Well. There's only a few days until the big day.

Here’s a thought for holiday shopping: rather than wandering aimlessly around the big box the day before the big holiday, what if great gift ideas came to you from our network of passionate small business owners? It is late notice, but let us use this post as a gathering place for unique and exciting ideas, items or services people may not have thought of or about which you, their purveyors, are especially excited this year. I will have our social media gurus send out Tweets and post to Facebook links to this page soliciting ideas from our partners and asking them to comment in the threads with all the necessary information.

I don’t know. Could work. Could be fun. Could be a launching pad for a future, vastly improved campaign. Could be a thing.

So here’s the call out:

Local business owners: Have some unique items, great gift ideas, and interesting choices for locally minded consumers? Let them know in the comment thread of this post! Tell us what you have, what it costs and how to find you!

Are you a service provider and Local First partner with a special promotion or offer this winter? What do you do and how or why do you do it better? Let us know!

Thank you for visiting our website. I can thank you because you are here. Whether you’ve checked our directory, calendar of events, or visited this blog, we appreciate your interest and hope you’ve continued to discover plenty of useful content in every visit. But within the wide-ranging reach “Buy,” “Act,” and “Think” are a number of ideas and suggestions to better drive your individual actions, improve your choices, and bring our statewide independent business community ever closer together. We strive to do our very best.

If you were able to attend any of our events this year, you could see first-hand the efforts of our tiny staff supported by an army of local-minded volunteers. The enthusiasm surrounding our mission definitely propels our efforts and inspires hope for more events with greater geographical diversity in the future.

Despite tough economic times, Utah remains a top-tier state in which to do business and our universities continue to rank the highest for the creation of startup companies. Entrepreneurship thrives. But our locally owned businesses continue to feel the pressure of competition from big boxes. Whether or not we are emerging from recession, consumers are constantly faced with some important decisions when it comes to spending their hard-earned money. Granted, The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said that “In October 2011, real disposable personal income increased 0.3 percent.” So that’s cool.

But the choice remains as to where to spend that disposable income. 

Through these winter months, let’s remember to check with our friends, to check the Local First partner directory, and to look for options that support our community and strengthen our local economy first. That can mean dispatching with the “convenience” of “one-stop shopping” (that studies have shown lure consumers into purchasing more than what they intended to begin with) and planning a shopping list and efficient route that supports local businesses. For holiday shopping, a good plan can not only limit total gas consumption, it can save the hapless wandering around department store in search of some random present.

Dozens of our partners stepped forward during Local First week to offer discount coupons for our friends and followers of Local First. There was great media coverage of the event and some solid exposure for independent businesses throughout the state. In fact, notes Local First’s Marketing Assistant Kristen Lavelett, “We achieved hefty statewide reach from our little South Salt Lake Office by employing the power of the internet.” The Gift Shift Coupon was a great opportunity to patronize an independent business and receive the benefit of some exclusive discounts. Just for thinking locally.

Moving forward, we encourage you keep those enthusiastic business owners in mind for all your needs, whether making purchases for yourself or as gifts. They love talking about their businesses which are their passions, and they love sharing ideas about other ways to make local choices.

Stay tuned for some more locally tuned dialogue and, I hope, some fantastic gift ideas.

--Andrew Dash Gillman

Local First Utah Op-Ed

Local First Utah’s blog often focuses on the human energy that propels our independent business community. But today I’m going to switch entrepreneurship for concrete kilowatts. You see, Utah’s energy system has some problems. Two of the gravest—air pollution and rapidly rising prices— have local solutions.

In January this year, The Salt Lake Tribune alerted consumers to the grim reality of rising energy rates because, quite frankly, we’re using a lot more of it: “Due to what it describes as the rising demand for electricity throughout the state, the utility warns Utah consumers may see annual price increases of 8 percent to 10 percent annually for the next decade.” This year, rates will only increase by 4.7%, a reduction of the power company’s initial request, but a reduction that suggests Rocky Mountain Power will be back before the Public Service Commission next year asking again for another hike.

It seems that as long as our energy needs keep rising we’ll have no choice but to pay the higher rates. But alternative energy proponents disagree, believing that as long as we’re investing more in energy now, it should be in sources that will continue to generate energy for the long haul. That, rather than gradually paying more for “traditional” and ultimately finite sources—sources that are, arguably, much more harmful to our health.

So, what…are we talking about solar panels on our roofs? We just might be. We just might be. But that idea is only part of the equation, which, it turns out, is literally what we are talking about: an equation. In fact, the equation is a series of integrated calculations that maximizes energy inputs from renewable energy sources at the moment of their peak generation that is designed, eventually, to largely or completely offset dependence upon coal and natural gas.

“One of the biggest arguments against renewable energy,” notes HEAL Utah’s Energy Analyst Arthur Morris, “is that it is intermittent and therefore cannot be predicted and therefore cannot be integrated. But Morris says we can look at meteorology as a useful comparison. “Everyone knows you can (to an extent) predict the weather. Is it perfect? No. But it’s a damn fine ballpark.” The equation forecasts both energy needs and energy generation.

Look, we’re paying more for energy—even self-styled “cheap” fossil fuels. That’s a reality. We will continue to pay more as long as alternatives aren’t developed. Investment in alternative energy can ensure that some of those most vulnerable to constantly increasing rates—small businesses—can remain sustainable for the long term.

That’s Local First Utah’s mission to the core.

In Search of Innovation

But please note: the following opinion does not necessarily reflect that of Local First Utah or its sponsors. The ideas are, however, concerned with protecting the public health of Utah’s citizens through responsible, local energy development.

Embedded, traditional energy structures have effectively maintained status quo by delivering what had been for a long time the lowest-cost energy on the market. Improvements in technologies harnessing alternatives sources, including wind, solar, and geothermal are beginning to level the playing field—and they avoid external costs (those not factored into the projected rates) of public health.

In short, think of all those “red alert” air days in Northern Utah during which it is recommended that children, the elderly, people with autoimmune disorders, and anyone who cares about breathing stay inside.

The fact is we have some of the worst air in the nation. As Utah Department of Environmental Quality points out, our winter inversions cannot be prevented, but the pollution that gets trapped in the valley and in our lungs can. While surrounding western states such as Colorado and California have legislated tough renewable energy standards, Utah is lagging behind, in spite of the impacts of our dependence upon fossil fuels on our health.

I have blogged before about local energy. Remember Moab? “The localization movement encompasses more than just food production. Moab (for example) is already harnessing healthier, renewable energy in the form of wind, a commitment that earned the city the distinction of being the Nation's First EPA Green Power Community.”

States generate (and often export) energy from a variety of energy sources, including both traditional fossil fuel-based energy and more modern, renewable sources. While a number of states have legislated renewable portfolio standards (RPSs), Utah has simply established renewable energy goals.

Utah’s code “requires that utilities only need to pursue renewable energy to the extent that it is ‘cost-effective’ to do so” based upon an “assessment of whether acquisition of the resource will result in the delivery of electricity at the lowest reasonable cost, as well as an assessment of long-term and short-term impacts, risks, reliability, financial impacts on the affected utility, and other factors determined by the Utah Public Service Commission (PSC).” The idea is to ensure Utah ratepayers are given the lowest cost, lowest risk energy. While the short-term low cost of fossil fuels is appealing, the elevated rate of environmental illnesses in our children is not.

The Local Solution: Wherever Local Is

There are several entrepreneurs and independent business owners working locally to develop and manufacture energy that can help nurture a transition to cleaner, safer, more local energy. But it will take an investment by people and local government to ensure their viability and competitiveness in a market flooded with cheaper products from abroad. Local energy production should ideally combine domestic manufacturing with renewable, localized, and readily available sources. Even the conversation about building costly twin nuclear power reactors in Green River is troubling in part because the power is likely destined to leave Utah, doing nothing to ensure Utah's energy independence. Meanwhile, the recent conversation about reducing our dependence upon foreign oil has turned our focus to domestic natural gas and, more recently, controversial oil "tar" sands from Canada.

We can do better.

An expert in air pollution and a leader in renewable energy development says he has the answer to powering the future world’s energy needs using only renewable sources. He is Stanford professor Dr. Mark Jacobson, and he will be visiting Utah on November 15th to discuss his plan for a safer, cleaner, and independent energy future. Dr. Jacobson will be visiting in conjunction with a fundraiser for a local nonprofit that has led grassroots efforts to keep foreign and excessive radioactive waste out of Utah—and which is looking to the future of Utah by supporting research that improves the health and integrity of our state through thoughtful, local development.

The same brand of initiative and ingenuity that define America—or better still, the sheer industriousness of Utahns—will power our future. Indeed, these ideas are not so big a shift from this blog’s core after all. It’s energy entrepreneurship driven by human entrepreneurship. They’re ideas that, in the long term, protect and empower independent businesses in our great state.

Let’s get right to it, shall we? “We are excited to spend the evening with our fellow local vendors/businesses and share some tricks of the trade,” says Harmons Grocer’s Jessica Bott. “It is always fun being with your peers.” Of course, we all know by now that Harmons is a locally owned and locally operated business. We love that about Harmons. But what many of our partners and friends don’t realize is that Harmons’ unwavering support of Local First Utah has made so much of what we do, from an organizational standpoint, possible.

There is so much that goes in to running a nonprofit, let alone one as fundamentally large as ours, yet so minimally staffed. Our tiny paid staff (of one and a half) and tiny volunteer staff (of one and a quarter) combine with the tireless efforts of our many event volunteers to make Local First stretch as far as possible, quantitatively, philosophically and geographically. We were so fortunate to get to visit parts of southern Utah earlier this year, and hope that we shall have the opportunity to physically visit many more communities in the near future. So much gratitude is owed Harmons (and our other on-going sponsors), we hope you’ll stop by their table, sample their offering, and thank them personally for being such a huge part of defining Local First Utah.

But as for Harmons themselves? Adds Bott, “We offer as many locally grown and produced items as we can in our stores. We love supporting local businesses.”

And if that’s not enough excitement for one year, “We are also excited about our Emigration Market Store that just opened on 1300 East and 1700 South and looking forward to City Creek Harmons opening Downtown February 2012.” 15 communities throughout the state of Utah are currently blessed by the presence of Harmons’ 15 current stores. Harmons and all of our state’s many excellent, locally owned smaller markets are among the best community places we have, emphasizing local products whenever possible to ensure the longevity of our local growers, producers, and manufacturers.

Rounding out our list of very generous and incredible sponsors is the Platinum-Level Sponsor The Blended Table and our Gold-Level Sponsors in Rico Brand, Gastronomy, Inc., and Happy Day Gourmet.

In addition to visiting their website, more about the beautiful team of passionate caterers at The Blended Table can be read here, from this summer’s issue of edible Wasatch. Happy Day Gourmet may well have a little something special in store for you in that secret SanSegal surprise alluded to in an earlier post, while our appreciation for Rico Brand, whose founder Jorge Fierro generously provided the space for our previous fundraisers, until we simply outgrew the space! Fierro’s Frida Bistro, incidentally, will also be returning this year, as will seventeen other enticing purveyors of the state’s finest culinary delights, perfectly presented especially for our event. I’d list and hyperlink them all here, but that work is already done here, the page where your eager questions, “How do I get involved?” is in fact answered. So go here (here: http://www.localfirst.org/act-local/annual-fundraiser), and see exactly how to help support this once-nebulous thing we so lovingly call, “the bounty,” and in turn can’t seem to stop celebrating.

Finally, the images accompanying this series are taken from inside the spectacular Salt Lake Hardware Building at 105 North, 400 West, a mere block from the Arena TRAX stop and where there is plenty of free parking. Also, I will be there with my father’s camera taking photographic representations of the whole shebang, because that’s something else that I sometimes do.

Meantime, we look forward to seeing you at the big show! Oh, and, just one more thing: Remember, tickets in advance are cheaper than at the door so, well, that’s something to note.

Series and Photos Prepared by Andrew Dash Gillman

Typically, I am inclined to provide a full analysis of an article on the local movement from the perspective of Local First Utah but authors Miguel Bustillo and David Kesmodel do an excellent job presenting the full scope of the trend with in this case with regard to Wal-Mart in the August 1st edition of The Wall Street Journal. Please read the pdf part 1 and part 2 for the full story.

Bustillo and Kesmodel actually craft language that obliges the reader to ask some really obvious questions without outright villainizing any of the parties involved. For our purposes, the most interesting aspect of the piece is the fine line that multi-national corporations now dance on between the cost of fuel and transportation and the higher price of local, often smaller farmers—and how ultimately buying local maybe isn’t the most cost effective, but it responds to a demand.

That, alone, is a huge victory: “most of the chains say their main objective is to satisfy changing consumer preferences.” Of course, the article makes several good points about how some companies might resort to simple changes in marketing strategies to meet customer expectations rather than actually changing how they do business, but the idea is still encouraging.

Unfortunately, food is only a tiny fraction of the total picture, big box or no, since the vast majority of major manufacturing is now conducted overseas where labor is cheaper and poorly regulated. That means most days the very best we can do is buy our food from local farmers, and, of course, consume less.

In the meantime, we can take heart in knowing that the big boxes are responding to customer demand, and though such demand forces a shift in business from established relationships to new, local farms, it also encourages diversity in the marketplace. But marketplace diversity is only the beginning.  Next, can we can hope for a return to broader systemic diversity (rather than centralized power and concentration of wealth) and even better business ethics providing for ecological diversity? Probably not. Note that the corporations in question aren’t shifting because it’s right; they’re transitioning because their customers have demanded it. But it’s good to hope for diversity because, well, diversity is resilience in any system: individuals actually contributing to a whole. Keep demanding! Keep choosing local first, and if Wal-Mart is your only option, then ask for local. There’s power in unity.

Words by: Andrew Dash Gillman

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone that attended 2011's Celebrate the Bounty!

We hope you all had a wonderful time. 

Thank you once again to:

 Beehive Cheese Co, Chocolot Artisan Confections, Harmons, Liberty Heights Fresh, Meditrina, Pago, Tin Angel Cafe, Frida Bistro, Heirloom Restaurant Group, the Tequenos Factory, Wild Grape Bistro, Cali's Natural Foods, The Red Iguana, GF Squared, Les Madeleines, Blossom Fine Foods, Caffe Molise, Eatery 1025!

The Daniel Day Trio

Thank You to our 2011 Event Sponsors

Harmons, Zions Bank, OC Tanner, Bacchus Rentals, Especially For You, Squatters, Castle Creek Winery, Gastronomy Inc., Nicholas & Co., Model Linen Supply, Salt Lake City, Edible Wasatch, City Weekly, Salt Lake Magazine, SLUG magazine, Salt Lake County, The King's English, Rico Brand, The Group Real Estate, LLC, SanSegal Sportswear, Catalyst magazine, The Blended Table, ATM Machine, Momentum Recycling, The Mandate Press, Happy Day Gourmet

Congratulations to the 2011 LocalMotive Award Recipients

Ian Brandt 
Beth Bell
Heidi Rodeback

Get Involved with Celebrate the Bounty 2012

BECOME A SPONSOR

• Become a sponsor of Celebrate the Bounty and let your community know that you support local!
• Sponsorship Packages are available beginning at $2500, $1000 and $500. 
• Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  for more information on how to become a sponsor.

DONATE to the SILENT AUCTION!

• We need your support and would love to hear from all of our partners from around the state!
• Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  to donate an item(s) or package(s).

Nominate an Inspiring Local for the 3ND ANNUAL LOCALMOTIVE AWARDS

• Nomination Form (coming soon!)
• Nominations close October 1, 2012.
• The 2012 Recipients will be announced and awarded at the fundraiser.

•  Criteria for Nominations

A Special Thank You to our 2011 Event Committee

Jocelyn Kearl, Bryan Johnson, Gerardo Castillo, Scott Evans, Amy Coady, Marci Rasmussen, Rachel Hodson, Jennifer Gilroy, Amy Britt, Greta deJong, and Steven Rosenberg.

I was recently given a gift certificate to Tony Caputo’s as a reward for a job well done. Recently, I have been grappling with financial issues ranging from debilitating high-interest debt to forcing myself to eat extremely conservatively, buying only stables to supplement what currently occupies my pantry.

The latter experience is not so terrible in principle, but a range of stomach sensitivities drove me to better understand not just what was in the food that I ate, but ultimately to understand from where my food was coming. It’s a journey of nutrition that should be central to elementary education (alongside principles of ecology, but that’s another blog). The consequence of my journey is the combined need and desire to eat as fresh and local as I can afford.

“Fresh,” simply put, meant meals cooked at home with as little processed or pre-packaged as possible, or alternatively to patronize only those restaurants who know from where the majority of their food comes, and as a result can and prefer to disclose it on their menus.

“Local,” on the other hand, falls in line behind fresh, since if it can be grown or produced (ethically) in Utah, e.g., Utah’s Own, it should. The idea is to minimize the effect on my body, and on the environment.

What we have learned in recent years is that much more can be produced locally than we remembered. “Remembered” only means that the last generation or two came to rely upon the unknown supply chains sourcing from across the world for its food, a choice made because of convenience and price. Unfortunately, cheap, heavily processed foods gradually revealed their true selves, and despite claims to the contrary, are the logical reason for the increase in obesity and diabetes in America, among other diseases.

The very grid of the Wasatch Front, and in particular Salt Lake City, was based upon the premise of neighbors in tight-knit communities growing their own food and sustaining themselves as much as possible from their own land. Fortunately for the valley, there is still a lot of space in the form of backyards and small plots of undeveloped land that are gradually being claimed by advocates of community gardens. It is a gradual reversal of the trend of the mid-century American food industry, but one that is critical to the future sustainability of our society. That is broad, radical statement with which many factions disagree, but it can be approached from a different angle: if organic, local, healthy, fresh food can be produced cheaper than the boxed alternatives to which we have grown accustomed, isn’t it worth our time and effort?

Going to Tony Caputo’s is a unique experience. The Caputo’s have endeavored to stock alongside world-class global products world-class local products. In the past, that was not always possible. Import shops like Tony Caputo’s really made their name on sourcing products from the global food supply that were unmatched by local producers, because artisan American producers had for the most part gotten lost in the shuffle of mechanization. But we live in an extraordinary time where those artisans are reemerging, and offering up options that can compete with the best in the world. On any given visit, one might choose a local product, or one might choose something imported. At Caputo’s, either way, you are supporting a local business that has endeavored for years to develop direct relationships with artisan producers throughout the world.

These things are not mutually exclusive, and never were.

Chef Kyle Lore of Utah’s nU Nooz pasta says his inspiration came in part from a display documenting a turn-of-the-nineteenth century Italian immigrant who opened up a pasta shop near where the Intermodal Hub now stands. The pasta maker produced a product that combined what he could source locally, namely a hard red winter wheat, with durum semolina imported from Italy. But he labored to produce his product by hand, and offered a real local product to the larger community.

The same is true of nU Nooz today, only Chef Lore has recently supplied seeds for durum semolina to a local farmer with the hope that he will someday soon source everything locally. He should, because the production potential exists. And beyond production, of course, is preservation. Again, another story.

In the meantime, the question of my gift certificate remains. I already know I can get my local eggs, bread, pasta, and occasionally chicken. I have favorite local cheeses that I might consider. I might even splurge and buy some Creminelli cured salami. It doesn’t really matter because every choice leaves me feeling good about my decisions. I always buy from Caputo’s when I can, because I love what I can buy, and from whom I am buying, both suppliers and retailers. Most importantly is that people know that about me. That is why I was given the gift certificate.

Authors: E. Van Winkle, Andrew Dash Gillman