We’re excited to announce the launch of the 2012 Shift Your Shopping Campaign.

We’ll have much more to share about this exciting holiday initiative, but for now you can enjoy this post from Joe Grafton, originally posted at the launch of the North American Shift Your Shopping website in 2011.

If you’re just finding out about the local movement, then this campaign is already succeeding.  Over the past 10+ years, business owners, community organizers, researchers and countless others have come together, setting out to build a new economy.  Shift your Shopping is just the latest manifestation of this work, and another step in collaboration that so defines the people involved in this movement.

Throughout this site, and through this North American campaign, you’ll find a great deal of information, research, data and stories that paint a compelling and convincing picture.  It’s not hard for us to see that the economic system we’re currently pursuing isn’t working for people, but what’s so exciting, and we hope is a key learning for you as a result of this campaign, is that there is an alternative.

Local economies, populated by a diverse and resilient local business community, offer more to our communities and to our own lives.  I’ve always believed that, since our purchasing decisions are in our control,  it’s maybe the most effective way for us to ‘vote’ in our society.  Depending on the estimate, consumer spending represents 60-70% of the economy every year and, while holiday shopping is just a part of that, our purchasing in the holiday season is a major economic driver.

So, this year, I encourage YOU to make a shift.  Instead of fighting crowds at the mall, take a stroll down down Main Street.  Instead of buying from a mega-online retailer, find an independent retail outfit that can offer you the same online ease.  And instead of purchasing all the latest retail products produced far away, consider buying fewer gifts, more thoughtfully, made by local artists or craftspeople…who might also be your neighbor.

In the coming weeks, we'll be rolling out lots of stories, gift ideas and options for you to Shift your Shopping in the 'ville

The local economies movement is growing by the day, this is just another step in the process.  Main Street works…it always has.  We’re just remembering something we collectively forgot.  And if you want to help spread the message, we’d love your help.  Here’s a couple things you can do:

• Share the SYS website via Facebook or Twitter
• Tag your tweets with #shiftyourshopping
• Talk to people in your life (Social Networking 0.0?) about buying locally, why you’re doing so this holiday season and why its important

Your community will thank you.