Well folks, we’ve had 15 days of recognizing local goodness, and there’s a ton of #localgoodnessYEG still to come! We’re proud to have seen some wicked engagement across our platforms, and we’re calling on YOU to keep the momentum going. Still, it’s just as important to see where we’ve been, so here’s your chance to catch up with our daily campaign:
(And if by the end you’re still not sure what it’s all about, or if you want to check out our schedule for the month, be sure to visit our Local Goodness Launch Post, here)!
May 1: Bakeries and Breadmakers
Toasting to a future where workers in every industry are safe, protected, and considered more than just a number, on May 1 we celebrated Worker’s Independence Day by highlighting the efforts of local bakers and bread-makers serving YEG. We were proud to see locals listing their favorite bakeries, and the #localgoodness that baking can bring:
Next we focused on the farmers market and the fact that these markets are less crowded than other supermarkets–a feature of importance as we ramp up re-opening operations. Ultimately, farmers markets are a great alternative if you are feeling insecure about being in groups at your local supermarket during the spread of COVID-19. On May 2, we highlighted that farmer’s markets are still running, and that they’ve put common-sense measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so there are tons of great ways to support local growers on your grocery runs.
May 3: Co-Gardening and Co-Composting
Today we brought the city’s attention to co-gardening and co-composting. It is important to be mindful of how our food is made, grown, and sustained as our local food systems come under intense pressure to keep us safe. We explored the many ways that you can contribute to co-planting efforts, though self planting, compost apps, and other great activities:
On the fourth (may the fourth be with you), we explored ways to help our local restaurants to make sure they can sustain their business. One suggestion was to directly call your local eatery for take-out or pick-up options. We learned that using Uber Eats & Skip the Dishes can result in around a 30% cut from the sale of local restaurants, and emphasized getting delivery “the old fashioned way”. We had some great #yeglocals tell us where they were eating, helping to support some #foodgoodness in YEG:
May 5: Coffee and Local Bean Roasters
Today was all about caffeine routines in quarantine. We encouraged participants to #getlocal and support the coffee or tea businesses hiding in their neighbourhood. We also wanted to raise awareness about those front-line workers at our local cafes, who are now opening up again for business. We were proud to see some great #yeggers tell us where to find our next brew:
May 6: Food Banks, Literacy, and Security
On the sixth, we explored the importance of food security, literacy, and food banks, and how we can help in this time of need. Food has the power to bring people and communities together, particularly in times of crisis, and we brought awareness to the fact that you can still volunteer, donate, and share stories about food security to raise awareness. In fact, our audience did just that:
May 7: #YEGdrinks and Local Breweries
Despite a diminished ability to toast today’s goodness with alcoholic or non alcoholic beverages, local breweries have not stopped operating. Almost every craft brewery in Edmonton is doing some form of delivery service (often with minimum dollar spend), so we encouraged followers to check in with their favourites and see what they have on offer:
Heading off the second week of The Local Goodness project, we gave a shout-out to our local non-profits and charities. We shined the light on the care-givers that have self-lessly been bringing goodness to Edmonton, long before this pandemic every began. There are many other amazing local charities, volunteer organizations, and nonprofits out there that need the helping hand of their community:
May 9: Spring Cleaning and Donating Locally
On May 9, we wanted to encourage people to clear their minds and spaces, and to give their gently used and unwanted items back to the community. The day’s blog article helped point to great donation centres in Edmonton, who are again opening their doors for your used goods:
On the tenth, The Local Goodness project brought attention to the much changed lives of Edmonton’s young people, who have been affected by school shutdowns, isolation, and other barriers to learning. We were proud to encourage local goodness by bringing awareness to the local youth groups in our community, and to share hubs for teens and young people to visit to get involved with local movements fighting for change. We even had a #yegyouth member volunteer to write a blog article that day, which you can find here.
May 11: Caring for the Climate and the Environment
Climate change is an inevitable global catastrophe that will occur whenever we want it to or not. On May 11, The Local Goodness Project took the time to talk about using collective action, even when at home, to help this cause. We encouraged participants to dedicate their time to education and conversation, and asked what our followers were doing to take care of the environment!
After almost two long weeks of goodness, today we wanted our followers to focus on taking care of themselves. Self-care and mental wellness are key during this challenging time, and through meditation, nature, positive mindset, etc, we can prevent the mental deterioration that slowly erodes away at us during stressful times. Instead, we can be ready to engage with challenges in healthy and optimistic ways, as Deb “Distancing” Merriam and Stephanie Chai did on their self-care day:
We are proud to see many of us using #Text4Hope for words of encouragement as well! A word of encouragement from you will make everyone involved feel a sense of goodness:
May 13: Caring for At-Risk Communities
Even as we move forward from a strange two-month fog, we can recognize the ways that this pandemic is disproportionately affecting many of those already disadvantaged or who are at-risk for systematic marginalization in Edmonton and around the world. While we were of course highlighting some of these challenges each day of #LocalGoodYEG, on May 13 we doubled-down and invited followers to take a moment and reflect on their privilege during COVID, and on what they could do to help:
May 14: CareMongering in Edmonton
Today, we wanted to focus on the caremongering movement taking Canada by storm. We used our platform to fuel awareness of what caremongering is–a series of small acts coming together to take care of our community. That can mean offering to baby-sit, deliver groceries, pick up prescriptions, turn over a local garden plot, or even using your “social distance” gathering time to pick up litter at a local gathering place (wearing the proper protection). Care-mongering is a LOT of people coming together to bring joy or assistance to a neighbourhood or city, and pick everyone up who needs it.
May 15: Supporting #SmallBiz in YEG
You’re here! We’re starting off the first week of #LocalGoodnessYEG by focusing on the ways that you can help small business in YEG move forward as we all come out from behind closed doors. Check out today’s blog post here, or make your own post using our hashtag, telling us how you’re supporting small business today!
The Goodness Never Ends
With 16 more days full of #localgoodnessyeg, we can’t wait to see what’s in store, and to learn how people like us can make huge changes within our community, just by staying informed. Watch along as we explore other aspects of local community goodness this month, and be sure to make your own posts (using our hashtag) to enter our contest for a bunch of local goodies each week!
Happy Goodness, and to all, a good day!