The Free Press Second Saturday Salon will present an Earth Day Birthday celebration for WGRN 91.9 FM community radio on Saturday, April 13, 2024. WGRN will honor it’s “Volunteer of the Year,” long-time Board member Joe Keehner. And “Producer of the Year,” Felice Thomas, host of “The Cell.”.

The doors will open at 5:30 with light refreshments, socializing and an awards ceremony. It is followed by a 7:00 PM concert by folk musician Tom Neilson.

The celebration and award event will be held in Beach Hall at the First Unitarian Universalist Church at 93 West Weisheimer Rd. in Columbus. For information, contact: spatzer1959@gmail.com.

WGRN, in Columbus, Ohio, is a project of the non-profit organization the Central Ohio Green Education Fund (COGEF), and is affiliated with the Pacifica Radio Network. COGEF is a tax-exempt 501c(3) non-profit organization doing business as WGRN-LP, an FCC-licensed Low Power FM radio station. WGRN began in April 2016 on the frequency 94.1FM and was programmed by local musician and activist Victoria Parks. In 2023, a change in location of its transmission tower, WGRN move their frequency to 91.9FM, where it resides today. Programming can also be heard streaming live at wgrn.org.

Playing a combination of local and national programs, both talk shows and music, WGRN is open to the community to get involved. Interested program producers or volunteers are welcome to email WGRN at info@wgrn.org.

The primary mission of the Central Ohio Green Education Fund and WGRN-LP 94.1, is to promote the Key Green Values, which are based on the Four Core Principles of Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy, and Nonviolence: 

1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another. We work to expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process and by advocating that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. 

2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.

5. DECENTRALIZATION
Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.

6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS
& ECONOMIC JUSTICE
We recognize that it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a “living wage” which reflects the real value of a person’s work.  Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our “quality of life.” We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.

3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM
Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.

4. PEACE & NON-VIOLENCE
It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.

7. FEMINISM & GENDER EQUITY
We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.

8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
We believe that it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.
We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.

9. PERSONAL & GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITYWe encourage individuals to act towards improving their personal well-being and, at the same time, trying to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.

10. FUTURE FOCUS & SUSTAINABILITY
Our actions and policies should be motivated by how they affect the next seven generations. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economy that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.

Donate to WGRN at wgrn.org.