WHY SHOP LOCALLY?

by Nica Poznanovich - Community Market's Board President and Front End Manager

Posted 9-28-2009

As of July 2009 Merriam-Webster’s dictionary has added ‘locavore’ to its pages, thereby cementing its presence into our global lexicon. Re-prioritizing the way we view our food and the global resonance of that food supply, has been an aim of Community Market since its conception. When asking yourself why shop locally, there are three main components one must consider; the economical, environmental, and psychological impacts.

The economical impacts are not only the easiest to digest, but are the most visible to our daily lives. The Sonoma County ‘Go Local’ campaign’s (www.golocal.coop) Local Multiplier effect shows that for every dollar spent at a local business, $.45 gets redistributed back into our local economy and for each dollar spent at a corporate chain, only $.15 gets reinvested locally. California needs its citizens to be aware of the impact their shopping habits have on our economy now more than ever. Buying local products at local businesses keeps money circulating closer to where you spend it, whereas large corporations must send their money out to China, Taiwan, and other parts of the United States.

Supporting businesses that outsource their products from China and other locations play a huge role in the environmental ramifications of our food supply. Buying a conventional apple from a corporate grocery retailer has traveled an average of 92 times farther than SRCM’s gravenstein apples from Sebastopol. A study by the Leopold Center found that 16 common crops that grow in Iowa travel an average of 1,494 miles to reach chain groceries there. But when bought from local growers, they only travel 56 miles. Because we live in one of the most verdant and agriculturally rich areas in the world, we don’t need to buy avocados from Ecuador or peaches from Georgia, California has the resources to fully sustain itself. Buying local goods maximizes your money’s impact and minimizes fuel use and CO2 production, as well as fights against deforestation and the overall depletion of natural resources.

If you think about the way Californians shopped a hundred years ago; locally was the only option available. One had to establish relationships with their neighbors and friends in order to get everything they needed. This is the lifestyle we must try to go back to. Shaking the hand of the person who pressed your olive oil, or who baked your yeast-free bread, provides you with a comprehensive scope of where your food is coming from and the impact your choice to buy that product makes. Establishing these connections are essential to building a thriving community; a place where we all identify as being a ‘locavore’, not because it is trendy, but because we yearn for a life that is healthier, more connected and ultimately more delicious.