Local Living

I'm back in Charleston now, and it's time to get back to local stories. I ran across an interesting organization this morning, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, which has a chapter here in Charleston, Lowcountry Local First. It should be of interest to most of you that read this blog, whether you're a business and would consider joining or you're just looking to support local businesses. Here is the LLF description:

Mission:

Lowcountry Local First advocates the benefits of a local living economy by strengthening community support for independent locally owned businesses and farmers.

We are an alliance that educates the public on the importance of supporting the local economy, and encourages businesses and consumers to be environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. We are one of 52 chapters of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) www.livingeconomies.org.

We envision a sustainable global economy as a network of Local Living Economies, building long-term economic empowerment and prosperity in communities through local business ownership, economic justice, cultural diversity and a healthy natural environment. Independent businesses create wealth by engaging local people in the production, marketing, and consumption of goods, they pay taxes, and reinvest in our communities.

We educate the public to:

• Reduce material and energy costs

• Recycle and reuse waste

• Buy and sell locally.

• Support local agriculture

The list of member companies is a good resource (found under membership page). While you probably already know local businesses from national chains, it's good to know which businesses are getting involved in things like this. Buying local is of course one of the simplest changes we can make towards being more environmentally-friendly from the simple fact that transportation is reduced. Which means less fuel burned and all the benefits that accompany that. And that goes for not just consumers, but businesses as well - remember that your supply chain can have a huge environmental impact.

Another Good Event Tonight

Just a quick note to say that I hope everyone had a good time this evening and did some good networking. Turnout was a little less than I expected, but a combination of: holiday, weather and short span in time since the last one kept some people away. But I will still say this was a success. Several people indicated that they met someone in their industry of interest or made some other worthwhile connection. And it's especially satisfying to know that several of those connections were between CofC students and members of the community, because that's one of the main reasons we hold this event. As I've mentioned in an early blog, I'd like to hear some of the success stories. So if you've got one from this event (or the previous one) and are willing to share, please post a comment.