Supporting Small Business Saturday and Tucson Local First

I'm a believer in the power of our local communities.I choose local foods and businesses as part of a more sustainable lifestyle. I'm thankful in this season that the go-local movement is growing.

I’m part of our Local First Tucson group of businesses focused on enriching communities throughout Arizona. Strong local economies will turn the tide in these volatile times.

For me, focusing local began in 1972, when place-making and the back-to-the land movement was in full swing. I was a young journalist attending a conference titled “How to Live Sanely in a Trouble World. Helen and Scott Nearing, Vermont and Maine homesteaders and authors of the 1954 cult classic, The Simple Life, were there, as were many other leaders of the early green revolution.  Since then sustainability and community-building (incorporating nature, art and culture) grew roots in my professional and personal life. Amazing- Just recently, the People’s Garden NYC contacted me about a story I wrote for the New York Times on Urban Agriculture 30 years ago. Sustainability is timeless. So is the richness of our local foods and businesses. Please check out and support the Small Business Saturday movement.