Local businesses produce more income, jobs, tax receipts and charitable donations for local communities than big box stores do. They are more likely to utilize local ads, banks and other services. Supporting local businesses is also a way to cut down on fuel consumption, because buying locally produced goods reduces the need to ship goods from thousands of miles away, and also cuts down on the distances shoppers travel. It's also easier to develop relationships with local businesses than with chain stores, and it's easier to hold local businesses accountable to their community.

Big box stores like WalMart and the Gap are steamrolling their way into cities and towns throughout the country, pushing down wages and forcing small, local businesses to close because they can't compete with these mega-companies' predatory practices. But there's something we can do!

ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH, LET'S BUY LOCAL!

Let's send a message on November 18th, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, that we support our hometown businesses and oppose the negative impacts of chain stores and big box stores on our communities. Many communities have already organized citywide "buy local days," but this year, we will bring together cities throughout the country to make this a national effort. We hope you'll join us!

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO

*Endorse this campaign! We will officially launch the campaign on Wednesday, November 1st, on our website, www.buylocalday.org, and with media outlets and community groups throughout the country. Get onboard before we launch. Email your organization name and contact information to andrea@globalexchange.org.

*Create a coalition of local business owners, Fair Trade and organics advocates, anti-big box activists, environmental groups, and others. Together you can spread the word about Buy Local Day in your community, create lists of local businesses that consumers can reference, and carry out some of the outreach and PR ideas below.

*Get your city government to officially declare November 18, 2006 "Buy Local Day" in your community. Email andrea@globalexchange.org for a copy of the Portland "Buy Local Day" city ordinance.

*Organize a press conference. Bring together local bookstore owners, farmers' market vendors, and others to promote Buy Local Day at a press conference in November.

*Stay tuned for materials to hand out and post in your community. We will be creating free, downloadable window signs that business owners can put up to advertise themselves as local businesses. We'll also create flyers you can hand out throughout the month of November ... at local businesses, big box stores, community events, and elsewhere!

*Why stop at one day? If you're already committed to buying local, you can certainly go further than a one-day action and work within your community toward Buy Local Week "click here for information on BALLE's Buy Local Week campaign), Buy Local Month, or create a local coalition that promotes local purchasing year-round! The longer we can sustain buy local campaigns, the more likely it is that we'll have a real financial impact with local businesses and big box stores alike.

*And don't forget to also buy Fair Trade, organic and green! Fair Trade certification guarantees that producers of the product earn a fair price, and thus a decent living. Fair Trade also ensures that products aren't made using forced or exploitative child labor, and it promotes production techniques that won't harm the environment. Organic food is food produced without fertilizers, pesticides or genetically modified organisms. Organic methods promote more sustainable and environmentally sound agricultural practices. And green companies nationwide are working to bring sustainability into every aspect of their businesses.

INITIATING GROUPS

Co-Op America
Democracy Unlimited
Global Citizen Center
Global Exchange
Liberty Tree Foundation
Organic Consumers Association
Social Venture Network
And others!

RESOURCES

www.buylocalday.org