Supporting local food and beverage businesses and fair trade

By reducing the mileage that your food, home goods, or other items travel, you are reducing your carbon footprint. Local products do not require long trips overseas or cross-country. His way can cut down on your fuel consumption and air pollution. An increase in local food consumption stimulates the economy and plays a role in decreasing carbon footprint by minimizing environmental damages occurring during food transfer [21] Buying locally does a lot for the natural environment  [27]:

Reduce your food miles: By shopping locally, you are purchasing goods produced in your local community. When you shop at the grocery store, many of the food items you buy travel way more to reach your plate. By cutting down on the miles, you are reducing the environmental impact of your food. Local food doesn’t create large carbon footprints through overseas plane travel or long truck trips. This cuts down on fuel consumption and air pollution. There isn’t a need for shipping facilities, packing facilities, or refrigeration.

More accessibility: Local businesses operate in their local communities. It is easy for them to bring products to their consumers who are nearby. Consumers easily access lots of local homegrown produce without leaving their community. Shoppers are able to easily walk to their local market to shop. With larger grocery and department stores, they usually aren’t able to be located centrally. These larger retailers require more space, they often have to move out of town. Thus, consumers are forced to drive to these stores, which increases their fuel consumption and carbon footprint.

Fresh products: By buying and eating locally, consumers can enjoy fresh and nutritious products. Many local producers pride themselves on keeping their products organic, hormone-free, and pesticide free. It is also beneficial to the environment. Keeping harmful toxins, like pesticides, out of the air helps to improve crops and air quality.

Local land and wildlife Protection: Buying local also helps to protect local lands and wildlife. By buying local, you are supporting local farmers and producers. With this support, these farms can stay in operation. Because the farms are owned and operated by local farmers and producers, they aren’t being sold to local developers. Local developers could completely transform the land, devastating the wildlife that calls it home. Or, big business producers could buy out the farm and incorporate inhumane and non-eco-friendly farming practices.

Local workforce: If you buy your groceries at the local farmers market, you’re helping to keep local growers, creators and farmers in their jobs. You’re also creating an opportunity for other local jobs such as the team who organizes the farmers’ market, the team that sets up the stalls, the team that cleans up at the end of the day, etc. All of these local businesses with local workers are in place because consumers are demanding local goods. Without that consumer demand, these local businesses may not exist. Many of the employees would have to seek work elsewhere, outside of the community. This would add to highway congestion and fuel consumption, increasing the carbon footprint.

The least carbon-intensive option is the one that has traveled the fewest miles; however, the reality is that international trade will not stop for climate change. Sustainable solutions in globalization are imperative to reducing your business’s carbon footprint. This is where fair trade can help [16] Fairtrade in tourism is the concept of visiting a place as a tourist and trying to make a positive impact on that location’s environment, society and economy. That means supporting locally managed businesses and participating in activities that do not harm the environment or exploit local culture.

There are many advantages to fair trade tourism. In many ways, it connects tourists with the culture and society that they are visiting and allows travelers to positively contribute to the communities that they visit. It provides local people with increased economic opportunities, allowing them to better support themselves and their families. It can also provide a wonderful opportunity for people from around the world to connect [12]