Go green, shop local

During the recent economic downturn, people across the globe were forced to cut back. In many cases, these cutbacks cost the people who could least afford to take a hit. Small, local businesses might have bore the brunt of the trend toward more financial responsibility.

While everyone understands savings, it’s possible to save and still support the local businessman, while also helping the planet. Shopping locally might seem more costly on the surface, but in many ways shopping locally is the most economically, not to mention environmentally, responsible thing a consumer can do.

* Conserve fuel. Shopping at one of the larger discount chains might produce results at the register, but unless you have such a store right in your hometown, those savings aren’t what they appear. That’s because discount chains might be farther away from home, meaning you’ll be spending considerably more on fuel just to get what likely amounts to a minimal discount. The local businessman might not be able to match the big chain’s price, but he can likely offer the item at a price similar to the big chains, but without the additional cost of fuel.

* Reduce pollution. Local businesses often don’t place the tall orders of their big chain counterparts. While their inventory might be less, that inventory is typically delivered in more environmentally friendly vehicles. Larger chains receive the vast majority of their items via big trucks that guzzle gas and produce pollution. So while shopping at the Mom and Pop might seem like a small favor to a neighbor, it’s a big favor to the environment.

* Future considerations. Kids learn a lot from Mom and Dad’s behavior. Parents can instill a valuable lesson in social and environmental responsibility by supporting local businessmen. If kids learn early to shop conscientiously, they’re more likely to carry that behavior into adulthood, contributing to the planet’s longterm health as well.

Posted by publisher on Feb 13 2011. Filed under Consumer tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.