You know we’re all about supporting our local businesses in Swan City, which is why we’re excited for Earth Day this Fri., April 22. 🌎

This year's Earth Day initiative is centered around investing in our planet — and there are lots of ways buying locally supports sustainability. To promote this goal within our community, we are introducing you to our #BuyLocalBuyGreenLAL campaign.

To celebrate the global initiative, we are challenging you — and ourselves — to only shop locally for one week. Or, at least try to swap out a few basic purchases with local options.

What would this look like? Think: Starting your morning with a trip to Concord Coffee, stopping by the farmers market for local produce, or perusing local goodies at Take Heart.

We want to follow along with your journey, as well as share ours with you. To do so, we are asking you to share photos of your local purchases, shopping sprees, or other Earth Day activities on social media using the hashtag #BuyLocalBuyGreenLAL. Throughout the week, we will spotlight what our community is up to in our newsletters + social feeds.

Don’t have social media but want to participate? Send us your photos via email.

Need some inspiration? Here are some local, sustainable recommendations to switch up your weekly routine. We don’t know about you, but we’ll be starting our days with a local caffeine boost. City Editor Katelyn plans to pick up an iced latte from Hillcrest Coffee + sit outside and enjoy the warm weather.

City Editor Rilee just cleaned out her closet for spring, and can’t wait to pop into Top Buttons to check out gently-used items.

Fridge running low? Head out to the farmers market this Saturday to grab some local produce, or Publix Greenwise Market to pick up hydroponic produce from Brick Street Farms or sustainably sourced seafood. If you enjoy cooking, we recommend adding ingredients like shrimp and grits of your choosing in your cart to make shrimp ‘n grits for dinner.

Whatever you choose, remember to share your stories + tag #BuyLocalBuyGreenLAL for a chance to be featured.