Why Shift?

The 10% Shift is a strategy designed to build strong local economies and vibrant communities.  By making a modest behavior change and shifting 10% of our annual budget from non-local businesses to Local Independents we can help build a strong local economy, and we can do it now.

Making the Shift will have a profound impact on our economy, if consumers shifted 10% of their Local Independents we would see extraordinary results:

• Expanded Job Creation — Create new jobs
• Economic Growth — Generate for example 1 million dollars a month is spent in Shelburne County on groceries. If consumers shifted 10% of their purchases to local independent business 1.2 millon dollars will be spent in Local businesses.
• Entrepreneurial Ventures — Inspire the formation thousands of new entrepreneurial ventures
• Environment Protected — Decrease thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions
• Enhanced Communities — Revitalize local Nova Scotian communities

These enormous benefits to the Nova Scotian  economy are thanks to what is called the Local Multiplier.  When dollars are spent at Local Independents, up to three times as much money stays locally, and since Local Independents are much more likely to keep the money circulating in the local economy the economic impact multiplies dramatically.  This economic growth resulting from the circulation of dollars within the local economy is the Local Multiplier at work.  Bottom line—making the 10% Shift strengthens our local economy and revitalizes our communities beginning today and without using one taxpayer dollar.