- When you purchase from Amazon, 5.8 cents per dollar returns to the local economy. (source)
- When you purchase from a local business, 67 cents per dollar stays in our community. (source)
This means from this average budget, you’d either giving $250 or $22 to your community. Your choice!
A lot of people are talking about the Buy Now documentary on Netflix which outlines a variety of ways that giant companies are getting you to buy more stuff through AI and buyer psychology, shortening the life spans of household objects and electronics, by having 52 fashion seasons instead of 4, etc.
These companies also participate in greenwashing with highly funded eco campaigns that distract audiences rom their environmental impact so we don’t think about where the “away” is when we throw stuff away.
Of course, we all need to buy from big companies occasionally, and with the cost of living of course people will be embracing savings where ever they can get them. We are not trying to shame anyone, but if you the disposable income to make many purchases this holiday season, please don’t just take the easy, one-click buy option.
Instead, please consider:
- Buy from local businesses, bookstores and artisans
- Buy gift cards, farmers’ market money or experiences
- Make donations to organizations to care about (hi)
- Buy mass-produced items second-hand
If you want to get someone a non-physical gift, you can support a food insecure family in NS through our Nourishing Communities program.
