From the editor

From the editor
Think local

By RoxAnna Sway, Editor in Chief
June 01, 2008

In case you haven't heard, "locavore" is a big new trend. Spun from solid green genes, the locavore movement—the word is a take off on carnivore and herbivore—emphasizes growing or producing your own food, or obtaining food from local sources. The latter includes farmers, farm stands, agricultural markets and artisanal producers, such as dairies, cheese-makers and bakers, and emphasizes freshness and seasonality. The standard acceptable radius is set at around 100 miles. Locavore aims to enhance the economy, environment and social health of a particular locale. (The term "locavore" is credited to a group of women in San Francisco, and the New Oxford American Dictionary chose it as the 2007 "Word of the Year.")

The movement is becoming somewhat of a phenomenon. It has already swept the New York and California restaurant scenes, where many of the newest dining ventures have menus heavily tied to seasonal, local foods. Organic grocer Whole Foods Market supports and sells local products as part of its mission—the retailer defines the category as foods that have traveled less than seven hours by truck—and other supermarkets have started to set up "locally grown" areas in their produce departments.

The concept is based on carbon emission footprint analysis and the belief that giant transport trucks racing cross-country and consuming lots of expensive gasoline—it now costs close to $1,300 to fill up the tank of an 18-wheeler—while spewing out pollution in their wakes, are a major detriment to the environment. Products from faraway lands that must travel thousands of miles to arrive on American supermarket shelves—such as peaches and grapes from Chile and Australia, in mid-winter—are even worse offenders. As the sustainability movement gains support, and as gasoline becomes more costly, this will become even more of an issue.

The counterpart for the locavore movement in America is the "Slow Food" movement in Europe, which started in Italy more than 20 years ago. Joined by the "Slow Cities" movement, these philosophies address not only food, but also total lifestyle.

And although we are traveling more and experiencing the global marketplace, our collective focus as consumers seems to be turning more to our local communities. Mixed-use, village shopping centers and urban revitalization are bringing a community-dominated way of life back to this country, after decades of unbridled suburban expansion. People socialize, shop and sometimes also work in these new neighborhoods. This trend to "New Urbanism" supports sustainable development practices, a sense of community and less dependency on automobiles.

Local communities have also influenced changes in retail expansion, as across the country big-box retailers—including Wal-Mart and Target—have listened to complaints that their supercenter stores are space-hogging eyesores that are unwelcome in many communities. Now, these discounters are changing their store size and design to complement and appeal to local neighborhoods (see page 6). For example, Wal-Mart's gray and blue, generic box is on the way out. In its place are store designs with Mediterranean, Main Street and other distinctive architectural styles. In a new Detroit-area Wal-Mart, the retailer has stocked its store with Middle Eastern goods, specifically to meet the needs of the local Arab-American audience—including a Halal meat counter, featuring meat slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law. In Atlanta, a new Target store has soaring, contemporary architecture and a landscaped, outdoor park—hip enough to fit into the local urban neighborhood of mainly young professionals.

Macy's launched a major new "localization initiative" called "My Macy's," earlier this year, and restructured its entire organization into 20 geographic districts, with about 10 stores each. Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren said, "We believe the right answer is to re-allocate our resources to place more emphasis and talent at the local market level to differentiate Macy's stores, serve customers and drive business." He added that sales growth in the future would be driven by improving knowledge at the local level, and by tailoring assortments to fit local markets.

Advertising agencies are finding that the new, hot buzzwords are "you," "my," "I" and "neighborhood." Just look around and you will be amazed at the number of magazine ads and TV commercials that use these words, which really resonate with customers now.

So, think local; it's good for business—and good for the planet.

Got a comment? Write me at: rsway@ddimagazine.com.