Do You Know Your Stuff?

By TIM KILLEEN

Last weekend I was at the farmer's market with a friend picking up produce for the week. Here in Chicago we get local produce from other parts of Illinois, as well as Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. As we walked around looking for the stuff we needed, I told her to check for any tents of farms in Michigan (of which there were a few). Faithful readers are aware that I grew up in Detroit and that I do what I can to help the desperately hurting economy in Michigan.

This got me thinking about purchasing with a purpose. It is, of course, all the rage these days. People buy locally-grown things to help their local economy, to get things fresher and to cut down on emissions for shipping. And with the latest Gulf Coast disaster, people have looked to what they purchase for ways to help out the economy down there. I've written several pieces on the subject, such as drinking local beer, a brewery in New Orleans offering a good solution, using your vacation dollars to stimulate struggling economies and purchasing goods to help international development. But how much do we really think about what we buy?

I usually think about the origins of produce, beer and wine, coffee (to an extent) and sometimes clothing. But I purchase a whole lot more that I never think of. Where was my Ikea bookshelf made? Where was that candle on that shelf over there made? Where were the shoes I'm wearing made? What about the bread I had with dinner, where was that baked? Of course, 9 times out of 10 your answer will be "China," but there are ways around that (not that China's a terrible place).

Lots of businesses make some quality stuff in areas that could really use your purchase. There's a candle store up the street from me that I've never gone to (I usually just grab whatever's cheap at Walgreens and will make my place smell less like a bachelor lives there). There may be a furniture manufacturer in North Carolina teetering on laying off another worker; or a Wisconsin dairy farmer who's having trouble making mortgage payments. Sure, these things may be a little more expensive- and that's no little thing these days- and will take a little bit longer to track down, but it's certainly worth the effort. I hear a lot of arguments about people getting something for nothing through "entitlements," but I hear very little about an obvious alternative solution to help pick them up: buying the stuff they make. You'll probably buy something this weekend, give it a thought- get to know your stuff.

Is "Local" Hurting "Developing"?

Eating, buying and drinking local is all the rage these days. With more people moving to cities and more cities offering farmers markets, organic produce and local-only restaurants, people are trying to purchase goods (especially food) grown close to home. There are a myriad reasons why eating local is a good idea: less shipping of food means less fuel wasted, more money into a local economy, "local" is often synonymous with "sustainable" and "organic" with those who seek out these products. However, some critics claim that the focus on locally grown goods is hurting farmers in developing countries.

Generally speaking, farmers in the developing world produce a lot of "organic" goods, simply because they use tried-and-true farming techniques passed down through generations. These goods have, in the recent past, hit the shelves in the developed world with excitement and have started the "fair trade" kick that many "locavores" also rally around. But if people refuse to buy anything that wasn't grown within 100 miles of home, for instance, how will these "fair trade" growers export their products?

Sure, there's a local market for these growers as well, but the price a coffee grower in Africa could get in his local market is nothing compared to the price he could get through export to the U.S. or Europe. Developed nations with a Starbucks on every corner consume tremendous amounts of the cacao, coffee, cotton and even exotic produce that farmers in poorer nations are growing- and generally, consumers would be willing to purchase "fair trade" products if they were easily accessible and reasonably priced. But if someone has limited themselves to a short radius around their home, how do they support these growers?

This is not to say that the spotlight on local products isn't worthwhile- it certainly is. Local communities and economies need help now more than ever and rewarding local growers for sustainable, eco-friendly techniques is definitely an important way to spend one's dollars. But, perhaps, a balance is necessary. Obviously, some items simply aren't produced locally. Here in Chicago, I'm not getting a lot of locally grown coffee or avocados. Strict locavores will simply refuse to buy those products. However, maybe it should be considered just as worthwhile to help out the little guy in Mali as it is to help the little guy in Madison.

Worth considering.

Get to Know Your Local Brewery

I like a good beer (and only a good beer, as I’m kind of a beer snob). In the past few years I’ve gone from strictly drinking one or two standbys to exploring the gamut of the beer cornucopia, trying brews of all kinds from all places. If you get into this type of alcoholic exploration- and you should, the variety of tastes, the science behind the process, etc. is fascinating- you’ll most likely come across the push for drinking local beer, and it’s a thing worth pushing.

As environmentalism gets posh and a slight push-back against globalization calls for closer local communities, eating local has had a large upsurge, with more farmers’ markets springing up all over and some restaurants even growing their own produce. An obvious extension of this is drinking local brews and it’s definitely worth your while.

The most obvious reason for drinking local beer is that it’s usually a little bit cheaper (in comparison to other craft or special brews, not mass market beer) if you get it at your local store or go to the brewery. In today’s economic climate, small breweries are having a hard time and supporting them helps both sides out. Which brings me to the next reason to drink local: bolstering the local economy. Sure, you could have a Safeway or a Target move in where that brewery is; and sure, it’ll be a convenient store to have nearby. But, isn’t there something nice about knowing that the people who live in your community are the people servicing your community and are keeping the profits themselves? This extends beyond just local brewers and also encompasses local stores and pubs that carry the local beer and also need your support.

Because local brewers appreciate your support and because they’re generally really excited about beer, if you go to the brewery you’ll be amazed how much info you’ll learn about beer that you didn’t know even existed. Like any small business, if you show an interest a local brewer will be happy to show you around, take their time with you and teach you about their craft. And it is a craft! Getting into craft brews will open your palate to the huge variety of beers out there, and you’ll probably find a lot more than the limited selection you get at the grocery store. Since the brewer was passionate enough to start his own business, he’ll probably do some different and delicious stuff, too. And going to the source also ensures that you’ll get the freshest and newest brews you can purchase.

Finally, of course, is the environmental impact: local beer hasn’t had to travel as far to get to you, which means it wasn’t driven across the country in a gas-guzzling truck. And, while I’m skeptical about beer in cans, a new trend is bringing them back (there are numerous reasons why they’re claimed to be better than bottles) and some local brewers are using them to further cut down on environmental impact, citing not only the lighter weight for shipping but also the ease of crushing them to cut down on area and recycling them.

I’m not saying to stop drinking whatever it is you drink (although if you tell me what, specifically, you drink, I might). I’m just saying you should think about making local breweries a part of what you consume. Beyond the support of the local community, the education you’ll get, the environmentalism and the freshness, you’ll also find that the beer community is generally a pretty friendly one (of course, they’re all drinking)! Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.