THE ART OF SUPPORTING LOCAL: ST PETE, FL

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THE ART OF SUPPORTING LOCAL 

St. Petersburg, FL Edition



    For my final Climate Change Culminating Communication project, I decided to create a St. Pete Local Buyer's Guide. I chose to take my project in this direction because I am very passionate about supporting the unique local businesses that make St. Pete the one-of-a-kind city that it is. Relying on local businesses, rather than Amazon, is a way in which individuals can help to combat climate change while getting involved in their own community. By framing the issue of climate change as an opportunity to rely on local businesses, we are able to make climate change personal and relatable which has the power to be very influential.

    My goal with this project was to create an informative, simple, beautiful material that people who are new to St. Pete can utilize. When moving to a new city, it is extremely easy to become overwhelmed and not know where to start when exploring local businesses. In response to this, I created a brochure that lists roughly 10 local businesses/community events that people can take advantage of to live a more sustainable, local life. 

    I was originally going to create an Instagram account and use it to highlight local businesses. But, then I thought that was almost too easy and I wasn't sure how successful it would be because St. Pete already has so many Instagram accounts that share local businesses. Plus, I wanted to utilize my own creative vision and create a material that looks as eye-catching as it is informational. I wanted to create an informational piece that didn't scare people way, but caught their eye and inspired them to live a more sustainable, local life. But, after I finished creating the material itself, I hit the slight road block, "how am I going to distribute this to culminate climate change action?"

    I utilized my own personal social media accounts to share my St. Pete Buyer's Guide. I posted it on my Instagram story and it got over 400 views and many people messaged me to say thank you for sharing (that made my heart happy). I even tagged some of the local businesses within the story which they then reposted to their stories, giving my Buyer's Guide more traction. I dm'ed a couple of big local St. Pete accounts like @stpeterising and @stpetefl to see if they would be interested in sharing my Buyer's Guide. But, unfortunately, I never got any response back.

    Climate change is a global issue that can easily cause a lot of distress. But, climate change can also inspire individuals to make changes in their life to live more sustainably and reduce their carbon footprint. As humans, we have the power to make a positive impact on the environment and within our unique communities with the ways in which we spend our money. Buying from local businesses, rather than large corporations like Amazon, is one of the most rewarding ways in which you can reduce your carbon footprint while supporting your own community. Framing climate change as an opportunity to embrace supporting local is a great narrative to inspire people to live more sustainably and culminate climate action!


ST. PETE LOCAL BUYER'S GUIDE:

St. Petersburg, FL is known for the countless one-of-a-kind small businesses that make supporting local so easy! Amazon doesn't do a happy dance when you buy from them, but these businesses do! 

Below are some of my personal, local, sustainable St. Pete gems:


Brick Street Farms: Brick Street Farms is a hyper-local St. Pete based start-up company that creates hydroponic farms out of up-cycled shipping containers. In one parking lot, BSF grows 48 acres of farmland within their hydroponic shipping container farms. Visit their Farm Market at 2233 3rd Ave S!



Sunshine Thrift: Sunshine Thrift is one of the best thrift stores in St. Pete! Buying second-hand clothing and household goods is much more sustainable than purchasing new items from fast production and fast fashion companies. I always walk out of Sunshine with some super cheap gems! Check it out at 2808 34th St N!




Black Crow Coffee Co: Black Crow Coffee Co. is St. Pete's only zero waste coffee shop! They are known for their raw pasta straws, vegan options, and inclusive atmosphere. They also have the best cold brew in St. Pete. They have two locations at 722 2nd St N and 2157 1st Ave S!



Sans Market: San's Market is a zero waste lifestyle store with everything from household cleaning products, feminine products, kitchenware, hygiene products, and more! You can bring your own bottle to refill or they have plenty of bottles ready to take home! Find them at 1037 Central Ave!



Truffula Eco-Boutique: Truffūla is an eco-boutique featuring earth-friendly products. We carry a wide range of sustainable items including organic cotton, hemp, and bamboo clothing (The apparel industry is the #2 polluter of our oceans behind the oil industry)! Find Truffūla 2935 at Central Avenue!



Greens N' Things Urban Farm: Greens 'N' Things Urban Farm uses natural and organic practices to convert empty lots into valuable growing space in St. Petersburg, FL with a focus on lettuces, baby greens and root veggies for local families and restaurants. They grow with no lights, no herbicides, no pesticides, no tractors. Just sun, dirt and water. Find them at 2500 25th St N!



Rollin' Oats: Rollin' Oats is a 100% organic, natural grocery store in St. Pete. Buying organic foods is a great way to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Rollin' Oats retails tons of locally made goods like bread from Gulfcoast Sourdough and kombucha from Mother Kombucha! Check out Rollin' Oats at 2842 Dr M.L.K. Jr St N!



Florida Fruit Co-Op: The Florida Fruit Co-Op strives to provide access to the highest quality, locally grown tropical fruits. They are rebuilding and re-vitalizing the relationship between consumers, farmers, and the workers that create our food economy. Their Mamey Sapote is to die for! Find them at the Saturday Morning Market or Corey Ave Market!



Love Food Central: Love Food Central is one of the best vegan eateries in St. Pete. Animal agriculture is a huge source of Earth heating gasses. Eating vegan is one of the best ways to reduce ones environmental impact, even if it's just a couple meals a week! Find Love Food Central at 2057 Central Ave!



Farmer's Markets: The Saturday Morning Market, Tuesday Gulfport Market, and Sunday Corey Ave Market are three wonderful weekly outdoor markets that highlight countless unique local vendors! At these markets, you'll find everything from fresh produce, plants, herbal remedies, soaps, clothing, art, and more.




Noteworthy benefits of supporting local:
  • $58 REMAINS HERE: For every $100 spent at a local business or restaurant, $58 remains in and circulates through the community which benefits the local economy. By supporting local businesses, you are literally investing in your own community!
  • 90% OF JOBS: 90% of new net jobs have been created by small, locally-owned businesses.
  • 26% LESS AUTOMOBILE MILES: Residents of neighborhoods with more local businesses report 26% less automobile miles. Purchasing local requires less transportation from the consumer and the business itself! Products from places like Amazon and Walmart are transported thousands of miles to get to your home; all those miles release a lot of Earth heating gas which directly links to climate change. No, thank you!
  • OUR UNIQUE COMMUNITY: One-of-a-kind businesses play an extremely important role in building the character and uniqueness of a community. Imagine what a city would look like with only chain stores. Pretty boring, huh?
Source: Sustainable Connections, https://sustainableconnections.org/why-buy-local/



It's time to take action!

Take action by educating yourself on the local businesses within your area that would love to greet you with a smile as you walk through their doors.

  • Take a walk/drive through your neighborhood to see what local businesses are around. Make note of each one that catches your eye!
  • Ask around! Ask other locals what their favorite local stores, businesses, and restaurants are. The local's know all of the best spots!
  • Follow local businesses and restaurants on social media! Often times, local spots throw great events and partner with other like-minded local businesses. If you don't have the financial means to support local, you can always support them by interacting with their social media posts!




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