Bellingham WA Think Local Buy Local
Bellingham, WA - A local non-profit network of local, independently owned Whatcom County businesses and supporters are going strong with the idea of Sustainable Connections. The local group, in it’s fifth year of existence, promotes the idea of local consumers thinking local, buy local, and be local when it comes to buying decisions. It’s a great concept to support local community businesses and to strengthen the local Bellingham and Whatcom County communities as a whole.
The group of local businesses has coalesced under the banner of Sustainable Connections and put that idea to rest. Chris Webb of 2020 Engineering was one of the founders of the group about ten years ago. Despite attracting 50-60 people to a number of events, the group lost momentum when some of its members had to put more energy into running their businesses.
Rick Dubrow of A-1 Builders met Michelle & Derek Long at a state forum on sustainable business practices. They discovered a mutual interest in the environment, strong communities, and a “local living economy.” Their discussions resulted in a renaissance for Sustainable Connections, an influx of new members, and a determination to keep the momentum going. Sustainable Connections has a great article on their site written by Whatcom County Businesses Pulse, called Whatcom Group Makes Sustainable Connections that really gives an understanding of how this movement was developed.
I really hope someday that Whatcom County awards Rick Dubrow, A-1 Builders, the lifetime achievement award for all the valuable time he has donated to this county towards the green movement. When I think about Green in Whatcom County, my first thought is Rick Dubrow.
Their membership currently stands at over 600 business, affiliate and supporter members. In the past five years they have had some heavy hitters join their ranks to include Brown & Cole’s Cost Cutter Foods, Barkley Company, People’s Bank, Samuel’s Furniture, Pioneer Ford, WECU, and so many more. Here’s a complete list of Sustainable Connections members. Their list of local board members and advisers looks more like the who’s who of Whatcom County with the likes of: Pete Kremen, Whatcom County Executive; Dan Pike, Mayor of Bellingham; Craig Cole, CEO, Brown & Cole; Kelli Linville, State Representative, WA State; and Mark Asmundson, Director, Northwest Clean Air Agency.
To demonstrate how much their message has gotten out…after finishing some business with WECU yesterday, I was enjoying lunch at Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro and while reading Cascadia Weekly noticed the Sustainable Connections twelve page insert. I ended up taking both the Weekly and insert home with me. On my way home I stopped in to Cost Cutter in Ferndale and got a few groceries. I then noticed all the plastic bags were covered in Sustainable Connections information and the Buy Local logo. All four businesses I dealt with in a span of two hours were current partners with Sustainable Connections. Id say their getting the message out there pretty good.
The Green movement seems to have really taken off nationally in the past couple of years, but to veterans like Webb, Dubrow, and the Long’s, they have been practicing this movement way before the idea even had a name. The sustainable concept is a way of life for a lot of local Bellingham businesses and residents now, and has propelled Bellingham to the epic center of a new economic model for other areas to follow.
From their own mission statement, Sustainable Connections provides support to our local community of innovators in green building, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, supporting independent businesses in town centers, and mentoring a new breed of entrepreneurs that have designed their business with a sustainable vision.
Their goal is to educate local businesses and government entities and to help them participate in the opportunities of a sustainable economy. They try to Connect businesses to each other, and to the local marketplace so they can grow the local economy.
It’s a great concept that has really taken hold locally on a grassroots basis, and has so much to gain once more and more people are educated on how easy it is to participate. I think the current popularity of the green movement will really help the project blossom over the coming years and hopefully it becomes a standard in the way we all live our lives.
I encourage anyone that wants to learn about making a difference, where ever you happen to live, to visit the local Bellingham Sustainable Connections site and learn how you to can make a difference in your local community as well.
Brought to you by Jerry Campbell - Muljat Group - Bellingham WA - Northwest Living