Thank you to all the locals and businesses who participated in the recent #bowenisawesome contest. The contest successfully generated a lot of positive comments about Bowen’s small businesses and raised awareness about the importance of supporting local. Even though the contest is over, we want to keep the good vibes going and encourage residents to think and support local first. To help you do this, look for your free copy of the Go Local booklet as part of this week’s Undercurrent island-wide distribution.
The Go Local booklet is a handy resource and we hope you’ll enjoy reading the stories, information and, perhaps, learning something new about this island – there’s lots of good pics, too! The goal of the booklet is to build community connections, inform, and encourage locals to support locals. Where you spend your money matters. Each purchase you make at a local business recirculates in the community through wages, purchases, taxes and donations. When you shop locally you’re helping to create a vibrant, diverse, livable and more resilient community – you’re helping to create this place that we proudly call home.
Bowen is known as a welcoming and caring community, a place where neighbours rally behind neighbours with a helping hand or volunteer countless hours to improve the community and build projects, such as the new health centre. The various grassroots fundraisers for the Ukraine are just one recent example of Bowen Islanders rallying together to support others in need. We are a community that cares, both at home and afar.
The Go Local booklet offers many simple ways to become a Bowen Champion. And we encourage you to take the 10 per cent challenge. A recent provincial study estimates that a 10 per cent shift to shopping locally creates 14,150 jobs and $4.3 billion for BC’s economy.
Another recent study showed that buying locally-made products from a local brick and mortar store has up to 107 times more of an impact than buying non-local products online from a non-local business (only 0.3 per cent benefit). Also, your local purchases reduce greenhouse gases by up to 66 per cent (LOCO BC, Vancity, Nov. 2021). Can you take the 10 per cent challenge?
Let’s support Bowen together by shopping locally whenever and wherever we can. And get your friends and family to support Bowen businesses, too! The next time they want to give a gift, encourage them to buy or order locally. All Bowen shops and restaurants have gift cards, welcome long-distance orders and many have online shops.
Pick up your free Support Bowen Together pin from a local business. If you didn’t receive a Go Local booklet or would like another copy, send us an email at [email protected]. Many local businesses will have extra booklets, too.
This Go Local booklet and the recent #bowenisawesome contest were brought to you by the Tourism Bowen Island Association and funded by the Government of Canada’s Strategic Activities Program, administered by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry and delivered through the BC Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations to the winners of the #bowenisawesome contest: Holly Graff, Tanya Voormeij-de Zwart, Vera Keogh, Brayden Alexander and Brie Merkel.
Let’s keep the positive vibes alive and let’s make Bowen even more awesome.
