Printed in the Durango Herald November 30, 2019 Look Local: Amazon enters the public sector At Local First we talk a lot about the impacts of shopping online to our local economy. And, to remind our readers, our name is “Local First,” not “Local, or Death!” So, we encourage all community members and institutions [...]
Printed in the Durango Herald November 2, 2019 Health care co-op saves money, helps people Have you heard about the Southwest Health Alliance? We recently teamed up with Peak Health Alliance to bring affordable and effective health care to the La Plata County region. This partnership evolved from a year-long community needs assessment that [...]
Printed in the Durango Herald October 5, 2019 How is the Creative District coming along? In my February 23rd column on the Durango Creative District, I had just finished a 30-day trip down the Grand Canyon and spoke to the inspiration of the outdoors and a burgeoning initiative to establish a Creative District in [...]
Printed in the Durango Herald September 7, 2019 Setting Goals is a positive first step “If you aim for nothing, you'll hit it every time.” This famous quote coined by Zig Ziglar was taken to heart by the City of Durango on August 20th at their regularly scheduled board meeting (see Herald August 27th [...]
Printed in the Durango Herald August 10, 2019 Farm to Table to Farm: The Eat Local Movement You may have heard the term “Eat Local” around town, and with the harvest season drawing near, this call to action becomes more relevant than ever. Local First has a long track record of advocating for the [...]
Printed in the Durango Herald July 13, 2019 Brand your business as local and independent Last month’s Local First column discussed business as a force for good and the next generation’s estimated $1 trillion in impact investing by the end of 2020. While the positive social and environmental impact that these businesses have gives [...]
Printed in the Durango Herald June 15, 2019 Business as a force for good Can business be a force for positive change in the world? Taking a step further, can business address the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges? The next generation appears to think so. A 2018 study by Fidelity Charitable suggests [...]
Printed in the Durango Herald May 23, 2019 The push for local, renewable energy The La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) Board election on May 2 has transformed the Board of Directors into a strong majority of forward-thinking individuals who advocate for local, renewable energy. This is a reflection of the growing demand, as expressed [...]
Printed in the Durango Herald April 20, 2019 Local Solutions to Health Care Could Provide Relief Rising healthcare costs have become a hot topic of discussion, particularly as insurance premiums and other medical expenses continue to soar. In fact, health care seems to come up as a discussion point more than the weather these [...]
Printed in the Durango Herald March 23, 2019 Independent businesses an ecosystem’s native species The word resiliency can be used to describe both an ecosystem and an economy. Resiliency ultimately means the ability to bounce back or recover from a shock, or the ability to avoid the shock altogether. Take the 416 Fire, for [...]