JENNY'S ACTIVISM
There are SO many things we can do to make the world a better place for all, for we humans and for our flora and fauna friends.
It doesn't have to be a monumental doing, as even the smallest act can make a difference and/or a ripple.
You can read below about my activism, musical activism and nature education work.
Further down I've included some videos I've made on these issues.
I hope you have a few minutes to visit the links, AND to join us.
Here's to making the world a better place!
We need our natural spaces for our health and wellness. Our children need safe and clean natural spaces for their healthy development. We need our parks to remain safe and clean havens.
In January, 2023, Governor DeWine signed a poultry law that included a paragraph on drilling our Ohio parks. This new law will bring industrial fracking to our parks.
Luckily many citizens are working to stop this industrialization of our parks.
Jenny's song STAND UP is one effort to help save our parks. Please join the effort to SAVE OHIO PARKS at www.SAVEOHIOPARKS.org
The Leave No Child INSIDE Central Ohio Collaborative
I co-founded the Leave No Child Inside Central Ohio Collaborative in 2007.
We are a local network that is part of the larger international Children & Nature movement, a movement inspired by Richard Louv's 2005 best selling book Last Child in the Woods--Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder.
Growing research shows that are children are suffering from an indoor, sedentary, de-natured and overly-structured lifestyle.
Research also shows that our natural world will suffer if our children remain alienated from it.
The LNCI-COC is a growing network of over 80 central Ohio organizations working to get more children, students, patients, families, etc. unplugged and regularly connecting with their natural world.
The Collaborative includes teachers, physicians, mental health professionals, environmental educators, park leaders, parents, and so many more.
Every person and organization in central Ohio that cares about children and the natural world are welcome to join our collaborative.
Please visit the link above and join us today!
My Nature Friends Youtube Program
During the pandemic, when I could not be in my classroom with my little ones, I created a nature program on my youtube channel called "Nature Friends."
Each day I focused on one species (mostly that was living in my yard) to study, draw, talk about, etc.
I had a LOT of fun and hope you and your little ones will enjoy it! :)
I started Citizen Pollution Watch in 2016 to confront a local pollution issue in my community.
As Erin Brokovich so aptly puts it, "Superman is NOT coming!" It's true, we must be the protectors of our own communities when it comes to potentially dangerous pollution.
Ask anyone who does environmental and public health advocacy, and they will tell you that you CANNOT depend on the regulatory agencies to protect our air, water, and soil.
The more we citizens can identify, get educated on, AND keep an eye (and nose) out for these industries that are depositing pollutants into our local air, water and land, the better.
You know how neighborhoods have "block watches" to look out for crime? We need "block watches" to keep an eye on polluting companies.
The more industries feel watched, the more apt they will be to follow the directives in their air and water permits.
AND, the more the regulators and local officials feel watched, the better they will behave.
Please join us as a free member if you are being bothered by the 270/Westerville Road industrial site located at 270 and Westerville and Dempsey Roads.
If you are being negatively impacted by industrial pollution in your community, I'd be happy to share with you what I've learned.
Simple AQ Air Monitoring System (Citizen Science)
Another interesting initiative I'm part of is something called Simple AQ.
Here's the story: A brilliant person by the name of Ben Li-Sauerwine reached out to me when he found my CPW website.
He too was suffering from asphalt plant pollution in his Ohio community, so he decided to build the most affordable and easy to use air monitoring system for citizens to utilize--Simple AQ.
Ben has also started a non profit in relation to this new air monitoring system.
His goal is to help the average citizen engage in the citizen science that will empower them to change their particular polluting situation.
I connected Ben with a long time professor at The Ohio State University's School of Public Health (Dr. Daryl Hood), and together we have been working to bring this project to fruition.
I hope you will visit Ben's new website.
I am also part of the Ohio Brine Task Force which is a group of concerned citizens working to ban gas and oil brine from being spread on our Ohio roads as a deicer/dust suppressant.
I and other concerned citizens have been working for over 10 years to get this radioactive material off our roads.
Fortunately, our work has paid off--The Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources have FINALLY come forth to declare that gas and oil brine is radioactive and should not be utilized.
I know it is hard to believe that our leaders have allowed this stuff on our roads for all of these years, but they have.
All I can say is at least the leaders are coming forth now. Who said citizens can't make a difference?! We can!
On the other hand, there are many leaders in Ohio General Assembly that will continue to try and commodify these gas and oil radioactive deicers/dust suppressants.
We citizens have blocked these efforts many times throughout the years, but we have to keep watch for new legislation to come forth.
Thank you to Representative Mary Lightbody who has come forth with a Bill that would ban these products once and for all here in Ohio.
Her bill is HB 579. I hope you will support her bill.
Please note that Ohio is not the only state that uses radioactive gas and oil brine on the roads.
So, if you are concerned, call your Department of Transportation and ask them to stop using gas and oil products to de-ice and control dust on your roads.
Tests have confirmed it's RADIOACTIVE!
My Inspiration
I have been interested in social and environmental/health issues since I can remember.
I learned from my Mom to speak out and stand up for what I believe.
She raised 6 children essentially on her own, and was always our strongest advocate.
She also wrote editorials in our local paper in the 70s in opposition to the Vietnam war, and to the greed in our society that she felt was destructive.
In her later years, after rearing us, she went back to work with a very big company in our city.
When she neared the age for when she could access her pension, the company let her go (isn't it curious how companies often let go of people before they can start collecting their money?).
My Mom somehow found the strength to sue this powerful company, AND she won!
Simply put, you don't want to mess with my Mom! :)
I graduated from Mount Holyoke College in Political Science, and was lucky enough at MHC to be around, and to learn from, many strong and smart women.
Throughout the years, I have also come to admire many activists like Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson, James Baldwin, Gloria Steinem, Martin Luther King, Angela Davis, Gandhi, Pete Seeger, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Vandana Shiva, Erin Brockovich, Holly Near, and many more.