by Amy Hill | Oct 25, 2020 | Uncategorized
During the October Board meeting of The Friends of the Olentangy Watershed, the Board members discussed our support of the City of Columbus Community Choice Aggregation placed on the November ballot as Issue 1.
Aggregation initiatives like this have passed in more than 400 communities in Ohio, including Cleveland and Cincinnati. If this amendment passes, Columbus would become the largest city in the Midwest to group citizen buying power for local clean energy, reducing carbon emissions by an estimated 1.2 million metric tons , a 19 percent reduction for the city.
Issue 1 would allow city leaders to contract for competitively priced electricity for its residents. This electricity would be clean electricity and would be available to those who choose to opt in. Voting for Issue 1 does not require the city residents to use the clean electricity, but gives the option for the city to purchase clean electricity in large quantities for those who do choose to opt in to the program.
We feel voting for Issue 1 would provide an opportunity for the City of Columbus to continue to move forward in allowing its residence to choose to maintain and increase the environmental health of our community, ultimately supporting the environmental health of our watershed.
For more information, please call: 866-856-5654 or contact the City of Columbus directly at CleanEnergyCCA@columbus.gov.
by Danelle Johnson | Mar 20, 2020 | Uncategorized
Dear FLOW Volunteers and Members,
Due to the recommendations of the Governor and and the CDC we will be canceling or rescheduling all upcoming events through April 9th. We will re-assess at that time for later events. Please stay tuned for updates and in the meantime stay safe and healthy!
by Amy Hill | Feb 7, 2020 | Uncategorized
Monica Backs is our volunteer of the month for February!
Monica got involved with FLOW during a FLOW sponsored capstone project at OSU! She is the lead for our Carmack Woods restoration. Carmack Woods is a forested wetland located between Carmack Lots 5 and 6 on Ohio State’s west campus. This area was considered for a parking lot expansion and with Monica’s lead it is a thriving green space!
Monica is an OSU graduate and works full-time as a water resources engineer (FE) at MS Consultants. Outside of work she loves to watch true crime, go running, and volunteer with FLOW. Monica’s favorite FLOW events are tree plantings because she loves playing in the dirt.
Thank you Monica for your passion and dedication to The Olentangy watershed. FLOW couldn’t accomplish what we do without volunteers like you!
by Amy Hill | Jan 17, 2020 | Uncategorized
ALEX ROLLER-KNAPP
Alex Roller-Knapp is our January Volunteer of the month! Alex is an avid volunteer with FLOW, spearheading our Macrofest and Earth Day River clean ups. He volunteers with FLOW because he finds it “very rewarding to see water quality improvements made as a result of volunteering his time, particularly how much plastic we remove from the river banks at the Confluence (referring to the junction of the Olentangy and Scioto Rivers) every spring during Earth Day.” He credits other “great volunteers” who play a critical role in making these events successful.
Alex loves extreme sports like whitewater kayaking, mountain biking, and snowboarding. Anything outdoors is always an adventure for him.
Alex has a degree in Environmental Health and Safety and is an EPA Level 3 Qualified Data Collector (QDC) for benthic macroinvertebrates. He has worked for 11 years at Midwest Biodiversity Institute sampling macroinvertebrates throughout the Midwest.
Here is a short video of his work in 2018 on the Olentangy https://youtu.be/eUc1n_m317w
Thank you Alex for all your time, dedication, and expertise you lend to FLOW. We couldn’t accomplish anything without our fantastic volunteers!
by Amy Hill | Oct 24, 2019 | Uncategorized
Monday, November 11, 2019 at 6 PM – 7 PM
Columbus Metropolitan Library – Whetstone Branch 3909 N High St, Columbus, Ohio 43214
Heather Robinson is the Director of the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Robinson specializes in the prosecution of environmental crimes, including air, water, and land pollution, as well as wildlife trafficking. Over the course of her career she has prosecuted nearly the entire spectrum of criminal activity, from drunk driving to aggravated murder. In addition, Ms. Robinson brings civil suits to enjoin nuisances involving narcotics and prostitution.
Ms. Robinson is also a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, specializing in federal environmental and wildlife crimes prosecution.
Ms. Robinson has conducted numerous trainings for attorneys, law enforcement officers and regulatory personnel, and has instructed at the National Advocacy Center, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Ohio Police Officer Training Academy. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University and her Juris Doctor degree from The Ohio State University College of Law.
by Amy Hill | Sep 9, 2019 | Uncategorized
Please join FLOW for this presentation by Ohio State University Professor of Ecological Engineering, Dr. Jay Martin, on Thursday September 26th from 6 – 7 pm. This presentation will take place in the Whetstone Library Conference Room. After Dr. Martin’s presentation, there will be time for questions and answers. All are welcome.
