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Local Economies

Local living economy communities generally produce and exchange locally as many products needed by their citizens as they reasonably can, while reaching out to other communities to trade in those products they cannot reasonably produce at home. These communities value and encourage cultural exchange and cooperation.

As the founder of Live Local Alberta, Jessie has a vision for Alberta as a diverse, vibrant and sustainable region. Live Local Alberta is dedicated to educating consumers on the benefit of shopping, eating and living locally and to giving small business owners strength in numbers.

Video: “Jessie Radies - How Local Transforms Communities”

Interested in Making a Difference?

You may be asking “How do I make a Shift to buying Local First?” We have developed the Local Calculator to help you determine the easiest ways to make this Shift. Using this tool, you can adjust your personal shift by 10% in each category by following these simple steps:

Enter your best estimate of how much you spend per year on each category. No need to be exact, approximations work fine
Next, estimate how much of your current purchasing is local by entering a percentage in the “Est. % Local” for each category. If you are not sure how to do business with a Local Independent in this category, you can move the cursor over the category name and an explanation of `what is local' will pop up. We have abbreviated the term "Local Independent" to LI in these pop-ups.

Now it’s time to make the shift. Enter the percentage of your purchases in each category that you will shift to Local Independents in the next twelve months. Adjust these numbers until the number at the bottom right corner reaches (or surpasses) the 10% Shift.

Shelter	Annual $	Annual %	Est % Local	My % Shift	MY TOTAL SHIFT
Home Mortgage/RentFinance home with LI bank or credit union, or rent from a local landlord	$	%	%	%	%
Utilities, Phone, InternetUse an LI provider when available	$	%	%	%	%
Home ImprovementsLI contractors, hardware stores, and lumber yards	$	%	%	%	%
Home Equipment/FurnishingsLI hardware, furniture, and houseware stores	$	%	%	%	%
Food, Drinks, etc.
GroceriesLI grocery stores, food coops, CSA’s, farmer’s markets	$	%	%	%	%
RestaurantsLI restaurants, cafes, and coffee houses	$	%	%	%	%
Alcohol/TobaccoLI liquor stores or grocery stores	$	%	%	%	%
Transportation
Gas, Mass Transit, PlaneWalk or bike first, take mass transit second, and use LI gas stations third.	$	%	%	%	%
Auto/Bike Insurance and RepairsLI insurance agent	$	%	%	%	%
Car PaymentsFinance car with LI bank or credit union	$	%	%	%	%
Retail
ClothingLI Clothing stores, resale stores, or make your own clothes using materials from an LI fabric stores	$	%	%	%	%
Book/CDs/PublicationsLI bookstores, record/CD stores, and publications	$	%	%	%	%
High Tech/ElectronicsLI electronic stores	$	%	%	%	%
Gifts/Misc. RetailLI retail shops	$	%	%	%	%
Health
Health InsuranceLI HMO or insurance company	$	%	%	%	%
Physicians, Dentists, HospitalsLI physicians, dentists, hospitals, and holistic health centers	$	%	%	%	%
Prescriptions/MedicineLI pharmacies & natural food stores	$	%	%	%	%
Recreation/Health/FitnessLI health clubs, mind/body practitioners, and other recreation businesses	$	%	%	%	%
Personal Care/HairLI personal care businesses	$	%	%	%	%
Vacations and Fun
Hotel/B and B'sLI hotels, motels, and Bed & Breakfast’s	$	%	%	%	%
EntertainmentLI music, films, art, drama, sports teams, and other local events	$	%	%	%	%
Finance, Contributions, & Other
401K/Investments/Life Ins.LI agents and financial advisors	$	%	%	%	%
Credit Card InterestEliminate credit card interest by refinancing credit card debt at LI bank or Credit Union and/or pay off balance every month	$	%	%	%	%
ContributionsDonate to local community nonprofits	$	%	%	%	%
OtherLook for every opportunity to do business with an LI	$	%	%	%	%

Income: TOTAL SHIFT: %

Credit for this 10% shift calculator goes to 10percentshift.org.