Join the Movement!
Supporting local food promotes a strong local economy, reduces carbon emissions, and helps preserve the environment. Sustainable Business Network’s (SBN) Executive Director Laury Hammel sums it up: “By working together we can play a leadership role in building a strong local food system and set an example for communities across the nation.”
A Documentary by Sara DeForest and Scott Silverman
Check out this video produced locally by aspiring filmmakers who, through film, are contributing to the local food movement. Know Your Roots: Eat Local is a short documentary film on the benefits of eating local food. The film is produced in Boston, MA by Sara DeForest and Scott Silverman. It features Jamey Lionette-one of the Boston Local Food Festival organizers, John Lee of Allandale Farm, JJ Gonson, owner of Cuisine en Locale, Tony Maws-chef and owner of Craigie on Main and others.
Ways You Can Get Involved in the Local Food Movement!
Other than volunteering for the Boston Local Food Festival, SBN has a number of affiliated programs that support our efforts to transform the local food system that you can get involved in. Check them out for yourself.
Local Food Committee Programs
Every other month, SBN offers an ALLocal Dinners, which bring together local food leaders and enthusiasts for community, conversation, and a delicious meal of local fare. At these events, ALL ingredients are locally sourced and produced, which is often challenging to create. The initial ALLocal Dinners in Brookline and Cambridge provided an enjoyable learning experience for both the chefs and the eaters. Keep an eye out for future ALLocal Dinners and don’t wait to register because with such great company and delicious food, these events are sold out quickly. If you are interested in attending or becoming involved, please contact Fan Watkinson at fan@sbnboston.org. This event is supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (www.mass.gov/agr). We are seeking doers and eaters!
Local First Networks
Cambridge Local First and Somerville Local First are projects of Sustainable Business Network. We encourage you to support these networks and visit their websites. The 10% Shift Campaign 
is a movement to strengthen local economies, especially in the wake of a national financial crisis. We aim to do this through convincing individuals, businesses and organizations to shift 10% of their spending from non-local businesses to Local Independents – private, locally owned businesses in Somerville. Based on the findings from the Grand Rapids study by Civic Economics, it is clear that even just this 10% shift from non-local to local spending will have a profound impact on the local Somerville economy because of the multiplier effect – a larger share of your dollars will stay in the region and work to strengthen Somerville and the surrounding communities. What exactly are all the benefits of the 10% Shift?
- Expanded Job Creation: Creating new jobs and decreasing unemployment.
- Economic Growth: Generating billions of dollars of increased local economic activity.
- Entrepreneurial Ventures: Inspiring the formation of new independent ventures.
- Protected Environment: Decreasing thousands of tons of greenhouse emissions caused by trans-regional and transnational transportation of goods.
- Enhanced Communities: Revitalizing communities that have suffered from non-local spending.
The best part? We can help the local economy grow simply by shifting, not increasing, our spending, and without the burden of extra taxes. This excerpt was written by our friends at Somerville Local First. View their website for more information about the 10% shift campaign.
