pictured above).
Email cmhammond11@att.net to subscribe to her Community Calendar or share meeting info.
Tuesday, October 19, 2021, Kick-off of OTSE’s Lobby Week to End the Death Penalty. More information and registration here.
Tuesday, October 19, October 26, November 2, and November 9, 2021, 07:00 PM. Pax Christi: The Gospel & Nuclear Disarmament Study Circles. The purpose of these study circles is multi-faceted: to explore, in the context of prayer and reflection, what radical discipleship means in the Nuclear Age; to deepen our faith commitment to Jesus’s command of nonviolence and resistance to idolatry and empire; to better understand the omnipresent nuclear peril and examine how nuclear weapons serve to reinforce empire, white supremacy and systemic racism and oppression; to educate ourselves about Pope Francis’s declaration that the possession of nuclear weapons is immoral and what the implications are for the wider church; to explore what actions can be taken to: have the U.S. ratify the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)– which now deems nuclear weapons illegal–and abolish nuclear weapons, convert all nuclear weapons facilities and manufacturing sites to non-military production, and redirect the over $1.7 trillion 30-year U.S. nuclear modernization now underway to eradicate poverty and meet urgent human needs. The Nuclear Disarmament study circles is a continuation of an ongoing series we’re calling, “Love is Political: Literary Circles for Liberation.” Register here.
Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 5:00 – 6:00 PM. “SMA in Good Faith” Training. Healing is a key part of what it means to be faithful and in community with others. Learn how to share information about why Self-Managed Abortion (SMA) through medication a safe, effective, and convenient reproductive health option for those in your community is. Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Register here. Facebook.
Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 1:00 PM. A New Era of American Progress. Please join the Center for American Progress as we welcome our new president and CEO, Patrick Gaspard. With an introduction by CAP founder John Podesta and closing remarks by CAP board member Secretary Julián Castro, the event will highlight Gaspard’s vision for CAP and the progressive movement as a whole. It will address how we, as progressives, can move policy that alleviates inequality, uplifts underserved communities, and creates a more equitable and just world for all. Register here.
Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 12:00 PM. Fair Districts Congressional Map Winners: Updates Based on Public Input. Join 1st place winner John Hagner from Yellow Springs, Ohio; 2nd place winner Paul Nieves from Yonkers, New York, and 3rd place winner Riley Jones from Loveland, Ohio as they show us updated congressional maps based on public comment and input from our 10/13 webinar. More information and registration here.
Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 7:00 – 8:00 PM. Global Security Talks—A Discussion on the US Nuclear Posture Review. The White House is currently working on its Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), a process that develops the Biden administration’s approach to US nuclear weapons policy. The Union of Concerned Scientists is pushing for the NPR process to lead to major policy changes that make us all safer. Unfortunately, early signs suggest that Biden’s NPR may only make modest changes that don’t reduce the nuclear threat. Join Union of Concerned Scientists for a virtual event to discuss the importance of the NPR and how to improve US nuclear weapons policy. We need to pressure the Biden administration to adopt nuclear weapons policies that make the United States and the world a safer place—such as a no-first-use policy, ending the sole authority of any president to launch a nuclear attack, and canceling plans to spend trillions of dollars rebuilding current nuclear weapons systems.Register here.
Thursday, October 21, 2021, 5:30 – 6:30 PM. A Conversation with “The Daily Show” Co-creator, Lizz Winstead. Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio is thrilled to announce our next Virtual Voices event featuring the co-creator and head writer of “The Daily Show”and co-founder of Abortion Access Front, Lizz Winstead! Lizz will be joined in conversation by our own President and CEO Iris E. Harvey and Mason Hickman, Digital Organizer for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio. Join us for this virtual discussion on abortion access, activism, and more. Register here.
Thursday, October 21, 2021, 4:00 PM. Climate Change and U.S. Foreign Policy. Please join Professor Alex Thompson for a discussion of climate change and U.S. foreign policy. Dr. Thompson will discuss the recent U.N. climate report and examine the larger consequences of climate change for U.S. foreign policy. OSU Mershon Center. Register here.
Friday, October 22, 2021, 12:00 PM. Homeward Bound: Refugee Return and Local Conflict. As the number of refugees worldwide has risen to unprecedented levels, the international community touts refugee repatriation as the preferred solution and endpoint to displacement crisis. But conflict between returning and non-migrant populations is a nearly ubiquitous issue in post-conflict societies from Iraq to South Sudan to Guatemala. University of Southern California Professor Stephanie Schwartz argues that refugee return creates new social divisions between those who fled and returned, and those who stayed. OSU Mershon Center. Register here.
“The Holy Land is everywhere”
― Black Elk
MORE LOCAL CALENDARS
Columbus Free Press Activists Calendar Editor Bob Roehm
WCBE Arts & Life Calendar
BE THE CHANGE: BROWSE OUR COMMUNITY CALENDAR
