ECO TIPS — BUY LOCAL OR BYE LOCAL

As an unusual Christmas shopping season approaches, many will choose
to shop on-line, although it appears retail outlets will be permitted to open
in time to facilitate “real” shopping. There are many reasons to shop
locally, be it on-line or physically. As many local companies buckle under
the Covid19 restrictions, others are scrambling to set up on-line shopping
facilities. It is a really good idea to support these (see Shop in Ireland,
you can search by county) rather than to look around for, perhaps at first
glance, a cheaper option from far away overseas. This will only serve to
support mega-companies, whereas supporting Irish companies will keep
people in Ireland employed and, with the trickle-down effect, this will
benefit us all. Additionally, your gifts will not have traversed the world.
The adage “Buy local or Bye local” is truer now than ever before. One can
also phone some suppliers directly and order on a “click and collect” basis.
A huge variety is on offer, from conventional clothes, hardware,
homeware to crafts, food items, plants etc. And of course, the more
sustainable the shopping the better for the environment too.