I can’t believe another week has gone by! Now that I’m deep into my projects, I feel like the days are going quicker than I can keep track of. The main focus of this week has been creating a detailed task list with estimated dates of completion as well as updating some policies. Since I learned about environmental and nonprofit policies in my coursework at Ohio State, FLOW has tasked me with making recommendation on how to update their policies. Mainly, they want to develop a strong Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement that reflects the needs of the communities they serve. While I am certainly not qualified to speak on the full extent of the injustices in the Columbus area, I am excited to help develop a plan to have Columbus residents involved in the decision-making process at FLOW. Our conversations about advocacy, activism, empowerment, and representation during group learning sessions with The Columbus Foundation have been inspiring. While I am not the expert, I feel confident that we can develop a plan to increase FLOW’s ability to contribute to social change. Sustainability and conservation efforts have been historically white-washed due to the privilege of those involved. However, climate justice is not possible without social justice, so it should be a part of FLOW’s mission to combat environmental and social injustices.

A fun opportunity I had this week was to attend Moth Night hosted by Ohio Lepidopterists. Located at Sawmill Wetlands, the same area we watered trees and removed invasives at last week, they set up bright lights, blacklights, and white sheets to attracts all kinds of moths and nightcrawlers. As Sawmill Wetlands continues through the restoration process, it’s important to monitor the native species to see how they thrive or improve. FLOW’s projects will continue to increase the tree canopy and native plant species in the area. Just from the one hour I spent there between 10-11pm, we observed several species of moths that are important to the biodiversity of Ohio ecosystems. It brought me so much joy to hear the group talk about something they are so passionate about.

This weekend, I have a few events to look forward to! On Saturday, I will be attending a clean-up at the Worthington Tree Nursery as well as a bridge-building event at Slyh Run near Cranbrook Elementary. The small bridge will connect the school and neighborhood to a beautiful pollinator garden. On Sunday, a Girl Scouts Brownie troop is coming to a clean-up! I’m looking forward to interacting with more of the public at these events. Talk to you next week! -Shelly