“When you shop at your local food co-op, you are helping build a sustainable, inclusive and locally rooted economy,” Crowell writes, noting that 30% of goods sold at the region’s 60+ food co-ops are sourced from local farmers and producers.
Twenty of those food co-ops trace their formation back to the 1970s, riding the era’s wave of ecological awareness—the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. These co-ops were among the grocery industry pioneers in local sourcing, organic produce and other innovations that were later adopted by mainstream retailers, Crowell writes.