Shopping at locally-owned businesses is good for the planet and for your local community.

I was thrilled to read that all of those buy local campaigns that have been popping up really do make a difference. When you support local business, you're supporting your community by making sure that your shopping dollars stay local.

Buying local is also often more eco-friendly than shopping at a big box store, especially when we're talking about food and handmade products. Any time you shorten the distance between farm and table or product and consumer, you're cutting back on carbon emissions.

Once you get in the habit of thinking local, it's easy as pie to support your loconomy! Here are some tips for different ways to shop local.

How to Shop Local

Of course, the easiest way to support local business is to shop at independently owned stores rather than at the big box store, but there are other ways to support local businesses, too.

When you're shopping for food, rather than hitting up a chain grocery store consider checking our your local farmers market or even signing up for a CSA program. Local Harvest is a great resource for finding local produce in your area.

Want to buy handmade and shop local at the same time? Small boutiques are a good place to start. Ask to see products from local designers - you'll either find what you're looking for or be letting that shop owner know that you care about supporting local business. Maybe when it's time to restock, they'll look for more locally-produced goods!

If shops in your area don't carry local wares, you can keep an eye out for craft markets and pop up shops! There's also a nifty shop local tool on Etsy, where you can search for handmade goodies by location.

Have you guys found other creative ways to support local businesses? Share away in the comments!

Image Credits:
Buy Local Guide. Creative Commons photo by peretzpup
Infographic. Creative Commons photo via igorschwarzmann