Environmental Issues

Community Backyards Workshop Join us at the Ohio Herb Center in Gahanna to learn about sustainable home gardening. We can make small changes in our yards to make a BIG impact for a better environment and healthier waterways while saving money. This workshop is presented by Friends of Alum Creek and hosted by Ohio Herb Center. By attending, any participating community resident can receive a voucher for a rain barrel, compost bin, or native plants for attending. Vouchers are limited to one per household per year. Registration in advance is encouraged but NOT required. Click here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/65f65aw (Free Workshop Registration: Registration is free. Registering in advance provides your information to Franklin Soil and Water ahead of time, so when you come to the workshop, we will have your voucher ready for you when you arrive) * Location: Ohio Herb Center, 110 Mill St, Gahanna, OH 43230 * Date and time: Sat, May 23, 2026 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM * Organizer: The Community Backyards Program, (614) 486-9613, communitybackyards@franklinswcd.org **FAQs** **Our Community Backyards workshops are FREE and a great way to participate in the rebate program. Our workshops are typically 1 to 1 and a half hours long and held in-person. Our workshops cover the same content as the online course, but they are more detailed and allow the chance to ask questions and have discussions with the presenters and other residents. We occassionally have "advanced topics" classes where you dive deeper into one topic of Community Backyards such as invasive vs. native plants or rain gardens.** **Registration is encouraged but not required.** You can register in advance to receive your voucher at the workshop. If you don't register in advance, that's okay - you can still show up (unless otherwise noted - which is very rare) and sign up for a voucher at the class, and we will send you one via email or mail within a few business days after the workshop. **"Do I have to be a resident of that community to attend that workshop?"** Nope! Our workshops are open to everyone (unless otherwise noted - which is extremely rare). You can attend a workshop that best suits your schedule even if it is in a different community than your own. **"Why is registration closed?** Can I just show up?" Yes, you can show up without registering! We close registration typically 1-2 days before the workshop to give the vouchers and materials to the presenters. However, you are always welcome to just show up and fill out a short form to request a voucher at the workshop. If eligible, we will send one to you within 1-2 business days after the workshop. **Voucher note**: Classes are free for everyone but vouchers are for residents of Franklin county or participating community (list here: https://www.communitybackyards.org/participate) 2026 Participating Vendors: City Folk's Farm Shop, Fisher's Gardens, Leaves for Wildlife, Scioto Gardens, Hoover Gardens & Gift Center, and the FSWCD/SWACO Compost Bin Sale. *when redeeming your voucher at a vendor, Please bring a physical copy of your voucher to receive an immediate discount on your purchase. Additionally, to keep up with number of vouchers that are given out, we have changed the expiration date on the vouchers to 30 days

IMPORTANT!!! THE DATE OF THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO SUNDAY MAY 17, 2026!!! A very unusual choice for his group... Unknown Number: High School Catfish is an American [true crime](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_crime "True crime") documentary film directed by [Skye Borgman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skye_Borgman "Skye Borgman") and released to [streaming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_media "Streaming media") on [Netflix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netflix "Netflix") on August 29, 2025. The documentary explores the events and investigation into an unknown person [cyberbully](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberbullying "Cyberbullying") and [harassing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harassment "Harassment") teenagers in [Beal City, Michigan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beal_City,_Michigan "Beal City, Michigan") using an unknown number via insults and sexual claims. It also explores the increasingly great impact of the harassment on the community, the eventual reveal of the culprit, and the trial that followed. IMPORTANT INFO: I strongly suggest not reading anything about it online before seeing it. It's best viewed with no previous knowledge. This documentary contains crude terminology and deals with cyberbullying, which may be a trigger for some folks. Please be ready to discuss the movie by 7PM. Thanks. Unfortunately, it is only available on Netflix. If you would like to attend but do not have Netflix, say so and maybe we can figure something out.

Join us for the Columbus Animal Advocates spring social at Goodale Park! We'll be sharing delicious vegan cookout dishes, playing games, and socializing. Come out to meet CAA, learn more about what they do, relax, and enjoy the beautiful spring weather with other animal lovers.🐷🐮🌱 Just bring yourself, some friends, some lawn chairs, outdoor games if you want, and an appetite! The food was so good last time 😋 If you want to bring a vegan dish to share, you are welcome to, but it's not required. If you cannot find the group when you arrive, just message below and someone will come guide you to us. I hope some of you can come out to join!

By popular demand, the group wanted to read and discuss the semi-autobiographical novel by Henri-Pierre Roche, that inspired the Truffaut movie we watched last year. The book is available through the Columbus Library's interlibrary loan system. They reported there are twenty-eight copies available in the state of Ohio. If you have a library card, you can file an interlibrary loan request here: https://www.columbuslibrary.org/library-services/ . There are also used copies available on Amazon and eBay for under twenty dollars. You may want to rewatch the movie after reading the book, so we can compare and contrast in our discussion. The Columbus Library has four copies on DVD, and it's streaming on HBOMax.

Open to public: Friday, 5/15/26: 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Saturday 5/16/26: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Hosted by OSU The 2026 Chadwick Arboretum Spring Plant Sale and Auction Fundraiser Location: Lawn area south of the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center 2201 Fred Taylor Dr, Columbus, OH 43210 Spring Plant Sale Spring into greenery at Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens! Join us for our annual Spring Plant Sale Fundraiser and dive into a lush world of botanical delights. With over 16,000 fresh, exotic, and time-tested edible and ornamental plants, there's something for every green thumb! Experience the thrill of our tree and shrub auctions, where you can bid on unique specimens to enhance your garden sanctuary. Step into our Learning Lab, where engaging educational demonstrations on various garden topics will unfold throughout the three-day sale, enriching your knowledge and inspiring your green endeavors. Take part in an exciting, live auction offered each day, as well as a silent auction on Thursday and Friday. Explore vendor booths brimming with gardening essentials and delightful treasures. And while you shop 'til you drop, indulge in delectable treats from a delicious, local food truck. Proceeds from this event go directly to The Ohio State Chadwick Arboretum, student organizations, and local businesses alike. Come one, come all! Let's cultivate a brighter, greener future together. Credit/debit cards only.

Mental Health, how do you understand it? How can you improve it? How do you get rid of stress, anxiety and uncertainty? These emotions are buried deep in your reactive mind. Find out what the reactive mind is, and in the process find yourself. Have you ever suffered from a traumatic experience, a deep loss or been through a painful breakup? Has your ability to communicate suffered as a result? And after that, even though you "moved on" did you find that things were never quite the same? Have you ever looked at childhood photos, or reminisced your early life and wondered where that happiness and spark went? Are your emotions out of your own control? Have you ever felt, even if you aren’t aware of it, that possibly you are getting in your own way of your happiness and success? How does this affect your self-confidence? Find out what is at the root of all stress, anxiety, depression and self-doubt. Find out how and why you hold yourself back from achieving your goals and having the life you have dreamed of. As soon as you learn what is at the root of these unwanted conditions, you’ll see it is something you can DO something about. You will not be labeled or categorized at this MeetUp. This group is hosted by the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center of Central Ohio.