Simply Living Issues Annual Report

DECEMBER 18, 2025
Maize Manor Methodist Church

Urban Farm Church

Our History

Simply Living was established in 1992 after 20,000 people attended an Earth Day event at the Park of Roses in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The founding members believed that social change and environmental responsibility depend upon us and our lifestyles.

Our Mission

Simply Living connects people to learning opportunities that promote sustainability, environmental justice,
and our local economy.

Our Vision

Creating a compassionate and sustainable world through personal, community, and cultural transformation.

Cities are responsible for 70% of carbon emissions globally, so our local community is the most important venue for co-creating solutions we need for the future we want to see. Whether we are organizing for individual or collective change, Simply Living’s core mission has always been to provide community education for a more sustainable and equitable world.

Board of Directors

Lenn Black, Jenee Murphy, Lynn Stan, Vilvi Vannak

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THANK YOUS

THANK YOU to the Simply Living newsletter editors for regularly creating creative and informative Newsletters: Chuck Lynd for his many years of service, in 2024 passed the baton to Luke Toney, in May 2025 Angie Scheu accepted the baton, and now Lenn Black is leading the effort. And THANK YOU to Tammy Miller for 2 years of bookkeeping services, and for training Torin Jacobs, our new bookkeeper. And
THANK YOU to Angie Scheu for helping Simply Living become stronger and prepped for 2026.

And THANK YOU to the returning and new individuals and businesses for their in-kind services, programming collaborations and sponsorship support:

Berlin Farm
Bexley Natural Market
Blue Rock Station
Care & Share Time Bank
Central Ohio ReUse Coalition
Central Ohio Women in the Trades
Cindy Lanese
CoHatch
Columbus Arts Festival

Columbus Garden School
Columbus Micro Systems
Common Greens
Community Shares of Mid-Ohio
Drive Electric Columbus
Electrify Columbus
Glass Rooster Cannery

Grandview Theatre

Hocking Hills Raven’s Retreat

Integrity, sustainable planning & design

Janeen Sands

Judy Fasone

Just The Farm

Leaves of Life

M/I Homes

Pia Punk Design

Sackett Farm

Scioto Gardens 

Seminary Hill Farm

siteinsight

Starburst Media

Studio 35

Sustainable Delaware Ohio

WCBE

WGRN

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

Simply Living operated with lean resources in 2025 while continuing to deliver outreach and educational events. In 2025, Simply Living reduced its staff, streamlined its operations, and adopted a new donor management system (Givebutter) that better reflects where we are today. While revenue this year did not fully cover operating needs, community support allowed us to build momentum and remain present. As we
enter 2026, we are focusing on strengthening predictable revenue and growing donor support to sustain and enhance the programs our community expects.

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IN 2025, SIMPLY LIVING WAS BUSY WITH:

FILMS & CONVERSATIONS

We Are Guardians

Join or Die

The Biggest Little Farm

Plastic People with Central Ohio ReUse Coalition

ON SITE EXPERIENCES

Pins With Purpose at Sequoia Bowling Lanes

Nature Walk guided by Cindy Lanese

Tour of Rumpke Recycling & Resource Center

Delaware Tour: Berlin Farm, Sackett Farm, Scioto Gardens Native Plants, Seminary Hill Farm @ Methodist
Theological School

Just the Farm, Galloway

Fall Gathering and Fundraiser hosted by Janeen Sands

TABLING & ACTIVITIES AT COMMUNITY EVENTS

Community Festival Green Columbus’ Earth Day Festival

Electrify Columbus’ Energy Smart Home Expo Friend Fest

Clintonville Arbor Fest Westerville Arbor Fest

Harvest Fest at Stratford Ecological Center

Charitable Campaign events with Community Share of MidOhio

White Castle Earth Day Fair Green on the Green

BEING SPECIAL HELPERS

Greater Columbus Arts Festival Beverage Station Community Festival

Fiscal Agent for a student tree effort at Columbus State Community College

Earth Month EcoChallenge Team Free Press monthly salons

Sparking a Bioregionalism Working Group

Explore Bioregionalism with Kelly Clark

Rapid 5 Update with Luke Messinger

Patty Shipley at Leaves of Life

Joining and Learning the Givebutter Platform

Its ‘campaign’ set-up has greatly helped in registering event attendees, seeking support for specific efforts, and producing and delivering our newsletters.

And . . .

Producing over 70 issues of the Simply Living newsletter, updating the Simply Living Business Directory, adding the Central Ohio Household Recycling Resource in to the Simply Living website, and seeking
collaborations with similar thinking organizations, associations, and businesses.

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IN 2026, Priorities & Initiatives

Simplify Business Memberships: Eliminate Simplify Living Business Memberships and replace them with Business Sponsorships for businesses and organizations. It will make it easier to give our collaborators better visibility and promotion, specifically in the Business Directory. Change in the by-laws will be that businesses will no longer have voting rights, only Individual Members will have voting rights.
Expand our Local Community Events Calendar so the local community can stay on top of local
sustainable events and community courses. Our goal is to serve a 60-mile radius from Columbus, allow local organizations to self-submit to our community calendar!
Enhance the Sustainable Business Directory of over 1000 locally owned, sustainable and green places to eat, shop, and gather all within a 60-mile radius of Columbus by boosting its search ability and adding listings and tags to highlight a businesses’ sustainable efforts.
Continue to build Simply Living’s Sustainable U as a platform to host, promote, and build community resilience through skill-building opportunities, discussion courses, tours, films and experiences developed by Simply Living partners and members.
Support the experiences, connections, and projects started in 2025, for example direct more traffic to the Central Ohio Household Recycling Resource, now on Simply Living’s website, that provides up-to-date information based on Central Ohio’s expansive recycling capabilities. https://simplyliving.org/how-to-recycle-household-items-in-central-ohio/

www.simplyliving.org 614-218-5613

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