Green Light for Local First Vermont

The Green Mountain State will become even more green if local Vermont businesses have their way. Seven-month-old Local First Vermont is not only seeking to help strengthen the state's independent businesses, it is actively promoting the state's environmental sustainability and unique character.

The group was founded by Chris Morrow, the owner of Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont, in June 2006, after he attended the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)'s fourth annual conference, "Creating Sustainable Communities," in Burlington.

But, Morrow said, the seed for Local First Vermont was actually planted well before the BALLE conference. "The idea came ... from hearing about other booksellers who were doing this -- Steve Bercu [president of the Austin Independent Business Alliance], David Bolduc [co-founder of the Boulder Independent Business Alliance], Betsy Burton [of Local First Utah], and Chuck and Dee Robinson [of Sustainable Connections] -- and I kept thinking about doing one in Vermont," Morrow told BTW.

After attending the BALLE conference, Morrow said, he was able to get "a few key people to join, and they talked to a few others, and it grew like that." The Local First Vermont steering committee started meeting on a monthly basis in June, and the group joined both BALLE and the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA).

"What we're doing is a statewide Local First, which is different than most, due to the low population of Vermont and how spread out everyone is," Morrow explained. "So we're statewide with local chapters." Their goal, he said, "is broad -- to preserve and enhance our community. A lot of communities have been decimated by chain store proliferation, [but] there is a strong independent sector. This is one area we can focus on that comes with a lot of ancillary benefits -- strengthening different aspects of the community."

The alliance, which now has about 50 members, held its official launch party in Montpelier, Vermont, on December 7, 2006. "We invited a bunch of people and that was our first major exposure as an organization," Morrow reported. "Most newspapers in the state picked it up in one form or another."

Morrow said that the group is just starting its membership drive and is planning a big push for Independents Week in July. Until then, the current membership drive is about as green as it gets. "I'm walking around town, delivering packets," he explained, adding that businesses have been receptive. "This has a lot of resonance in Vermont ... Vermont is a place where it's a lot easier to sell this concept. There are already a lot of local food organizations [that promote buying locally] and that's in the public discussion. Now we're looking to spread that to retail services." --David Grogan

In an Op-Ed column that appeared in a number of Vermont newspapers, Morrow explained the organization's purpose: "We are simply advocating for people to look locally first when they are ready to purchase a good or service. It is in every Vermonter's best interest to do so. Why? Here are five of the many reasons: Keeping dollars in the local economy. Compared to chain stores, locally owned businesses recycle a much larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching the whole community. This "multiplier effect," which has been proven by at least three comprehensive studies (see the web site), has a powerful impact on the health of local businesses and the tax base. Local character and prosperity. In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an economic advantage. As a tourist state, this is especially important for Vermont. Local decision-making. Local ownership ensures that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions. Environmental sustainability. Local stores help to sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers which, in turn, are essential to reducing sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution. Jobs and wages. Locally-owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than chains."