GrassRoot Ohio

Carolyn Harding with Bob Krasen, Sandy Bolzenius and Will Perkins, volunteer organizers with the Columbus Community Rights Coalition and Leads on the recently released White Paper Study, The Risks to the Greater Columbus Water Supply from Oil and Gas Production. In retirement, Bob Krasen became an activist for SPAN Ohio in 2006. The organization wants "Health Care for All Ohioans" and/or Enhanced...

Carolyn Harding with Michael Ketterer, PhD, an analytical chemist and Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Northern Arizona University. We’ll talk about the Portsmouth Ohio Nuclear Site, otherwise known as the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, south of Piketon, Ohio, and HOT in Energy news NOW. Michael E. Ketterer, PhD, is an analytical chemist and Professor Emeritus of Chemistry...

Carolyn Harding with Tracey and Sean Barnes, flower farmers facing, not one but two imminent asphalt plants on either side of Alexandria, and next to their farm in St Albans Township. Tracey Barnes is a mother and flower farmer with a deep love for the natural world. Along with her husband and three children, she lives and works full time on their flower farm in Alexandria, Ohio. Before she began...

Carolyn Harding with Joe Motil & Adrienne Hood, Mayor and City Council candidates running for the PEOPLES’ vote in Columbus, Ohio on November 7, 2023. Mayoral Candidate Joe Motil was born the 7th of 11 children and grew up in Clintonville, Ohio. He graduated from Bishop Watterson High School, attended Youngstown State University where he played college basketball, and in his 20’s, aspired to be a...

Carolyn Harding with Dave Noble of Red Beard Bees. Dave Noble began his professional beekeeping career at OSU's Honey Bee Research Lab in the mid-1990’s. He has been training beekeepers and teaching about bees since the early 2000’s. Currently Dave runs and operates Red Beard Bees where he continues to breed bees, harvest honey, educate people about honey bees, and train beekeepers in partnership...

Carolyn Harding with Jess Grim, Ted Wolner and Judy Smucker, organizers with Third Act Ohio, a branch of the national climate action organization for seniors, Third Act. Jess Grim is Co-facilitator of Third Act Ohio. She's been involved in activism of various stripes for many years. Third Act - "over-60's" working to protect our climate and our democracy - came into existence at just the right tim...

Carolyn Harding with Bill Good and Helen Jaccard, volunteer and organizer with the Veterans for Peace - Golden Rule Project. Bill Good is a veteran, local activist and educator. He has worked on numerous issues pertaining to the environment, human rights, education, and labor at local, state, and federal levels. He’s been sailing for 15 years, and when the opportunity came to sail on the historic...

Carolyn Harding with Lynn Anderson and Silverio Caggiano working to protect Youngstown, Ohio from a toxic industry setting up in the center of town, all in the name of "Recycling". Lynn Anderson is an Organizer for SOBE Concerned Citizens of Youngstown, OH, Treasurer of Youngstown Community Bill of Rights, and Board Member TreezPlease. Silverio Caggiano is a retired Youngstown Ohio Fire Department...

Carolyn Harding with Dr. Lauren Beene, MD, a general pediatrician practicing in the Cleveland area. She is co-founder and Executive Director of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and is a leader of the non-partisan grassroots coalition Protect Choice Ohio. Dr. Beene is concerned that abortion restrictions will cause a medical crisis in Ohio, and will disproportionally affect the most vulnerab...

Carolyn Harding with Emily Myers and Gary Witte, folks helping Columbus Houseless Folk with food, necessities and love right where they are. Emily Myers is a housing advocate on the far south side. She started Heer to Serve in Sept of 2020 as a way to make sure people who were unsheltered were able to have their basic needs met. She has lived experience in being unsheltered as well as her Aunt Pat...

Carolyn Harding with Kyle Herman and Denise Riley from Ranked the Vote Ohio. We’ll talk about Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) and what it can do for Ohio. Kyle Herman is Executive Director for Rank the Vote Ohio, a nonpartisan nonprofit he co-founded as a volunteer in 2020 to help bring Ranked Choice Voting to Ohio. Kyle previously managed pro-democracy programs in Lebanon and Iraq for the National Dem...

Carolyn Harding with Rachel Coyle. We’ll discuss the good, bad and dangerous Lame Duck Bills at the Statehouse, as we speak. Rachel Coyle, Innovation Ohio’s Communications Director, was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and political science from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in political communication from American University. Rachel brin...

Carolyn Harding with Pat Marida and Lee Blackburn coordinators of the Ohio Nuclear Free Network. They are highly concerned with the current Ohio HB 434, and we’ll learn what it’s about and what we can do about it. Pat Marida has been an antinuclear activist since the 1980s, when she was a Board Member of the Ohio Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign. For 25 years she held volunteer positions with the S...

Carolyn Harding with Jo Anne and Steve Grossman, advocates and champions of curbside composting in the Columbus suburb, Bexley, Ohio. Jo Anne and Steve Grossman have worked to create Bexley's Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee, where Jo Anne currently leads the Food Waste recycling group. Jo Anne was Project Coordinator for the League of Women Voters when they hosted an education prog...

Carolyn Harding with Shelly Corbin, Roxanne Groff & James Yskamp. Petitioners & legal counsel to Revoke Primacy of Ohio Class II oil & gas Injection Wells from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Shelly Corbin(Takóni Kókipešni) is Itazipco/Mnicoujou, Lakota and a member of the Cheyenne River Reservation. She has served over 15 years in the military and continues to serve in the Ohio Air Nati...

Carolyn Harding with James Quilligan and Greg Pace, leaders with Economic Democracy Advocates, focusing on our Common Resources, our Water, Food and Energy Resources, for the good of all people. James Quilligan has been an analyst and administrator in the field of international development since 1975.He has served as policy advisor and writer for many international politicians and leaders, includi...

Carolyn Harding with Maggie Scotece, Interim Executive Director of the Abortion Fund of Ohio. Maggie Scotece, JD is a long-time abortion advocate, doula, and former AFO volunteer & Board Member currently serving as the organization’s Interim Executive Director. Since transitioning to this role in February 2022, Maggie has demonstrated her dedication to uplifting the stories of those most impacted...

Carolyn Harding with Stephen Goldmeier and Patrick Hoffman, organizers with the Columbus chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Their Housing Priority campaign’s work currently centers on city policy which they say is contributing to the housing crisis through huge tax breaks to real estate developers and lackluster protections for tenants. Stephen Goldmeier is an attorney and consultant...

Carolyn Harding with David Harewood and Matina Bliss, organizers with First Collective, working to protect, and ensure homes for, Columbus Houseless residents. David S. Harewood is an Artist, Advocate, and Community Organizer (https://www.davidsharewood.com/). He is a Co-Founder, with FIRST Collective (https://bit.ly/3HBFMHn), Co-Chair of the Columbus Police Accountability Project (https://c-pap.i...

GrassRoot Ohio - Conversations with every-day People working on important issues here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Carolyn Harding with Jonathan Beard and Noel Williams, co-organizers with the Columbus Coalition for Rent Control. Jonathan Beard is a member of the Coalition's Executive Committee, and a community development professional with long-time exposure to fair housing issues: his father...

Carolyn Harding and today I’m talking with Dr. Alice Faryna and Bob Krasen with SPAN Ohio, an organization working for improved Medicare for All in Ohio! Dr. Alice Faryna, M.D. served in private practice in Marion, OHio, at the Neighborhood Health Center; VA hospitals and in Academic medicine at Wright State University. Her last full time job was as medical director for Part B Medicare in Ohio and...

Carolyn Harding with Lisa Jackson and Sarah Teale, documentary film makers of Patrimonio, a story of a small coastal town in Mexico and its 3-year battle against an American mega-development, along with Bill Lyons of the Ohio Community Rights Network. Lisa F. Jackson (Producer /Director / Cinematographer) has been producing documentaries for over 35 years and has won 2 Emmys, a Sundance Jury Prize...

Carolyn Harding with Laura Robertson-Boyd and Terri Black, advocates with Moms Demand Action. A national non-profit to end gun violence. Laura Robertson-Boyd has been a grassroots volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America since 2016, and she currently volunteers as the Columbus Local Group Lead. In addition to her efforts to prevent gun violence in Ohio, Laura has spent many years...

Carolyn Harding with Dion Green, son of Derrick Fudge, who was shot the night of August 4, 2019 in the mass shooting in Dayton Ohio. Dion has taken his pain and trauma and started the Fudge Foundation in honor of his Father. Mr. Dion Green is the Founder/CEO of FUDGE Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit that helps survivors through traumatic experiences with resources and support. The Foundation seeks to...

Carolyn Harding with Rita Hallaveld and Carissa Roberts, organizers for the DSA, (Democratic Socialists of America) Central Ohio Childcare for All initiative. Rita Hallaveld (she/her) is passionate about community building and organizing with an eye toward addressing the root causes of issues. With a background in social work, she previously worked as a mental health therapist for a decade, first...