4845-20 Resolution to encourage local residents to buy local

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BILL NO. 20-04 RESOLUTION NO.4845-20 A RESOLUTION ON BEHALF OF THE SOUTH BEND COMMON COUNCIL ENCOURAGING LOCAL RESIDENTS AND THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND TO "BUY-LOCAL" TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MANY BENEFITS OF PURCHASING FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES WHEREAS,The South Bend Common Council is proud of local-independent businesses, including local agricultural businesses, and supports the impact those businesses have on the City's culture, economy and character; and WHEREAS,by buying local South Bend and area residents encourage a strong sense of pride in our community; and WHEREAS,buying local improves and protects the environment because the purchasing habits, central location and smaller footprint of local businesses results in less pollution and congestion; and WHEREAS, according to The Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy, and Society, counties with a higher volume of local businesses have a lower rate of mortality, obesity, and diabetes presumably due to eating foods that are unadulterated with pesticides like organic fruits and vegetables, or free from hormone disrupting compounds like grass-fed meats,pasture-raised eggs and dairy; and WHEREAS,The Institute for Local Self-Reliance conducted a study which determined that each $100 spent at local independents generated $45 of secondary local spending, compared to $14 for big-box chain stores; and WHEREAS,a more recent study by a private research firm, Civic Economics, found that the total impact (direct, indirect and induced) on a Chicago neighborhood was $.68 for every dollar spent at local independents compared to $.43 projected for chain competitors, meaning$.68 of additional local economic return ultimately generated after additional spending cycles; and WHEREAS, another study, commissioned by the American Independent Business Alliance, found that local merchants generated twice as much sales activity per square foot of a large chain store and nearly quadrupled the local economic return per square foot of the chain store projections; and WHEREAS,local businesses create diverse job opportunities, boost the local economy and preserve neighborhoods; and WHEREAS,purchasing from local businesses means less travel time from the farm to table thereby reducing the energy required to transport food by planes, trucks, and ships and reducing the nearly 250,000 tons of global warming gases attributed to the import of foods by limiting the use of fossil fuels; and WHEREAS,buying local means the risk of foodborne illnesses is reduced because the food is fresher; and WHEREAS,the benefits of buying local result not only from the actions of residents, but also from the actions of the City; and WHEREAS,in addition to the benefits of residents buying local, purchasing local goods and materials by the City will increase the City's self-reliance and resiliency, as well as acting as a model for local purchasing policies that support local business development and economic growth; and WHEREAS,colleges and universities are inherently an important potential institutional base for assisting community-based economic development in general, and civically engaged development in particular, and by strategically focusing higher education's academic programs and research to business practices colleges and universities can improve their core intellectual and academic work in part by giving students and faculty real-world experience which can inform both research and teaching. The Common Council therefore encourages participation in, and development of, economic partnerships with these valuable anchor institutions within our community; and WHEREAS,encouraging local businesses to follow sustainable practices will quicken their participation in high-growth sectors of the economy such as renewable energy, recycling, green building, zero