Shop Smart in 2013

Shopping smarter has changed. Sure, we all want a to get a bigger bang for our buck each time we buy something, but in 2013 what does that really mean?

Today, most of us understand that the choices we make when we shop resonate far beyond the checkout counter, into the local economy and the environment at large. Luckily two programs have emerged to help conscientious consumers get more out of their shopping experience than ever before.

According to the 3/50 Project, for every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores like Nest, 68% returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. By comparison, when you buy at a national chain, only $43 stays in the community. For this reason the 3/50 project suggests that shoppers pick 3 independent businesses and spend $50 there each month. If half of the employed population did this, the 3/50 project estimates that this would result in $42.6 billion in revenue-that’s a big difference!

To make things even easier, 3/50 recently developed “LookLocal”, a free iphone app that helps consumers find locally owned, independent brick and mortar merchants, connect with them, and share them with friends.

Since 1985, Nest favorite Patagonia has pledged 1% of its sales (that’s over $46 million!) to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. In 2002 Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and Craig Mathews created a non-profit organization to encourage other businesses to do the same. Thus began 1% for the Planet, a growing global alliance of over 1,236 companies that have made a serious commitment to protecting the natural environment by donating 1% of their sales to a network of 3,185 grass-roots environmental organizations world-wide. Interested in participating in 1% for the Planet? Conscientious consumers can visit http://onepercentfortheplanet.org for a list of participating companies or ask a Nest employee to point out which of our vendors participate in 1% for the Planet.

Our day-to-day choices can have an enormous impact on the health of our communities and the environment. By making simple changes towards more conscientious shopping in 2013, we gain far more than the goods we purchase. We gain the satisfaction in knowing that the money we spend is working to protect the things we love.