Shop Local, Buy Local!

Why is buying local a greener choice? Local commerce reduces emissions and pollutants. Local commerce means more personal, individualized services and goods are available. It means more local color and diversity lining Main Street. Money you spend with indepent small businesses stay in your community, making a sustainable economy. Locally owned businesses support their communities and contribute more to local causes. They make decisions bearing their location in mind–because they’re invested in the long term health of their community, they give employees a chance that bigger, distant employers may not.

Shopping local helps employment remain a constant. It means less miles between raw materials and manufacturing and point of sale. Less miles means less packaging and waste, increased accountability and less traffic. Shopping in your local downtown alleviates sprawl, which means less driving, less habitat loss, less pollution. Walkable downtown environments make better use of land and require less infrastructure and public services than strip shopping malls or big box stores.

Buying locally grown means family farms stay viable. It means fresher, healthier food for YOU! Buying locally grown protects diversity–the tomatoes grown for Walmart are bred for a long shelf life and a shiny red skin–NOT for taste. Locally grown food often provides variety you’ll never find in a supermarket.

And buying locally made and sole means increased entrepreneurship and innovation. When we all put our money in the pot of a monopoly, we lose power and that’s not healthy for competition or for keeping prices and services reasonable. A healthy economy means a healthier environment in so many ways. Next time you shop, invest your money in your hometown by keeping your purchases local. It’s your choice, consumer.   Your choice helps determine what your town looks like.