Why shop local?
Shopping locally helps the environment by reducing your product miles. By buying locally you are purchasing goods produced in your local community. Local produce doesn’t create large carbon footprints through overseas plane travel or long road trips. This cuts down on fuel consumption and air pollution. Plus, there is no need for shipping facilities, packing facilities or refrigeration.
Shopping locally also means produce is fresher. Many local producers pride themselves on keeping their product organic, hormone free and pesticide free. Not only is this beneficial to the consumer, it’s also beneficial to the environment. Keeping harmful toxins, like pesticides, out of the air helps to improve crops and air quality. In addition, because the produce is fresh, there is less waste. Many large retailers have significant food waste due to items going bad before they are bought. On a smaller scale with a more direct farm to table approach, this food waste is cut down.
Viewers in Scotland might have caught my client Janie, of Fit Like Flowers, on the telly last month!
Janie and her florist business were featured on the BBC’s Beechgrove Garden on Thursday 30th May. She got to show off her garden to Carole Baxter and the film crew and put together a floral piece for the programme. I’m super excited for Janie and it’s fab to see her new business doing so well.
Businesses like Janie’s are at the forefront of the ‘buying locally’ movement. Shopping locally is becoming more and more important as consumers love to know where their products are coming from and to support local businesses.
Studio V Ink is a member of Creative Carbon Scotland’s Green Arts Initiative.
