Buying Local - Boosting Vermont’s Economy

Produce that is purchased at the supermarket is picked 4-7 days before being placed on the shelves and is shipped an average of 1,500 miles!  For every 1 US Dollar spent at the supermarket only 18 cents is paid to the producer, the remaining 82 cents goes to the middlemen.  Hence the best way to buy local is to buy straight from the producer or artisan.

One way to preserve the working landscape of Vermont is to buy locally grown and made products.  Vermont offers a great diversity of foodstuffs, textiles, and wood products.  Spending money locally boosts the economy and morale of a community.  Vermonters have taken the “buy local” theme and developed many unique ways to keep it going strong and make it easy for everyone to do their part.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has led several successful ad-campaigns with the “Buy Local, Buy Vermont” slogan.  They introduced “The 10% Difference” which states that if Vermonters shifted 10% of their food purchases to goods produced in Vermont, over $100 million dollars would enter the Vermont economy.  The Agency of Agriculture has collaborated with area producers to create an online directory for Vermont products.  The Agency also presents the Buy Local Award annually to entities that show exemplary local buying habits.  http://www.vermontagriculture.com/buylocal/buy/index.html

Advocates for eating local have initiated “Localvore Challenges” in the Champlain Valley and beyond.  During the month of September community members are asked to pledge to eat local (within 100 miles of your home) for a day, week, or month.  Throughout September the founders of the Challenge sponsor many events that encourage eating local such as cooking contests and all-local potlucks.  By committing to just one day, people are introduced to local producers that oftentimes lead to more long-term buying arrangements.  In 2006, nearly 1,000 people took the pledge to eat local.  This year Governor Jim Douglas was among them.

The Vermont Fresh Network (VFN) encourages farmers, food producers, and chefs to work directly with each other to form partnerships.  VFN promotes and publicizes Vermont chefs and restaurants that use Vermont grown/raised products in many ways.  Participating restaurants are given a VFN sign to place in their window, subsequently becoming an icon for Local Food enthusiasts.  The VFN website is a portal of information about its nearly 350 members and related organizations in Vermont and beyond.  The VFN seeks to educate consumers about the wholesomeness, freshness, nutritional value, and safety of Vermont grown foods that will ultimately help to preserve our rural identity and lifestyle in Vermont.  Check out their website at http://www.vermontfresh.net/

Another way of keeping it local is to participate in the Currency Projects that have popped up across the U.S. including Burlington.  Eight years ago the Burlington Bread Currency Project began and has implored 60 area businesses to join.  The Currency Project is currently circulating the equivalent of $30,000.  The concept is simple and set-up much like a barter system.  One Burlington Bread “Slice” is equivalent to 1 US Dollar.  Interested persons can earn slices, ask for slices as change from participating vendors, or exchange US Dollars for slices.  By using Burlington Bread, one is ensuring that money generated in the Vermont supply chain stays within the community.  As stores such as Old Navy and K-Mart are not locally owned and operated they do not participate in the project.  To learn more visit http://burlingtoncurrency.org

We are looking for volunteers and interns!

Please contact Jessica Andreoletti at
865-7895 x104 for information.