100 Mile Lifestyle
Ever heard of the 100 Mile Diet? It is a movement that started in 2007 where people are challenged to eat locally. The 100 Mile Lifestyle is just that, but buying local handmade goods can be even easier. Where it might be (very) difficult to find fresh fruits and veggies in parts of the world throughout the year, handmade goods are being produced year round!
In fact, in the winter, when people are stuck indoors a lot more, creativity thrives! I know that I have spent many a February nights catching up on my scrapbooking, sewing curtains for the kid's rooms and trying out those DIY and How-To tips from design magazines. But forget my ragged seams that I hide in the background (sorry mom, sewing lessons didn't pan out so well) and the "What the heck?" DIY disasters that occasionally grace various parts of my house. There are totally amazing and talented Artizans that live all around you; you just gotta know how to find them!
Why Buy Local?
1. Know who Made your Stuff. When buying from a large chain you often have no idea who you are really supporting. When you buy direct from the person who made the product, you can know that your item was made with love by someone with commitment to their craft and community.
2. Keep your Money Local. Money spent in the community is more likely to stay in the community. When purchasing from a big chain store, your money leaves your community and heads off into the wild blue yonder, or where ever the chain store's head offices are located. But when you spend locally, the money you spend stays local longer and is much more likely to support your community.
3. Explore your Community. Have you ever been to a craft sale in an historic warehouse, nibbled on goodies as you browsed the studios of great undiscovered, local artists, or met a creator for coffee so you could pick up something you'd purchased? It's an amazing way to learn firsthand about your community and the talented people who are a part of it.
4. Support Dream Jobs (and Maybe Have One Too!) Many people from all walks of life dream of making a living from their home; creating, sewing, gluing, baking, and doing what they love. In areas with strong local support, people can make a reliable income from the support of their community. That's a whole lot better than the sometimes meaningless, corporate options that fill the majority of many people's day-to-day lives.
So maybe it's time to re-think your habits. Maybe it's time to take a tiny step in a different direction. Those tiny steps can add up to a whole new direction and can open up your life to the beauty and creativity that surrounds you in the 100 Mile Lifestyle.
Oh yes, and before you comment about using Miles to measure distance instead of Kilometers on this Canadian website, "100 Mile" just has a nicer ring to it than "160.934 Kilometer".
