With the work week winding down, the Sustainable Business Directory now holds 280 locally-owned sustainable businesses.  Although data entry appears tedious as I mentioned in last week’s blog post, I have come to appreciate the task by using it as an opportunity to educate myself about local businesses in Central Ohio. For example, one day this week I was adding various coffee shops to the directory. One coffee shop that I found particularly interesting was Roosevelt Coffee. What sets Roosevelt Coffee a part is their profits support charitable initiatives such as fighting hunger, fighting human trafficking, and clean water. Roosevelt Coffee is taking an everyday coffee shop and turning it into a way to speak up for serious issues going on in our community. Businesses that support and educate the community about environmental and social issues go hand in hand with what Simply Living does, which is to connect people with learning opportunities that promote sustainability, environmental justice, and the local economy.

Looking ahead to this weekend, I am going to be at Comfest with Simply Living on Saturday and Sunday. Simply Living will have a tent set up near the Peace & Healing pavilion. I encourage anyone interested in learning more about sustainability in our community to come and hear from us! On Saturday, myself and other interns working at Simply Living will be giving a presentation starting at 2:20 at the Peace and Healing pavilion discussing our projects we have been working on this summer. Specifically, issues such as Solarise, fast fashion, environmental justice, the Simply Living garden tour, and the Sustainable Business Directory. There is a good variety of topics that are included and it should be an interesting conversation. I am looking forward to Comfest because it will be an opportunity to learn and discuss with others that are passionate about sustainable living.