BUY LOCAL
SHOP LOCAL



Think Local, Buy Local, Be Local




WHY BUY LOCAL ?

LOCAL PURCHASING

THINK GLOBALLY ACT LOCALLY

WHY BUY LOCALLY OWNED ?

TOP 10 REASONS TO SUPPORT LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESSES

10 REASONS TO SHOP LOCAL

BUY LOCAL LINKS



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SECTION 1



WHY BUY LOCAL ?




Most produce in the US is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed
on supermarket shelves, and is shipped for an average of 1500
miles before being sold. And this is when taking into account only
US grown products! Those distances are substantially longer when
we take into consideration produce imported from Mexico, Asia,
Canada, South America, and other places.

We can only afford to do this now because of the artificially low
energy prices that we currently enjoy, and by externalizing the
environmental costs of such a wasteful food system. We do this
also to the detriment of small farmers by subsidizing large scale,
agribusiness-oriented agriculture with government handouts and
artificially cheap energy.



Why Buy Local?
http://www.localharvest.org/buylocal.jsp



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SECTION 2



LOCAL PURCHASING




Local purchasing is a preference to buy locally produced goods
and services over those produced farther away. It is very often
abbreviated as a positive goal, "buy local", that parallels the
phrase "think globally, act locally", common in green politics.

On the national level, the equivalent of local purchasing is import
substitution, the deliberate industrial policy or agricultural policy
of replacing goods or services produced on the far side of a national
border with those produced on the near side, i.e., in the same country
or trade bloc.

Historically, there have been so many incentives to buy locally that
no one had to make any kind of point to do so, but with current market
conditions, it is often cheaper to buy distantly produced goods, despite
the added costs in terms of packaging, transport, inspection, retail
facilities, etc. As such, one must now often take explicit action if one
wants to purchase locally produced goods.



Local purchasing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_purchasing



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SECTION 3



THINK GLOBALLY
ACT LOCALLY




The phrase "Think globally, act locally" or "Think global, act local"
has been used in various contexts, including planning, environment,
education, mathematics, and business.

"Think globally, act locally" urges people to consider the health of
the entire planet and to take action in their own communities and
cities. Long before governments began enforcing environmental laws,
individuals were coming together to protect habitats and the organisms
that live within them. These efforts are referred to as grassroots
efforts. They occur on a local level and are primarily run by volunteers
and helpers.

"Think Globally, Act Locally" originally began at the grassroots level,
however, it is now a global concept with high importance. It is not just
volunteers who take the environment into consideration. It is corporations,
government officials, education system, and local communities.



Think globally, act locally
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_globally,_act_locally



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SECTION 4



WHY BUY
LOCALLY OWNED ?




There are many well-documented benefits to our communities and to
each of us to choosing local, independently owned businesses. We
realize it is not always possible to buy what you need locally and
so merely ask you to Think Local FIRST!


Top Ten reasons to:
Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local



1. Buy Local -- Support yourself:

Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent,
locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses,
significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from
other local businesses, service providers and farms -- continuing
to strengthen the economic base of the community.



2. Support community groups:

Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from
smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.


3. Keep our community unique:

Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- all of it makes our
community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part
of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses
also benefit. “When people go on vacation they generally seek out
destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just
anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation
Trust.



4. Reduce environmental impact:

Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less
transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as
opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing
less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.



5. Create more good jobs:

Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our
community, provide the most jobs to residents.



6. Get better service:

Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the
products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers.



7. Invest in community:

Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are
less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.



8. Put your taxes to good use:

Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure
investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to
nationally owned stores entering the community.



9. Buy what you want, not what
someone wants you to buy:


A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to
ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. A multitude of small
businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but
on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees
a much broader range of product choices.



10. Encourage local prosperity:

A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized
world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle
in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive
character.



Why Buy Locally Owned?
http://sustainableconnections.org/thinklocal/why



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SECTION 5



TOP 10
REASONS TO SUPPORT
LOCALLY OWNED
BUSINESSES




1. Local Character and Prosperity

In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve
their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an
economic advantage.



2. Community Well-Being

Locally owned businesses build strong communities by sustaining
vibrant town centers, linking neighbors in a web of economic and
social relationships, and contributing to local causes.



3. Local Decision-Making

Local ownership ensures that important decisions are made locally
by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts
of those decisions.



4. Keeping Dollars in the Local Economy

Compared to chain stores, locally owned businesses recycle a much
larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching
the whole community.



5. Job and Wages

Locally owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors,
provide better wages and benefits than chains do.



6. Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship fuels America’s economic innovation and prosperity, and
serves as a key means for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into
the middle class.



7. Public Benefits and Costs

Local stores in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure
and make more efficient use of public services relative to big box stores
and strip shopping malls.



8. Environmental Sustainability

Local stores help to sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers-which
in turn are essential to reducing sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and
air and water pollution.



9. Competition

A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to
ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.



10. Product Diversity

A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based, not on a
national sales plan, but on their own interests and the needs of their
local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.



Top 10 Reasons to Support Locally Owned Businesses
http://ilsr.org/why-support-locally-owned-businesses/



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SECTION 6



10 REASONS
TO
SHOP LOCAL




"Going local does not mean walling off the outside world. It Means
nurturing locally owned businesses which use local resources sustainably,
employ local workers at decent wages and serve primarily local consumers.
It means becoming more self-sufficient and less dependant on imports.
Control moves from the boardrooms of distant corporations and back into
the community where it belongs."



1. Local Economic Stimulus.

When you purchase at locally owned businesses rather than nationally owned,
more money is kept in the community because locally-owned businesses often
purchase from other local businesses, service providers and farms. Purchasing
local helps grow other businesses as well as the local tax base.



2. Non Profits Receive Greater Support.

Local business owners donate more to local charities than non-local owners.


3. Unique Businesses Create Character & Prosperity

The unique character of your local community is defined in large part by the
business that reside there, and that plays a big factor in your overall
satisfaction with where you live and the value of you home and property.



4. Environmental Impact Is Reduced.

Small local business usually set up shop in the town/village center, providing
a centralized variety that is much friendlier to a community's walk score than
out of town shopping malls. This generally means contributing less to sprawl,
congestion, habitat loss and pollution.



5. Most New Jobs Are Provided By Local Businesses.

Small local businesses are the largest employers nationally. Plus the more jobs
you have in your local community the less people are going to have to commute
which means more time and less traffic and pollution.



6. Customer Service Is Better.

Local businesses often hire people with more specific product expertise for better
customer service. You are also going to see these people around town and they are
less likely to blow you off or be rude becauses they have to face you day after day.


7. Local Business Owners Invest In Community.

Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to
leave, and are more invested in the community's welfare and future.



8. Public Benefits Far Outweigh Public Costs.

Local businesses require comparatively little infrastructure and more efficiently
utilize public services relative to chain stores.



9. Competition And Diversity Leads To More Consumer Choices.

A marketplace of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation
and low prices over the long-term.



10. You Matter More

We talk a lot about exerting influence with your purchasing choices, or "voting with
your wallet." It's a fact that business respond to their customers but your values
and desires are much more influential to you local community business than the large
big box stores.



10 Reasons to Shop Local
http://greenupgrader.com/8539/10-reasons-to-shop-local/



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SECTION 7



BUY LOCAL
LINKS




Five Ways to Help Your Community Go Local
http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/5-ways-to-help-your-community-go-local

Buy Local
http://www.buylocal.net/

Buy Local
http://www.buylocal.org.uk/

Buy Local Coalition
http://buylocalcoalition.com/

Keys to Effective Buy Local Campaigns
http://www.amiba.net/buy-local-campaigns/

Local Community Skillshare Project
http://www.meetup.com/Local-Community-Skillshare-Project/

Local Community Economy
http://www.had.gov.hk/en/public_services/local_community_economy/lce.htm

Local Community and Economy
http://www.qualitybainbridge.org/feature/share/

Local Community Skillshare Project
http://www.meetup.com/Local-Community-Skillshare-Project/

The Multiplier Effect of Local Independent Businesses
http://www.amiba.net/resources/multiplier-effect/

Shop Local.Us
http://shoplocal.us/

Understanding and Describing the Community
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/describe-the-community/main

Why Buy Local?
http://www.appalachiangrown.org/why-buy-local

Why Buy Locally Made Products
http://commongoodmarket.com/why-local/



The More You Know
http://www.themoreyouknow.com/




Involving Community
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/Office/Main/Involving_Community/Involving_Community.html




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