Local Links We Love
Foodland Ontario - What we grow and produce, availability, recipes and a kids corner. Government of Ontario site. http://www.foodland.gov.on.ca
Farmers' Markets Ontario - Consumer resources and directory of markets in Ontario. http://www.farmersmarketsontario.com
Savour Ontario - Going out for dinner? Check out this site to see who is cooking local.
http://www.savourontario.ca
Wineries of Ontario - Ontario's wineries. Plan a day trip and visit.
http://winesofontario.org
Tourism Ontario - Plan a trip, visit our vendors, (maybe pick up a bottle of wine and some cheese on the way).
http://www.ontariotravel.net
Toronto Craft Alert - A great place for crafters to connect, and for consumers to get an inside glimpse into the craft world. http://www.torontocraftalert.ca
211 Toronto - A directory of over 20,000 community, social, health and government services. http://www.211toronto.ca/index.jsp
Fashion Takes Action - Canada's only non-profit organization that focuses on sustainability in the fashion industry. We work with both industry and the general public, with the goal to shift behaviour toward more positive social and environmental impacts. http://www.fashiontakesaction.com/
Why shop local you ask. WHY NOT?
There are a ton of great artisans, cool craftspeople, funky stores and must-see events right in our own neighbourhood. Why wouldn’t we shop local? That’s what we want to know. We don’t have to go anywhere else, we have it all right here in our own backyard.
If for some reasons that’s not enough, here are some more great reasons to shop local. Worried about the environment? Want to do your part? Shop local, it can make a big difference. We can reduce our use of fossil fuels by driving less. Going straight to the artist means their goods aren’t being shipped either. The Big Box stores situate themselves on the fringe of suburbia, the fringe of suburbia here is the local greenbelt. Why are there ‘for rent’ signs in the windows of our local main streets yet the Big box stores are building new centers that are not within walking distance of anyone?
How about helping to keep our local economy strong? Sounds like a good idea to me. “For every $100 spent in a local business, $68 remains in the local economy compared to $43 for spending at a big box retailer.” Milagrosboutique.com. Another compelling reason to shop local is that a study out of Austin Texas shows that even modest changes in consumer spending habits generate substantial local economic impact. It is not just the local artisans and retailers that are impacted by shopping locally. These local businesses support other local businesses from architects to designers, cabinet makers, sign makers, insurance brokers, computer consultants, the list goes on.
Networking and relationships, that’s important too, right? Shopping locally creates and develops relationships within the community. It is up to us to create a community that supports itself. It is important that people that live in the neighbourhood, people who are the parents of our kids friends, the people who we play pick up basketball with, the people that go to the same churches as us, our neighbours, these are the people we want making decisions along side us about our neighbourhood, our city. Isn’t it?
So we have established that there is great stuff to buy in our neighbourhood. It’s better for the environment and it helps make our communities stronger, financially and it makes our neighbourhoods more vibrant and stable.
We've just tried to make it easier. Happy shopping!
Shirley & Susan