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.
