One of the things I love about going away is experiencing the things you can’t experience at home.

I’ve just spent a lovely week on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast…

Which is famous for its produce, and rightly so.

And, being in Queensland, we delighted in eating the freshest of fresh, local food.

Prawns so fresh that the flesh came right out of the tail. 🙂

Pineapples bought where they were grown. 🙂

The world’s best ginger. 🙂

And, my favourite discovery, coconut yogurt made in Yandina. 😀

Yum!

No wonder there are so many farmers markets in the area. So locals can buy their food supplies from other locals.

That is wonderfully low food mileage. And great for the local community.

I noticed that local support for producers wasn’t confined to food shops and markets. It was also evident in other products like clothes.

You would expect to find locally produced goods at arts and crafts markets like the famous Eumundi markets.

And, indeed, they were there.

But I was surprised to find quite a lot of boutiques selling locally designed and produced clothing…good design with flair…well made…for real bodies to look and feel great. 🙂

And the prices were quite reasonable, considering that the clothes are made in low volumes under good (safe, fair) Australian conditions (which we frequently hear are so expensive).

Perhaps it’s just a different, more caring and sustainable business model than the ‘normal’ clothing industry.

And, like the local food, the associated energy and greenhouse gas emissions are low…and the benefit to the producers is high, and that strengthens the local community.

Now that’s sustainable.

How do you support your local producers? I’d love to hear. Just leave your comments in the box below…or send me a voice message by clicking on the tab on the right.

Till next time…be gentle to yourself and our world!