Eating healthy is so important, so finding local, organic and sustainable food is so important when moving to a new city especially. Not only does it keep you connected to your community, but it also allows you to support your local farmers, making sure that your dollars are going back into your local area—not into faraway places. To top it off local and organic food proves to provide a healthier and more responsible life for your body and soul.

Once you get off the moving truck and unpack all of your belongings, you are going to realize quickly that it is time to cook. Check out the website LocalHarvest.org this website provides  a milieu of choices as to what kind of food/shops/farms/markets you are looking for in your community. It also lets you search by state, city or zip code to best get the results you are looking for.

On Local Harvest, there are a number of types of food stores that you can search for. To name a few,

• CSA: Community Supported Agriculture, this type of business has individuals buy into shares on the farm to invest in the growth of local and seasonal, usually organic vegetables that you pick up to enjoy bi weekly
• Farms: Local farmers that sell directly to consumers and that do not go through stores, or a third party. The less hands that touch your food the fresher and the safer.
• Local Restaurants: You may ask, what is the difference between a local and non local restaurant? Well its simple. Do they ship in food or do they buy from local farmers and support local agriculture? Are they a chain that is available all over the country or are they a local shop specific to your community? Local restaurants again bring your dollars back to the community and can many times buy from local and organic growers.
• Grocery/Food Co-op: This is a fun and important part of every sustainable food community. Becoming a part of a co-op means that you are now a part of the solution for sustainable eating and living, not to mention are filling your fridge with local organic food. As a member, you are part owner of the store and have a say as to how things are handled.

Don’t ever forget: food is important! Where it comes from, how you get it, how it is grown. Using local harvest.org will not only connect you with your new community, but lead you down a road of health and sustainability.

Fort Collins used to be the leader in retail and dining in Northern Colorado. Now all of the neighboring communities that once depended on the opening of new stores and restaurants are developing their own shopping and dining areas, leaving Fort Collins a bit emptier.

Residents are now asking questions. What is going to happen to the Foothills Fashion Mall? How about the empty lot where Wal-Mart once was? These questions and more go unanswered to many anxious to see South College get it breath of life back into the Fort Collins community.

Currently there is approximately 655,000 square feet of empty retail on College Avenue alone. It is in line and ready for revitalization and attention of developers and investors. The Midtown Commercial Corridor Study, by ELS, Economic & Planning Systems, and Warren W. Wilson will be hosting and evaluating the challenges and issues regarding South College not to mention provide strategic direction for the City and community.

If you are one of those who would be interested in putting in their two cents concerning this topic, or if you just are interested in overseeing the process as to what will happen to South College, you are in luck. There is a public meeting being held regarding this matter today, Wednesday, March 10^th  from 5-7 pm at the  Fort Collins Marriott (350 E Horsetooth Road). If this topic is something of interest to you, make sure to attend! These meetings make communities truly what they are—a collaboration. There will be much to discuss and to learn so bring your notebook and save your voice.

2010 is going to be a big year for the city of Fort Collins. This January, the City Council work session worked to implement new Green building standards. The Fort Collins Board of Realtors happens to be the driving force behind it all. The FCBR should be recognized for being among the first in the country and the only Realtor association in the State of Colorado, to have a sustainability committee. Yes, you read it right, a new sustainability committee.

Fort Collins as a community, seems to be consistently assessing the best ways to guarantee a sustainable future, and this happens to be one of the best ideas thus far. FCBR’s sustainability committee focuses on several ways  to enhance our community’s efforts to reduce energy usage and provide Green resources that will educate the public.

The committee already has quite a few projects underway, including formulating criteria for new FCBR awards. In doing so, the FCBR hopes to launch criteria for Green Office of the year and Green Realtor of the year awards.

They also hope to leverage a few partnerships to have access for improvements so they can provide the community with new Green tools that will be helpful while assisting buyers and sellers.

There’s no doubt that Fort Collins is a community that prides itself on thinking in a sustainable way. This just goes to show that people and companies in this town are taking these ideas seriously. Thanks Fort Collins Board of Realtors for not only talking the talk but also walking the walk.

Sound of interest to you? You can volunteer your time and ideas and be a part of this new, exciting committee! They are looking for volunteers to help! If you would like to learn more or volunteer today please contact James Mitchell at 970-221-0700 or via email at jwmitchell@thegroupinc.com or Clint Skutchan at 920-402-0852 or clint@fcbr.org

For more information visit their website!

To Connect Follow the FCBR on Twitter!

Become a Fan of FCBR on Facebook!

At Exodus what matters most to us YOU! When we say YOU we really do mean you. You don’t have to be someone needing assistance in moving or help acquiring a storage unity, you are important to us because we are all a part of the same community.

We value our community in Northern Colorado more than a lot of moving companies you will find. Here at Exodus, we make the public our top priority in doing business. We also work hard to build and maintain a reputation that is admirable for the Northern Colorado community and we hope to live up to all the expectations that we have set for ourselves.

We also support locally owned businesses and events that are taking place in Northern Colorado and will do our best to help you out. Let us know how we can help spread the word about your business, organization, and charity by following us on Twitter @ExodusMoving.

Exodus often contributes to non-profit organizations by donating our white glove moving services. Now more than ever, we encourage you this Holiday Season to give back to your community. Wherever you are, whatever you do, you can help someone or something in such a small way that makes such a big difference!

Let’s put it this way, you scratch our back and we’ll scratch yours. Let’s work hand in hand this Holiday Season and even ring in the year 2010 by supporting local businesses, organization, charities.

“We can begin by doing small things at the local level, like planting community gardens or looking out for neighbors. That is how change takes place in living systems, not from above but from within, from many local actions occurring simultaneously”

                                                                                        – Grace Lee Boggs

“They” say it takes around a year to a year and a half to meet people in a new community that you can truly call a friend. Depending on where you move, it can take longer than that. Here are some tips to make it easier, and quicker!

Chamber of Commerce: Never rule out the chamber, even if you aren’t a business owner. Your local chamber can connect you to businesses you need, events to attend, and new people to meet that can make you feel at home. Check out Chambers of Commerce, USA Directory and Visitor Bureaus US Directory.

Another great way to meet people and get familiar with your new community is through Livability.com  “Livability.com is an online portal connecting people seeking relocation information with some of the most livable communities in the United States.” This website is made for people relocating. They also include local food and a digital newsstand. What a wonderful resource for people moving!

Last but not least, don’t forget about using social media! Twitter and Facebook have features where you can search by city and state. Use Facebook search bar, and for Twitter use Twellowhood.com

Here at Exodus, we hope you make new friends quickly, and start feeling more and more at home!

At Exodus, we are locally owned and locally involved. We support and work with many local businesses and know the importance of supporting people right in our own backyard. Even though we help people relocate from all over the world; whether they are moving to Northern Colorado or not, we still put a heavy focus on being involved with local non-profits, going to events and festivals, and promoting the businesses and charities we work with. A way that you can get your business or office involved is through BALLE – Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, which is a national organization whose mission is to catalyze, strengthen, and connect local business networks dedicated to building strong Local Living Economies. BALLE has over 70 active networks across the US and Canada. To learn more visit www.livingeconomies.org

Another great way is just by riding your bike down the street and shopping at the farmers market, buying your clothes from a local retailer and having dinner at a community restaurant. Supporting the business down the street builds our local economies, which is vital to overcoming the economic downturn. The small mom and pop shops are closing faster than you can imagine because they cannot compete with the big box stores. Try to think of alternatives within your community to support businesses that are locally owned and operated.