Look out for the “local-wash”

What does “local” really mean? It’s a bit of an ill-defined term, so
it would certainly help to try and offer some guidelines for what we’re
getting at when we urge you to spend a healthy portion of your dollar
at local businesses.

We believe calling a business local means it is headquartered in
Nova Scotia. Ideally it means a business that is owned by people who
live here that also carries products that have been made here, though
that can’t always be the case. With food it’s certainly of key
importance that it was grown and produced locally, but when you’re
buying other products inevitably there will be items manufactured
elsewhere and shipped into town. And choosing to buy a something at a
local store rather than online is something we strongly endorse.

What’s most important is how the decisions for the way the business
is operated are made here. Even if the business is a large chain with
regional ownership, if the people running the individual stores are
able to make management decisions on how it’s run, that we consider
local.

What you are going to start seeing is “local-washing.” Big business
has twigged to the success of buying local, and have recognized that
the movement now has some momentum. You’re going to start to see the
word “local” bandied about as part of sales initiatives. Some might say
that buying local means spending your money in any store in the HRM, so
long as you aren’t ordering the product online. We don’t agree. You may
see the word local applied to anything manufactured in North America,
or in food grown elsewhere in Canada. We don’t agree.

Some might consider all the provinces in Atlantic Canada to be
local, and there’s certainly a strong argument to be made in favour of
that. It’s really your decision, but the best thing to insist on is
transparency.

What you can do is ask your retailer about what you’re buying. Where
was it made (or grown)? How far did it travel to get to you? And you
can keep a copy of this guide handy to remind yourself what businesses
are, in fact, owned by people who live nearby.

Even small steps to shift your spending can have a major impact.
Consider that some of the “big boys,” in trying to get on board with
customers’ changing priorities, are in the position to make influential
changes. Lara Ryan, who is vice-chair of the local chapter of the
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies
reports that Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world, is
implementing a source-miles program.

“When you buy a product in Wal-mart, you can read how many miles it
travelled,” she says. “Which is kind of an interesting thing. They’re
doing that obviously because there’s a market in it. It’s their way of
trying to attract that local business, and if they’re trying to raise
the bar then great. Frankly, we all spend enough money that if
everybody carved out 10 or 20 percent for local, there’d still be
enough money for the big guys.”

This article appears in Nov 19-25, 2009.