Shopping locally — choosing smaller, locally based, generally more community-friendly stores and service providers — has a lot of things going for it: It can be an economic boost for a community. It can be a more sustainable solution than certain big-box stores. Food is fresher and support is nearer. We could go on.

By way of the Green Upgrader, we’re introduced to 10 reasons shopping locally is a good idea. And who’s not a sucker for a nifty infographic?

Quickly, those 10 reasons are (all claims made by the Local First organization; they’re reasonable, and we hope there’s legitimate proof to back these up):

1. Local economic stimulus: more money is kept in the community
2. Non-profits receive greater support: local business owners donate more to local charities than non-local owners
3. Unique businesses create character and prosperity: plays a big factor in your overall satisfaction with where you live and the value of you home and property
4. Environmental impact is reduced: centralization generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution
5. Most new jobs are provided by local businesses: small local businesses are the largest employers nationally
6. Customer service is better: because they’re all your neighbors
7. Local business owners invest in community: owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s welfare and future
8. Public benefits far outweigh public costs: require comparatively little infrastructure and more efficiently utilize public services relative to chain stores
9. Competition and diversity lead to more consumer choices: thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term
10. Investment in the local community: similar to some of the points above, local folks put local first

For more, see Green Upgrader and Local First.

Image courtesy of Local First