Are you tired of shopping at the same old chain stores and want to support local businesses instead? You're not alone! In recent years, more and more people have started to recognize the value of supporting local businesses. By shopping at small businesses near you, you can help boost the local economy and positively impact the environment.
What is Shopping Local?
Shopping local means supporting businesses independently owned and operated within your community. These businesses range from mom-and-pop shops to restaurants, cafes, and boutiques. When you support local businesses, you keep money in the community and help create local jobs.
Why Shop Local?
Shopping local is not just good for the local economy, but it's also a greener choice. By shopping at local businesses, you can reduce your carbon footprint and promote sustainable living. Small businesses often source their products from local farmers and suppliers, reducing the need for long-distance transportation and packaging waste.
At Strikingly, we believe in supporting small businesses near you. That's why we offer a platform for local businesses to create their own online stores and connect with customers in their area. We understand the value of supporting local businesses and the impact they can have on communities. With Strikingly, you can easily find and support local businesses online and help positively impact your community.
But why do we all need to support local businesses and shop local? Here’s why.
1. Lower Carbon Footprint
Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted from your activities. Every time you drive your car, turn on the lights, or use a product that was manufactured far away, you're contributing to your carbon footprint.
When you shop at local businesses, you're supporting products that were sourced and manufactured locally. This means that they require less transportation and produce fewer emissions. For example, if you buy products from a local farmer's market, you're supporting food that was grown and harvested nearby, rather than shipped from across the country or even from overseas. This reduces the carbon footprint of your food.
In addition, local businesses are often more environmentally conscious in their practices, such as using energy-efficient lighting and appliances or reducing packaging waste. By supporting these businesses, you're also promoting sustainable practices and reducing the overall carbon footprint of your community.
At Strikingly, we're committed to reducing our own carbon footprint and promoting sustainable practices. For example, we encourage our users to promote local businesses and support small businesses near them. We also offer an e-commerce platform that makes it easy for local businesses to sell their products online, reducing the need for transportation and packaging waste. We’ve also encouraged remote working to allow our team members to stay at home.
In addition, we've implemented various energy-efficient practices in our offices, such as using energy-efficient lighting and recycling programs.
By supporting Strikingly, you're supporting local businesses and a company that values sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint.
2. Less Transportation and Packaging Waste
Transportation and packaging waste are two major sources of environmental pollution. When products are shipped long distances, they require transportation, which often results in significant carbon emissions. In addition, many products are packaged with excessive amounts of plastic and other non-recyclable materials, resulting in landfills and pollution.
When you shop at local businesses, you're supporting products that require less transportation and packaging waste. This is because they're sourced and manufactured nearby, reducing the need for long-distance shipping and excessive packaging. For example, if you buy a handmade item from a local artisan, it likely won't come in excessive packaging like a mass-produced item from a large corporation might.
Image taken from a Strikingly user’s website
In addition, local businesses often use more sustainable and eco-friendly packaging options, such as biodegradable materials or reusable containers. By supporting these businesses, you're promoting sustainable packaging practices and reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
At Strikingly, we encourage our users to use sustainable packaging options and reduce their carbon footprint. When using Strikingly's e-commerce platform, you can support local businesses while reducing transportation and packaging waste. It's a win-win for the environment and your local community.
3. Support for Local Agriculture
Local agriculture refers to growing and producing food within a local region. This type of agriculture is essential because it supports local farmers and promotes sustainable and environmentally-friendly farming practices. When you support local agriculture, you're also promoting food security and reducing the carbon emissions that come from long-distance transportation of food (we mentioned this already, right?).
When you shop at local businesses, you support the local economy, including farmers and food producers. The cash doesn’t go out of the community; instead, it multiplies and goes around your locale. Additionally, buying from local businesses helps to ensure the preservation of farmland and promotes the growth of local, sustainable food systems.
Image taken from a Strikingly user’s website
Not only does shopping local benefit the local economy and environment, but it also has a myriad of other benefits that are worth exploring. Here’s more:
- Preservation of Farmland
When you support local agriculture, you're helping to preserve farmland in your community. This is especially important in areas where farmland is rapidly disappearing due to urbanization and industrialization. By buying local products, you're helping to ensure that farmland is used for agriculture rather than being converted into housing developments or industrial parks.
- Promotes Biodiversity
Local agriculture often involves the use of traditional and diverse farming methods, which promotes biodiversity. This means there's a greater variety of crops and animals in the area, which helps maintain healthy ecosystems.
- Food Safety
When you buy from local farmers, you have a better understanding of where your food comes from and how it's produced. This means you can be more confident in the safety and quality of the food you consume.
- Promotes Food Sovereignty
Food sovereignty refers to the right of people to control their food systems. When you support local agriculture, you're promoting food sovereignty by empowering local farmers and food producers to have more control over the production and distribution of food in your community.
- Education and Awareness
When you shop at local farmer's markets or participate in community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs, you can learn more about where your food comes from and how it's produced. This can help to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable and environmentally-friendly farming practices.
Local agriculture is about supporting local farmers and promoting sustainable farming practices (although those are great benefits, too!). It's also about preserving farmland, promoting biodiversity, ensuring food safety, promoting food sovereignty, and raising awareness about sustainable farming practices. Next time you're shopping for groceries, consider buying local and supporting the local agriculture industry in your community.
4. Community Building and Resilience
When we shop local, we are not only supporting local businesses but also contributing to the growth and development of our communities. Community building is the process of bringing people together to create a shared sense of identity and purpose. It involves promoting social interaction and communication and creating opportunities for people to work together towards common goals. Resilience refers to a community's ability to bounce back from challenges and adapt to change.
Image taken from a Strikingly user’s website
Shopping local is a way to invest in our own communities and promote their resilience. When we support local businesses, we are helping to create jobs and support local economies. This, in turn, helps to strengthen our communities and create a sense of pride and identity. Additionally, local businesses often contribute to local causes and charities, further promoting community building and resilience.
5. Economic Benefits of Shopping Local
As if the environmental benefits weren't enough, shopping local also has numerous economic benefits. Local businesses play a critical role in creating job opportunities and promoting entrepreneurship, both of which contribute to the growth and development of a community. By supporting local businesses, you are helping sustain and grow their operations and enabling them to hire more people from the local community, pay taxes and increase everyone’s purchasing power. This, in turn, creates a ripple effect of economic growth that can benefit the community as a whole.
Moreover, when you spend money at local businesses, a larger percentage of that money stays within the community. Local businesses tend to source their supplies and services locally, which means that the money you spend with them has a multiplier effect within the community. This can help to build a stronger and more resilient local economy that is less dependent on external factors.
In contrast, when you shop at chain stores or online retailers, most of the profits leave the local community and go toward the corporation's headquarters or shareholders. This means that less money is available within the local economy to support job creation, investment, and other community needs. By supporting local businesses, you are not only getting quality products and services but also investing in the growth and sustainability of your community.
Local businesses also tend to pay more attention to their community's needs and interests, as they are more in tune with the local market. This means that the products and services they offer are often more tailored to the community's needs, leading to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Supporting local businesses isn't just good for the environment - it's also good for the local economy. By choosing to shop local, you can help create jobs, support entrepreneurship, and strengthen your community. And with platforms like Strikingly making it easier than ever to support small businesses and shop local, there's no excuse not to give it a try!
6. Health Benefits of Shopping Local
Did you know that shopping local can actually be good for your health? By choosing fresh, locally-grown produce, you're not only supporting the local economy, but you're also choosing a healthier option for yourself and your family.
Here are more reasons why shopping local is best for your health:
- Fresher Produce
When you buy from a local farmer's market or grocery store, you're more likely to get fresh produce that hasn't been sitting on a truck for days on end. Fresh fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients that your body craves.
Image taken from Strikingly
- Less Processed Foods
Local food producers often use fewer preservatives and additives, which means you're less likely to be consuming chemicals that could harm your health.
- Better for the Environment
When you shop local, you're supporting local farmers and producers who often use sustainable practices that are better for the environment. This means that your community's air, water, and soil are healthier, which benefits everyone.
- More Physical Activity
Shopping at local stores and markets often involves walking or biking, which means you're getting some exercise without even realizing it. Plus, carrying those heavy bags of groceries is a great workout for your arms!
- Less Stress
Shopping at large chain stores can be overwhelming and stressful, but shopping at local stores can be a more relaxed and enjoyable experience. You might even meet some friendly faces and strike up a conversation with your fellow shoppers!
- Better Mental Health
Buying from local businesses can give you a sense of community and connection, which is great for your mental health. Plus, supporting local businesses can give you a sense of pride in your community and help you feel more connected to your neighbors.
Shopping local isn't just good for your wallet, it's also good for your health. So next time you're out and about, consider stopping by a local farmer's market or boutique and see what they offer. Your body (and your community) will thank you!
Ethical Considerations of Shopping Local
Shopping local goes beyond environmental and economic benefits. It also involves ethical considerations, such as fair labor practices, animal welfare, and social justice.
When you support local businesses, you promote ethical values and principles such as transparency, accountability, and responsible sourcing. Local businesses are more likely to know their suppliers and the conditions under which their products are made. This ensures that the products you purchase are ethically produced and align with your values.
Conclusion
To recap, shopping local has numerous benefits for the environment, economy, health, and ethics. By supporting local businesses, you can reduce your carbon footprint, minimize transportation and packaging waste, support local agriculture, build community and resilience, boost the local economy, and align with ethical values and principles.
We encourage you to make a conscious effort to support local businesses. Whether it's by searching for "support local business near me" or "small businesses near me," or simply asking around for recommendations, there are plenty of ways to shop local. Consider the positive impact you can make by supporting your local economy and community.
At Strikingly, we are committed to promoting local shopping and supporting small businesses. We believe that shopping local is a responsible choice and a fun and rewarding experience. That's why we strive to make it easy for our customers to showcase their local products and services through our website builder. Together, let's continue to support local businesses and make a positive impact on our communities.
