This long-weekend Monday was spectacular weather-wise — the afternoon was pure sunshine. My partner, Penny, and I spent the entire afternoon on our back deck, and I enjoyed a very delicious, very cold Lonetree Apple-Peach Cider, straight from our freezer.
Sipping my cider, I wondered what sort of a world we are now moving into as our BC economy and communities begin to cautiously open up.
My cider had been delivered to our front door by our favourite local pub, Darby’s Public House on Macdonald and W. 4th. The option of having it delivered for free meant that we didn’t need to venture out, so we could still enjoy the sun. Bonus — it also meant we did a favour for the climate as the pub can tap into travel efficiencies and make a number of deliveries at once. Fewer trips equal fewer carbon emissions.
As the economy begins to open up a bit, we must all still do our best to minimize trips outside our homes. At the same time, we need to do everything we can to support our local economy.
I’m very pleased by the fact that Darby’s and Lonetree are about as local as it gets. Darby’s is independently and locally owned, and has done a great job of fitting into Kits neighbourhood for nearly 40 years.
Lonetree Cider is an amazing company. It’s based here in Vancouver but started after the owners met third-generation orchardists in the Okanagan who didn’t want to turn their old-growth orchards into vineyards. Their BC cider is 100% sourced from BC fruit, while their Ontario cider is 100% sourced in Ontario; likewise for Quebec. To produce BC cider like I enjoyed, Lonetree now sources their fruit from more than 500 grower families throughout the province. Now that’s local, and ethical.
If we’re to revive our hard-hit economy, it’s more important than ever that we think local, shop local, buy local.
Businesses around the world are literally at our fingertips, as long as we can use a keyboard or pick up a phone. But we harm the environment and the local economy every time we’re seduced into buying from far afield. I think the Jeff Bezos of our world have made more than enough money, and it takes no more effort to get what you want delivered from your local companies, stores, pubs or restaurants. It takes very little more to arrange to pick it up.
When vacation time comes, we also need to think local. Where will you choose to spend your holiday this year — and the emphasis is on “spend”?
Depending on how much travel safely opens up, you don’t need to feel denied if you have to stay close to home. There are so many wonderful attractions here in Vancouver and nearby (think North Vancouver and Squamish or even Delta and Langley). And you certainly don’t need to spend your vacation dollars elsewhere when they’re desperately needed at home.
Did you know that British Columbians spend more tourism dollars outside of BC than tourists to BC spend while visiting our province? Bottom line: how we British Columbians normally take a holiday creates a net loss to our economy.
Post-pandemic, if we re-think and spend all our vacation dollars here in the province, it would more than offset the economic losses to our tourism sector from the huge decline in visitors from beyond BC.
I don’t need to tell you that Penny and I take a great staycation every August right here in beautiful Vancouver. But this year — depending on how much has opened up — we’ll be happy if all we can safely do is simply enjoy another Lonetree Cider right on our own back deck.
Daily atmospheric CO2 [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]
Latest daily total (May 20, 2020): 417.06 ppm
One year ago (May 20, 2019): 414.73 ppm
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