How shopping local creates lasting change
Author: UNB Sustainability
Posted on Mar 28, 2025
Category: Opinion
It’s easy to rely to large-scale retailers or online shopping for convenience in today’s fast-paced world. However, shopping locally provides much more than just a simple exchange of goods. Supporting local businesses has significant positive impacts on your community, economy and the environment.
By shopping locally, you're helping build a thriving, inclusive community where small businesses can grow, jobs can be created and local entrepreneurs can be supported. Furthermore, opting to shop locally can reduce your carbon footprint, promote sustainable practices and preserve the unique character of your community.
It's important to note that supporting local doesn’t mean completely avoiding outside or large-scale retailers. There is no shame in choosing a more convenient option occasionally. However, it is essential to recognize the many benefits of supporting local when you can.
By shopping locally, you're directly supporting your community. Your spending stays within the area, helping stimulate and strengthen the local economy and promote entrepreneurship. This not only creates jobs for fellow community members but also builds stronger relationships. In supporting local businesses, you're also supporting your neighbours.
Local businesses offer the opportunity to discover new and unique products that you typically wouldn’t find anywhere else, providing the ‘one-of-a-kind’ feel to your shopping experience. Additionally, local businesses are known to provide a higher level of customer service. With a more personal and attentive approach, they create more meaningful relationships with their customers.
Beyond that, shopping local is a more sustainable shopping method because it has a lower environmental impact. The farther and longer goods travel, the higher the environmental cost, especially in terms of fuel required and its associated pollution. With items traveling shorter distances, there is less pollution, lower costs, and reduced traffic congestion, helping to reduce the overall carbon footprint.
Additionally, local shops often prioritize eco-friendly practices, meaning the products you purchase are of higher quality and your produce is fresher. Many community-based shops are also more likely to incorporate eco-friendly packaging, use locally sourced materials, and implement better waste reduction strategies.
Finally, local businesses are often more closely connected to their surrounding environment, allowing them to better understand local issues and needs. We can see this especially in our local farming practices.
Local farmers usually offer fresher, chemical free, and organic produce that is not mass-produced through industrial farming methods. These smaller scale practices help preserve our farmlands, reduce soil erosion, water contamination and loss of natural habitats.
Resources of local shops in the area:
While it’s perfectly okay to make trips to large-scale retailers, we recommend taking time to explore local businesses and consider supporting them when you can.