Think Local - Buy Local

It is a good idea to follow the saying: ‘Give back to the land you have received from’. If we shop locally, such as visiting a local farmer’s market to buy fresh produce, we are keeping the money within the local area and thereby giving back to the land from which we have received.

Are you a locavore? Locavores only eat locally-produced food or buy food that is sourced from within a certain radius of their home. This is something that is really catching on and it is easy to spot the difference in taste. The moment a locally-grown fruit or vegetable is eaten it seems to simply burst with natural goodness that is difficult to find in commercially-transported and frozen produce. Most food travels hundreds of miles before ending up on our plates. This can have serious effects on the environment and the local community. In such a scenario, going ‘locavore’ is increasingly seen as the right thing to do and it helps the local community directly.

Instead of travelling to your nearest city for a spot of lunch, why not visit your local Cafe to relax and catch up with old friends. Many small, independent Cafes serve homemade locally produced food to their customers, so you would be supporting your local community in more ways than one. Browse through our free online directory to find Cafes near you and start spending more money and time supporting your community today.

Here are some of the reasons to buy from local businesses and in turn help our environment and communities:

• Money spent in local businesses often gets spent at other local businesses, and in turn sustains economic development locally, rather than at big retail chain stores.

• There is conservation of fuel when we walk or cycle to local stores or shops instead of using a car to drive to a supermarket situated at a distance.We also eliminate the ecological harm caused by shipping foods across thousands of miles.

• When we buy locally there is usually less packaging used and thus less rubbish for landfill.

• Buying local products keeps out-of-town communities thriving and flourishing as it sustains local businesses and jobs. It also provides a good livelihood to the local farmers as the money spent on local food goes straight to them and nowhere else.

• Local food is often fresher, healthier and has greater levels of vitamins, which may otherwise be depleted as the produce makes the long journey from soil to supermarket. Buying local and eating local helps ensure a good diet.

• Local businesses support local jobs as more local people are employed. By buying local, we help prop up local businesses and employment.

• Buying locally enables customers to know precisely how the food they are eating was produced or grown, and where it has come from. In addition to this, it tastes good too!

• When buying locally, local stores or shops can cater to the needs of the surrounding community more easily than large stores.

Studies have indicated that there are huge savings and benefits to our economy, if we adapt and adopt the ‘buying locally’ concept more seriously in our everyday lives. This is good for the country as well as our environment in the long run.