Local is as local does

Now that you’ve got a start on the local foods buying scene, here’s a great free program that will help us all understand a bit more about all the other facets of our lives in which buying locally would make a positive difference for our local culture, environment, economy, and society - from our collaborators, Seacoast Buy Local:

What is the true cost of mega-retailers on the Seacoast economy?

Learn more about what’s at stake, and how you can effect change

The Seacoast Buy Local campaign invites you to join us for a special event with Stacy Mitchell, author of Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Indpendent Businesses. Mitchell will speak at the Portsmouth Brewery, 56 Market Street, on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, snacks will be served, and all local business owners, civic leaders and interested residents are encouraged to attend.

Big-Box Swindle, which was recently named one of the top ten business books of the year by the American Library Association’s Booklist, traces the dramatic growth of big-box retailers and unearths the extraordinary impact these companies have had on everything from the shrinking middle class to soaring gasoline consumption and declining community involvement.

But trends are not destiny, Mitchell contends. A growing number of communities are bucking the big-box trend and rebuilding their local businesses.

Mitchell’s talk will outline several innovative planning policies, small business initiatives, and other strategies that communities can employ to strengthen independent business and usher in a more prosperous and sustainable future.

“This region is at a crossroads,” notes Mitchell. “Fortunately, there’s still time to ensure that the Seacoast doesn’t end up like so many other parts of the country, which are overrun by the same sprawling stores and lack the economic vigor and sense of community that local businesses provide.”

Please bring a friend and join us for this conversation on Nov. 1. Learn more about what’s at stake across the Seacoast, and how you can effect change in our community.

Stacy Mitchell is a senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a nonprofit organization that works to build strong local economies and sustainable communities. She has served as advisor on retail development issues to numerous cities across the country and is a frequent speaker at conferences and forums. For more about Big-Box Swindle, visit http://www.bigboxswindle.com.

Seacoast Buy Local is a coalition of local busines owners and residents working together to strengthen the region’s independent businesses. The program is led by Seacoast Local, a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting dynamic and sustainable community on the Seacoast. To learn more, visit www.seacoast-local.org .

This entry was posted on October 25, 2007 at 7:33 am and is filed under events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

| Print