Start your holiday shopping guilt-free on Black Friday at Simply Living’s annual Gift To Be Simple – a virtual auction of new and gently used items donated by members and supporters that runs Friday, November 27 through Saturday, December 5. The event includes a special screening of the new documentary Kiss the Ground, followed by a panel of local experts and farmers practicing regenerative agriculture in Central Ohio.

Simply Living members are scouring their homes to donate items they no longer need but could be just right for someone else. Real examples: a $100 espresso maker donated because the owner switched to instant coffee; a worm compost maker because the owner preferred a backyard option; a beautiful landscape oil painting that doesn’t quite fit now. One member loves the True Rest Float Spa and donated the “immersion tank” experience so others can enjoy it.

Simply Living’s local business members are also donating to the auction. How about a massage? Movie passes to Studio 35 or the Grandview Theater? A basket of local organic products from the Bexley Natural Market? The auction will feature services like learning to preserve food, making your own soap and cleaning products, or using permaculture design in your backyard. Expect a wide variety of items to bid on!

Gift To Be Simple will include an online screening of the new documentary on regenerative agriculture, Kiss the Ground. Narrated by Woody Harrelson, the film shows how we can stabilize the Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems, and create abundant food supplies through regenerating the world’s soils. Anyone can watch the documentary virtually or on Netflix, then attend a panel discussion Q and A on Wednesday, December 2, at 7 p.m. with local experts and farmers practicing regenerative agriculture in Central Ohio. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

Signing up to bid for items in the Gift To Be Simple auction is free at give.simplyliving.org. Participants can donate new or gently used items to be auctioned by using a form on the website. Items up for bid will be added throughout the event. In addition to bidding on items, participants can also purchase or renew an annual membership in Simply Living on our main website at simplyliving.org.

Simply Living has been educating the residents of Central Ohio about how to live more sustainably since 1992. SL serves as the Central Ohio hub for the national Transition movement. Our Sustainable University community calendar on SimplyLiving.org showcases events and learning opportunities for living locally and sustainably. By making life good together, SL aspires to facilitate and create a more compassionate and sustainable world through personal, community, and cultural transformation. 

For additional information or questions about Simply Living, contact Cathy Cowan Becker, who is leading and organizing the 2020 events, at becker.271@gmail.com.