City Crasher: Think globally, act locally

Begrudgingly, I have accepted that if I want to take care of the world, I need to know how to take care of myself.  Simply, the interior, home sphere needs to be whole before the exterior, outside world can be.  A surprisingly simple conclusion that is more difficult than need be for me.  The point is that I try to make basic changes in my life that not only causes little harm to the world, but might – gasp – improve it.

Ultimately, I look at it in a logical way.  I am a consumer.  I signed a contract to work in exchange for money.  With the money that does not go to sustaining me (house, car, school, food, clothing), I get to spend it as I please.  As a consumer, my money fuels the economy, and businesses are supported or denied by patronage.  In terms of thinking of the world at large, I’d rather my money go towards organizations and businesses that support small families, or are from New York State, specifically Buffalo.  What money goes towards necessities, such as my clothing and food, I can make educated choices about where the products I buy come from.

I’m not a rich woman.  I work in a hardware store and make slightly above minimum wage.  Needless to say, I am not clad in fair-trade vegan clothing, despite wanting to be.  I as one person cannot single handedly save this world from inflation, big business, corporate takeover, or even pay off all the debt we dangle over third-world nations.  I can choose what to do with my money.  I can make changes in my own world that as a group will slowly, but surely affect the wider world.  Think Globally, Act locally is not just some trustafarian phrase to be thrown about.  It is a serious statement about action and responsibility in this world.

With this said, I like to keep my ears open for new options.  I choose to shop locally, and I’ve been trying to determine a place for all Buffalo marketplaces.  Money is just one way of acting.  I wanted to find this list.  Lo and behold, over some coffee at Amy’s Place, I ran into Amy of Buffalo First.  Like serendipity is wanton to do, she briefly explained her organization.  A collection, a list if you will, of Buffalo businesses with the intention of supporting our city.  Thank you, Amy, for the great conversation.  I breathed in the Web site, and now have a beautiful checklist to go through.

With this in mind, one of the places I went to was El Buen Amigo.  It is a fair trade store, promoting arts, culture, textiles, music, education, and frankly, everything you can imagine from Central and South America.  Gosh – what an excellent example of “think globally, act locally.” It’s so obvious that any argument otherwise seems ridiculous and contrived.  I went with a friend’s son, and he told me all about the store.  His mother taught him well.  Good company in a good store with good intentions.

Once you begin to make changes, no matter how small, in your personal life, it’s hard to go back.  Responsibility and social change are not idealistic falsehoods.  They are attainable goals. 

Fast facts
Buffalo First

El Buen Amigo
114 Elmwood Ave. Buffalo, N.Y. 14201

Amy’s Place
3234 Main St. Buffalo, N.Y. 14214

Posted by on 09/18 at 10:54 AM