Sharing Ideas with Woody

A few weeks ago I started an experiment -- can we really shop completely local. Buying from CSAs, farmer's markets, family-owned, employee-owned, and co-ops. Since then I've dedicated my shopping to a bit of pre-planning research and re-con missions to, what I'm calling local, shops.

On December 27th I posted Commitment to Community outlining my "plan". Since then, I've been shopping for food, clothing, wool dryer balls, eateries, hardware-type items, and sunglasses. I've also researched some of my favorite addictions, namely climbing gear. I've done extensive pre-planning for grocery stores within 30 to 40 minutes of my house looking for ethical and responsible places to shop that meet the definition of "community" or "local".

Yesterday, I listened to a FB post of Woody Harrelson. Not only to I love Woody ("Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly..." and Natural Born Killers) I love his message. It's what my experiment is all about: making your dollars count.

A few days ago I learned some really cool things. Scheels is a HUGE general sporting goods store and it's employee-owned.

Natural Grocers, aka Vitamin Cottage, began in Colorado, similar to Whole Foods. Natural Grocers made conscious decisions about what to carry in their stores, how to grow, and what would drive their business. Unlike Whole Foods, Natural Grocers did not sell out. Instead they said "hey, we can do this." Natural Grocers only sells organic produce, hormone, GMO-free meat, nothing in their store has artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Before it was cool, they went bag-free. Natural Grocers was built on the foundation that a healthy lifestyle can be affordable for everyone. Natural Grocers is traded on the NYSE under the ticker NGVC. (More about voting with dollars in the stock market in another post.)

I've received some criticism that shopping at Natural Grocers or indulging in an In N Out burger and fries is not shopping local. I want to be perfectly clear that my experiment has nothing to do with income. I don't think any business should be limited in growth. Just know that the hamburger you're eating didn't come from the shelf you picked it up from. It came from an animal that lived somewhere and ate something. Community is a bigger picture than items on a shelf and number of stores.

Last night I walked the downtown Truckee strip. I stopped at Mellow Fellow for dinner. I had a glass of wine at Uncorked (visit Uncorked in Truckee, Squaw, and Northstar). The owners also own Soupa at the base of Squaw Valley where their ingredients come from the Food Hub, the soup is home made. It can take some time to get through the line at Soupa, but it's definitely my go-to, and has been for years, at Squaw. I finished at a little shop carrying all things local, including a much needed wool dryer ball. I also found a handmade silver ring to adorn my left hand.

Being committed to the community is taking time to mindfully shop, understanding that what is on the shelf came from somewhere, and being conscious that every dollar you spend is a vote for something.

Happy shopping!

#makeyourdollarscount