GrassRoot Ohio

Carolyn Harding
GrassRoot Ohio Podcast

GrassRoot Ohio radio/podcast- Fridays 5:00pm EST, streams @WGRN.org, 94.1FM Columbus. Conversations with every-day people working on important issues, here in Columbus and all around Ohio.

  1. It's a Wrap & Thank You w/ Carolyn Harding

    5 AUG

    It's a Wrap & Thank You w/ Carolyn Harding

    Hi, I’m Carolyn Harding, producer/host of GrassRoot Ohio, conversations with everyday people, working on important issues, here in columbus and all around Ohio. For the past five years I’ve been honored to interview guests working for a better world in their communities, state, country, and, quite frankly, the world, in all areas of justice - environmental, social, racial and economic. My first guests were young activists working to pass the Lake Erie Bill of Rights, one of the first Rights of Nature laws ever to pass in the US, giving the citizens of Toledo legal rights to protect the health of their main drinking water source. I got to interview Ohio activists working on: Women’s Reproductive Rights; Black lives matter; folks making home-made protective masks for health care workers at the top of the pandemic; common sense gun reform; running for public office, even when the party pre-selects/endorses and funds “winners” before the primaries; protecting LGBTQIA+ rights at the State house; ranked choice voting; curbside composting; safe streets; organic farming; protecting the Columbus Metro water supply from oil & gas production and radioactive waste, etc. I interviewed city-wide and state-wide ballot initiative organizers with campaigns to: give Columbus citizens the legal right to protect their water from oil and gas production; End Qualified Immunity; Ensure $15 an hour to Ohio workers; End Gerrymandering; and Inshrine Women’s reproductive rights into the Ohio Constitution. I interviewed writers, doctors, musicians, housewives, attorney’s, nurses, film makers, teachers, bee keepers, retired fire fighters … People who felt the call to protect their communities, nature, rights - to stand up and fight back, in oh so many ways. Throughout these five years we Won and we Lost. And we got back up, adjusted, shifted and are working to create a better world for everyone and all life on this planet. I want to thank each GrassRoot Ohio guest, who shared your cause, your work and your unique stories with us. Thank You. You challenge and inspire us to do better. I want to thank the production teams at wgrn.org and wcrsfm.org for helping me get started and supporting me all along. I want to thank you, my listeners on air, podcasts and viewers on YouTube. I hope you gained as much insight, courage and gratitude as I have. GrassRoot Ohio is ending in its current form. I’m taking a hiatus. I’m curious to know what the next chapter of my life and work will be. So, It’s a wrap my friends- In solidarity for Equality, Sustainability & Justice for All. Thanks for Joining Me. GrassRoot Ohio - Conversations with everyday people working on important issues, here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grassroot_ohio/ All shows/podcasts archived at SoundCloud! https://soundcloud.com/user-42674753 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../grassroot-ohio/id1522559085 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAX2t1Z7_qae803BzDF4PtQ/ Intro and Exit music for GrassRoot Ohio is "Resilient" by Rising Appalachia: https://youtu.be/tx17RvPMaQ8

    4 min
  2. Where We Live w/ author/activist Randy Cunningham

    2 AUG

    Where We Live w/ author/activist Randy Cunningham

    Carolyn Harding with Randy Cunningham, Ohio activist and author of the new book, Where We Live, Environmental Activists’ Fight to Save Their Communities. Randy Cunningham is a Cleveland writer/activist. He has been active in a wide variety of issues for the past fifty years. His first book, Democratizing Cleveland: The rise and fall of community organizing in Cleveland, Ohio 1975-1985 (Belt publishing 2018) is a must read for a new generation of Cleveland activists. His second book, Where We Live: Environmental Activists’ Fight to Save Their Communities (Pilgrim Press, 2024) is based on interviews he conducted with environmental activists in Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Since completing Where We Live, he has launched an online weekly newsletter called Randy’s Rants that has become popular in Cleveland. To subscribe email Randy at: randino49@gmail.com. GrassRoot Ohio - Conversations with everyday people working on important issues, here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Every Friday 5:00pm, EST on 94.1FM & streams worldwide at www.WGRN.org, Sundays at 2:00pm EST on 92.7/98.3 FM and streams at www.WCRSFM.org, and Sundays at 4:00pm EST, at 107.1 FM, Wheeling/Moundsville WV on WEJP-LP FM. Contact Us if you would like GrassRoot Ohio on your local station. Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grassroot_ohio/ SoundCloud! https://soundcloud.com/user-42674753 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../grassroot-ohio/id1522559085 YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAX2t1Z7_qae803BzDF4PtQ/ Intro and Exit music for GrassRoot Ohio is "Resilient" by Rising Appalachia: https://youtu.be/tx17RvPMaQ8 There's a time to listen and learn, a time to organize and strategize, And a time to Stand Up/ Fight Back!

    26 min
  3. Citizens Not Politicians (Ban Gerrymandering) Ohio Ballot Initiative w/ Mia Lewis

    12 JUL

    Citizens Not Politicians (Ban Gerrymandering) Ohio Ballot Initiative w/ Mia Lewis

    Carolyn Harding with Mia Lewis from Common Cause Ohio. She helped organize the volunteer signature gathering effort for the Citizens Not Politicians amendment, with the goal of finally ending gerrymandering. Mia Lewis is Associate Director of Common Cause Ohio. She joined Common Cause during the push to pass 2018’s anti-gerrymandering Issue 1, coordinating teams across Ohio to push for a “Yes” vote. She comes from an organizing and educational background, and is passionate about protecting and expanding the right to vote. On July 3, 731,306 petition signatures were turned in to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, for the Citizens Not Politicians constitutional amendment ballot initiative, where the signatures will be validated by the Ohio Secretary of State and Ohio boards of elections, in order to be placed on the November 5, 2024 ballot. As a lead organizer of the state wide ballot initiative, Citizens Not Politicians, which would create an independent redistricting commission- talk about where we are today? citizensnotpoliticians.org fairdistrictsohio.org GrassRoot Ohio - Conversations with everyday people working on important issues, here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Every Friday 5:00pm, EST on 94.1FM & streaming worldwide @ WGRN.org, Sundays at 2:00pm EST on 92.7/98.3 FM and streams @ WCRSFM.org, & Sundays at 4:00pm EST, at 107.1 FM, Wheeling/Moundsville WV on WEJP-LP FM. Contact Us if you would like GrassRoot Ohio on your local station. Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grassroot_ohio/ All shows/podcasts archived at SoundCloud! https://soundcloud.com/user-42674753 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../grassroot-ohio/id1522559085 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAX2t1Z7_qae803BzDF4PtQ/ Intro and Exit music for GrassRoot Ohio is "Resilient" by Rising Appalachia: https://youtu.be/tx17RvPMaQ8 There's a time to listen and learn, a time to organize and strategize, And a time to Stand Up/ Fight Back!

    28 min
  4. One Fair Wage-Ohio ballot initiative w/ Mariah Ross

    21 JUN

    One Fair Wage-Ohio ballot initiative w/ Mariah Ross

    Carolyn Harding with Mariah Ross, Ballot Initiative Director at One Fair Wage, Ohio. Mariah Ross has worked in progressive politics for the past 10 years. Growing up on the east side of Cleveland in Glenville, she has a passion for economic justice, foreign policy and education. She focuses her work on turning out young voters and communities of color. Currently she is the Ballot Initiative Director at One Fair Wage, leading the campaign to raise the minimum wage and end subminimum wages for tipped workers, workers with disabilities, and youth. The Raise the Wage Ohio ballot committee is working to put an initiative on the ballot for the November 2024 election in Ohio. The initiative would raise the state minimum wage to $15/hour, and end subminimum wages for tipped workers, workers with disabilities, and youth. The initiative is being driven by a large coalition of organizations, led by One Fair Wage, Ohio Organizing Collaborative, Red Wine and Blue, and many more groups at the intersection of community, labor and faith. You are very busy- Talk about the Raise the Wage ballot initiative you are leading out right now. raisethewageoh.org mariah@onefairwage.org GrassRoot Ohio - Conversations with everyday people working on important issues, here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Every Friday 5:00pm, EST on 94.1FM & streaming worldwide @ WGRN.org, Sundays at 2:00pm EST on 92.7/98.3 FM and streams @ WCRSFM.org, and Sundays at 4:00pm EST, at 107.1 FM, Wheeling/Moundsville WV on WEJP-LP FM. Contact Us if you would like GrassRoot Ohio on your local station. Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grassroot_ohio/ All shows/podcasts archived at SoundCloud! https://soundcloud.com/user-42674753 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../grassroot-ohio/id1522559085 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAX2t1Z7_qae803BzDF4PtQ/ Intro and Exit music for GrassRoot Ohio is "Resilient" by Rising Appalachia: https://youtu.be/tx17RvPMaQ8 There's a time to listen and learn, a time to organize and strategize, And a time to Stand Up/ Fight Back!

    28 min
  5. Friends and Families for Safe Streets Columbus

    14 JUN

    Friends and Families for Safe Streets Columbus

    Carolyn Harding w/ Ginger Tornes and Margo Wakefield advocates for Friends and Families for Safe Streets Columbus. Ginger Tornes was born and raised in Columbus. She moved to Alaska, where she managed a commercial salmon fishing business and worked with the state legislature. Ms. Tornes became involved in safe street/safe systems advocacy after the 2017 hit and run death of a good friend on a street with no sidewalks. She formed Friends and Families for Safe Streets, Columbus, and World Day of Remembrance, a global event supported by the UN. Ms. Tornes is a member of the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission attributable funds committee, and various other organizations. Margo Wakefield holds an advanced degree in the Performing Arts. As a writer and choreographer, she uses her Art to communicate the human condition. Her Baha'i' spiritual training inspires her active participation in efforts and organizations that support Survivors of Human Trafficking, promote access to Mental Health care without stigma, and movements for Transportation Justice and Safer Streets. According to NBC4i.com, on Thursday, May 30th, at 9:24pm a young man was struck twice by separate vehicles in north Columbus. Unable to survive his injuries he died that night. And On Tuesday, May 28, at 9:15pm, a Pedestrian was killed while attempting to cross West Broad Street in Columbus. According to the Columbus Dispatch, On Friday, April 19, at 1:00am a male pedestrian died after being struck by two vehicles that both fled the scene on East Broad Street on the city's Far East Side. These recent deaths, are a result from pedestrians simply trying to cross a street in Columbus. Talk about these, all too common, tragedies happening in Columbus today. https://www.facebook.com/SafeStreetsColumbus GrassRoot Ohio - Conversations with everyday people working on important issues, here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Every Friday 5:00pm, EST on 94.1FM & streaming worldwide @ WGRN.org, Sundays at 2:00pm EST on 92.7/98.3 FM and streams @ WCRSFM.org, and Sundays at 4:00pm EST, at 107.1 FM, Wheeling/Moundsville WV on WEJP-LP FM. Contact Us if you would like GrassRoot Ohio on your local station. Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grassroot_ohio/ All shows/podcasts archived at SoundCloud! https://soundcloud.com/user-42674753 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../grassroot-ohio/id1522559085 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAX2t1Z7_qae803BzDF4PtQ/ Intro and Exit music for GrassRoot Ohio is "Resilient" by Rising Appalachia: https://youtu.be/tx17RvPMaQ8 There's a time to listen and learn, a time to organize and strategize, And a time to Stand Up/ Fight Back!

    28 min
  6. FrackStock w/ Justin Nobel

    18 MAY

    FrackStock w/ Justin Nobel

    Carolyn Harding with Jenny Morgan, Anton Krieger, and Dr. Julie Weatherington-Rice, producers of the upcoming Sunday, June 2, Central Ohio Concert Book-Tour Event: FrackStock w/ Justin Nobel. Jenny Morgan is a singer/songwriter and an environmental public health activist from Columbus, Ohio. Jenny’s songs have been used for independent documentaries, for nature programs, in school classrooms, at political rallies and more. Along with being a singer/songwriter, Jenny is also a preschool teacher and founder of The Leave No Child Inside Central Ohio Collaborative and Citizen Pollution Watch. She also sits on the steering team of Save Ohio Parks, and is a long time member of the Ohio Brine Task Force, a group working to ban radioactive gas and oil deicers and dust suppressants from our Ohio roads. Anton Krieger started as an environmental justice organizer at Buckeye Environmental Network in 2021 and manages the oil & gas waste program. He received his Master of Public Administration from Cleveland State University with a dual specialization in economic development and city management. He serves as the secretary on the Board of Supervisors for Cuyahoga County's Soil and Water Conservation District. Dr. Julie Weatherington-Rice is the Sr. Scientist for the local engineering firm of Bennett & Williams who specialize in the installation and management of public water supplies and the protection of our water, soil and air. She hold a BSEdu in Earth Science Education, a MS in Geology and PhD in Soil Science, all from Ohio State. Dr. Julie Weatherington-Rice has a deep and wide knowledge of the geology of Central Ohio, the effects of the oil & gas industry on our region, and Ohio’s regulatory system as it pertains to both. She has been an invaluable guide and resource to many organizations working to protect Ohio’s water, air and soil. On Sunday, June 2, FrackStock w/ Justin Nobel takes Place. It’s advertised as A night of Love, Justin and Music. What is FrackStock? Where? Why? Justin Nobel's (environmental journalist) 2020 RollingStone magazine story, “America’s Radioactive Secret,” won an award for longform writing with the National Association of Science Writers and inspired his newly released book, Petroleum-238: Big Oil’s Dangerous Secret and the Grassroots Fight to Stop It. Justin’s writing has helped lead to lawsuits, public dialogue and been taught at Harvard’s School of Public Health. Sign Up for Your Free Ticket/s HERE: https://events.humanitix.com/frackstock-w-justin-nobel Find Out More about Justin Nobel HERE: https://petroleum-238.blogspot.com/ Producers and Sponsors: GrassRoot Ohio: facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/ Buckeye Environmental Network: benohio.org Jenny Morgan Music: jennymorganmusic.com First Universalist Unitarian Church of Columbus: firstuucolumbus.org Columbus Community Rights Network: ColumbusBillofRights.org Save Ohio Parks: saveohioparks.org Third Act Ohio: ThirdActOhio.org Ohio Brine Task Force: ohbrinetaskforce.org GrassRoot Ohio - Conversations with everyday people working on important issues, here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Every Friday 5:00pm, EST on 94.1FM & streaming worldwide @ WGRN.org, Sundays at 2:00pm EST on 92.7/98.3 FM and streams @ WCRSFM.org, and Sundays at 4:00pm EST, at 107.1 FM, Wheeling/Moundsville WV on WEJP-LP FM. Contact Us if you would like GrassRoot Ohio on your local station. Face Book: www.facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/grassroot_ohio/ SoundCloud! @user-42674753 Apple Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/.../grassroot-ohio/id1522559085 YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCAX2t1Z7_qae803BzDF4PtQ/ Intro and Exit music for GrassRoot Ohio is "Resilient" by Rising Appalachia: youtu.be/tx17RvPMaQ8 There's a time to listen and learn, a time to organize and strategize, And a time to Stand Up/ Fight Back!

    27 min
  7. Justin Nobel - Petroleum-238: Big Oil’s Dangerous Secret and the Grassroots Fight to Stop It

    12 APR

    Justin Nobel - Petroleum-238: Big Oil’s Dangerous Secret and the Grassroots Fight to Stop It

    Carolyn Harding with Justin Nobel, writer on science and environment for US magazines, investigative sites, and literary journals. Justin Nobel’s work has been published in Best American Science and Nature Writing and Best American Travel Writing. A book he co-wrote with a death row exonoree, The Story of Dan Bright, was published in 2016 by University of New Orleans Press. His 2020 RollingStone magazine story, “America’s Radioactive Secret,” won an award for longform writing with the National Association of Science Writers and inspired his book, Petroleum-238: Big Oil’s Dangerous Secret and the Grassroots Fight to Stop It. Justin’s writing has helped lead to lawsuits, public dialogue and been taught at Harvard’s School of Public Health. Welcome to GrassRoot Ohio Justin. You’re coming to Ohio in May and early June, 2024 to present your soon to be released book, Petroleum-238: Big Oil’s Dangerous Secret and the Grassroots Fight to Stop It - which began as an investigation with Rolling Stone magazine that examined the radioactivity brought to the surface in oil and gas production and the various pathways of contamination posed to the industry’s workers, the public and communities, and the environment. The book will be published April 24, 2024. This book is the culmination of 7 years of investigation in Ohio, Virginia, PA, and other oil & gas regions through out the US. JUSTIN NOBEL'S BLOG - FIND HIS UPCOMING BOOK TOUR DATES HERE: https://petroleum-238.blogspot.com/ GrassRoot Ohio - Conversations with everyday people working on important issues, here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Every Friday 5:00pm, EST on 94.1FM & streaming worldwide @ WGRN.org, Sundays at 2:00pm EST on 92.7/98.3 FM and streams @ WCRSFM.org, and Sundays at 4:00pm EST, at 107.1 FM, Wheeling/Moundsville WV on WEJP-LP FM. Contact Us if you would like GrassRoot Ohio on your local LP-FM community radio station. Face Book: www.facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/grassroot_ohio/ All shows/podcasts archived at SoundCloud! @user-42674753 Apple Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/.../grassroot-ohio/id1522559085 YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCAX2t1Z7_qae803BzDF4PtQ/ Intro and Exit music for GrassRoot Ohio is "Resilient" by Rising Appalachia: youtu.be/tx17RvPMaQ8 There's a time to listen and learn, a time to organize and strategize, And a time to Stand Up/ Fight Back!

    29 min
  8. INTEL - Good Neighbor? w/ Elaine Robertson & Bryn Bird

    29 MAR

    INTEL - Good Neighbor? w/ Elaine Robertson & Bryn Bird

    Carolyn Harding with Elaine Robertson and Bryn Bird, concerned citizens working to protect their rural communities next to the mega Intel microchip fabrication industrial buildup in New Albany, Ohio. Elaine Robertson is a founding member of the citizen's action group, Clean Air and Water for Alexandria and St. Albans township. She and about a dozen residents formed the group in 2023 in response to two proposed asphalt plants- one on each end of the town - only 1 mile apart. Due to their effort, in part, neither asphalt plant has permission to operate. Some of the Clean Air and Water for Alexandria and St. Albans Township volunteers have begun working with the CHIPS Communities United with a goal to bring responsible and equitable implementation of the CHIPS Act. The alliance includes labor, environmental, social justice, civil rights, and community organizations representing millions of workers and community members nationwide. Elaine currently teaches elementary music for Columbus City Schools Bryn Bird hails from a dirt road outside of Granville, Ohio growing up on her family's produce farm. After an undergrad at Miami University, she finished her masters degree in public health from The George Washington University. Bryn spent her early career as an epidemiologist working at the Navy and Marine Corp Public Health Center before organizing at Rural Coalition and Rural Organizing. Bryn spearheaded the development of the Canal Market District and Enterprise Hub. Bryn was elected Granville Township Trustee in 2018 and re-elected in 2021. Her passion for just and equitable rural policymaking stems, not only from her own experiences as a family farmer, but the desire for all rural Americans to thrive. She serves on the Board of the Ohio Farmers Union, Buckeye Valley Family YMCA and Rural Organizing. She is co-owner of her family's farm supporting the marketing and direct sale of produce through local markets, CSA's and wholesale accounts. Bryn and her husband Brian are also the proud parents of three daughters 10, 8, and 5! Bryn is currently a candidate for Licking County Commissioner on the November 5th ballot. It’s an election year and President Joe Biden (D), Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D) and Governor Mike DeWine (R) are All In with the Intel mega industrial build outs. And according to a March 20, 2024 Reuters news article - “Intel is planning a $100-billion spending spree across four U.S. states to build and expand factories after securing $19.5 billion in federal grants and loans.... The centerpiece of Intel's five-year spending plan is turning empty fields near Columbus, Ohio, into what CEO Pat Gelsinger described to reporters on Tuesday as "the largest AI chip manufacturing site in the world", starting as soon as 2027.”” You both live in communities that comprise these “empty fields near columbus” - Tell us what’s going on in your communities, regarding Intel. Clean Air and Water for Alexandria and St. Albans Township: https://www.facebook.com/groups/904509544135710 https://chipscommunitiesunited.org GrassRoot Ohio - Conversations with everyday people working on important issues, here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Every Friday 5:00pm, EST on 94.1FM & streaming worldwide @ WGRN.org, Sundays at 2:00pm EST on 92.7/98.3 FM and streams @ WCRSFM.org, and Sundays at 4:00pm EST, at 107.1 FM, Wheeling/Moundsville WV on WEJP-LP FM. Contact Us if you would like GrassRoot Ohio on your local LP-FM community radio station. Face Book: www.facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/grassroot_ohio/ All shows/podcasts archived at SoundCloud! @user-42674753 Apple Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/.../grassroot-ohio/id1522559085 YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCAX2t1Z7_qae803BzDF4PtQ/ Intro and Exit music for GrassRoot Ohio is "Resilient" by Rising Appalachia: youtu.be/tx17RvPMaQ8 There's a time to listen and learn, a time to organize and strategize, And a time to Stand Up/ Fight Back!

    27 min

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GrassRoot Ohio radio/podcast- Fridays 5:00pm EST, streams @WGRN.org, 94.1FM Columbus. Conversations with every-day people working on important issues, here in Columbus and all around Ohio.

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