Do you ever wish that you could take what you’ve learned and go back in time and try again? I have always considered myself to be socially responsible, but I’ve had so many revelations in the past few years. Wisdom truly does come with age and experience. I know that I still have so much to learn and hopefully, I will have many years to soak it in, make changes for the better for my family and the greater good, and give back by teaching others the lessons I’ve learned.

Of the things that have made an impression on me most recently, buying my food and goods locally has been one of the biggest.  I’ve discovered so many ways that I can feel good about skipping the chain grocery stores and big box stores (at least some of the time) in favor of buying from places that purchase goods and services from people in my area.  Here are just some of the benefits to seeking out local vendors.

• supporting local economy – Sure, today’s economy is a global one, but by buying from my friends and neighbors, I am not only helping them out, but I am helping my family.  Keeping good, hard-working families in the area is a benefit in every way.
• saving fossil fuels – The amount of fuel that it takes to ship apples from Argentina is a lot.  Thinking about what sits on an average grocery shelf, most everything has traveled long distances to get there.  Food and goods that travel from a local grower or manufacturer use almost nothing in gas or energy to get it to you.
• reducing chemicals in our food and goods – Let’s face it, major farms and manufacturers load up our food and goods with chemicals and preservatives.  For some reason, years ago we began to equate chemicals with clean and healthy.  Now we have to erase that and do our best to eliminate our dependence on chemicals in our food, cleaning supplies, soaps and shampoos, and other items.  We want our family to be healthy and free of water-poisoning, growth-inducing, cancer-causing agents.
• skipping the packaging – One thing that I have become hyper-aware of is packaging for a store-bought item.  Because we want fresh, clean food and other things, so much of what we buy from the store comes in lots of packaging.  That plastic wrapper may not seem like a big deal, but all of that together combined with everyone else’s packaging waste can make a mountain of trash that won’t break down in the landfill or winds up killing our oceans.
• enjoying the process – When I buy from my local farmer’s market or farm, I love that my children get to see who has been growing our food.  They gain a better understanding of where our food comes from when we see the fruits and vegetables lined up at the farm stand or out of the farm truck.  This summer, my children will enjoy the experience of digging veggies out of the dirt in our own garden, but for the first time will get to experience picking up fruits and vegetables from a local farm as a part of a CSA (community supported agriculture) harvest share.  We love going to another local farm for dairy (and fresh ice cream), and while we are there, we head to the barn to pet the animals.

What are your favorite things to buy where you live?  What local items could you not live without?