Thursday, December 16, 2010

Support your local economy. Simple as that.

The holidays are fast approaching. What are you doing for the holidays? Are you eating out? going over to a family members house? or are you cooking? Regardless of what you are doing try to go to local farmers markets or farm to table restaurants and support your local economy! The benefits for supporting your local economy are endless, and if people really begin to support their local economy, perhaps we can start to help our community and bring prices down (that don't need to be wasted on gas). Buy only what is in season (that means don't buy summer fruits in the winter!!! Especially because they probably have some chemical on them), buy local beef, pork, chicken, turkey (and try to get one without hormones and by-products), we got an organic turkey from a local farm for Thanksgiving and boy can you taste the difference!!! When you begin to switch your way of thinking and your way of life, that not only sustains you, but sustains the earth too, you will begin to see the benefits. Our earth is suffering, the economy is in shambles, gas prices keep climbing, and the weather is just awful. I can't stress enough, how important it is to treat our Earth with respect, to treat it like our home and treat it like our body... This can be done through small steps like supporting your local economy :)

I also found out that One Caroline Street in Saratoga is a sustainable, farm to table restaurant! I will be eating their on New Years Eve!!! :)

If we could have as many farm to table restaurants as we do chain restaurants, can you imagine what a world that would be? A lot healthier and probably we'd have a better local economy!

As goes with farm to table restaurants, it is also important to support local markets!!! In Troy, NY there is the Pioneer Co-op and the business is not doing that great, but they offer really great products...it would be ashame if it went out of business due to the lack of sales...When the Holidays are over my friends and I plan on becoming members! I urge you, especially if you live in Troy, to go and shop their and support them(even if it's just 30 dollars). If you don't live in Troy or NYS for that matter, go and support your local economy and buy at co-ops and farmers markets (that bring fresh and local ingridients and businesses together). Think of the millions of dollars that these huge super stores are making and think about where the products are coming from...Wouldn't you love the satisfaction of buying locally and contributing to the local economy I know  I do... so we'll leave it at that.

So for the holidays, take this thought and put it into action, help yourself and help your community...SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY!!!
Happy Holidays!