February 7, 2020
People often ask how conscious and healthy shopping and eating habits can slow global warming. One sure way to meet this goal is to shop and eat from local businesses. Since the food of local eateries is made on-site and does not travel long distances, these businesses release much less carbon into our atmosphere than corporations that ship their food around the world. Most of the goods at local cafes and bakeries are healthier too.
Take a look at GEM Bakery, located on 265 North Hancock Street here in Portland. I talked with Anne Miller, who owns GEM, and she elaborates on whether she will keep her store local: "Yes, I plan on keeping my business local, as I only having one store."
One problem with having a local business is that it is easier to go completely out of business. This happens because less people know about local shops, probably because most local businesses do not advertise in magazines, billboards, newspaper, and even TV. GEM Bakery avoids going out of business by selling their goods to larger stores, such as New Seasons, Fresh Pot, Stumptown, and many others.
When you buy a muffin do you think about where it comes from? This is a question that Anne Miller suggests we ponder. Maybe next time we should think about how many trucks, planes, and trains it took to get that muffin into your hands. Let's say it came from New York, and it took 3 planes, 1 truck and 4 trains. That is way too much energy going into your muffin. All that energy is causing global warming. Why should just your muffin cause global warming? Why have a muffin from New York when you could go to a bakery across the street?
Having one store here in Portalnd allows Anne to save a lot of energy and money while she bring the public delicious, gluten-free baked items.
GEM is a local business, and they sell lots of goodies, like pumpkin bars, cookies, and brownies all gluten free! Some other local businesses in Portland that you should visit or where you can find yummy local treats are Ruby Jewel, Salt & Straw, as well as Sweetpea.
Link for GEM: http://www.glutenfreegem.com
Link for Buisness Dictionary: http://www.businessdictionary.com/
Hi! My name is Isabelle, and I go to Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii. I found this article very engaging, for it was very relatable! I especially appreciated the part where you asked about whether we think about how much energy it took to get a muffin in our hands. It also inspired me to expand my knowledge of local shops here in Honolulu more, and contribute to both the economy and environment by shopping local :)
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you listed a couple of bakery suggestions, especially so that people who live or visit Portland can take action right away.
Thanks for sharing your article with your class,
Isabelle