Go Local

Why go local?

Whatever you want, whenever you want it, in one location, at the lowest possible price.
Those are the hallmarks of globalization. But when your local, independently owned bookstore closes its doors; when the only apples you find at the supermarket are chosen for their ability to "pyramid" on a display and not for their flavor or freshness; when the local toy store goes out of business because its customers are finding it cheaper and easier to order online; when your local farm disappears; and when your connection to community is eroded, that's when you get a glimpse of the high price of cheap goods—that's when you realize that every choice you make about every dollar you spend has a direct impact on your community and on the long-term quality of your life.

But there's more to establishing and maintaining healthy communities than the choices we make as individuals. Businesses that support other local and regional businesses—those that take into consideration more than the short-term gain of purchasing goods and services based on lowest-possible price—have considerable impact on their communities as well as on the health of their organizations. This is just one of the many sustainable practices that businesses are beginning to embrace. Companies that consider only economic gain—and not the bottom line in conjunction with social and environmental impacts—are nonsustainable systems.

Today, thousands of individuals, businesses, and organizations are choosing to "live local" by consciously supporting independently owned, small-scale enterprises. While it's not possible—or even necessary—to live entirely according to what can be grown, raised, found or made locally, choosing local first makes a big difference.