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A healthy local economy is essential for cutting the carbon emissions that threaten the health, welfare and prosperity of all of us through climate change. People are also finding out that it’s becoming a lot cheaper to stay at home, when it comes to getting themselves and their goods around.
How Can We Fight Climate Change?
Consider how far the very food we eat may travel before arriving at the market. In the mid-1990s, that figure had risen to nearly 1,100 miles for the average item of produce in the grocery store, at any given time of year.
Today, that figure stands at over 1,700 miles. This is partly due to fruits and vegetables flown in from South America at a far higher carbon-cost per mile. The same goes for just about any other item for purchase at all but a few sustainable grocery stores and co-op groceries.
For the first time, average people are paying attention to how many miles the goods and services they use must travel to get to market. This is true, in part, due to the pollution. But what really has made conserving fuel a matter of interest is the price.
The recent doubling and tripling of fuel prices in the Western World has caused the price of anything that uses petroleum to go up in price considerably, from throw pillows to corn. Things really are getting more expensive – and wages haven’t kept pace to match.
That’s true, just about one way or another, for nearly everything that people use and do on a daily basis. We just don’t think of it like that much of the time.
Transportation is a very large part of the cost of goods and services. That makes doing business with the local economy and staying closer to home a good way to save rather significant amounts of money when it all adds up at the end of the month.
Sustainable Living
It’s not usually any one item that tears the pocket book and puts people in the financial squeeze. Though that certainly does happen, especially in the case of medical expenses or climate-change induced weather craziness.
No, it’s the cumulative effect of everything costing more that causes people to have to shift their spending patters towards thriftiness and sustainable living.
It is very likely that as the price of petroleum continues to increase, the local economy will continue to play a greater and greater role in the lives of the average person in North America.
In some urban areas, the local economy already includes, nearby products and services. Whatever you find necessary in your normal weekly or monthly routine is a good thing to have handy – preferably within walking or biking distance. Add a bike mechanic to that list unless you’re into DIY.
There are quite a few suburban and rural communities that don’t currently have nearby basic services like local waste management. It is likely that zoning laws may change in some areas to allow people to open up local businesses in such areas that cater to those on foot, especially near areas where sidewalks are installed.
What’s In Your Local Economy?
That said, you may be surprised to find all the things that are already available in your local economy. In fact, as people do find themselves moving to more centralized lifestyles, it’s surprising how quickly different businesses and services have already been popping up in otherwise residential neighborhoods.
As people are looking to get second jobs, many have decided to keep a little more of the returns for themselves and set up shop for themselves, instead.
This is in sharp contrast to just a few years ago when large retail stores that carry imported goods at a discount were king. There is a tipping point fast-approaching when cheap labor is no longer sufficient to offset transportation costs. Stores that were once put out of business by multinational retailers are now cropping up with a vengeance.
As a result, owning a shop is now becoming a viable option for many people. The longer and longer commutes many suffer are now giving way to folks changing careers and reclaiming that time to live and spend time in the local community and local economy.
The amount of climate change-inducing carbon dioxide and particulate matter pollution could be very significantly affected, not to mention rates of asthma and other respiratory disorders.
Sustainable Development Can Reduce Pollution
This increasing impact of the the local economy, whether its going out for a “50-mile dinner” at a neighbor’s house or using a local crafts person to make you a set of carved and lacquered bamboo curtain rods is a real trend. People realize there are plenty of ways for sustainable development, to reduce pollution, combat climate change and make your local environment a better place to live.
By taking an interest in things local, it’s also a way of using the power of a distributed network to affect massive change over the whole country, allowing people and their dollars to do it, one neighborhood at a time.
